Lighting 2100k? One big 250w vs many 23w? Seeking input.

[Anthropolis]

Hey friends, couple quick questions I've been thinking about, would like any thoughts or input. So I'm considering ditching the multiple 23w ("100w equivalent") cfl's and replacing with a single big cfl, for several reasons as follows. Simplicity mostly, easier hanging and adjustment, and less pieces to worry about changing / fixing / maintaining.

Ok so at the moment the setup is fine, just looking to improve as always I'll describe how it looks now. Tent is 2x4x5 foot. 450w led in the middle, with 3x 23w walmart brand cfl's on each side, so a total of 6x. (Plus a uvb 10.0 bulb on each side, a 26w and a 10w.) I do have a ultra-ghetto diy reflector above each side of cfl's. To my credit, I do have a full set of 6400k? daylight veg bulbs and the 2700k soft white bulbs which are in there now.

I'm thinking of a 250w cfl and real reflector kit like:

Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apollo-Hort...45?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item27e4a2d3cd
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Questions : Some options are available only in 2100k temperature, obviously this would only be for flowering, but does 2100k make any sense over 2700k? Seems awfully deep to me! It could be nice for very late flowering like I've got a few of now.

Would this really be a sensible investment? It's gotta be worth the added lumens right? My total cfl wattage right now is 174w so this would be an increase.

Also in the halfway near future I'm planning on one more 450w - 600w led to match the one I have, and so it would end up being
| led - cfl - led |
Probably with the leds angled inward like / and \. Thoughts and input?

 

[pop22]

For $14 more,( $72.98 ) you could get an 180 watt LED that outputs 3 times the PAR of a $250 watt CFL and runs cooler. I have this one in my veg cab:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180W-UFO-LE...4401107?pt=US_Hydroponics&hash=item485b0071d3

 

[Anthropolis]

Good point... For some reason I have the personal opinion that leds should be supplemented with white light, hence my hook on cfl's, but I dislike the efficiency of hps/mh/hid. This opinion isn't based on any science that I know of, just a gut feeling I guess. I do plan on more led, just thinking about cfl options. But yeah that's an excellent point about the PAR , something I'll be thinking about more...

 

[Bigolnoob]

Hmm... I think that you would end up back with a few of your 23 watt bulbs to spot the buds you are interested in. For me, it's simple when it comes to CFL's -- The more light the better. You can place your 23 watt bulbs a lot closer as you prolly know. But the 250 watt is a beast and will produce for sure! Not sure on the 2100k but it seems legit.

 

[boikola]

I am a novice but regarding LED technology, they never talk about lumens and that is what matters isn't it?

 

[pop22]

Hey friends, couple quick questions I've been thinking about, would like any thoughts or input. So I'm considering ditching the multiple 23w ("100w equivalent") cfl's and replacing with a single big cfl, for several reasons as follows. Simplicity mostly, easier hanging and adjustment, and less pieces to worry about changing / fixing / maintaining.

Ok so at the moment the setup is fine, just looking to improve as always I'll describe how it looks now. Tent is 2x4x5 foot. 450w led in the middle, with 3x 23w walmart brand cfl's on each side, so a total of 6x. (Plus a uvb 10.0 bulb on each side, a 26w and a 10w.) I do have a ultra-ghetto diy reflector above each side of cfl's. To my credit, I do have a full set of 6400k? daylight veg bulbs and the 2700k soft white bulbs which are in there now.

I'm thinking of a 250w cfl and real reflector kit like:

Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apollo-Hort...45?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item27e4a2d3cd
---
Questions : Some options are available only in 2100k temperature, obviously this would only be for flowering, but does 2100k make any sense over 2700k? Seems awfully deep to me! It could be nice for very late flowering like I've got a few of now.

Would this really be a sensible investment? It's gotta be worth the added lumens right? My total cfl wattage right now is 174w so this would be an increase.

Also in the halfway near future I'm planning on one more 450w - 600w led to match the one I have, and so it would end up being
| led - cfl - led |
Probably with the leds angled inward like / and \. Thoughts and input?

I'd wait till you have enough for another LED. Hell for $17 more you can get a 180 watt UFO LED. Or get some 0-15 watt Red/Blue LED mini spot lights if you want better side lighting. I built a DIY growlight using them and it works great! Lumens is not a very good gauge of lighting for plants. PAR is the value you want to be interested in. Lumens are good if your measuring light penetration and or usable light footprint. A Halogen Light could crank out 100,000 lumens but the spectrum totally sucks for growing...........

 

[Anthropolis]

Hi! Not really, led output is often measured in PAR (photosynthesis absorptive radiation?) which is the energy that a plant uses. If ya look at a photosynthesis graph you'll see that mostly red and blue are absorbed and other colors mostly reflected. So that's why most leds have more red + blue. White light output is measured in lumens, but see it doesn't matter much with leds.

 

[Anthropolis]

Oh hey pop, yeah I ended up getting another 450w Chinese panel and ditching most of the flouro.

 

[Bigolnoob]

Oh hey pop, yeah I ended up getting another 450w Chinese panel and ditching most of the flouro.

I know that in the past, when ordering parts from China for several DIY led grow light projects that many of the American-British made LED lights are built using componets from China. My question to you is this. Are you at all worried about quality control and more over, fires? Two of the LED's that I am using now don't even have the ground wire wired into the chasis of the unit. I had to isolate the ground in each with electrical tape because they were very close to the + - wires... Thanks!

 

[pop22]

I know that in the past, when ordering parts from China for several DIY led grow light projects that many of the American-British made LED lights are built using components from China. My question to you is this. Are you at all worried about quality control and more over, fires? Two of the LED's that I am using now don't even have the ground wire wired into the chasis of the unit. I had to isolate the ground in each with electrical tape because they were very close to the + - wires... Thanks!

Have you ever changed the ballast in a fluorescent light? probably 40% are poorly wired, not properly grounded. I'd be more worried about your local school burning down than the growlights!