Hello Y'all, this is my first post. I've been poking around on the net for a couple of weeks now trying to figure out the appropriate amount of light for a ~4sqft SOG space. Some recommendations have ranged between 35~70watts/sqft. Cooling is not an issue and I would like to maximize performance so I've been looking at 1000W HPS. Even though everything I've read states that there's no such thing as too much light, I still have this needling concern that it might be overkill or at least unnecessary. So, what do you guys think?

According to "Ask Ed" Rosenthal 50 watts p.s.f. is a general rule of thumb, you can go higher if you have co2 supps. If you have a way to vent hot air I would go with a 1000 watter.

I don't know if you would be able to pull it off unless you got rid of all that heat.. I'm running a 1000w and I have a 4 x 4 x 8. And I'm still having problems with heat.

what he said - the plants would love the light but hate the heat. i think you;d have to use an ac to cool that, ventilation alone probably won;t cut it.

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don;t trust me when i'm baked, i make shit up. bud stud in training - at http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...ts-always.html and http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...melicious.html

Thanks for the feedback. My space is actually a commercial grade freezer that I'm modifying for this purpose. That's why I said cooling isn't an issue. Well, 1000W it is.

So the freezer will be working to control the temp? How will you be setting it up to keep it in plant loving temps because usually freezers don't have thermostats that can go that high.

I don't know if I would plug a 1000wt hps light into a freezing box. I feel like the motor would burn out and the freezer would melt. I would go with a 400 watt mh for veg and 400 hps for flower at most. That might keep the motor from burning out.

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My 1st Grow- watch my prgress

Well, I figure that I'm running the thing at 40F to 50F warmer than it's designed for, so, introducing a heat source should just about balance the load on the compressor. As far as regulating temperature, I imagine I'll have to use a different thermostatic switch that works in the desired range. These units are designed to run practically non-stop anyway.

cooltube FTW

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First Grow