Should I use a light mover?

Light movers are mechanical devices that, as the name implies, move an HID in a fixed pattern over a garden. A light mover can increase the coverage of a light by 140%. The real advantage is MUCH more light is available to the plants when the light is in motion. With a stationary light all that is shaded will remain in the shade, but with a mover the light will hit from different angles giving better coverage.

Light movers are found in 2 configurations: spinning arms (kind of like a ceiling fan) and along a rail that moves back and forth. The rail version seems to be much more popular with Overgrowers, probably because it will accommodate an air cooled fixture.

Light rails come in a variety of lengths, but most can be cut to fit any application. Most growers prefer a "smart rail", that is, one that pauses at each end of the rail for a period.

The biggest problem with air cooling a light on a mover seems to be dealing with air duct slack. Apparently, if the light is close to the tops of the plants, the duct may be dragged through the plants, thereby damaging them. Overgrow poster Ferret devised a solution: Use a curtain track, not a rod but the track that has all the little hangers inside that slides very easily. I screwed this to the ceiling of room and used light weight string to attach the air pipe to the little hangers in the track.
As the light moved the track hangers moved along with the air pipe stopping the air ducting from dragging over your plant tops doing damage.
The track cost about $15-$20 at any hardware or store. Simple to set up and it works .

I have seen these in action at the hydro store.. You can get your light closer and you have the angles. It would pay for itself in a grow... Go for it Mogster... let us know what u think.

definitely, you will be causing your plants to generate those phototropic auxins en masse.

i want to hook up an air cooled Growzilla (Hydroponics : Hydroponic Online Store: Growzilla Dual Bulb HPS Systems) on a light mover for my SOG. Unfortunately they're pretty expensive, but being closer to the midgets os always better.

This is just a dream. Can't afford it. But I like to dream.

I just got 2 6 foot motorizes rails for $45 a piece.I got real lucky to find some cheapies hehehe next grow they go up

I have 1 6' Mover for a 1000w HPS. I hope it works out. Havent even started flowering yet

wonderblunder said:

I have 1 6' Mover for a 1000w HPS. I hope it works out. Havent even started flowering yet

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It will work out very nicely and you'll discover that you'll be able to get that bright ass 1000W closer than most people can.

Anyone have a picture of this? Trying to visualize it but can not.

I have a light rail, and although I've used it for two harvests, they were both screwed up by a hidden hermie pollinating everything. Grr....lol Anyway, I have 8 plants that are ready to be switched to 12/12, today, and moved to my bloom room, with the light rail. I have a 400 and 600 HPS on it right now, set to move back and forth about 12". It doesn't extend the grow area by a whole lot, setup this way, but certainly takes advantage of the different light angles reaching the plants. I can't wait to see the results, as these are new strains, no deficiences, and ready to go.

jawbrodt said:

certainly takes advantage of the different light angles reaching the plants.

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I agree completely. Not only that, it also allows you to place the bulb/reflector much closer thus increasing lumens per square foot. Additionally, I've got mine air-cooled which allows me to get even closer. It eliminates shadows and acts more like the sun as it rises and sets. The only drawback for me is the simple fact that half the time the light will be on an opposite end replicating a cloudy day for the other end.

^Agreed. I don't think they provide much benefit after you get past that point where there is much shading on one end, or the other. Mine is setup to move less than a foot,(probably 9-10") with very little, if any, shading, using two air-cooled lights. For those guys using a big sweep(3'+), I wonder if the light rail provides much benefit at all. I imagine it does, with all the added plants, but that makes for alot more work, and not much increase in yield. I'd like to see some experimenting done, actually. Like, for example, would a 1000 on a light rail, outproduce a stationary 400 and 600 watt HID setup, covering a 7'(length) area? Or,..would a 1000 HPS moving 2' outproduce one moving 5', with more plants? Interesting.

jawbrodt said:

^Agreed. I don't think they provide much benefit after you get past that point where there is much shading on one end, or the other. Mine is setup to move less than a foot,(probably 9-10") with very little, if any, shading, using two air-cooled lights. For those guys using a big sweep(3'+), I wonder if the light rail provides much benefit at all. I imagine it does, with all the added plants, but that makes for alot more work, and not much increase in yield. I'd like to see some experimenting done, actually. Like, for example, would a 1000 on a light rail, outproduce a stationary 400 and 600 watt HID setup, covering a 7'(length) area? Or,..would a 1000 HPS moving 2' outproduce one moving 5', with more plants? Interesting.

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I'd like to know the same thing. I've got two 600W HPS about 3.5' apart covering a 10'x3' area. They travel roughly 3' back and forth. Allows me to produce just over two pounds per harvest.

At 0.75 grams per watt with one pound per light, I'm far from complaining. One thing's for certain, there's no way I could produce that much without a light mover

^That's pretty good. I have a 400 and 600, and am guessing to get a little less than 1 1/2 pounds, in a 6' 4" x 3' area. From the sounds of it, the extra area covered by your setup, is certainly beneficial. I wish I had the cash to upgrade my 400 to a 600, so it'd be a better comparison. Hmm...maybe in November...

Thanks JimmyT. I knew what a light rail looks like, but am trying to visualize the use of the shower curtain holders in keeping the duct work from dragging across the plants. Anyone have a shot of this setup?

Countryfarmer said:

Thanks JimmyT. I knew what a light rail looks like, but am trying to visualize the use of the shower curtain holders in keeping the duct work from dragging across the plants. Anyone have a shot of this setup?

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Oh, I see. I remember someone mentioning that idea on another thread way back when. The way I visualized it was something similar to what they have in hospitals with those room curtain separator things. Now, instead of curtains, imagine the ductwork connected to the hooks and as the mover goes back and forth, it stays up high above the canopy acting a bit like an accordion. That's what I've always pictured at least

^I've done something similar with mine, except that I just used string suspended from the ceiling.(so that it can swing) I had to wrap the ductwork with duct tape, so that the string didn't wear holes in it, as it moved back and forth. Worked really good though, and is the same concept.


Hmm...on second thought, IDK if it would work that well with a 3' stroke. It works great with my own setup, but you might want to go with the shower curtain setup, for longer travelling rails.

Thanks guys, I get it now. Great explanation as well JimmyT. Thanks.