An Experimental Water cooled Light Bar Gen3. Putting it to Work
I "m using the 18" long water cooled bar on the end of the grow table and have it tied into the cooling system for the big lamp. The 290 watt 5 x AC COB bar sits across the end of the grow table and takes the place of the 338 watt air cooled leftovers lamp. I'm using the leftovers lamp to provide extra coverage of the old mother on the other end of the table, the damn thing is huge!
The 18" water cooled bar is on the right at the end of the large water cooled light. The 335 watt leftovers lamp is hanging on the outside of the big light over the old mother whose canopy is almost 4' wide x 3'+ long
I changed the fittings to 1/2" on the lightbar and tapped into the cooling system of the big light.
Because the water cooled light bar uses AC COBs, I provided a second direct ground to a bronze fitting for a copper heating pipe. This is in addition to the third prong plug ground. Using a second direct ground is the only way to use these kinds of COBs safely, with an air or water cooled fixture, if the COB develops a ground fault, the breaker trips. Plugging the lamp into a GFI breaker wall socket would be even safer.
I also raised the side and back lights up about 8" and the plants can use the light better and be moved closer to the walls. I figure when the new light rig is on the garden and I've got things down to around the kilowatt level for the grow table (might get rid of the side lights), I should get about a kilogram per harvest. With a four plant limit (initially) a 1KW flowering setup should yield well over two pounds every two months. These 2 x OG Kush's are three weeks into flower.
Still a stupid amount of power on the garden, but I figure I'll tone it down and measure the results in coming harvests. I should be able to get what I'm after for about a KW of power. I have a 3 gram a day prescription (15 plants), lots of extra lights, a bit of extra space in the flower room and a buddy has a sativa dominate clone (Mobydick) for me...