Advice on first time setup

MrEDuck

Well-Known Member
Go for the 4 1k lights. 40W/sqft is on the low side, 20 just won't cut it. I don't think that fan will be enough to cool those lights. They put off about 3,500 BTU each. Air cooling them or getting an ac will help you control temps really well. Good luck man. Happy growing!
 

Porkchops

Member
Thanx Educk, I think I'm going to go for the 4 but the fan I thought was only responsible for air exchange in the room and that one is way above the spec recommended for a room that size as the m3 rate is nearly double?
As a newbie forgive my ignorance but if the air is being exchanged at the recommended rate then why would the lights need to be cooled independently? Is this in case of inadequate extraction or other? Also if I opted for example air cooled sputniks then would I still require the first fan? And would i need a fan for each light thats being cooled? My head hurts lol
Cheers
 

MrEDuck

Well-Known Member
How big is the room (the entire room not just the 100sqft of grow space)? You want to exchange all the air in the room at least every 5 minutes. More is better though. The fan is not just for air exchange. It's also for cooling the room. 1kW lights put out a lot of heat. So having a fan to exchange the air and separate fans to cool the lights is the best way to do it. Don't cool more than three lights with one fan.
I saw in your other thread that you're considering doing 6 lights. I think that might be biting off more than you can chew. You don't need to use the whole 100sqft. You can always expand later.
If I was setting up a grow in your space I would make separate veg and flower rooms to run a perpetual grow. I'd either get a tent or wall off a 5'x5' for moms and vegging. I'd use an area of about 2' x 3' lit by a 400W metal halide for the moms, a 2' x 2' area lit with some T5s for rooting clones and 2 3' x 3' areas for vegging each lit by a 600W metal halide, one of which would be dimmable so it could be set lower for the first few days to let the babies adjust from the T5s to the MHs. I'd take clones every two weeks a d give them two weeks to root. Then I'd move them under the dimmable light and dim it for a few days before turning it up to full power. They would stay under that light for a total of two weeks, then give them another two weeks under the other light (or make both lights dimmable and have the plants just stay under one light for four weeks total. Or do a nine week strain and change the cycle to every three weeks so you veg for 6 weeks total. It's a fair amount of work when you're running at full capacity. But harvesting less bud more frequently has a bunch of advantages. If you're growing commercially (which I'm assuming you are planning to do because 6kW of light worth of buds is a lot of weed to smoke by yourself) it's easier to get rid of a smaller amount more frequently than a large amount every few months. It also makes harvesting easier because you have less to trim at one time.
What medium are you planning on using?
 

Porkchops

Member
Room is 100 sq in total . The fan should at that spec change all the air every 3 mins so should be sufficient although I take your point with cooling the lights. *I was contemplating splitting the room but as a virgin I assumed that having multiple areas at differing stages etc might have been a bit too advanced at this stage, however smaller quantities more regularly is a good point and one that appeals to me.

Was thinking coco and clay pebbles but still undecided.
 

Porkchops

Member
Hmmnn now im confused!!!!

Working on the lumens scale theory that sub tropical varieties are optimal between 2500-3500 lux then judging by this guide a 1000 watt light intensity at 4 sq mtr would equate to 3500 lumens output, so therefore i would need 2x1000's to cover 8sq and a 600watt to cover the remaining 2sq , correct me if I'm reading this wrong!

http://www.amsterdammarijuanaseedbank.com/Growguides/specifics.html/lighting.html


http://www.amsterdammarijuanaseedbank.com/Growguides/specifics.html/guide.html[/url]

Am I reading this all wrong?

Ps can you merge threads as I've got 2 based on same queries ?
 

Porkchops

Member
Think I was being a little ambitious and getting carried away so took your advice and have decided to learn to walk first, so this is the plan:

5x5sqft
600 watt diamond light with sunmaster dual
Ruck 150 750m3
Rhino 150 LP
12 plant grow
Passive with clay pebbles

Will start to add as I go along :)
 

MrEDuck

Well-Known Member
I don't like lux as a unit because it makes me need to do more math. W/sq ft is much more straightforward. You want a minimum of 50W/sq ft. So 20 sq ft per 1kW light. Running 1kW per 16 sq ft is 62.5W/sq ft which is a good total. Also remember you can't use all the space for plants. You need to be able to move around the grow, so you'll really be using like 70sqft for growing.
I know a lot of people use coco but I never have so I can't really give any advice about it.
Hope that helps
 

Porkchops

Member
Yeah I know what you mean! Tbh as a newbie lux was the first guide I read properly, and when I said read I mean like ilt took 10 times to get my head around it lol I much prefer your way just wished I'd found that method first and saved myself 6 hours of my life but Its all good :)
The lads say I'm getting to technical with it all but it's my nature lol

Your way works out at 70000 lux on that, I take it you've never had any probs with heat?
 
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