NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
I'm not doubting everyone who is saying go vertical, but I always thought there was a trade off there. Going horizontal, a large portion of the light is direct from the bulb and the rest reflected, with the upper portion reflected and degraded the worst. In a vertical, almost all the light is reflected and therefore, at least degraded a bit before use. I see a lot of CMH setups with Vertical setups and premium reflective material. If vertical is superior, why doesn't most HPS users go vertical? Has anyone tossed a meter under them and checked? Just Curious
The vert vs horizontal isnt a theory. It's been proven to be
Good point on going vertical and the light degrading, I have never really thought about that. Another question I have about running a 315w cmh, is the noise the ballasts produce, I have read that they are noisy from some people and pretty silent from others. Do you have any idea what kind of noise levels come from the ballast?
No noise. An oscillating fan is louder.
 

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
Do some reading around, I'm not going to start arguing about it. I dont get much time for research with my full time job and caring for plants but that was one of the things I learned when first looking into cmh, by watching videos and seeing what other people had to say that have experience with them. Plus I've tested it myself with my own par meter.
Vertical unless you don't mind having less light intensity and no its not noisey. In a completely silent room you could probably here it if you listen closely.

Do some reading in the club 315 thread. That's where I went when I was curious about the lights.
 

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
Oh btw @Underground Scientist that quote to you wasn't suppose to send ;-)
I was going to dig into it a bit during my lunch break today about the subject but then changed my mind. Then the draft saved and sent without realising when I quoted the other message on the post.

Didn't mean to come off like a dick or anything, but yeah like I said there's some good info in club 315 and I believe growers house also has a side by side par comparison with cmh, on YouTube, not sure if they've got the numbers for the horiz. models but check it out. :peace:
 
Oh btw @Underground Scientist that quote to you wasn't suppose to send ;-)
I was going to dig into it a bit during my lunch break today about the subject but then changed my mind. Then the draft saved and sent without realising when I quoted the other message on the post.

Didn't mean to come off like a dick or anything, but yeah like I said there's some good info in club 315 and I believe growers house also has a side by side par comparison with cmh, on YouTube, not sure if they've got the numbers for the horiz. models but check it out. :peace:
so you're saying Vertical hung bulbs are better than a horizontal one?
those are some big crag legs brother
 

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
https://www.growlights.ca/315w-cmh-ceramic-metal-halide-kit.html

Still thinking of getting this, is it worth it to pay more for a philips grrenpower bulb? everyone seems to like those bulbs
Yes vertical put off higher par readings, which means bigger denser buds, providing it's a healthy plant.
What is your spending limit? If you insist on that one it will get the job done. When it comes to lighting, I like to go the extra mile, it's an important aspect.
If you ask me the sun system 315s with a philips bulb is the high end of cmh. And many people agree with me. I was in the same spot as you, 6 months ago wondering about cmh, I did my reading and searching, purchased mine and am now about to harvest with them and I couldn't be happier. Plants are insanely frosty.
But again that one will do fine, just expect slightly less yield.
 
Yes vertical put off higher par readings, which means bigger denser buds, providing it's a healthy plant.
What is your spending limit? If you insist on that one it will get the job done. When it comes to lighting, I like to go the extra mile, it's an important aspect.
If you ask me the sun system 315s with a philips bulb is the high end of cmh. And many people agree with me. I was in the same spot as you, 6 months ago wondering about cmh, I did my reading and searching, purchased mine and am now about to harvest with them and I couldn't be happier. Plants are insanely frosty.
But again that one will do fine, just expect slightly less yield.
http://www.bghydro.com/grow-lights/lec-cmh-grow-lights/nanolux-cmh-lec-315-fixture-120-240v.html
ever seen or heard of this light kit? seems pretty decent although shipping to canada/ exchange rate would suck
 

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
http://www.bghydro.com/grow-lights/lec-cmh-grow-lights/nanolux-cmh-lec-315-fixture-120-240v.html
ever seen or heard of this light kit? seems pretty decent although shipping to canada/ exchange rate would suck
That's a pretty good price for being a higher end brand. I'm not seeing where it advertises the ballast as 'low frequency, square wave'
That part is important, you lose a lot of efficiency without that. But nanolux is a pretty good brand, I'd do some more digging to find out if the ballast is lfsw, my guess is that it is, and in that case I'd say go for it. Get a philips 3100k bulb to go along with it.
 

Underground Scientist

Well-Known Member

Underground Scientist

Well-Known Member
I just wanted to say @NugHeuser , I did read a few people out there say PAR at comparable distances is higher with a vertical hood. Didn't see a study, with hoods named, but it focusing light better is believable. Must be common to force some circulating air at the light to disperse heat.
 
it is hard to find studies on vertical vs horizontal, i have heard some people say horizontal is better because you have more light coming straight from the bulb unreflected
 

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
All I know is that people claim they've tested it and say so, as well as the manufacturer makes the same claim. But I also get higher par readings from my 315 sun system & 3100k philips as compared to my true double ended 630w cmh from growers choice with the 3k red enhanced bulb. Not knocking the growers choice light, because my plants love it, but what I'm thinking is it can make that much of a difference vert compared to horiz. My 630(horizontal) is pulling double the watts yet my 315 gets higher par readings, granted the 630 covers wider distance but it is double the wattage.

Vertical bulb & 'low frequency, square wave' ballast and your in check.
 

NugHeuser

Well-Known Member
it is hard to find studies on vertical vs horizontal, i have heard some people say horizontal is better because you have more light coming straight from the bulb unreflected
Possibly the elongated surface of glass with vertically hung bulbs magnifies the light intensity traveling through the glass. Who knows. I will not buy a cmh with a horizontal bulb though, personally. My two 315 Sun systems have went beyond my expectations.
 

hybridway2

Amare Shill
Check out the company that's adverting here. Cool CMH set ups including the 630 DE. IR dimmer function. A few things I haven't seen & are square wave ballasts.
Forgot the name but they pop up once n awhile above advert.
 
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