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Yeah, I have a fine screen over the intake hose, just for that purpose. And I got 2 400w HPS and 2 400w MH, could anyone tell me about how much that will run a month (ballpark figure for one light only, I'm not going to use 2 at a time.)? My wife is a little uneasy about how much the bill will be. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Well, there are some good threads out there that have the precise electrical formula. I tried for a few minutes to look one up for ya, but then got sidetracked. Just search "calculate electricity" or something to that effect. Plenty of people asked that question.
Short answer, it won't change it too much. It might go up 20% of your bill using two 400w lamps plus other auxiliary equipment. Depends on how much you get charged per kilowatt hour.
TGF
yeah I looked around a little earlier this morning but didn't find it. I saw it the other day in a thread just don't remember exactly what I searched for...
ok, so how far do I need to keep the lamps from the plants? Like 12-15" right? I have never used lamps this big or hot, so I don't know much about them. I have decided to move the setup to a 15x20 shed to help with the heat, along with the fans. Larger area, more air to move around or so I would think. Waiting on the mylar to arrive. The kids are lookin good so far, one was a little droopy so I transplanted them into a soilless mix last night they are all looking better today.
Electric is usually charged by kilowatt use per hour , and 1 kilowatt is equal to 1000w so say your running a 1000w and your electric company charges 5 cents per one hour of kilowatt use and you use a 1000w for 12 hours then you are at about 60 cents a day. Some companies are lower and some cost more per kilowatt hour. With the 400 just cutt the 1000w calculation in half and you will have a ruff estimate. Hope this helps.
Adieu
Alright, I got the MH hooked up this morning, and everything is looking fine. Temp might be a small issue since I am growing in an outdoor shed with a metal roof. It will have to do until I can get the closet ready and the a/c duct run to it. I have pics that I will post later on of the temp. setup. I will be glad when I can quit moving stuff around. I should have looked into my planning a little more before I started, but it is a little late now. Next crop will be planned better, guaranteed. But needless to say the babies are looking good, nice and bushy for only 2" tall, short internodal spacing and a beautiful green. Stalks are getting pretty strong, I'm proud of myself so far...but we will see in the long run...catch ya'll later
P.S. Thanks for the :twocents: ya'll have been a great help!! :smokin: Burnin one for ya!
Try to keep the lights about 8 in away, no more than a FT if possible, but give them a day or so before you take it down to 8 in, and only do it if you can control the heat.
Adieu
Well temps only got to 86.3 today which it was pretty warm outside. Right now they are holding at 72. The light is about 15 in. away and there isn't any felt heat at the level of the plants, I will give them a couple of days to get accustomed to the more intense light and then drop the light. I need to set up my intake and exhaust fans, mainly just mounting and cutting the holes for the ducts and outdoor filters/covers. I am running them now for the circulation and also a couple of box fans on medium. Using the formula for electric usage I am estimating to spend around 1.08 per day, if that is correct then when I get the electric bill and figure out the budget I may go ahead and wire the second light up. Question...Should I use MH in both fixtures or should I mix with HPS to get more of a full color spectrum (the balasts work for MH/HPS bulbs both). If I understand correctly, the MH is more valuable to the veg state, but will the combination with the HPS enhance growth/quality/health in any way? Also, I am using AlgoFlash 6-6-6 liquid fert, should I use one specifically for veg and one for bloom or will it make much of a difference? If so, could you recommend a quality fert that you are familiar with? Thanks
The new closet is 21in. x 18in. x 8ft almost 3 sq. ft and 18 cu. ft.. It is already flat white, all I have to do is run my electrical lines and setup my ventilation and I will have my permanent closet. NO MORE MOVING AROUND!!! That sounds so appealing. This will also give me the benefit of temp control and better security. Here are some so-so pics of the plants and a couple of the closet.
Thanks, I figured I would need something better, but wasn't sure.