250 or 400 hps?

I have a 2x2x5 tent. Looking to upgrade to a HPS.
I've had heating problems with cfls so I want to go with a cool tube.

Dude at the Hydro shop wants me to slap a 600w into the space
i don't think that is gona happen.

Should I stay on the safe side 250w or go for a 400w?
Getting a fan awell. Would I need an inline fan or will a Duct fan from
lowes or HD work?

Thanks for any help!

... 400w if you go with a cool tube and a good inline fan so you can slide a small can filter in with it ... if it sucks in the sides of your tent use a cheap duct fan to force air in .. works well for me


happy growin

get a dimmable ballast....peace

Wado said:

I have a 2x2x5 tent. Looking to upgrade to a HPS.
I've had heating problems with cfls so I want to go with a cool tube.

Dude at the Hydro shop wants me to slap a 600w into the space
i don't think that is gona happen.

Should I stay on the safe side 250w or go for a 400w?
Getting a fan awell. Would I need an inline fan or will a Duct fan from
lowes or HD work?

Thanks for any help!

Click to expand...

how hot did it get with cfls?Need to find away to get that heat out first.

Yeah, with a cool tube and an 4inch inline fan, you could probably put a 600w in there, but i might be mistaking lol... 400w and a duck booster should be perfect

i've got a space that's not much bigger than what you're working with, and i have a galaxy dimmable ballast, 400 / 250, and the 400 really is pushing the limits of my space honestly.. the guy at my local hydro store told me that i shouldn't get a 400 unless i had at least a 3 x 3 area to work with, and i was just under that, and i have to say i tend to agree with my guy, lol.. saying that, i don't have a cool tube though, so that should help you out for sure..
i'd say your guy is crazy telling you to cram a 600 watter in that small of a space.. while it is true that a bigger wattage lamp will grow bigger plants, this isn't true if the heat generated by a bigger lamp will cause more problems than you'd be getting benefits from the bigger wattage.. a happy medium is the winner in my book..

like tellno1 said u will be good with the 400w air cooled or u could get 2 150w's and jus have a good exhaust/intake system if its sealed if not jus have good air circulation. but like the pros say the more light the more bud


Good Luck In The Garden

Wado said:

Dude at the Hydro shop wants me to slap a 600w into the space

Click to expand...

Man, the same thing happened to me. The guy at the hydro shop talked me into a 600W for my 3x3 closet. It was way too much and couldn't control the heat. Luckily, it was a dimmable ballast and I ended up running a 400W on the same ballast.

The 4" inline fan I bought ended up being a bit much also because of the noise. I ended up getting this fan which is much quieter and more appropriate for a small space (and cheaper!)

Thanks for the replies. Looks like the 400w has it.
Going to vent the air into another room. Too keep it cool.

Thanks again! Happy growing!

Bizkitcrux said:

I ended up getting this fan

Click to expand...

117 cfm was enough for the 400w? I have some old fans hooked up now and they are nor very good.
I think I'm gona try these out. Maybe two; one pushing air over the bulb and another and the end of a filter.?

Much better than a $200 inline fan

Thanks.

Wado said:

117 cfm was enough for the 400w? I have some old fans hooked up now and they are nor very good.
I think I'm gona try these out. Maybe two; one pushing air over the bulb and another and the end of a filter.?

Much better than a $200 inline fan

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Make it happen my man

Wado said:

117 cfm was enough for the 400w? I have some old fans hooked up now and they are nor very good.
I think I'm gona try these out. Maybe two; one pushing air over the bulb and another and the end of a filter.?

Much better than a $200 inline fan

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I'm using the 117cfm fan for room ventilation in addition to another, similar but smaller (92mm), fan used exclusively for cooling the light hood. A third fan runs the carbon filter. Altogether, the three fans are still quieter and cheaper by far than the one 4" inline fan.

I would get an LED, forget HPS man.

Bizkitcrux said:

Man, the same thing happened to me. The guy at the hydro shop talked me into a 600W for my 3x3 closet. It was way too much and couldn't control the heat. Luckily, it was a dimmable ballast and I ended up running a 400W on the same ballast.

The 4" inline fan I bought ended up being a bit much also because of the noise. I ended up getting this fan which is much quieter and more appropriate for a small space (and cheaper!)

Click to expand...

Dude at my hydro shop did the same thing. Sold me nothing but a bunch of overpriced crap that was noisy, hot, and too big for my space.

Wado said:

117 cfm was enough for the 400w? I have some old fans hooked up now and they are nor very good.
I think I'm gona try these out. Maybe two; one pushing air over the bulb and another and the end of a filter.?

Much better than a $200 inline fan

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Dude if somebody quoted you $200 for an inline they're trying to have your pants down!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vents-vk-inline-fan-hydroponics-grow-tent-fan-125mm-5-inch-fan-/250919035892?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item3a6bf0a3f4#ht_677wt_905

I know your not in England but you can get these in the states for a similar price and also are you sure you've got your kit set up right?
"one pushing air over the bulb and another and the end of a filter".
It should go...... >Filter-duct-lamp-duct-fan-exhaust out> or for two fans......>Filter-Fan-Duct-lamp-Duct-Fan-Exhaust out> Filters are designed to be sucked through not blown out of.

ClassAcura said:

I would get an LED, forget HPS man.

Click to expand...

LED technology is no where near what it needs to be in order to compete with HPS, the cost of LED panels you would need to match the HPS production would set you back a couple of grand at least.

I agree with your hydro guy except, get a dimmable 600w cooltube setup from ebay. (Got mine for 180$ for entire cooltube setup besides fan) Dim to 400w or 250w in your space. That way you'll have the 600w for when you want to upgrade later. (which I'm almost certain you will - at one point or another am I right?!) Just my opinion though.

I started my grow w/250wmh



It just wasn't quite enough for flowering so I upgraded to 400w/hps. I am on day 12 of flowering and the 4th full day of 12/12 with the 400w. Just starting to see the white hairs coming up

Things seem to be better. The light spreads out more. and the color of the light is so pretty.

kvnbeach said:

I started my grow w/250wmh

View attachment 2002849

It just wasn't quite enough for flowering so I upgraded to 400w/hps. I am on day 12 of flowering and the 4th full day of 12/12 with the 400w. Just starting to see the white hairs coming up

View attachment 2002851View attachment 2002852Things seem to be better. The light spreads out more. and the color of the light is so pretty.

Click to expand...

If you just have that one plant in that small space then the 250w would have done you good until the end. I would have just used the same ballast and just swapped the 250w MH bulb for a 250w HPS one (MH blue for veg and HPS red for flower) and you could have pulled 2.5 - 3oz dry from it easy,but seen as you got a 400w anyway then the more light the more bud.

And using dimmable ballasts is not advisable guys. They shorten the life of your bulbs considerably and can lead to the bulb exploding due to the bulb not being designed to be dimmed despite what the ballast is capable of.

The Yorkshireman said:

And using dimmable ballasts is not advisable guys. They shorten the life of your bulbs considerably and can lead to the bulb exploding due to the bulb not being designed to be dimmed despite what the ballast is capable of.

Click to expand...

That's why you use digital compatible bulbs. Digilux for the win! Besides using any hps weakens performance overtime, resupply every 6-10 months!