400w HPS 6x5x8 grow room. Any Advice?

[letsgetlifted]

Hey so basically im running a 400w Hps and have already built a enclosable environment that is 6 feet long x 5 feet wide x 8 feet tall. I was thinking of running a little more than half the space(5x4) for flowering because ive heard the 400 w is just not enough to power a 5x6x8 room full of plants. Also i think it would be ideal to have a 2x5 running with FL for my mother plants. Im goin to run 5 gallon grow bags with Fox Farms Ocean mix. Im using Bio-Grow, Tiger-Bloom, Root Excelurator and Silica Blast.


Right now im currently mothering a Grape Ape and Mango Haze. Both were clones purchased from the Co-op. Any info on these strains as far as growth tendencies and the usual specs would be extremely useful as well. :D

Im open to suggestions and I will be able to post pics of how far in the process I am later when I am at home.

Thanks Everyone!

:jointsmile:

[joe86el]

i have no suggestions but can somebody tell me how to start a poll?

[scagster]

600W is 50% more wattage and gives you a lot more lumens. If you're trying to do the whole room, why not shell out for a 1000W? if you've got any thought you might upgrade, might as well just get the big light and save yourself some money in the long run.

[letsgetlifted]

I have thought about that as well. how much more will it be on the electricity bill though?

[scagster]

Well I dunno what your electricity costs, but for me its like $0.092 for kW/h. So if you're gonna run a 1Kw HPS for 12 hours a day 30 days a month, it will add like $33 to your electric bill a month. a 400W is like...$13 a month, so an extra $20 a month for hella more lumens.

[letsgetlifted]

i see your point. im going to see what my rate is from the electricity company. but if i were to put in a 1000 watt I would also then have to get new ventilation. With a 600 watt how much more heat is there vs. the 400?

[Mr. Clandestine]

A 600W HPS isn't going to produce much more heat than a 400W. But I also agree that if you're really wanting to fill an entire 6x5 room with flowering females, a 1000W system would do this nicely. Upgrading your current ventilation system doesn't take much time, as it basically consists of installing larger fans in place of the smaller ones. But, if you're hoping to have an area this large filled with flowering females anyway, then a good ventilation / odor reduction system should have already been in place anyway.

Also, if you can afford it, digital systems are reported to cut down on heat (both the ballast and bulb) by 15%. This is certainly something you'd want to think about when deciding whether or not to switch to a 1000W system. Digital ballasts also save energy during start-up, and supposedly use less overall power during run-time. Just something to consider.

[letsgetlifted]

thanks for the info!

I am currently running a digital lumatek ballast and its never to hot to touch. I am also using the Xtrasun reflector with the glass sheild and my light is 15 inches above the plants at 76-78 degrees farenheit constantly. At the moment there is no need for ventilation for the light, so right now im running it only for the room itself.