For or Against Used Equipment

That would be great - thanks for the help!

1 Like

Ok. So getting to 400 watts as cheaply as possible without sacrificing quality, here is what I came up with. 4 bridgelux Vero 29 c version (70v) run by 2 meanwell hlg-200-1400, on hlg sst x heatsinks. Would put you at almost exactly 400 watts, and give you dimming from 50-100%. The drivers and cobs are available from arrow electronics and in stock for $206 shipped. The heatsinks are in stock 4 for $90, shipping would be extra.

So you’re looking at like $300 for cobs, drivers, and heatsinks. Additionally, you would need thermal compound or material, some wire and connectors, and some aluminum to build a frame. If you were resourceful, I’d say to allow for another $50. Maybe more or less, depending on how much you put into locating the stuff. Figure probably 10’ of 3/4-1" aluminum angle, 4 thermal pads, 25’ 18awg wire, 2 cords for drivers to wall, some connectors, and some hardware. Definitely not more than $100 even if you’re lazy about it.

I looked at timber model that’s pretty much this same exact light, it’s quoted in 3x3, but has identical ppfd as 600w hortolux in 3x3. For $150, I doubt the bulb included is as good as the hortilux. So you’d probably even be a little better.

1 Like

After thinking about it, Used equipment, if it plugs in and runs, should be good - with the exception of the lights. LED’s last a while, but growers put a beating on the life-span of any bulb. I would be hesitant about any used LED’s and/or expensive bulbs.

1 Like

In the long run aquaponics is by far the cheapest fish and make a bed for your plants The people I know who have that haven’t had to change there water in over a year

1 Like

@OldSkunk

This was cheap set up light I use other than others I have built. Ones I but was using 3 light sockets with splitters, hood was made from a section of ventilation pipe spread open with all thread rod. Had cfls and led daylight bulbs. But I like the leds I have now

5 Likes

@Bshmstr Just for the wiring, for those of us not electrically inclined, a cheap “chandelier” (multi-socket light) could easily be repurposed. Something from a thrift store, yard sale, etc.

I think that is a cool idea for a cheap extra grow area!

3 Likes

@dbrn32
Wow! Thank you for putting all that time and effort into researching that for me, I really appreciate it!
My thoughts are, maybe to save some money initially, I will just go with a cheaper HID setup. I will however look into building my own LED as it looks like it could be a lot of fun (I did some of my own research on DIY LEDs) and will save me money in the long run - since I so plan on doing this for a long time. The setup you suggested would be perfect actually :sunglasses:
Im not able to smoke myself right now, as Im on the hunt for a better job. If I get the government job Im going for I’ll need to pass “the test” so Im “studying hard” lol. My wife still smokes but not much, so right now Im saving a good amount of money not buying bud.
At $200 - $240 an oz (and you never know what you’re getting) I can see the initial investment paying off very quickly. I looked up the initial cost per oz. with a new setup and electric - its about $150 an oz. but once you own the equipment, the second grow drops to $50 or less an oz! Thats an incredible amount of money saved! Seems stupid NOT to grow lol
Im so excited to start, my ph and tds meters are prob gonna be here tomorrow so I can finally check my tap water and see what I’m workin with - gonna need to grab some calibration solution for the TDS before I can check though :expressionless: Always something to buy lol and I havent even started!

@Hogmaster
Ive heard sooo much about aquaponics, but everyone says its insane and crazy hard to do… Thats all talk though as noone can ever give me any details about it, so how can they really know? I think I’ll add that to my research list while Im waiting to start my grow. My wife doesnt want me buying any more stuff until I finish cleaning out the basement anyways lol :confused: She keeps me from turning our small home into an episode of “hoarders” so gotta love her!

@Bshmstr
What kind of lights do you have in that setup you posted the pic of?
I was thinking an old chandelier could work like @Whodat66 suggested… Are those lights just for veg or flower or both? How do you use them?

Ok Ive rambled enough… Thank u all for your input - I really appreciate all the advice/help so far!

3 Likes

I have kept a 40,000 gallon swimming pool clear, it can’t be that hard…

Without reading a thing about it, I’ll bet 90% is making sure the water is right. Yes?

3 Likes

Im familiar with keeping a pool up as we had a nice inground one when I was growing up. I remember it being a lot of work though. Lots of chlorine in the water and DE in the huge filter system… cant imagine you’d use that stuff with fish tho

For sure, no problem at all.

Like I had originally said, hard to compete with start up cost of hid, and they are tried and true. I just wanted to show you the value in spending the extra money up front. When you have the knowledge/ability to build, it really brings the cost into reasonable range for the added performance. But we all still have the bottom line, and I completely understand that.

1 Like

I’ve kept an aquarium as well. All I am saying is other than having top-notch testing equipment and a pump, it should be easier with the right set-up. you basically have a recipe to follow for each cycle I think.

1 Like

Ive had a few aquariums myself, but my fish never lasted long! Thats what makes me nervous! Im watching some Youtube on it now though, really interesting!

1 Like

Fish get boring after a while - Flowers? Never.

How many times a day did you check the pH on your fish tank :wink:

No not necessarily better but comparable the galaxy hydro 300w led lights are only 135w at wall but they grow real dense buds and that’s not just my experience I know of 3 others who have had the same dense buds with this same light so again I can’t say weather one is better than the other just that led is better for my set up and they are definatly cheaper to run and easier to control heat in my experience

But for that matter if someone came up to me with a used galaxy 300 for $50 and it worked I’d buy it personally

@Sirsmokes @dbrn32
So If was gonna run a 4x4 grow tent - I could essentially use one of these GalaxyHydro 300w lights and have a successful grow with 1 or 2 plants? Would I need one or two? I can find them brand new for around $85 each or this one…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00INM0DSG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?tag=greenrel-20

Which says 600w for less than I would pay for HID setup with a fan for cooling. Is this a good option?

1 Like

You could grow 1 or 2 plants under either of them. Neither are going to have quite the light output that they advertise, look more at the actual watts they draw.

If you want to fill a 4x4 tent with plants, you’re probably going to need 3-4 of the 300w, or 2-3 of the 600w to create a decent amount of intensity with a large enough footprint.

2 Likes

@dbrn32
This would apply even if I was only going to grow two plants, and LST, top or even mainline them to fill as much space as possible? So I would still be better off, monetarily, going with the HID lights for that area (initial cost)? The $200 for one HID light setup and cooling fan would be sufficient compared to using 2 of those 1600w LEDs at $300+?

I didn’t see a 1600 watt led, just a 300 and a 600 from your previous post?

Personally speaking, even a 600 watt has is a bit small for a 4x4. It provides enough core coverage, but is a little weak at the edges. To truly fill a 4x4 and run sometthing like a scrog, you would be looking at something like a 1000 watt hps or 600 actual watts of cobs. To see what it would take in any of the Amazon type lights, find the party maps for each and compare them to that of the 2 I mentioned. If you’re looking for a good yield of dense buds, you probably want around 800 ųmols. If the light shows around that for a 2x2 area, them for full coverage you would need 4 them. That’s just example, but I think you’ll find very few of those lights that have those kind of numbers at much bigger than like a 2x2 or 2x3 area.

Even the light I spec’d for you to build would be a little light, it’s like an exact replacement for 600 watt hps, but we were also estimating at less than $400. If you were going to buy two $300 fixtures, I would just build 600 watts of cobs for the $500-$600. That would absolutely kill it in a 4x4. But that’s just me, and how I would spend my money. They will all grow weed, so find whichever solution fits your goals and budget the best.

1 Like

If it were me in a 4x4 tent I would get 2 300 but that’s just me I’m actually trying to get a 300w galaxy hydro for each of my plants I was actually looking at new lights tonight. Actually thinking of running a 1000w in middle with 300w on eacheck side have to decide if I’m going to get a 300w or 1000w I’m leaning towards the 300 just because I have experience with them and I know they grow nice dense buds right now I’m running cfl too so I can try to put some different lighting with the led to see if it will make a difference

1 Like