Advice on most cost effective way to buy MH 250w kit?

:jointsmile:Currently I am growing just 2 plants. I am a legal MMcard holder.

I am using 4 48inch Fl tubes in both ends of spectrum. THey grow ok but from reading here I see metal halide is better.

So I went to Lowes, they sell 250 and 400 watt MH bulbs for 29bucks.

However they do not have ballast.

What is the cost if I bought a ballast kit or already made box for bulb and where is best price in your experiance?

Or is it more cost effective to built my own box with ballast?

Lastly, I only plan on 2 or 3 plants max. No over kill needed. Is one bulb enough for this? Would I want to use my FLor tubes as well?

Thank you.

If you are only doing 2 plants I would recommend the 250W, however, I do not recommend getting what you need from Lowes, etc.

My advice would be to go on ebay, and get everything you need all in one shot (you should not need a cooltube for this regarding heat issues) A fan to cool should suffice.

You should take a look at this, since it comes with everything you need, it is probably your best (and cheapest) option. If you were to buy everything individually, it would end up costing you more. Say you buy the bulb, ok thats $30.00, then you buy the ballast, that's another $100.00 by itself. Then a hood $65.00.

On ebay this is the cheapest they have for everything needed, and it also comes with extra's, yo-yo hangers, free timer, total you pay $143.00 for everything you need. Don't let the price scare you, it will be well worth it in time, you will see once you get a few ounces of bud from one plant, if your an experienced grower.

Check it out:

250 WATT HPS DIGITAL GROW LIGHT w/ XL HOOD 250w BALLAST - eBay (item 160440850879 end time Jun-08-10 12:40:16 PDT)



What is really weird about HPS systems is that they are all around the same price, generally within $20.00 of each other.. I find that strange, I went with the 600W, bid on it, got everything for $100.00 new, shipped, off ebay :)

I also got a cooltube cause I have heat issues, that was another $100.00, plus I gotta buy ducting, inline fan, but all in all overall, it will be worth it.

Thank you. I am liking this!

Another question, I am growing in my homes 2 car garage. How much cooling will I need if any? Do these get real hot?
Thanks.

250W does not give off much heat, just be sure to have good circulation of air from outside and you should be fine. I would say that the heat it generates is equivalent to 3 household light bulbs, 400W and up, then you need to start thinking of air cooling hood's etc. 250W with fan = golden. Make sure you have a hygrometer to keep track of temperature, and humidity.

I'd think about going with Discount Hydroponics.

Discount Hydroponics

They're price competitive with ebay companies, and you can get a switchable ballast 250w with an HPS bulb and an extra MH bulb for around $160. They've been around for a while, have brick and mortar stores, and have a good overall rep. The switchable ballast is worth it, IMO...spending an extra $30 for an MH bulb for veg to go with the HPS for flowering is a small investment that's worth it. My .02.

250w systems don't give off a lot of heat...I've gotten by with a circulating fan aimed into a grow area. You'll need some sort of air circulation. You also might want to watch the ambient temps if you're in a garage--especially in summer. Depends on where you live.

If that's the case, hes better off going with a 400 or 600W system, it comes with the MH bulb and HPS, etc.. And only like $130.00.. and then get bake a round, and make a home made cooltube, hell if your gonna spend the extra $$, better off getting the best for the same price.

Of course that means you'll be able to have more plants in a wider area, hell just start a grow room since the electricity bill will go up about $50/month with a 600W system. I have that type of setup and I am happy with every penny spent.

Mmmm...I really don't think so. You get a â??better dealâ?� on a 400w or 600w light, but in the situation described, those aren't smart calls. I definitely wouldn't go with a 600w with what was described. Really, I wouldn't go with a 400w either. I think there's a common problem with people who use (a lot) more light than they need. The original post said â??I only plan on 2 or 3 plants max. No over kill needed.â?� 400w in probably overkill, unless you want to grow 40â?� plus plants. 600W is overkill, period.

With what was originally stated in mind, a 250w is close to perfect. You get a footprint of around 28â?� x 28â?�--that's four decent size plants. You have a significantly fewer problems with heat and ventilation and stress. You save money on your electrical bill. In other situations, you might want to go with the bigger lights. This isn't one of them, IMO. For what was first mentioned, a 250w is plenty.

Really, if you want to save $$ all around and have only 2-4 plants, you might even want to consider an $80 150w HPS and a $30 Wal-Mart clamp set up (10â?� clamp light, three Y-adapters, four 23w bulbs). You get a lot of flexibility with a setup like that; it's ideal for SOG or plants that are vegged for only 18-24 days. You can get four 2 gallon pots/bags and grow some 24â?� plants in a nice 22â?�x22â?� area, or use the clamp light with warm white bulbs and use it in conjuntion with the 150w and get 3 slightly larger plants. Just a thought there.

Rough I checked out that link, I personally like their full hydro kit, looks pretty sick :D I will definitely be looking at their site for some hydro ideas, they do have a lot to choose from, even guano, lol!

I did remember something that he could try, get all the needed parts to make a home made cooltube, + the 250W light from Lowes, he can plug the outlet directly in to a good surge protector and it will work just fine, without any risk to burning his house down. He actually will not need a ballast, as long as he follows the instructions right he will be all set, and it will work out fine. For everything it should run $60 max including the bulb.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Roughrider

With what was originally stated in mind, a 250w is close to perfect. You get a footprint of around 28â?� x 28â?�--that's four decent size plants. You have a significantly fewer problems with heat and ventilation and stress. You save money on your electrical bill. In other situations, you might want to go with the bigger lights. This isn't one of them, IMO. For what was first mentioned, a 250w is plenty.

Really, if you want to save $$ all around and have only 2-4 plants, you might even want to consider an $80 150w HPS and a $30 Wal-Mart clamp set up (10â?� clamp light, three Y-adapters, four 23w bulbs). You get a lot of flexibility with a setup like that; it's ideal for SOG or plants that are vegged for only 18-24 days. You can get four 2 gallon pots/bags and grow some 24â?� plants in a nice 22â?�x22â?� area, or use the clamp light with warm white bulbs and use it in conjuntion with the 150w and get 3 slightly larger plants. Just a thought there.

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Your right on.I will grow 2 plants. MAYBE 3. So I like both your ideas.

Also I live in Seattle so my garage is about 60 to 75 range.