8,000 WATT Med Grow Hash Plant, Durban Poison, Tangerine Dream & Flo @ 9,000Ft

Redoctober said:

If you dim the ballast down from 1000W to say 600W, do you have to swap the bulb out for a lower wattage bulb, or can you leave the same 1000 watter in there? Somewhat analogous to a switchable desk lamp with different brightness settings?

Click to expand...

The HPS that Gavita offers uses a dual sided 400V bulb made by phillips. This bulb is smaller, brighter, more efficient and is one of the the few changes made to our equipment selection in quite some time. The ballast for my 1150 Gavita is half the size of my Quantum 1000 watters. It produces less heat, and runs more efficiently BECAUSE it is running @ 400V. As I understand it, the HPS 1150's only run on 240 because of this conversion to 400V. I have the remote ballast kit, you have to purchase the hood, bulb, and ballast separate; it is $100 more than the non-remote set up. The PLASMAS are completely different. They are all non-remote for starters. My plants just love the plasma. They run on 120 and 240, you are suppose to receive both a 120 cord and a 240 cord with the plasma. I have had a super busy week...

farmerEd said:

Dunno lol I doubt I'm the only one still watching...I forgot to ask you in the pm how you liking those lights?...I feel like I need shades walking into my garden and I only have 1 gavita pro 1000 and a 300w plasma

Click to expand...

I have 4 of them for a reason They are the shit. Gavita makes a new product, I'm gonna try it. They are the only company that makes lights specifically for growing cannabis(I can't prove this, what I was told). It is very obvious to me that the plants under plasma lights are a) reaching for the light b) vegging faster c) appreciating the cooler temps and d) might just be coincidence, but they look like they kicking out hairs and ready to start flowering, like the light is promoting it(even though they are on 18/6). Either way, Gavita makes the highest quality lights that you can buy, whether it is their 1000W(1150 actually) or their plasma. No brainer for me!

Btw, my Gavita 1000(1150)watters are insanely bright. I have magnetic ballasts with hortilux blues, mags with dual arc hortilux, mags with super HPS bulbs from hortilux, digis with hort superHPS, and Gavita 1000s and Plasma all in the same room. Gavita 1000 is hands down the brightest thing and it is turned down to 1000, it has 1 more higher setting. Pics soon

djmaya420 said:

I love my lumatek switchables there is no better ballast, talk about bright.

Click to expand...

I've seen so many of those get returned! They are trash(just from my experience, I mean no offense). If you are gonna go digi and don't wanna go all out Gavita(400V ballast and bulb), there are better options. The hydrofarm phantoms have 0 moving parts, they are very reliable. Side by side with quantum digi(3 of each) all phantoms went a solid year with out any trouble. Lost 1 quantum, plus the quantum has a fan on it, not a big deal, but, it is what failed on my quantum . Humboldt distributes a Gavita like digi(same manufacturer) that works with standard HPS bulbs(non 400V), and it looks very similar to the Gavita, but it is a little bigger. It has goretex expansion valves on it, this helps the ballast breath when it heats up and cools down, but maintains a seal on the ballast(helps keep moisture out).

Thanks Nebulas and farmerEd for the info. I'm definitely going to get one of the 1000W Gavitas! Is there any particular reason to go with the remote ballast kit over the attached ballast? Are they big and bulky or something? I figured that since they can't be ducted and cooled in either case, might as well just go with the attached. Only reason to go with the remote I guess is if the hood disperses light better or somehow dissipates some of the heat.

Thanks for the input farmerEd. I'm glad you don't have to switch bulbs if you decide to turn your 1000W into a 600W.

No problem bud...hey nebulas are you sure youre supposed to get a 120 and 240v cord with the plasmas?...cuz if that's the case I got jipped

farmerEd said:

No problem bud...hey nebulas are you sure youre supposed to get a 120 and 240v cord with the plasmas?...cuz if that's the case I got jipped

Click to expand...

Go back to way to grow. They will get you one. It was a mistake on Gavitas behalf.

Redoctober said:

Thanks Nebulas and farmerEd for the info. I'm definitely going to get one of the 1000W Gavitas! Is there any particular reason to go with the remote ballast kit over the attached ballast? Are they big and bulky or something? I figured that since they can't be ducted and cooled in either case, might as well just go with the attached. Only reason to go with the remote I guess is if the hood disperses light better or somehow dissipates some of the heat.

Thanks for the input farmerEd. I'm glad you don't have to switch bulbs if you decide to turn your 1000W into a 600W.

Click to expand...

I use the remote ballasts to cut down on heat alittle bit in my room. The ballasts are in a closet, my MLC is on the other side of the wall in the laundry room. This way I keep heat in the closet more so, and my ballast isn't too far from the teh MLC that I plug it in to. It's personal preference. The hoods use the same connectors as standard ballasts do. So it is easy to use the system this way. Universal

NebulasINblooM said:

Go back to way to grow. They will get you one. It was a mistake on Gavitas behalf.

Click to expand...

I will def. do that....how them babies lookin?

Oh yea, clones are ready when you are

Oh Farmer or Nebulas, I meant to ask, can you veg under those Gavita lamps, or flower only? I couldn't really make out if the dual ended bulbs were HPS or more of a combo, full spectrum type light. Do they make a metal halide bulb for those fixtures?

The plasma($1,250) is for veg only. The dual sided 400V HPS is for flower only. I also use the plasma in my flower room. I have it set up with 4 HPS lights and 1 plasma in the middle of them.

NebulasINblooM said:

The plasma($1,250) is for veg only. The dual sided 400V HPS is for flower only. I also use the plasma in my flower room. I have it set up with 4 HPS lights and 1 plasma in the middle of them.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much my ideal setup! How's the veg on that plasma? Tight nodes/vigorous growth? How would you compare it to a T5 or LED? I've heard good things, never really seen a journal with it though. What's the veg coverage area for 1 plasma?

Redoctober said:

That's pretty much my ideal setup! How's the veg on that plasma? Tight nodes/vigorous growth? How would you compare it to a T5 or LED? I've heard good things, never really seen a journal with it though. What's the veg coverage area for 1 plasma?

Click to expand...

I will answer your questions with pictures. I have been battling my fresh air intake set-up. First time I have ever built a window box. It fell apart on me . I'll put pics up in the next couple days, I promise. I have had to redo a few things. Been a bitch. Got everything tip top now. It isn't easy cooling a room with 8 foot ceilings and NO VENTILATED hoods. I know it will be the shit once it is done. Plasmas are the shit man! Mark my words. I have 4 of them. For good reason. There is a visible difference, between the plants under plasma and ones under MH or T5. I have every light there is except LED.

Cool man I can't wait Sorry about your window box. If you get a chance to outline how you built yours, that would be awesome! I have anticipated the heat rise in the room and am going to try out an ice box water cooled heat exchanger. Usually they are meant to be attached directly to a hood but can also be used as stand alone air conditioning units to cool the ambient air in the room. All one needs is a rez, chiller, and pump. I'll let you know how effective it is. It's supposed to be more efficient than an ac unit and uses 2x less power to provide the same cooling.

I also meant to ask you what kind of a light mover setup you have going? A back and forth one or the spinning kind, or maybe something really cool that I don't even know about?

NebulasINblooM said:

I will answer your questions with pictures. I have been battling my fresh air intake set-up. First time I have ever built a window box. It fell apart on me . I'll put pics up in the next couple days, I promise. I have had to redo a few things. Been a bitch. Got everything tip top now. It isn't easy cooling a room with 8 foot ceilings and NO VENTILATED hoods. I know it will be the shit once it is done. Plasmas are the shit man! Mark my words. I have 4 of them. For good reason. There is a visible difference, between the plants under plasma and ones under MH or T5. I have every light there is except LED.

Click to expand...

I have a small closet that I can't cut holes in cuz I'm in an apt...now talk about a being a bitch to cool. Took a lot of these To get it figured out haha...what I did was I took my 6 in fan attached to my filter and rigged it up so fresh air is constantly blowing across my 1000w bulb...I keep the door open with the lights on and temps stay in the low 80's

farmerEd said:

I have a small closet that I can't cut holes in cuz I'm in an apt...now talk about a being a bitch to cool. Took a lot of these To get it figured out haha...what I did was I took my 6 in fan attached to my filter and rigged it up so fresh air is constantly blowing across my 1000w bulb...I keep the door open with the lights on and temps stay in the low 80's

Click to expand...

Dude my flower room has 7 1000 watters with umbrella hoods. The vertizontal sun system hoods. I built a box for my window, put a shroom filter (8 inch) on it, with a 10 inch max fan to bring air in. Started wiht 6 inch, went to 8, now I'm at 10. Finally got my temps around 28C or 79F. Dutch guys are telling me 21/28C is ideal. I agree. I use to keep it cooler than that. I see a higher rate of growth with 21/28. My plants are loving this open hood design. Problem I'm having is with the box I built on my window. I put this 10 inch max fan on my ceiling pulling air in, and it is caving in my box. So I have to uncover it, take off the poly, and put supports in it. It will work, and I'll get it fixed today, and post pictures of my entire room with explanations. Really loving this APTUS nutrient line. I feel like my plants are in DWC buckets, but they are in Sunshine and smart pots

Just harvested and did a transplant of the clones I'm keepin...I need together rid of these others FAST already starting to get pot bound call me

NebulasINblooM said:

I feel like my plants are in DWC buckets, but they are in Sunshine and smart pots

Click to expand...

You ever try roots organics? ...I used straight roots and water whole time, very nice results...I'm going to give super soil a try soon

farmerEd said:

You ever try roots organics? ...I used straight roots and water whole time, very nice results...I'm going to give super soil a try soon

Click to expand...

I'm using Botanicare Pro Blend and Aptus boosters.

What happened to the rest of your thread?