Gavita vs HPS Warehouse Grow

dbkick

Well-Known Member
@Dr. Who ;

315W CMH lamps are a lot less than $500 apiece, especially if you're buying in bulk for a warehouse. I paid $200 a kit for bare bulb n ballast myself!

.
You forgot to mention possible rebates from the power company if you're running these in a commercial grow.
Enough to cover most of the cost of the gear you choose to buy.
 

Cobnobuler

Well-Known Member
Tty I sure can appreciate a much better price point but the fact is, I'm not an electrical kit kinda guy and honestly, I don't even understand what I'm looking at there.
I'm an out of the box type of guy lucky to remember to peel the protective film off the inside of the reflector. I gotta KISS even if its gonna cost more.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Tty I sure can appreciate a much better price point but the fact is, I'm not an electrical kit kinda guy and honestly, I don't even understand what I'm looking at there.
I'm an out of the box type of guy lucky to remember to peel the protective film off the inside of the reflector. I gotta KISS even if its gonna cost more.
I respect that. Can't be an expert at everything; Lord knows I've tried!
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
@Dr. Who ;

315W CMH lamps are a lot less than $500 apiece, especially if you're buying in bulk for a warehouse. I paid $200 a kit for bare bulb n ballast myself!

Hate to say it, but there are warehouse grows right here on RIU running nothing but 315W CMH lights.

No self respecting commercial grower will have anything to do with MH- that tech is shit and has been completely eclipsed by CDM/CMH technology.

Dunno about your female friend in China, but lots of people over in the LED section are proving that COBs grow great cannabis. Tech is always moving, that's no excuse to wait unless you feel there is something a lot better right around the corner... which is how I felt about blurple LED. Now that COB LED lighting is here, THAT wait is over.

The only way to get good results with five foot tall pot plants indoors is to light them from the side. Even DE won't do it very well.

COB LED can be placed anywhere near the plant, if it's run softly enough it can be all but touching. It's directional, so efficiency robbing reflectors are unnecessary. Lenses and dimming can help customize the light for your growing style. In other words, it will allow the grower to adjust the lighting to his growing style, instead of forcing the grower to conform to its limitations.

Sorry man, I'm just not buying your assertion that DE is the only logical choice for commercial grows.
Oh no! I'm not saying that DE is the logical for comm. ops.....I finished my buying for my new op and had all new HID and then the CDM hit....I wish I had been even 30 days later in my lighting purchase! In fact I wouldn't go that route (DE) on cooling needs alone.
Man the OP and 50 units - sure hope they have industrial roof mounted AC if they go that route....I personally, can't justify that kind of cooling cost I envision...I could be wrong but,,,,

As far as 500 per on CDM that's that Boulder lighting price last I looked on their all~in~one unit...Thanks for the alternate link for those 315's - I'm looking!

Doc
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Oh no! I'm not saying that DE is the logical for comm. ops.....I finished my buying for my new op and had all new HID and then the CDM hit....I wish I had been even 30 days later in my lighting purchase! In fact I wouldn't go that route (DE) on cooling needs alone.
Man the OP and 50 units - sure hope they have industrial roof mounted AC if they go that route....I personally, can't justify that kind of cooling cost I envision...I could be wrong but,,,,

As far as 500 per on CDM that's that Boulder lighting price last I looked on their all~in~one unit...Thanks for the alternate link for those 315's - I'm looking!

Doc
The key to efficiency in the 315W CMH lamp isn't the bulb, it's the Philips ballast. Make sure that whatever you get has one running the lamp.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
You forgot to mention possible rebates from the power company if you're running these in a commercial grow.
Enough to cover most of the cost of the gear you choose to buy.
I get a great reduced rate on my ops! They just like my total draw..lol

Hell at home with 9 1k's and 3 hood cooling draw fans and 1485w in T5's with 4 fans, Central AC/heat, supplemented (as needed) with 2 portable Tripp Lites and 2 exhaust fans......Under just about 800 monthly....
The rate reduction includes house, farm, home op and 4 business locations...1 bill mailing with 6 separate bills for locations...I got it for the total draw.. They even hung the line to the home op for free! 3600.00 saving off the top!!!

Doc
 

1weedz4

Well-Known Member
Ok ok. Nice stuff here. We got about 100k to invest and I don't time to fuck around with Gavitas I've never used. I'll get a couple to dial in on the side. We're sticking with the 50k plan.
 

1weedz4

Well-Known Member
Now...I've setup 1000 watts plenty of times but they were always air cooled. I can image it to be difficult with 50 of those so what am I looking at in terms of cooling for a bare bulb setup? Split systems or somethin bigger?
 

a mongo frog

Well-Known Member
Now...I've setup 1000 watts plenty of times but they were always air cooled. I can image it to be difficult with 50 of those so what am I looking at in terms of cooling for a bare bulb setup? Split systems or somethin bigger?
I dont think 50 k will even get that hot. Couple occelating fans and your good.
 

ryan1918

Well-Known Member
if you don't even know what lights to buy your operation is going to be a totally failure you don't even know what kind of costs you will need to be fully operational but knowninf nothing you better pay someone top dollar that does so when you run into issues your entire crop doesn't go to the dumpster
 

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
How is the setup going? We passed on gavitas. Even on our 80k expansion coming in the next few months we passed.
1. We grow vert and

2. the fucking heat on those things is unreal.

3. I keep wondering if we are missing the boat on the whole LED thing but then again, I still haven't seen LED banging #2 per 1k watts.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
How is the setup going? We passed on gavitas. Even on our 80k expansion coming in the next few months we passed.
1. We grow vert and

2. the fucking heat on those things is unreal.

3. I keep wondering if we are missing the boat on the whole LED thing but then again, I still haven't seen LED banging #2 per 1k watts.
Have a look in the LED section. The CXB3590 kids are killin' that number all day long. What they aren't doing yet is trying to get those numbers outside of a tent.

I'll have 5kW of 56% efficient COB LED lighting in my grubby little paws next month. All vertical, no tents! Plenty of HVAC and CO², no excuses! I'm thinking I can beat 2# per plant with only 800W... and I'm thinking that's conservative.
 

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
Well let me know how it goes! I was looking at some COB units last night and I was like.. oh here is a unit that has good spread numbers.... but it was 1600 watts. I was like.. well, where is the since in that?

Which units are you using and how are you arranging them vertically? One bulb for us illuminates one side of four different plants... so 4k total for most of the plants. Outer ring has 3 per plant. ..

Thanks!
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Well let me know how it goes! I was looking at some COB units last night and I was like.. oh here is a unit that has good spread numbers.... but it was 1600 watts. I was like.. well, where is the since in that?

Which units are you using and how are you arranging them vertically? One bulb for us illuminates one side of four different plants... so 4k total for most of the plants. Outer ring has 3 per plant. ..

Thanks!
I will be more than happy to explain my approach once I've tested it and have some concrete results to add to the discussion.

Meanwhile, I'll put updates on my vertical goodness thread.
 

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
Cool.. I'm slammed to the hilt anyways. Fucking rec application, twin room harvests, installing 3k gallon tank. The list goes on and on and on.
 
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