Need help choosing hps wattage

Ok guys so as the tittle states i need some advice on the right wattage to choose for my style of grow, so basicaly i dont have alot of space probly around 2x1.3x 4 (still yet to have a cab so size may varey slightly),so basicaly i can pick up a 250 watt hps or a 600 watt hps for the same price now i know some of you will say to go the higher wattage for more light but im worried i will struggle to contain the heat aswel as the size of the plants that a 600 will grow. Should i still go the cab root or should i rather invest in a cheap ebay grow tent? Taking into consideration space is fairly limited as the cab/tent will be positioned inside my small cupboard, at the moment my seedlings are in a polystyrefoam box with some cfls and a fish tank led balast. Another option could be to spend the same amount of cash on an ebay full spectrum led ufo but at the moment i am looking for the best suggestion to suit me. I am using soil in small ish pots (12/12 from seed) exhaust fans are pc fans at the moment

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I would buy a multi setting hps that has a 250,400 & 600 setting & know I made the right choice,having a air cooled hood with 8 inch intake & exhaust with b a huge plus as well

Illinois Enema Bandit said:

I would buy a multi setting hps that has a 250,400 & 600 setting & know I made the right choice,having a air cooled hood with 8 inch intake & exhaust with b a huge plus as well

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Unfortunetly my budget only alows me to get a kit which includes the ballast, bulb, connector and hood. No multi setting with these that i can get

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Anyone?

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Most 600 ballast have reduced power settings, match your bulb to the wattage you plan to run. If you plan to run your 600 ballast, in the 400 watt setting, buy a 400 bulb.

upnsmoke13 said:

Most 600 ballast have reduced power settings, match your bulb to the wattage you plan to run. If you plan to run your 600 ballast, in the 400 watt setting, buy a 400 bulb.

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These 2 are single watt ballasts only meaning one is 250 and the other is 600, not interchangable

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Heres the 2 different ballasts i am looking at getting.

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if space is small, then 250. I don't really understand your dimensions though. If its in feet, then one of your dimensions is 1.3 feet? and if its in meters, then one of your dimensions is 4 meters?

Even a 250hps is going to put off some serious heat, if you dont have an extraction fan of atleast 100cfm youre going to scorch the plants, those bulbs easily get up to 350* (the same temp you set your oven to cook dinner....) I personally run a 300cfm fan but dial it down slightly with a fan speed controller.

PC fans cannot cool a small cab with a 250 hps in it, not even close

drcucumber said:

if space is small, then 250. I don't really understand your dimensions though. If its in feet, then one of your dimensions is 1.3 feet? and if its in meters, then one of your dimensions is 4 meters?

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I converted it to feet since most people here seem to use feet so yes it is 1.3 feet. In cm its around about W500mm X D450mm X H1200mm

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Morriston55 said:

Even a 250hps is going to put off some serious heat, if you dont have an extraction fan of atleast 100cfm youre going to scorch the plants, those bulbs easily get up to 350* (the same temp you set your oven to cook dinner....) I personally run a 300cfm fan but dial it down slightly with a fan speed controller.

PC fans cannot cool a small cab with a 250 hps in it, not even close

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I can get a 130 cfm extraction fan for $50 but not sure if it includes a 12v transformer

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Smokinr33 said:

its around about W500mm X D450mm X H1200mm

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that makes the decision easy. you would need more height than that with 600 to avoid light burn, even if you solved the heat issue. It's also a waste of electricity using 600 on a small footprint like that.
250 it is

drcucumber said:

that makes the decision easy. 250

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Ok now with that said comes another question, if there was a possibility that i mighr aquire a bigger space in the future woukd you still suggest the 250? Sorry ive never used hids before so i want to make the best decision for me as i plan on growing no matter where i am. Im not after pounds and pounds of bud but id like as much as possible.

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i consider 600w to be a pretty significant lamp. I have one of the adjustable ones, from 400 to 600, and I have never used the 600. I would do if i had a bigger tent. Mine is on the smaller side with a 80cm square footprint. Yes in general, bigger areas call for bigger lights, but it's very difficult to use a big light in a small area. I think you would simply burn your plants either with light or heat if you were to use 600w in that small area. There is no point futureproofing if you can't use it in the present.

i would put a small import led in there and be done with it. less than $100 and you can grow 1 small plant in that small space. a quick 4 month grow, week to dry, 6 week cure. start now you will have nearly 2 ozs next spring.....so question is, why HPS?

doobie57z said:

i would put a small import led in there and be done with it. less than $100 and you can grow 1 small plant in that small space. a quick 4 month grow, week to dry, 6 week cure. start now you will have nearly 2 ozs next spring.....so question is, why HPS?

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Ive experimented a bit with cfls and to be honest all the wiring involved scares me. The country im in doesnt have all those special splitter connector things and so on and ive heard alot of good things about hps and leds cost way more than an hps where i stay so i have chosen hps as my next course of action. If a 600 realy is gunna be too hard to use in my space then ill get the 250 and make some cash back using it and then once ive made enough back ill purchase a proper tent setup with all the correct fans and so on

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drcucumber said:

i consider 600w to be a pretty significant lamp. I have one of the adjustable ones, from 400 to 600, and I have never used the 600. I would do if i had a bigger tent. Mine is on the smaller side with a 80cm square footprint. Yes in general, bigger areas call for bigger lights, but it's very difficult to use a big light in a small area. I think you would simply burn your plants either with light or heat if you were to use 600w in that small area. There is no point futureproofing if you can't use it in the present.

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Fair enough and with that said i think ive decided on the 250 as long as i can grow about 3-4 small plants under it scrog style

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I've got a 600 watt HPS. In a space that small you'd vaporize your plants.

250 max. OR you could get a dimmable 400 watt ballast like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-APL400-Hydroponic-400/dp/B0052ACH0E
and just run it at 50% for the 200 watts.

That way, if you get a bigger space down the road, you can always up it to full power without having to buy yet another fixture.

My size of grow cab could be abit bigger if i need it to be but not much more, id have to go measure it for exact measurements first though and even then im not sure how well itll work in my cupboard but i will see. What would be the smallest space you guys would put a 250 watt hps in

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Now you're really screwing up. You don't plan your space around your light unless you have complete autonomy to that end.

You plan your grow and light around your space. Full stop.

I don't have a limit on space, so my options are wide open. I can do anything I want.

You on the other hand have changed your limitations twice with no real set limit in sight. You have to make a call. You have to decide first and foremost what space you have to worth with.

Every other decision from what strain you grow to what method you grow with to what lighting you use will all be based on that one singular decision.

Unless you're me and can do whatever the hell you want, you MUST make that call.