Finished my run with the 315w CMH. Week sauce!

[heatherlonglee]

Hey DemonTrich! My main point of this thread, and my main beef with growers like yourself and Fishbonez; is they don't want to admit that other things changed in their setup when switching over to the 315 CMH. Then they just plainly post that the 315 CMH is better! That's not really the entire truth. The real truth is that the light will need to be closer period, other changes quite possibly needed depending on setup; uncovered hood, light repositioned to vertical, and with more points of light. Most of these things needed to be changed to get a comparable or better yield.

DemonTrich I understand that you did drop wattage considerably, but you also haven't quite passed your previous setup yet.
If you had come into the thread and said "I've done nearly better with the 315 CMH first try and so have many others. I did change up a few things like more points of light and moved lights a little closer (I inferred that), I also dropped 500+ watts in the switch. I expect to be better my next run. The drop in watts and closer lights is hard to quantify but seems like the 315 CMH can deffinetly hang with some adjustments. It's not a plug and play type switch, but well worth the slight changes needed."
We could agree if something worded similar to this was what you were posting!

 

[DemonTrich]

I DID say I got pretty much same yield my 1st go. On my 2ng run and about 2 weeks from flip. I can GUARANTEE! I'll get more yield this run vs last. And the next run will be even more. How do I know, I know my room, my strains, and honestly I'm a damn good grower.

The ONLY thing I did was this.

Swapped 3x600hps apollo ballasts and bulbs for 4x prism ballasts and Philips 930 elite bulbs. Same strains, same nutes, same veg time, same temos, same rh, same co2 saturation, same length of flower time, same soil, same nute companys, same additives, same strains (actually I DID NOT run any gg4 which is my top yielder).

Not sure how much more to say.

 

[heatherlonglee]

Hey DemonTrich! So you didn't move the lights closer when you made the switch? Your above post seems that you're stating you didn't move lights closer?
I can also infer that a new 4th hood was used? Was this hood also the same type you used for the 3 600w HPS bulbs you dropped? What about shape of your grow room and the points of light pattern that has changed from 3 to 4. How does that now fit in your room and what better side coverage are you getting? I can infer from your posts that you're a experienced grower. Maybe you've just forgot a few things when getting hyped on the 315 CMH? See all I can infer just from a few sentences. lol

 

[wumbatti]

I didn't change one thing about my grow setup. I changed bulb/ballast and nothing else and got less weed!

I have to say
I didn't change one thing about my grow setup. I changed bulb/ballast and nothing else and got more weed!
Just like everyone else i know who changed from 400hps to 315W cmh.

 

[heatherlonglee]

Hey Wumbatti! Got anything else to share besides a ridiculously vague and open ended statement thats already been said is not appreciated in this thread? lol
Give us more info on your grow?
My question would be are you a dank ass grower, or troll, faker, BS artist, one upper? Share more, anything, photos, info etc... appreciated. Also if anything I've criticized above or in this thread doesn't make sense please feel free to break down where I'm wrong besides just behind your pathetic statement, and that I got less weed. I've posted straight knowledge about the 315w CMH vs the 400w HPS; with reasons why I believe some have had similar, worse or better yields, in their switch.
Care to comment on why the lights need to be closer? Wumbatti did you move your lights closer when you made the switch over to 315w CMH?

 

[wumbatti]

Sorry I dont understand your questions,
but i would say im the dank ass grower.

Im using same the hood as i used with 400w HPS, aircooled Hydrofarm Radiant.
Light is not any closer than when i used 400W HPS.
315w Ballast and 942 bulb are made by Philips

 

[heatherlonglee]

Shenanigans saying the CMH lights don't need to be closer.

 

[Ready4]

You were 100% at fault for your diminished yield. You had the light way too far from the plants, where the hell did you get the idea you should have it at 23.5" above your plants ???
Dropping the light to 22" will not help much at all, it will just allow you to whine once again.
If you have a fan moving air over the top of your plants, you can easily go 12-15" above.

It is quite funny to read your comments how you are "schooling" anybody. You are schooling nobody. Apparently your posting is how you speak to people around you in your work/life. Small wonder that you have so many problems communicating with others.
And "week sauce" implies a sauce it took you 7 days to create....

 

[DemonTrich]

TRUTH!

Once again

 

[Rondon]

A friend has/had my old setup..for years. A 6.5x6.5x6.5 Lighthouse Hydro tent with 4 600 watt air cooled hps lamps. 2 465 cfm 6" inline fans sucking out a wooded over basement window...one for each "set" of 2 lamps. Another 465 cfm 6" with ducting for tent ventilation connected to an old CAP air 3 climate controller with timed co2 injections (not ideal but it works...the tent fan hardly comes on because of the efficient almost straight air cooled hood ducting which is insulated as well as the insulated covers for the hoods themselves) All fans are outside the tent as well. Plus a smaller tent with 3 6 bulb 4 foot t5's for constant 18-6 veg. A very nice setup that served me well. I and my buddy consistently pulled 16 to 18 and sometimes 20 ounces per lamp every 65 days depending on strain and how detailed we got with topping and canopy management. ...an often overlooked aspect to get alot of bud when strain selection amd room environment is dialed in. Anyways said buddy recently replaced all 4 sixers with 4 Sun Systems 315 watt "LEC" fixtures. The vertical ones (imho better than horizontal for this bulb/lamp) with attached ballast. Hes ran i think 4 or 5 crops pretty consistently changing nothing but the fixtures and the stupid ducting (i loath aircooled hoods and duct work for anything above a couple lamps in a small hobby setup or tent). His weights are 13 to 16 ounces per lamp now with slightly quicker harvest times at every 60 days or so depending on the same stable of strains. Which are the common ones like Blue Dream..Glue...Og Kush and the offshoots/variations of those strains. He kept the old sixers about 24 inches from canopy...the 315's about 18 inches. Ots warmer in there for obvious reasons and the climate controller /vent fan pretty much runs more but the temps are not that much higher...say 82 tops in the warmest months. So what we gathered from all this is no....they are not 600 watt equivalent (and certainly not 1000 watt - cmon you people!!!) nor do they cover 4x4 (again - cmon) but they will cover 7 to 9 square feet and where they really excel is (like all lamps..especially double ended) in multiple lamp steups with overlap. And the plants themselves. ...wow.....much more like outdoor with stronger branching and just more overall vigor. But with that indoor frosty quality and smell. With these fixtures you can really see hps lamps (as the sole source of light) shortcomings. Afterall....hps lamps (and hid lamps in general) were NEVER meant to be the only source. Always meant for SUPPLAMENTAP lighting in greenhouses in areas of the world with many overcast days throughout the year (i.e Europe). All in all yes..lower yields but only slightly. Higher and noticeable quality. But the real kicker for this whole post is this....INSTEAD OF 2400 WATTS OF FLOWERING LIGHT. ...ITS JUST OVER HAOF THAT NOW!!!! Its a no brainer. 400 to 600 a month in electricity is now 250 to 300 bucks a month. And hes not losing that much at harvest. About 65 to 75 ounces with the sixers and about 55 to 65 ounces with the cmh fixtures.

 

[Rondon]

Iam about to sell off my gavitas for 9 sun system 315 watt lec fixtures in a square setup. 9x9 area canopy. I plan to hit 7 to 9 pounds in a sealed room with a mini split and quest 110 dehuey with a propane burner for constant lights on co2. Usi g a net trellis with a drip to waste coco coir system. Try hitting 8 pounds with 3 one thousand watt single ended mogul socket lamps....good luck with that.Not to mention the quality of the end product will be superior to hps grown product.

 

[heatherlonglee]

Hey Ready4! I started the 315 CMH light at the same height I had been running the 400w HPS. I was expecting the CMH to be vastly superior to the HPS. I just switched them up; even considered raising the hood up from all the hype that I read. Anyone who says the bulbs needs to be closer or repositioned please comment on why? Move the 400w HPS closer and reposition to vertical and what happens? I have an idea what happens when repositioned to vertical (more light). I can give a definite answer on what happens if 400w HPS gets to close, or moved closer in my case; I already had it close enough. Also the same height I started my 315 CMH at.

DemonTrich! The next time you comment in this thread; say if you moved your lights closer in your grow? State why you think the lights need to be closer, or why they don't? Don't be a Troll. You were asked direct questions that pertain to this thread!

One thing I would like to say about my grow and my personal setup. I can control all climate parameters, though I don't have CO2. Now while I have my temps in rang 75-81 deg. The one thing I can't do with my setup is really bring the light down low and just destroy all the heat with AC/venting etc... I just don't have the ability to do that. The 400w HPS did fine raised up 23.5", why does the 315 CMH need to be significantly closer to get same yields?

 

[wumbatti]

I dont know how to make my point, but..
Would you use 1000W at same distance from canopy as 400W?
I would suggest you to put the light as close as possible when flowering.
The plants will tell ya, follow them.
Atleast for me theres no rule for light distance from canopy,
strains are different, some like it closer than others.

 

[psyphish]

had two 315s in a 4x3 tent, loved the results and had zero complaints. Can't say anything about the yields since I ran different seeds 99% of the time and changed my grow methods quite often, but the lights were one thing I wouldn't change. I guess HPS is still cheaper on a commercial scale, but I wouldn't smoke that shit.

 

[Stinkhorn123]

My 6 Greenbeams are kicking ass at about 20-24". This is first real run with CMH's but I'm impressed. I'm sure it will take me a few runs to really figure out these lights strength's vs there weaknesses and to dial in the room. I think it would be foolish for me to assume I could just switch out my old lighting and have things run perfect. It's taken me years to fully dial in some spots but I'm not the best grower and a slow learner. I certainly won't make any bold claims based on this first run, but damn they do look good.

 

[HqFarms]

Height of the light all depends on the stage of growth you are at. In veg 315w can be 2 foot to 3 foot away without any noticeable difference. Now with flower that is not the case. If you have the ability to cool the area the closer the better if you can get 6 inches between canopy and light go for it. 315 don't penetrate very well with the correct spectrum for flower. The 23 inches you used for your 400w was far as fuck away but did it work for you, it sure did. Now if you got closer with a gull wing good, you would of got better results with your 400 than you already have

 

[Ready4]

A friend has/had my old setup..for years. A 6.5x6.5x6.5 Lighthouse Hydro tent with 4 600 watt air cooled hps lamps. 2 465 cfm 6" inline fans sucking out a wooded over basement window...one for each "set" of 2 lamps. Another 465 cfm 6" with ducting for tent ventilation connected to an old CAP air 3 climate controller with timed co2 injections (not ideal but it works...the tent fan hardly comes on because of the efficient almost straight air cooled hood ducting which is insulated as well as the insulated covers for the hoods themselves) All fans are outside the tent as well. Plus a smaller tent with 3 6 bulb 4 foot t5's for constant 18-6 veg. A very nice setup that served me well. I and my buddy consistently pulled 16 to 18 and sometimes 20 ounces per lamp every 65 days depending on strain and how detailed we got with topping and canopy management. ...an often overlooked aspect to get alot of bud when strain selection amd room environment is dialed in. Anyways said buddy recently replaced all 4 sixers with 4 Sun Systems 315 watt "LEC" fixtures. The vertical ones (imho better than horizontal for this bulb/lamp) with attached ballast. Hes ran i think 4 or 5 crops pretty consistently changing nothing but the fixtures and the stupid ducting (i loath aircooled hoods and duct work for anything above a couple lamps in a small hobby setup or tent). His weights are 13 to 16 ounces per lamp now with slightly quicker harvest times at every 60 days or so depending on the same stable of strains. Which are the common ones like Blue Dream..Glue...Og Kush and the offshoots/variations of those strains. He kept the old sixers about 24 inches from canopy...the 315's about 18 inches. Ots warmer in there for obvious reasons and the climate controller /vent fan pretty much runs more but the temps are not that much higher...say 82 tops in the warmest months. So what we gathered from all this is no....they are not 600 watt equivalent (and certainly not 1000 watt - cmon you people!!!) nor do they cover 4x4 (again - cmon) but they will cover 7 to 9 square feet and where they really excel is (like all lamps..especially double ended) in multiple lamp steups with overlap. And the plants themselves. ...wow.....much more like outdoor with stronger branching and just more overall vigor. But with that indoor frosty quality and smell. With these fixtures you can really see hps lamps (as the sole source of light) shortcomings. Afterall....hps lamps (and hid lamps in general) were NEVER meant to be the only source. Always meant for SUPPLAMENTAP lighting in greenhouses in areas of the world with many overcast days throughout the year (i.e Europe). All in all yes..lower yields but only slightly. Higher and noticeable quality. But the real kicker for this whole post is this....INSTEAD OF 2400 WATTS OF FLOWERING LIGHT. ...ITS JUST OVER HAOF THAT NOW!!!! Its a no brainer. 400 to 600 a month in electricity is now 250 to 300 bucks a month. And hes not losing that much at harvest. About 65 to 75 ounces with the sixers and about 55 to 65 ounces with the cmh fixtures.

Excellent report & analysis on actual results & conditions !
With a tent, I can see why somebody would keep the light a little farther as the heat build-up.
Is there a reason your buddy has to use a tent to flower ? In an open room, you may get equal or better results from a 315 as compared to the 600's in a tent.
Yes, 315's are likely not quite as good as a 600 hps, as your results show. The OP's assertion that a 315 cmh is inferior to a 400 watt HPS is foolish.
With approximately the same electric usage, you can run 2 315's which most certainly would blow away a 600 hps.
The quality of light is a no-brainer also, sure do not miss that yellow glare of the HPS.
Very interesting that you found actual flowering times to be reduced.
Also it seems like 2 separate 315's would give better results than 1 630CMH, not sure if the close bulb setup in a 630 is as effective as two bulbs in two fixtures.
That cost savings in electrical usage and bulb life replacement life also adds to the CMH lights being a absolutly better product imo.

 

[Asslover]

Iam about to sell off my gavitas for 9 sun system 315 watt lec fixtures in a square setup. 9x9 area canopy. I plan to hit 7 to 9 pounds in a sealed room with a mini split and quest 110 dehuey with a propane burner for constant lights on co2. Usi g a net trellis with a drip to waste coco coir system. Try hitting 8 pounds with 3 one thousand watt single ended mogul socket lamps....good luck with that.Not to mention the quality of the end product will be superior to hps grown product.

I consistently hit 7 lbs with 2k hps watts...
Hitting 8 lbs fom 3k hps watts is childs play. Check my album, pictures don't lie

 

[HqFarms]

I consistently hit 7 lbs with 2k hps watts...
Hitting 8 lbs fom 3k hps watts is childs play. Check my album, pictures don't lie

That's a hard one to swallow. 3 units per is hard to hit let alone 3.5 units per. That's 1.5g a watt

 

[Asslover]

That's a hard one to swallow. 3 units per is hard to hit let alone 3.5 units per. That's 1.5g a watt

Ok well, i hit 14lbs in a 10x10 with 4k hps watts...Consistently.