Okay is this going to be efficient?

Well as you know I got my old 150 W HPS light going again. I did some research and found that the lamp will use almost as much watts as my 430! .....

How much power does my lamp really use?
Is this worth it?

Also I looked at a chart .... they go by PAR ... (PAR Watts objectively measure the total watts of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) emitted by the lamp. It accounts for the nutritional value and is a direct measure of light energy available for all-important plant photosynthesis)... and it doesn't go as low as 150 only 250.

Here are some snips of what I found ...

Lamp Efficiency In PAR WATTS
Efficiency Chart

WATTAGE -- COVERAGE
1000 watt - 4 to 5 feet across (1.3 to 1.5 meters)
600 watt - 3.5 feet (1 meter)
400 watt - 2.5 possibly 3 feet (.8 to .9 m)
250 watt - 2 feet (.6-.7 m)
175 watt - small, less than 2 feet

According to this last chart I would still need more light since my space is 3x5 .... but I don't use all that space .... part of it is a shelf where the fan sits.

But will it be worth the cost .... I mean 372 watts to operate a 150W lamp! :eek:
:glugglug: :madnoel::microwave:

most all conventional ballast will have atleast a 10 percent or possibly more efficiency loss but even then they are still one of the most efficient lights available for the amount of light they put out.
if you do decide to get a larger light you may consider a more efficient electronic ballast, going by your room size alone you could use a larger wattage light if you intend to flower plants indoors with that room size but if you are just vegging some smaller plants underneath it to move outside later or to another flowering room your 150 should be fine. the reason they use room size is so you can use the reflected light from the walls by attaching mylar or other reflective material to the walls they will not be wasting any light that could benefit the plants.
to get the most out of your 150 watt light you can also put up a temporary wall to reflect light back to your plants it doesnt need to be any taller than your grow light height would ever be set at, its not always feasible to do all 4 sides and in larger grows it is often more conveinient to have the space for maintaining and getting to all the plants than what it is worth to use walls at all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bejay

most all conventional ballast will have atleast a 10 percent or possibly more efficiency loss .

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Well the 150W I was planning to use to help the 430W .... I wasn't planning on getting a new or larger lamp at this time. I just freaked when I read that the 150 burns almost as must watts as the 430 and wonder if it would be worth putting up the 150.

The size of the area the plants are in is 2'x4' so the 150 should give me a foot ... and the 430 gives me 3 feet so that would give me enough light. When I have the funds I may consider getting a 600W I would imagine that would be more energy effiecient than the two I have now.

I plan to put up mylar (gift wrap) to help with the light as well. I'm just wondering is it going to be worth the extra cost to run.:confused:
:yippee: :noel:

I took a picture of the new made of 150W Lamp .... I guess I should try it and see .... my main concern will be the heat factor.

I have a fan and the temp now is 82 degrees .... I'm worried about the extra heat .... not so much now, but when the hot weather kick in.

I'm going to create a small shelf to set the ballast on and suspend the lamp with wire or cord.

So what do you think?

:giggity: :yippee: :madnoel:

in general you want atleast 50 watts per square foot and in a 2 by 4 area you have 8 square feet and you are just over the 50 watts per sq ft with the 430 alone but if you can add a temporary wall so you are not wasting light in the unused area of the room it will help. might want to read og faq about light placment in a rectangular grow area to get the most out of your 430.
the 150 may still be worth using in flowering by providing some side lighting to some of the lower bud sites on a couple of plants but it could also not be used at all and probably isnt worth using as a light over the plants.

Yes I was thinking the same thing. You say OG has something up on lighting? I'll have to check that out. But it sound like I really don't need the extra light unless I use it to light the lower leaves ..... the heat factor makes it better to leave well enough alone.

I put up the gift wrap mylar ... put in a fresh bulb and clean the glass, that should make a difference .... the last bulb had to be at least up to the 15 month limit on that lamp.

Thanks for your input.:rastasmoke:

:abduct:

I read that piece again on how much electric is use and I didn't see that he was taking about one of those cheap HPS you can get at a hardware store. The one I have uses 5-10% more than the rated watts so that would be as much as 165watts being used not 372watts.

So I will give it a try. Have to make sure the wires are secure and connect a chain to the ballast so I can hold it up. I'll report again once I've got it all iron out. :rastasmoke:

:noel: :abduct:

Hey, if the heat climbs with the 150 added I would just stick with the 430, you can pull off some nice stuff with it and if the 150 contributes too much heat it can cause the plants to stretch, stress and have loose airy buds.
Also, the 600W is the most aficient HID when it comes to lumens to watts.
Good luck
Adieu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BlueBear

Hey, if the heat climbs with the 150 added I would just stick with the 430, Also, the 600W is the most aficient HID when it comes to lumens to watts.
Good luck
Adieu

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Thanks .... I got it up and running its not giving off that much heat .... the temp only a couple of degrees warmer ... it doesn't seem nearly as bright as the 430 when they are side by side, but that to be expected.

I would go with the 600W when I had the doe, but I like the 30 watt of extra color the 430 provides.

I checked to make sure my outlet could handle the extra 165 Watts .... looks like it's going to work out just fine. I'm sure my ladies are going to love the extra light. :greenthumb:

:giggity: :noel:

I took a quick shot of the new helper .... I think it will improve my yields .... at least I hope it will ...:rastasmoke:

:abduct: