150w HPS Club and Resource Guide......

[BL4ZE20]

Hey guys i'll answer everything i can about the fan and if theres anything i miss just ask me and i'll be glad to answer.

When i started looking for a fan i was needing something quiet but yet could move some air so i searched all over the forums and read everything i could about all the fans and tried to see what the best option was. Stealth was key but at the same time it needed to get the job done. Panasonic whisper was on my list of fans to consider but after browsing the forums a lot, it seemed some people weren't happy with the whispers and said they got louder over time. However some people seem to really like them and im in no way trying to bash them.
So I finally decided to go with S&P TD-100. I was really worried it may still be to loud for my needs. After recieving the fan i wired it up on low and turned her on and at first i was like man this is gonna be to loud (rushing wind) but once i put some ducting on it and took a step back it was a lot quieter then i originally thought. Plus since it was going to be in a cabinet it'd be dampened a little more. It seems pretty quiet but i have to keep a box fan running in the room that covers up the noise of the air flowing out the back of my cab. I think the ducting exit pointing right at the wall of my closet is whats most noticable (noise wise that is). I think if i get some 4inch insulated ducting and reduct the exit so it doesnt blow right into a wall generating noise then it'll be pretty damn quiet (i'm thinking computer fan quiet).

The TD-100 does have plastic blades which i think all of their models have? but i could be wrong. This is the first inline fan i've had so i've got nothing to compare it to but it definitely seems like a quality product plus it's got a 5 year warrenty.

OahuGrown- I can't say which is better since I don't own both, but from all my research it seemed the S&P was the better choice atleast for my needs.


Anyone know where i can score some 4inch insulated ducting? All i can find is like 25 feet of it online and I for sure don't need near that amount. Maybe lowes or homedepot sells insulated ducting.

 

[ambr0sia]

Since bluenath uses the panasonic and bl4ze20 use the td-100 what are the goods and bads about the fans.

The Panasonic Whisperline seems to me to be nearly the perfect fan for stealth microgrowers on a budget (try and get any other decent fan / filter combo for under $100!); The only thing that gives me pause are the dimensions - The FV-08VK1 is 10 1/4" x 10 1/4" x 7 7/8" - I have no idea where I'm going to put that in my up-and-coming 2' x 1.5' x 3.5' flower-only cab; Perhaps I could off-center the lamp a bit and put it in a top corner or something...?

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

 

[Bulénath]

Panasonic whisper was on my list of fans to consider but after browsing the forums a lot, it seemed some people weren't happy with the whispers and said they got louder over time. However some people seem to really like them and im in no way trying to bash them.

Know that the people who claim it gets louder over time was most likely due to mis-use, misconstrcution or misplacement of the attached carbon filter.
Such as placing a can filter over the exhaust...

 

[Bulénath]

Hey guys i'll answer everything i can about the fan and if theres anything i miss just ask me and i'll be glad to answer.

When i started looking for a fan i was needing something quiet but yet could move some air so i searched all over the forums and read everything i could about all the fans and tried to see what the best option was. Stealth was key but at the same time it needed to get the job done. Panasonic whisper was on my list of fans to consider but after browsing the forums a lot, it seemed some people weren't happy with the whispers and said they got louder over time. However some people seem to really like them and im in no way trying to bash them.
So I finally decided to go with S&P TD-100. I was really worried it may still be to loud for my needs. After recieving the fan i wired it up on low and turned her on and at first i was like man this is gonna be to loud (rushing wind) but once i put some ducting on it and took a step back it was a lot quieter then i originally thought. Plus since it was going to be in a cabinet it'd be dampened a little more. It seems pretty quiet but i have to keep a box fan running in the room that covers up the noise of the air flowing out the back of my cab. I think the ducting exit pointing right at the wall of my closet is whats most noticable (noise wise that is). I think if i get some 4inch insulated ducting and reduct the exit so it doesnt blow right into a wall generating noise then it'll be pretty damn quiet (i'm thinking computer fan quiet).

The TD-100 does have plastic blades which i think all of their models have? but i could be wrong. This is the first inline fan i've had so i've got nothing to compare it to but it definitely seems like a quality product plus it's got a 5 year warrenty.

OahuGrown- I can't say which is better since I don't own both, but from all my research it seemed the S&P was the better choice atleast for my needs.


Anyone know where i can score some 4inch insulated ducting? All i can find is like 25 feet of it online and I for sure don't need near that amount. Maybe lowes or homedepot sells insulated ducting.

You can make your own isulated duciting, like I did, to scilence my Vortex 172 cfm Inline Fan with Can 9000 filter. Use regular aluminum ducting, a bag of Fiber Glass Insulation, and ductape. Infact, you can make it better than what you would normally buy!
I also built a custom muffler for the exhaust, after 3 feet of custom insulated ducting, all housed in a Second attic, with a Solid state speed controller, just to scilence it!!!....God what a waste of cash that was....My cabinet rose to 6 feet high and cost me a wasted $450+ (including the speed control)

I think the TD-150 model, or the TD-200 is the lsmallest S&P available with plastic blades. Anything greater has metal blades I beleive....?


Oahugrown,
Remember that EVERYONE has thier own unique growing situation...
I grow in my bedroom, just feet from my head, and I am an Insomniac...

Where do you grow, BL4ZE20? I am guessing you are not growing where you sleep?

 

[Bulénath]

The Panasonic Whisperline seems to me to be nearly the perfect fan for stealth microgrowers on a budget (try and get any other decent fan / filter combo for under $100!); The only thing that gives me pause are the dimensions - The FV-08VK1 is 10 1/4" x 10 1/4" x 7 7/8" - I have no idea where I'm going to put that in my up-and-coming 2' x 1.5' x 3.5' flower-only cab; Perhaps I could off-center the lamp a bit and put it in a top corner or something...?

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Here is exactly what I did to counter the exact same problem...Notice I built an extra wall into the flower chamber to create a symetrical light distribution, all to counter the off-placement of the Pansonic due to it's width and length...

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Wanted to show off my new 150 box.

 

[ambr0sia]

Here is exactly what I did to counter the exact same problem...

Aha - Excellent solution! Mind if I ask the the dimensions of that cab? I'd bet with a sufficiently wide space, you wouldn't even have to worry about the offset at all...

 

[ambr0sia]

Wanted to show off my new 150 box.

Looking fantastic, hoosier! What are you using there for ventilation? Mind sharing that diagram of that unique light build of yours I remember seeing some number of pages back?

 

[TraneRek]

http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProductDetail.asp?ProductFamilyID=3&FGNumber=E-HC1H151Z

Or

http://www.1000bulbs.com/150-Watt-High-Pressure-Sodium/


I know people used to like the e-conolight because of its price, but these are nearly the same. The e-cono does come w/ the bulb (~10 dollar difference), but the 1000bulbs seems like a better quality ballast (has a capacitor). It also seems easier due to less wiring/conversion. Any suggestions as to which I should get?

-Rek

 

[BL4ZE20]

Bulénath your probably right man some people probably misused the whisper fans which lead to problems. With any product your always going to find people who love it or hate it. I just went with what i thought the best option was for myself which is key in these grows of ours.

Your probably right about some of the higher up models having metal blades. I didn't look into it enough since I was just looking at their models at the lower end of the cfm scale.

I do actaully grow in my bedroom and sleep in the same room. If nothing is on in the room expect the S&P fan then all it sounds like is a computer running. Like i said before though my ducting is blowing straight into the wall right now generating noise and once i get my hands on insulated ducting and have that set up it should be quiet. This is something i'll figure out because if i can make it near silent then it'll be a very good option for micro growers/150w growers etc. So i'll let everyone know how things work out.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Looking fantastic, hoosier! What are you using there for ventilation? Mind sharing that diagram of that unique light build of yours I remember seeing some number of pages back?

The venting is simple...four 3" holes in the bottom back (covered with air filter material) and a 6" hole in the top side with a 6" inline duct booster for a fan.

This is the side of the box. (showing how the air moves when used as a dry box)


When used as a grow box, the air travels up from the intakes, blown through the canopy with the small table fan, and up through holes in the top of the reflector. (you can see the light on the top of the box that shows the slits cut in the top of reflector)

Heat goes out the top of the reflector holes, and is then sucked out by the fan. (top right)
If there were no heat/air escapes in the top of the reflector, the grow would have been toast in the first hour. As it is, they are snug and happy.

I've been asked a few times about the insulation board reflector, and I think I need to do a DIY on it, since some seem to be interested. One thing for sure, you won't be able to do a cheaper, more functional reflector for the money.

 

[Quazi]

Lookin' real nice there hoosier. Very microRU.

Nice work!

-Q

 

[Bulénath]

Aha - Excellent solution! Mind if I ask the the dimensions of that cab? I'd bet with a sufficiently wide space, you wouldn't even have to worry about the offset at all...

I would have to go back and measure it!

It is the Mills Pride U-2 I believe?? The same one Sugabear grows in...

Give me a few hours, until lights on, then I can give you all the dimensions you need...

In the mean time, tell me all of the partiuclar dimensions you want...

 

[ambr0sia]

In the mean time, tell me all of the partiuclar dimensions you want...

I'm most curious about the cab width; How wide do you think a cab would have to be to fit a ~10.5"W, 10"T whisperline in one top corner and still be able to center a light + hood? Yours seems to be just a touch too narrow...

While you're in there, I'm curious about your HxWxD dimensions all around - Don't think I've seen anyone do so much with such little height!

 

[CaptainStoner]

Howdy fekers

loving this 150w stuff, will be joining you myself shortly, probably just after new years.. got a ? though.. anybody tried a 150w ceramic metal halide lamp yet? I'm thinking i'ma get a 150w phillips citymaster CDM-T & phillips digi ballast..not cheap but from what i gather, should be good..

 

[Quazi]

Dunno if I've seen anyone rock lower wattage CMH due to the cost.

A 150W HPS can be picked up and remote ballasted (including shipping and an extra bulb) for $37.00.

A 150W CMH lamp, with specialized ballast will be quite a bit more expensive.

Also, CMH is more popular in the 250/400W area because those wattages both run on a regular magnetic HPS ballast.

-Q

 

[CaptainStoner]

Yeah.. I won't be running a magnetic ballast. I'm an engineer who doesn't believe in control gear which uses a significant portion of the total drain of the device. So it's e-ballasts all the way for me, nothing against mag ballasts they're just not very energy efficient.

So here in the UK i have been looking at the costs and its like this

HPS: e-ballast £60-70, bulb £8-12
CMH: e-ballast £70-90, bulb £20
full cheap floodlights similar to the econolight, with a mag ballast and 150w hps are about £50 here, a damn sight more expensive than the $37 (£24ish) you lucky buggers in other countries pay. Also, most HPS floods come with 2050K bulbs instead of 2700.. dunno if they will work?

isnt much of an issue for me, as long as the setup i use grows enough yield and is power efficient. am trying to keep the overall wattage as low as possible. Got somewhere between 2 and 3 square feet, will measure it more accurately soon.. Just decided that 150w was about right for my space and wished to get the best lamp possible so i dont have to buy another complete setup later to get better results

 

[hoosierdaddy]

They are probably on par with the efficiency of the e-ballasts, after start-up.
At these low wattages, the drains are not significant in any event.

Not to rub it in...but the 150hps econolight is $20usd and bulbs run $5.75

 

[Quazi]

In addition, you can add a capacitor to the equation and get a very, very low draw.

There are schematics for it in this thread as a matter of fact.

And yea: it's quite a bit cheaper. At least in the states.

If you can go CMH though: more power to ya. It's superior to the HPS for sure.

-Q

 

[OahuGrown]

For ventilation has anyone ever tried the Grainger shaded pole blowers? How loud are they. From reading the specs it seems that the cfm at certain static pressures are better then others. Also how loud are they.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ww...riginalValue=Blowers,&searchIndexId=1&typeOf=