So guys I’ve been weighing the options here. I originally ordered 2 “1200watt” LED lights from Amazon with the intent to upgrade to QB. The selling point for LED for me was savings on hydro. But if for my 5x5 tent I need roughly 1000watts…1000watts out of the wall of LED is costing me the same as 1000watts of HPS/MH. I’ve found this setup on Amazon that gives me that 1000watts for what see was wondering what your opinions are of it.
I can get this setup for $300CAD. Which is a lot cheaper than a QB setup. Take into consideration all I know about HPS/MH is that they’ve been the gold standard for years. No actual education on them as far as what to look for or setup requirements.
It’s my birthday at the end of May and my “birthday money” I will receive will cover this purchase.
@WickedAle my setup is in my basement. I live in northern Ontario. With those two lights on my 6" fan on it’s lowest setting I have to run a small heater in there to keep it at 78*C. So I think I can handle the extra heat easily but removing my heater and turning the fan up. I think I’d be able to avoid a AC unit even in the summer as it stays pretty cool here in the summer. 78f here is a hot day lol
I wouldn’t heat at all. I grow as low as 55F. It slows things down a bit at that temp but the plants do just fine. I currently am at 65F and my plants are growing like weed(s).
You will not have more heat at the plant canopy - the exhaust fan will pull all the heat out. You’ll barely feel any heat just a few inches below the glass.
A few tips:
Be sure to get a dimmable ballast - for those times when you want to produce less than 1000 watts. When you have young plants in the vegetative state, you will probably want to run 50% power for a week or two, then 75% power, then go full blast.
Make sure the bulbs are compatible with the ballast. Test them when you get them at all power levels - while you can still return them if there is a problem
Put your ballast outside the tent.
Keep the glass clean. I clean mine every time I switch bulbs.
If you are running a charcoal filter, put it inline before the light to help keep dust out of the light.
I run 1020w in a 4x8 that would need between 1200w-2000w hps so the power bill pays for itself fairly fast even with the $600-700 diy QB build ,plus a lot less heat.
Believe me I went kicking and scratching to using the QB’s but they really do work good
I run 2 600w hps mh lights in a 4x4x6 grow tent if you have a exhaust fan you will do just fine my light bill only went up 24 dollars a month but that with all the fans and everything else and my temp stay around 72 to 88 on hot 105 degrees day i go a little higher but my plants really loved it in the 80s i have the vivosun 600w light just like your picture.
1000 watts of hps is going to be roughly the same as 1000 watts of Amazon LED panels. Running properly set up air cooled hood would manage tent temps with hps.
Going with a 6 board qb setup would give you higher intensity levels than 1000 watt hps, be 20-25% cheaper to run, provide more even coverage, and eliminate cost of bulb changes.
Even if you said harvest potential was identical, the overall cost of ownership would be in favor of the qb’s within a couple years of running 12/12. Maybe sooner if you bought good bulbs and replaced them regularly. 200 watts over 12 hour schedule is a quarter per day at .10 per kwh. Works out to almost $100 a year in power cost. Most serious hid growers will change bulbs every harvest or two. Using cheapest bulbs that’s another $100 per year.
Cheaper is in eye of the beholder really. The qb performance speaks for itself. Hps grows some really nice bud too. In my opinion comes down to whether you want to pay more now, or pay more later.
Ok so let’s talk QBs then @dbrn32 . I’m tech savvy enough to build my own if that’s the cheaper route rather than order direct from hlg? I’m open to options my plan was to upgrade to quantum boards once I was started anyways. Can I build a quality light for $300 that’s worth putting in my tent to add to the lights I have in there already?(I understand it won’t do the whole tent but that’s my birthday budget. I might be able to swing a extra hundred in there.) I know the QBs work with all the proof posted on here everyday. I’m a new grower and am just exploring my options.
Ya, that would be ideal way to do it. Basically two 288 boards, 2 slate 2 single heatsinks, hlg-240h-c2100a driver, couple pieces of aluminum angle, wiring, connectors, and some hardware.
You can do 4 board lights with qb 120 or 132 as well. All of them are going to be on 250 watt drivers, and you’ll need 3 fixtures total to get flowering intensity in a 5x5. If you buy the stuff right probably cost $750 or so to do the whole tent.
@dbrn32 what do you mean slate? And what heatsink do you recommend for these. I’m more of a automotive mechanic than a electrician but if you put the parts in front of me I’ll put it together lol
It seems more intimidating than it is. You basically just need to frame the heatsinks up, mount boards, and wire it. Building frame will take way more time than rest of the process.
