3 600 w hps, or 9 250w hps?

So I'm wondering what to do with my new flowering room. It's a 10x12 space with a 14' ceiling. My friend who has been growing for longer than me, said that recently he has been having more success using multiple 250w hps lights rather then fewer higher wattage lights. This makes a bit of sense to me since the closer you can get each plant to a light source the better.

Would my room get too hot/loud if I put 8 or 9 250 w hps lamps instead of 4 600 w lamps? I'm going to be venting with a 500 cfm blower fan. Opinions?

Well i would say that total lumens is what matters. You would spread the light more evenly but you would loose the powerful penetration of a 600w HPS. I would go with 4x600W.

Yeah I would go with 4 600's. though the advantage with using 9 250s would be your have more points of light hitting your plants at different angles. but i think in a 10x12 space you should use 4 600s. you will still have 4 differents angles of light and they light, imo, will be more concentrated than 9 250s. i have a 250 in my veg box and personally for a room that size i wouldnt use 250s they are too small. heat would probly be the same in both applications. you should look into venting the lights. does wonders on heat and is pretty simple to hook up.

Depends on what you want to do, you could use upto 10 1000w in that space.

Penetration isn't too important to me since I'm going to be flowering in 8x8" pots, probably about 200 plants. Do you still think it will be better? I know I'm going to have to vent either way, but which creates more heat the 4 600w or the 9 250w?

the other question you should be asking yourself is how many amps are 4 600 watt lamps going to pull versus 9 250 watt lamps. no need to overload your circuits with that many lamps and burn the place down.

Try BOTH and tell me the difference. How about a 1,000 HPS on a "sun track" or whatever you want to invent for a new name. I know of one that iz like 6 feet each way in 18 second's or so .......... SPREAD the LUMEN'z ..........

if your venting your lights heat wont be an issue if you with went 5 1,000s compared to 9 250's all the heat is getting expelled out the room so it wouldnt matter.

higher wattage is the only way to increase lumens and canopy penetration.

9 250w's will not equal the lumenosity of 4 600w's. it can only match the even light spread. but you will lose out if your plants get tall. 250w lumens will not reach the depth of a 600w.

600 watts, no questions.

If you go to 120v there and turn your lights sideways you'll be fine with those nine and better off to. A sidways light, with, on a metal brake and using white flashing you make up some shades, you will get 40% more lumens from any light to the plant as opposed to vertical on 220v guaranteed!. Advantages also of running lights and ballasts on 120v is, not as much hum or heat. I hang my ballasts with that holey roll of metal strapping from the ceiling. Vent in if you can and run a germicidal lamp at the far end of your four inch exhaust line, on a timer, timed with the exhaust timer and in a four inch piece of pvc pipe. I pick everything up from my local hardware and farm stores, where i buy my black and white poly. The lamp you can express order from anywhere.

3 x 600 = 1800
9 x 259 = 2200

Thats why they invented light tracks and i used em now i do it this way.
Questions?

BigJay said:

If heat isn't a problem, nine ballasts might cause some heat issues. but the greater the placement of lights the better,ie cover more direct area over the girls. A plant 3 feet away isn't getten the same as a plant a foot away right) I'd fab up some sideways mounts for them lights(on 120 volt get 40%,more lumens to the plant!) and get yer sheet metal buddy to make up some shades outta white flashing.

nine is the better choice there, if conditions are met.

PS Why do you think they invented tracks.Share the light

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no way, man. 600w is a HUGE increase in lumens to the room that is not even possible with many 250w.

you're correct that 9 250w lamps are a good choice, in the right conditions. ALL your plants are tied down very short or otherwise ALL at exactly the same even hieght. but if you have the desire to grow large plants you need a higher wattage lamp (600w+), mounted above. 250w just doesn't have deep canopy penetrating capability.

yes but you got that in one spot! ok if you got a room and its 10 x 20 say, you put in three 600 watt lights..one here there and there....so eighteen hundred hundred watts...and six hunred a foot away isnt six hundred watts at four feet away. Follow, 9 ballasts and 2200 watts in a room 10 x 20 spreads the light out more..so the 250 adds with that 250 and that 250 and that 250..and its spread out evenly, so the plant one foot away isnt monstrously shading all the others.

Your arguement would be for three 600's as opposed to 3 250's...

Hey dont take my word for it but physics is physics and you could argue till the cows come home but you got more wattage in the room...I tried to help my compadre's out there, if they take my opinion he will do well, very well...30 years in the business...

BigJay said:

yes but you got that in one spot! ok if you got a room and its 10 x 20 say, you put in three 600 watt lights..one here there and there....so eighteen hundred hundred watts...and six hunred a foot away isnt six hundred watts at four feet away. Follow, 9 ballasts and 2200 watts in a room 10 x 20 spreads the light out more..so the 250 adds with that 250 and that 250 and that 250..and its spread out evenly, so the plant one foot away isnt monstrously shading all the others.

Your arguement would be for three 600's as opposed to 3 250's...

Hey dont take my word for it but physics is physics and you could argue till the cows come home but you got more wattage in the room...I tried to help my compadre's out there, if they take my opinion he will do well, very well...30 years in the business...

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This is the absolute truth.

You would have a much larger flowering area with the 250's.

Plus think about this....if you put one 600 w every few feet.....what about the plants that are right in between the 2 differant lights....they will be getting alot less lumens than they would if you had all the 250's in there.

Plus you can keep the 250's alot closer...

250S suck get a 1000 game over less space more bud

4 1000w Hps that would be such a fucking sweet room!!!!

nowstopwhining said:

This is the absolute truth.

You would have a much larger flowering area with the 250's.

Plus think about this....if you put one 600 w every few feet.....what about the plants that are right in between the 2 differant lights....they will be getting alot less lumens than they would if you had all the 250's in there.

Plus you can keep the 250's alot closer...

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Think about the lumen drop and that you could have them a lot closer say 6" but then your going to reduce the area you can cover. So 600w will cover more area because you can have them further away.

nongreenthumb said:

Think about the lumen drop and that you could have them a lot closer say 6" but then your going to reduce the area you can cover. So 600w will cover more area because you can have them further away.

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true but like I said if you have t put the 600's a few feet apart plus they are 20 inches up above the plants.....the plants right in between two of the 600's will be like 3 feet from a light source and wont get any lumens...like I said...

I cant really explain it very well but do you get what im saying?

a drawing would be better maybe ill make one up.

Hemperor said:

Try BOTH and tell me the difference. How about a 1,000 HPS on a "sun track" or whatever you want to invent for a new name. I know of one that iz like 6 feet each way in 18 second's or so .......... SPREAD the LUMEN'z ..........

Click to expand...

Classic, as if the guy prints money in his basement hes gonna go spend a couple of £1000 on lights as an experiment

He doesn't print it, he grows it! Ha Ha.