What type of reflector to use with a 400W HPS?

[roadhouse]

I am planning on getting myself a 400W system to keep some plants growing over winter. I plan to keep them in an area of around 4'x4' or 3'x5'. What is the best shape of reflector to use for this? Can anyone send any links so I can see exactly?

Also, how much will this affect the electricity bill? I live in an apartment so it's not that really high to begin with, but I wouldn't want it to skyrocket. I'm actually hoping the light will help lower the cost of heat through the winter with the heat it produces LOL

 

[roadhouse]

This is the system I am looking at by the way...

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=HLHPS04SS&eq=

The rectangular reflector seems best since my area will definitely be rectangular.

Also, is it really worth it to spend the extra $57 on a higher quality bulb or will the standard one do just fine? I know the better one has to be nice but the question is whether or not it's actually worth that extra money for the difference it makes.

Thanks for the help!

 

[wordwiz]

Before you buy, consider this place. It is 400-watt, a complete system and includes both a HPS and MH bulb. I have one (as well as a 600 watt) and love it. For $200 you can move up to as 600-watt but only one bulb - the other bulb is another $50.

Mike

 

[Josh]

Here is the hood I use but I bought it because it fit my needs. It has a glass lens and a 6" opening which allows me to vent the majority of the heat out of my grow box. Hopefully some of the more experienced indoor growers can give you more input on your light choice.

In terms of grow bulbs I think it depends on what you are looking to get out of it. The standard 400watt bulbs provide enough light to grow full sized plants. The higher quality bulbs may provide a few more lumens per watt and/or light in wave lengths more favorable to the plants. Whether it is worth the cost I do not know because I haven't used them.

In terms of your electricity bill this will vary based on how many hours a day you run it. Electricity prices also differ everywhere. Mine is around $.12 per Kilowatt Hour. So...lets look at it if you ran the light 16 hours a day. Take 400 watts and divide it by 1000 to convert the number into kilowatts (result: .4). Then take that number and multiply it by 16 hours (result: 6.4). Then multiply that times say 30 days to approximate a month (result: 192). Then you multiply that by the cost of electricity (result: 23.04). So that means it will cost you around $23.04 a month to run your light for 16 hours a day. I believe my math is correct there but it certainly was never my best subject.

 

[redeyes]

Before you buy, consider this place. It is 400-watt, a complete system and includes both a HPS and MH bulb. I have one (as well as a 600 watt) and love it. For $200 you can move up to as 600-watt but only one bulb - the other bulb is another $50.

Mike

love this web site... i have got 4 Digital Greenhouse BALLAST Systems from here.... these things are super quiet no heat and it comes with a wing Reflector/Hood.. they also take less AMP to start up... they dont not have the best hood but you can upgrade if you want to...i use this reflector and a 6inch hole is a must or bigger, if u need to cool some day... http://www.texashydroponics.com/shop/product.php?productid=2790&cat=55&page=1 you also can get them in MH/HPS together on these systems.... if thats what you are looking for..... only thing i can say about the bulbs is that i use EYE Hortilux brand.. and they seem to last longer than the cheap ones ... and side by side the EYE Hortilux seems to be brighter .. not sure on the lum... but i tend to stick with them ... and as far as your bill goes i think josh got it about right .. i check my bill 1 time and it was around 50 bucks a month for 1 1000watt HPS light.... http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=48930
and this dont come with nothing just socket and ballast still a good deal.... http://htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=3&subcategoryID=96 good luck man

 

[kcso53]

Check out this website. It will automatically calculate your costs per month, granted you know how much you are paying for electricity. http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hid_lamp_op_cost.asp

 

[willard3]

To choose a reflector accurately you are going to do some heavy math and learn about photometrics.....it's not a guess or an opinion.

 

[roadhouse]

To choose a reflector accurately you are going to do some heavy math and learn about photometrics.....it's not a guess or an opinion.

Hey now don't scare me! I'm just looking for a light that will keep my plants growing over the winter in a rectangular area.

 

[roadhouse]

wordwiz and redeyes...I checked that site out. Looks like some great deals on there! Do you guys think it is worth it to get the Lumatek Digital ballast kit? My goal is to keep this at, around, or below $300. I do not plan on setting up an air cooled bulb so will the cheapo MaxWing reflector be fine? I think I'd rather put the money into getting the EYE Hortilux bulb...and get the MH bulb later on when I start some new plants up. I figure I can always upgrade reflectors later if need be..

 

[LGHT]

I use a cool tube for my plants with a Sunlight supply MH/HPS ballast and eye hortilux low profile MH bulb. Because the tube has such a narrow opening I couldn't use the larger MH bulbs and had to get a specific Eye Hortilux bulb, but the advantage of my cool tube is I can get the plants within 6" of the plants without feeling any heat. Plus the eye hortilux bulbs last longer and provide more lumens and a much wider spectrum of light. I only use the 400 mh during the vegitative stage about the first 6-8 weeks then I switch over to the HPS bulb. Because I can change the bulb to a HPS bulb and use the same ballast and hood for fruiting it's worth it to get a switchable ballast unless your going to put them outside after the vegetative stage of growth.

If you where in so cal I could set you up with a everything for around $50 since since I got all new equipment I have a bunch of old stuff laying around.

Here is a pic of the tube.