Grow Room should i replace my 400w with LEDS?

[gearbear]

uv- ultra violet IR- infra red (far red)

theory with some show. the bands are important to the buding cylce esp. in the production of the resin. LED are too tuned togive off these spectrums, so compensation is good. or you can get a LED with IR and UV LEDs in addition at a low ratio

 

[C.E]

I meant he will save money from just switching from HPS to CMH instead of buying two led units which will be quite expensive, because he probably does not need a new ballast.
60 bucks for a new bulb or a few hundred for two led units ?
There are cheap led units out there but the only ones that actually perform are the expensive ones.
So, when you take the led unit cost into consideration, and calculate how much money would he save from 400w versus 240W, how much time will it take for him running these bulbs to compensate for the price through electricity bills for the price he paid to get them ?

Hell, if he is fine with the HPS bulb spectrum, he can just spend 50-60 bucks (i'd imagine, thats almost what I paid here in europe) for a cooltube or hood and solve his heat problem.
These LED units are way too overpriced right now to be considered as a money saving option imho, considering they only cut the electric bill by half and cost and arm and a leg. Also, I have yet to see anyone getting more GPW on leds than on HPS.

Am I starting to make sense now ?

 

[JM]

These LED units are way too overpriced right now to be considered as a money saving option imho, considering they only cut the electric bill by half and cost and arm and a leg. Also, I have yet to see anyone getting more GPW on leds than on HPS.

Am I starting to make sense now ?

I must say I agree with this theoiry... but if you have the money for the high end leds... might make sense from a heat sense... although as i remember we still had heat issues with leds too.... I find my 400 watt HPS is pretty darn good by itself... but its much better since i supplemented a pair of 12,000 lumen 125w CFLs (6500k for mixed spectrum) I also run two UVB 20 CFLs for UV... I feel the uv makes a world of difference and have reason to back it... theres an article here on this site in regards to it... I'm rambling a bit I guess... just tryin to help this dude make the right lighting decision for him. TBM also has his points... I digress...

 

[JM]

power calcs:

440watts (for a digital HPS) x 20 hours a day = 8800 watt/hours or 8.8 kwh * .15 c a kwh * 30 days = 39.60 / mo
240 watts (min reccom replacement) X 20 hrs = 4800 watt/hours or 4.4 kwh * .15 c a kwh * 30 days = 19.80 / mo

Saves 19.80 / month


led light = say $300 ... so 15 months to pay for itself

 

[JM]

I'm with you TBM... for now... I'll let the technology develop and the price drop... I really like my HPS and supples combo... they def produce results .... and thats what it boils down to... results..
:smokebuds:

 

[Muddy]

Lower heat was the driving force behind my switching from HPS to LED. It was either that or nothing, so I spent the bucks and bought a good quality LED, best I could find at that time. 180 watt GrowLEDHydro Spectra. No regrets. It's doing a great job and producing some very nice buds.

Tri-band, 1 watt LED units are basically 2 year old technology. Most better units today are using 2 and 3 watt LEDs and multiple bands up to 11 or 12 that include not only blue and red but also orange, UV and IR. Better canopy penetration and 95% usable light. Before spending $500 on two of those take a look at better units from GLH, Haight, Blackstar and others.

 

[C.E]

Oi TBM, never meant to go off topic I was just trying to show the op the big picture.
The op wants to save money and have less heat while maintaining efficiency. I just wanted to show him that while the leds save money when it comes to the electric bill, he will need to run them atleast a year or 2 to actually have saved money.

Furthermore, I have yet to see more than 1.2-1.5 gpw from a led so he needs to take that into consideration aswell. I dont think 240w of leds can really equate to the hids they are supposed to compete with. Coupled with the fact that the leds still release heat, I dont think they are the best of investments for now. Especially because the yield is of concern to the op.

Leds are the future for sure, but they are not the best value right now imho.

Its up to the op ofcourse to do his research but i felt compelled to show him the big picture.
If his main concern is heat, he should look into getting a cooltube as it wouldnt cost him much.

Hope what I have said is of help.
PS: i could be wrong about the potential GPW yield of the newest models of leds, so maybe some ppl who have been using them can chip in ? Would be valuable information for all of us

 

[autovango]

i appreciate all of you guys for the replies..heres my setup so you guys have an idea. 400w hps hortlux, digital ballast, a huge ass reflector. a tent that holds 6 two gallon pots. carbon filter/fan combo. temps average 88-90 degrees. lately its been 98-100 degrees out side and my tent was 96 degrees. forcing me to run my central air unit nearly all day. that alone can have my electric bill sky high.right now out that tent i get 4 ounces of autos every 2 months.really not worth growing but i love autos.i also have in the same closet a dr40 tent with 1 non auto strain on 12/12 and that alone is getting me 3 ounces with just 150w hps. more worth it.during the winter im fine with this setup..but from april-october. bill is high as ever. my fear is that i spend $600 bucks on leds,still have heat issues.and loose out on yield.

 

[seymour-buds]

the simple answer to this question is........... yes

 

[JM]

well seymour buds definetly had a killer grow under led... one of the best ive ever seen .... so it sems the technology is coming along... and I hear ya... my AC unit is working overtime till I finish clear-out for the summer... not even gonna try n compete with the sun in any way... gonna roll with it... and come back in to a fresh breeding round in sep oct... until then its outdoo flyin'


good luck on your decision mate

JM