Light questions

I got 4 used lights today, two 175W Metal Halide and two 175W High Pressure Sodium. How many could I stuff in a closet 32" deep, 56" wide, and maybe 88" high? How far away from the plants do these lights need to be? Can you use both at once, or just MH for growth, and HPS for flowering?

Am I better off with CFLs in such a small space? I can alter the space some in every direction but height.

I'll have pics as I proceed. Thanks for any help!



JQ Public

Well, a few lookers, no answers. I picked up those lights today, came out of a parking garage. Scored 'em for 10 bucks each. Budget grower me. 2 175w MH, 2 150w HPS. Got some work to do to get them usable, figure I'll use two MH for growth, 2 HPS for buds (someday). Hooded up one HPS, came on no problem, hooked up one MH, came on, went out. I think the bulb is dead. Gonna buy a new one tomorrow, try both lamps, make sure they work. Dude I got the lamps off said if they didn't, he'd swap 'em out. Start building the closet this weekend, start some seeds beginning next week, and will keep all you dudes posted!

JQ

Lights are disassembled, brackets off, tested a couple of them. Gonna buy a 175w MH bulb today, test the two MH fixtures. They are what I need initially, though I will start any seedlings I can get from this bagweed under a couple floro grow lights in a 4' fixture. 3 of the 4 used lights I got had the cords cut right off level with the fixture, so only way I can test them is to take them apart anyways. I wonder if two of these 175w MH bulbs will suffice for my 32X56X88 space? I can get more at 10 bucks a pop. Plus it turns out the HPS sodium are 150w not 175 like the guy told me, but I figure that's okay, two of them should do for whatever females I get anyway. This whole deal is just for personal use anyways, so I hope I'm good!

Custom fixture time. Removed the socket, capacitor, and ballast from one of my $10 parking lot MH lamps, used one of the old brackets to form a new fixture. Each light will have its own plug too. I'm gonna do this with each of my 4 lights so they mount to a common bar that I use to raise & lower the set-up. By the way, this little MH about blinded me when I put a new bulb in and gave it a couple minutes late this afternoon. Good thing too, the darn bulb cost $38!

Will pick up beginning building materials for the closet in the a.m. Gonna at least plan it for two sections in terms of power, and am trying to get a handle on ventilation. Being this closet is in an unheated basement in rural New England, I planned on insulating it as a stand-alone thing sitting up off the floor. Guess I need an intake down low, and an exhaust out the top? I have that cheap recipe for CO2, and will do that too.

Don't mind me folks, I'm just dreamin...

JQ

John Public;2117541]

I got 4 used lights today, two 175W Metal Halide and two 175W High Pressure Sodium. How many could I stuff in a closet 32" deep, 56" wide, and maybe 88" high? How far away from the plants do these lights need to be? Can you use both at once, or just MH for growth, and HPS for flowering?

Am I better off with CFLs in such a small space? I can alter the space some in every direction but height.

Click to expand...

......you are the DIY guru, you are doing way more work than I would have done, let me explain. $40.00 for the fixtures, $80 for 2 mh bulbs, cords, plugs, etc. Four separate fixtures to deal with, more fun than I want to have. Lumen wise, power wise and money wise you could buy at least a 400 watt hps and only have one thing to deal with. That would leave you room to air cool the light. Those fixtures you have are designed to dissapate the heat through the aluminum fins, a kind of 'heat sink', cooled by the wind. You will need to prvide that 'wind'. With a single fixture it's a simple process, add a cooltube, 4" should be adequate, an in-line Duct Booster, about $30.00 at the big box stores, vent in and out, through the cool tube, that takes the heat produced by the light out of the equation for the rest of your 'air handling system'. VV

I'll have pics as I proceed. Thanks for any help!

Custom fixture time. Removed the socket, capacitor, and ballast from one of my $10 parking lot MH lamps, used one of the old brackets to form a new fixture. Each light will have its own plug too. I'm gonna do this with each of my 4 lights so they mount to a common bar that I use to raise & lower the set-up. By the way, this little MH about blinded me when I put a new bulb in and gave it a couple minutes late this afternoon. Good thing too, the darn bulb cost $38!

Click to expand...

There isn't any advantage to having four fixtures if the distance from the plants is always the same.

Will pick up beginning building materials for the closet in the a.m. Gonna at least plan it for two sections in terms of power, and am trying to get a handle on ventilation. Being this closet is in an unheated basement in rural New England, I planned on insulating it as a stand-alone thing sitting up off the floor. Guess I need an intake down low, and an exhaust out the top? I have that cheap recipe for CO2, and will do that too.

Don't mind me folks, I'm just dreamin...

JQ[/quote]

No, you are not just dreaming, that is a lot of work, I would recommend more space, your going to have some issues fitting everything you need in there, particularly the Oscillating fan, and yes that will be necessary along with the intake and exhaust you mentioned.
A Boost Bucket would cover that size of closet, don't need extra co2 until flowering in any case.
Rollitup posted some grow room designs, from a simple on to more complex, it would be a good read for you, it is obvious you have the 'skills' necessary to construct a nice grow, you just need a little more information. VV

Well Victor, I picked up all the construction materials I needed this morning to build this closet, with the exception of the door. With a roll of electrical wire, it cost $145 and the door will be about $60, not including a lock set. I'm broke, so the door will have to come hopefully next weekend. I may be able to stretch a bit more space out, but it will be tight. As you can see, I got fan "stuff" too.

Already today I wired an emergency 7500W switch box (used one I picked up) to my circuit breaker for a generator, plus put a plug in for an old oven so I can powder coat stuff. Yes, I am the original DIY'er.

Tell me, what is a boost bucket?

Everything here is an experiment. I don't smoke a whole lot of weed anyways, just want a dependable source. Many, many moons ago I was quite the toker, and grew many a fine bud under floro lights. All I can tell you is the light from one of these MH lamps is about blinding. I love it.

I'll try and find this closet stuff you mention here. It may not be too late. I was about to go get started on the closet and saw your post, so we'll see. I'm not great with computers - it's a wonder I'm even here!

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate it. Enjoy yer day.

JQ

Well, busy day, but got a bit done with the closet. Had to move some overhead wiring boxes so that I could hide the power for the closet, and at the same time have access outside the closet to the junction boxes if ever necessary. Got the floor done, outside dimension 38 X 58. Will build 4 walls, so no wall touches concrete, and will sheetrock the interior. Want to get the framing done tomorrow, ceiling in, power run, maybe get the sheetrock up if I'm lucky. Not gonna go nuts with finish inside, but will make sure all seams are sealed, maybe white silicone caulk.

Nice to be done for the day, enjoy a toke, and relax with a good sci fi novel.

Frank

Heck of a day. Did the best I could, but no more today, back is killing me, right thumb joint is not in good shape either. The wiring has been run, the fan is in and "light sealed" and no more holes need to be drilled. You can see where the yellow wire comes down in the corner. The top wire is from the fan and will get a regular plug to plug into a power strip hooked to a timer. I'll have two outlet plugs in the closet, one a bit above 1/2 way up, and one down near the bottom. The one at the bottom is for the possibility of having a two stage garden someday, 24 hour under, 12/12 above. That lower wire is closet power which will go to a switch on the outside near the concrete wall (hard to see). The door opening is rough framed for a 36" door for good access. So far, got over 200 bucks in it, more to come (door is 54 bucks).

JQ

I wold use one mh in middle and 2 hps one on each end it will work for flowering and veg that is a good combohear check out my light my plants trippled in a week mine is a 400 watt mh and 2 150 watt hps

Thanks for the suggestions, that's what I need. Your closet is what I want mine to be like! Nice looking bunch of plants. Is that a flowering plant in the right rear of the 3rd pic?

Are your ballasts external? Mine will be with the lamps.

What do you use for a floor in your closet?

I'll be germinating seeds soon, maybe next week.

Enjoy yer evening.

JQ

they are veg plants the big pots are females the small pots arent sexed yet.here cheak out my post i have all kind of plants look further down at my flower room.https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/164750-my-home-made-light-works.html

Man o man, that is a neat set up you got there Zagg! Hey, I'd be happy to just get some bagseed to grow and bud out.

Many, many moons ago (maybe 20 years) I ordered seeds out of the Netherlands. I may give it a try again, maybe with Nirvana, see how it works.

I'm gonna maybe do the wiring when I get home from work tonight, maybe some panelling/sheetrock if I can. Busy at work tomorrow night.

Enjoy those plants.

JQ

Got my little electric greenhouse in the mail today. Gonna use it to germinate seeds and maybe grow small plants. Also picked up an attic fan thermostat control. Not hard to wire, just wonder where in the vertical space (where I'll be moving ballasts up and down) to put the fool thing!

Goona move on to wiring tonight, maybe some paneling. Can't wait to get this little pot room done!

JQ

Exhaust at the highest point you can, that will be the hottest air. This also keeps it above the lights. VV