Considering a new grow setup. 400w hps/mh

Currently I have a fairly basic setup. My grow space is 33inchs wide, 41 inches tall, and 23 inches deep. After I measured this it seemed so small.. anyways I can only legally grow 6 so that is all I will be doing.

For lighting I use 2 setups of 6x 42 watt 6500 CFLs that are hung from a bathroom lighting fixture with a DIY hood/hanger. For air I have a single exhaust fan and passive intake. It stays whatever the temperature in the room is.

What I am wanting to do is figure out if a 400watt digital ballast would be a good upgrade for lighting. Due to my space restrictions I planned to lst or screen the tops to make better use of my limited space/lighting. Also is there anything I'm over looking? I realize that I may have to come up with a better exhaust/intake with this hps/mh setup.

I'm just trying to find out as much information as I can before I make this purchage.

If you can swing a 400w MH/HPS you will see better yields, but as you said, you will need to have an inline exhaust fan to regulate your temps.

The tent looks nice and will give you more room for your grow, but you may want to consider moving to a 600w light if you decide to go with it. Especially with 6 plants.

Perhaps I am confused as to what exactly an inline fan does that my current fan cannot do. The exhaust fan I have is 6" it is possible to connect ducting to it although it will not sit within the ducting, is that what inline means?

donkeyshow said:

Perhaps I am confused as to what exactly an inline fan does that my current fan cannot do. The exhaust fan I have is 6" it is possible to connect ducting to it although it will not sit within the ducting, is that what inline means?

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inline is a fan which blows air into your grow space rather than suck it out.

donkeyshow said:

Perhaps I am confused as to what exactly an inline fan does that my current fan cannot do. The exhaust fan I have is 6" it is possible to connect ducting to it although it will not sit within the ducting, is that what inline means?

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An inline fan is a centrifugal fan.

Oh, so I would need something like this... inline fan====>cool tube====>scrubber===>exhaust?

resinousflowers said:

inline is a fan which blows air into your grow space rather than suck it out.

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no this is not correct. an inline fan is a fan which you can hook up to the ducting. it is "in line" with the rest of the ventilation. what you are refering to is an inTAKE fan.

to the OP you can run a 400w light in that space just make sure that you have a fan that is strong enough and a good air cooled hood. also make sure it is a seperate ballast. i have grown in a 2x2x5 tent with a 400w hps in an aircooled hood. the temps were not an issue. on thing that is essential is you must vet the hot air from the fan out of the room where the tent or cab is located. get the 400 you will be very happy with the results. my only concern is your height. you said you have 41", the pots will be 12" and the light ll be about 6" and then you need atleast 8"-10" distance from the ligh to the tops. so that leaves you with plants about 25" of plant height. this is workable but not ideal.

Hey irieie thanks for the reply! I'm working with about $325 total to spend. If I went with a 400watt system I could also buy a bigger tent.. but if I went for the 600watt system I would have to use my current grow space. I might just go with the 600 watt setup for now. I know that my height is an issue, which is why I mentioned I may have to lst and/or train them around netting. I plan to be venting this air out of a window or dryer vent(not exactly sure yet but the house I'm moving into is out in the country with no really close neighbors). Additionally if I get scrubber working well enough maybe the hot hair can be pumped into other rooms of my house during the winter? I'm not overly concerned about smell, and I don't think I'll have any issue getting rid of the heat I just am trying to figure out how exactly to get it out of my grow spot Did I mention that there will be some cows near this place so the smell of shit might stink worse anyways.

ime if you can make the bigger light work, then get it. in the long run you will agree. be careful about venting your heat directly out the side of your house. this is what cops look for with flir. you should def vent back into your house during the winter for heating. great efficient use of energy.

I'm legal to grow 6 plants.. not worried about police

donkeyshow said:

I'm legal to grow 6 plants.. not worried about police

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then get 2k watts and grow trees bro!

irieie said:

then get 2k watts and grow trees bro!

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Tempting as that is.. I just don't need anything near that much. I'd probably be fine with an oz a month. To much going on to be medicated all day anymore.

So I'm looking on ebay and I see a lot of auctions that include a 600w digital ballast hps/mh(i'd like one of the ones I can dim down), bulbs also included, hood, cool tube, hanging stuff. You can check it out http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-600-W-WATT-HPS-MH-DIGITAL-GROW-LIGHT-HYDROPONIC-KIT-/220829003554?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336a6f2f22 Is $230(including shipping) a good price for this?

donkeyshow said:

Tempting as that is.. I just don't need anything near that much. I'd probably be fine with an oz a month. To much going on to be medicated all day anymore.

So I'm looking on ebay and I see a lot of auctions that include a 600w digital ballast hps/mh(i'd like one of the ones I can dim down), bulbs also included, hood, cool tube, hanging stuff. You can check it out http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-600-W-WATT-HPS-MH-DIGITAL-GROW-LIGHT-HYDROPONIC-KIT-/220829003554?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336a6f2f22 Is $230(including shipping) a good price for this?

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i like to research all the equipment i buy. i looked at a lot of those deal on ebay for light systems and while the price seems nice, i did not buy one. i looked at it long term and went ahead and bought a more quality light for a bit more money. i have not heard many good things about these chinese made lights other than that they are cheap and work ok. personally i dont trust this cheap equipment. for aboout 50-100 more you can buy a really nice light setup. i find that when it comes to equipment, you get what you pay for.