New Grower How much electricity is considered too much?

[The Squid]

Hey friend. I highly recommend really looking into the Chinese ones before purchasing. We have that whole thread on it here somewheres. Personally, I think you're better off with getting 3 GN ms0006 before that. You KNOW they work...I thought you were already growing with LEDs for some reason..600 watts of LED will blow 250 of HPS out of the water...if the light is quality. Plus you'll have less power used on exhaust because of lower temps. Light is not light when it comes to LEDs that grow. Do some research before pulling that trigger, brotha. :smokebuds:

 

[Muddy]

Here's the thread Squid was talking about: https://www.autoflower.org/f102/leds-direct-china-15081.html

600 watts would be overkill for a 2' x 2' space. A good 240 watter would probably be plenty. When you look at them, look for the core coverage area. For a 240 watt it's usually somewhere around 2' x 2.5'. While they may cover a larger area, LEDs do best when you grow in their core. Check out the LED forum in Lighting. Everything you'll need to know is there.

Well I've definitely had my question answered, thank you fellas!

I have one more, if you'd be so kind as to answer it for me. If I were to remove my 250w HPS and put a 600w LED panel (Chinese import, not paying the ridiculous prices other places charge) in there, as well as growing hydro, would it be a substantial step up from my current set up? Is 600w too much, and are the Chinese import lights much different from retail ones elsewhere?

Surely the Chinese import ones work the same as the normal ones? They emit the same wavelengths, light is light regardless of how it's packaged

 

[BillyWu]

Thanks fellas I'll probably be going for a nice 600w one. That way, I get all the light I need and if I ever manage to get a bigger tent, I won't need another light source. Unless of course it's detrimental to have too much light?

Here's the one I was looking at buying: http://www.quantumledbloom.co.uk/servlet/the-48/LED-GROW-LIGHTS-/Detail (or one very similar). What are your opinions please?

 

[Skunky Smurf]

I wouldn't worry so much as how much you draw but more the constant exact same rate is the clue against you

do you have a smart meter on your electricity meter?
is so they can see exactly how often you load and more importantly "CYCLE" that load
most appliances aren't turned on and off at exactly 12/12 or 20/4 or any exact wattage pattern everyday exactly and pull the same load w/o cycling needs on /off like fridge/ac/heating
if numbers are extreeeeeemly out of wack from comparison of previous tenants consumption would be a clue also if you were going through a few thousand watts an hour
you are NO where even close to needing to worry about watt consumption but it is good to be safe

 

[Muddy]

You could potentially run into bleaching issues with that much light in such a small space. You're probably going to need to keep it pretty high above the plants. Something you should check into. If you buy a bigger tent down the road, buy a second light then. Two 240s will usually give you a bigger core area than one bigger light and you have the added flexibility of raising and lowering them independently to accommodate plants of different size.

Thanks fellas I'll probably be going for a nice 600w one. That way, I get all the light I need and if I ever manage to get a bigger tent, I won't need another light source. Unless of course it's detrimental to have too much light?

Here's the one I was looking at buying: http://www.quantumledbloom.co.uk/servlet/the-48/LED-GROW-LIGHTS-/Detail (or one very similar). What are your opinions please?

 

[BillyWu]

Thanks Skunky, yeah it's better to be safe than sorry I don't think I have a smart meter.

And thanks too Muddy. Should I compromise for a 400w instead of a 600 then? Or even a 300? A 240w would be nice, but I'd like just a little more than that. I use CO2 nowadays, so I want to make sure they have ALL the light they can possibly use.

I'm reading through quite a lot of information right now and there are a lot of conflicting stories and details. Some places say China import lights suck, some say they're great. Some say that branded lights are the bees knees, others say they're rip offs of Chinese ones. It's difficult to make a judgment call, so your advice is most helpful

Edit: What about this one, or two of these?? http://grownorthern.com/index.php?p...category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=75

 

[wg]

You know, I've always run an obnoxious utility bill.. but I've grown since the day I moved in here, so I never really considered the bill being a throw off.. Every month my electricity bill says "You're in the top 95% of similar homes in your area for energy consumption." For the first few months I worried about it.. but I've never missed a payment and never been late. They leave me alone.

I believe going with 2 MS004's would be better for 2x2.. I don't think 2 006's will fit. One 006 would be a noticeable upgrade over the 250W HPS.. two would be huge, but possible overkill as you'll have very intense areas where the primary coverage overlaps. You're in a tough spot due to your restricted space.. LED isn't quite the same as HID where more in a smaller space will be better results. My first go with LEDs I ran a 240W BS and a 180W BS in the same 2x3 area.. I was irritated at the poor rate of success I had. There wasn't as much information about bleaching, light heights, etc as there is now. Take heed to the information your fellow growers share with you, they've done the hard part of the work for you.

As well reach out to TaNg and ask him if GN is doing anything for AFN members if you go that route. He's kind of the intermediate interaction for us forum users and GN.

Either way going from a 250W HPS to a LED, I think you'll get some nice results.

 

[Muddy]

I think anything over 300 watts could be problematic in that small space. You need to get over to the LED forum and talk to the guys over there. They are much more up to date than I am on the current technology.

Thanks Skunky, yeah it's better to be safe than sorry I don't think I have a smart meter.

And thanks too Muddy. Should I compromise for a 400w instead of a 600 then? Or even a 300? A 240w would be nice, but I'd like just a little more than that. I use CO2 nowadays, so I want to make sure they have ALL the light they can possibly use.

I'm reading through quite a lot of information right now and there are a lot of conflicting stories and details. Some places say China import lights suck, some say they're great. Some say that branded lights are the bees knees, others say they're rip offs of Chinese ones. It's difficult to make a judgment call, so your advice is most helpful

Edit: What about this one, or two of these?? http://grownorthern.com/index.php?p...category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=75

 

[BillyWu]

Will do, thanks fellas. This thread can probably be closed now