Sun Systems 150watt Users?

[GaryCares]

I did a quick search but came up with nothing on this subject.

I am a new grower (never grown before) that is interested in starting up for medical purposes and I ran accross the Sun Systems 150watt HPS lighting system for $70.00 at my local hydro store. Now as a new grower I am not sure if this is a good quality product, but it is cheaper and alot easier to do than using the security light and reqiring it as a ballast system. I would really appreciate it if anyone could give me their opinions and input on this system... http://www.4hydroponics.com/lighting/sunSystemHPS150.asp

 

[NorCalFor20]

well for 119$ plus shipping you could go to htgsupply.com and get a 400w kit including everything you need with ballast bulb hood and all just add soil and nutes and something to test ph and your ready to go

 

[GaryCares]

I just dont think I need a 400 watt system, it seems like crazy overkill for the amount I need and the space I have (4' tall, 3' wide, and 2' deep) it seemed like in that small of a space with such a large system Id have alot of heat issues.

 

[FreezerBoy]

At 3 x 2, or 6 sq ft, a 400 is the Mary Poppins lamp for you. Practically perfect in every way. 50 wtts per sq ft is considered minimum coverage. A 150 would be better suited to a 1.5 x 2 area.

The reflector you're looking at has an enclosed ballast. This adds heat to the grow area. A remote ballast can be placed outside the grow to reduce heat. I doubt you'll find a 400 setup that way if only due to the weight of the ballast.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

The quality of the plant is going to be so much better with the 400. You would have heat issues no matter what light used.
The HTG setup is hard to beat.

 

[GaryCares]

You all make a very convincing argument, hypothetically if I were to pick up the 400watt system, would a 95cfm fan be enoough to ventilate my space, or wouldk I have to go up on that also?

This is what we are talking about, correct? http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=47929

 

[FreezerBoy]

95 cfm sounds a tad light. Run your numbers through this. fan-intake calculator

How much do you smoke? I smoke close to an oz*per month and my 250 has me buried in weed. I still have a couple months to go on a plant I harvested 8 months ago. Note you don't have to use all the space for plants. A 2x2 garden would leave you with interior space for fans, filters etc.

*actually 1/2 oz but, I water cure so, my weed weighs half as much as "normal."

Look through these to see what others are doing with 250s and 400s
250 Watt Club

The 400 Watt Club


If you don't have a fan yet, check this out.
Great Inline Fans (S&P)

 

[GaryCares]

I got some plans from a pretty well known member here, just a scaled down version of his, I think Im gonna go with 2x2 space, with a 250watt metal halide system. My buddy seems to think for my purposes this will do very well, and Ive got the whole setup in at around 225 dollars without seeds. Ill be checking out vendors here very soon. As this is my first grow Im rather excited so expect me to have alot of questions here within the next week.

 

[NorCalFor20]

hey man i would use ur entire space and get a 400w setup you can run CMH which is way cooler... than hps

you want to get as much light as possible.... i started with a 400w thinking it was going to be wayyyy to big but there really not 400w is just 400w so i stepped up to 1k eventully ill have multiple 1ks you just gotta work ur way up..... if you dont wanna go with the 400w system try t5 fluro tek lights, you can get a 4 lamp 2 foot system for about 200 bucks....

i would defiantly go with the 400 though man you will wish you had one after you crank up that 250 and say wow i need more light.

plus the 250 is about as hot as a 400w cmh the cmh runs a lot cooler than regular hps and wayyy cooler than MH (MH gets very hot)

 

[smokeymacpot]

I got some plans from a pretty well known member here, just a scaled down version of his, I think Im gonna go with 2x2 space, with a 250watt metal halide system. My buddy seems to think for my purposes this will do very well, and Ive got the whole setup in at around 225 dollars without seeds. Ill be checking out vendors here very soon. As this is my first grow Im rather excited so expect me to have alot of questions here within the next week.

you might want to consider a 250w cmh instead of plain mh. buy a 250hps system and then buy a cmh bulb. cmh and hps will not work on the halide light that you are looking at.

 

[DaDank]

Noise! - Sun Sytems 150w w/ internal ballast

Noise! - Sun Sytems 150w w/ internal ballast

First Post on this thread (I do not know hwo to make the green quotation box): "I am a new grower (never grown before) that is interested in starting up for medical purposes and I ran accross the Sun Systems 150watt HPS lighting system for $70.00 at my local hydro store."

I actually purchased for one of these lamps. Seems like the price was right (opinions of others who think 400K is the way to go are duely noted!). My needs for this small lamp are simple - it will allow me to do flowering of (2) plants whose sex, at this point, is undetermined. Anyway... I have the thing suspended at either end with chains (adjustable) that hang from a 1-1/2" dia. PVC bar. When I turned it on, I was struck by the amount of electric RACKET the thing makes! I thought it was just a question of the thing maybe needing to warm up a little. Half an hour later, the thing is still making this loud electic BUZZ that sounds like somthing right out of a 1930s Sci-Fi movie. I cannot believe this is normal. But I have never dealt with HPS lamps of any kind before. Is my suspension system in someway making the sound worse? How do I quiet this sucker down? ANY INPUT ON THIS MATTER GREATLY APPRECIATED.

 

[FreezerBoy]

(I do not know hwo to make the green quotation box)

At the end of each post are several buttons, one of which is "Quote". Hitting the "Quote" button will quote the entire post. If you like, you can trim quotes to a line or two.

the thing is still making this loud electic BUZZ that sounds like somthing right out of a 1930s Sci-Fi movie.

My guess would be loose screws/connections/rivets. Coil ballasts vibrate. I'd try the "take it all apart and put it back together" trick.

 

[G.O. Joe]

Ive got the whole setup in at around 225 dollars without seeds.

Maybe you could go with more, I don't know your situation as well as you do. You could get a 400W HPS ballast, cheap bulb, complete cordset, and Super Sun 2 reflector for $260. Yeah you'll have to buy an inline fan too. I run a 430 (I'm still oldschool with the Son Agro's, haven't run Hortilux or Grolux 400's) using a 4'x 2.5'x 4' space with that reflector, and my only regret is that for a couple reasons I can't run a 600 in a larger space and really do it right. I keep the plants just a coupla inches below the glass, you've got to love air-cooled lights.

Anyone who's bought as much shit over the years as I have might agree - you get what you pay for when you don't pay much. The system should pay for itself in the very first run. Regrets add cost. I'm just saying.

 

[DaDank]

My guess would be loose screws/connections/rivets. Coil ballasts vibrate. I'd try the "take it all apart and put it back together" trick.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Freeze - The deconstructive surgery sounds a little ambitious, but if that is what is it takes, well... I was curious, what should a light normally sound like? A nice gentle "whirr" or is pronounced BUZZ the norm? Thanks.

 

[FreezerBoy]

I was curious, what should a light normally sound like? A nice gentle "whirr" or is pronounced BUZZ the norm? Thanks.

A light hum from the ballast is normal as is a slight ringing from the lamp. A pronounced buzz is too much. Complete disassembly may not be required. Open it up and give every connection a tightening twist. Hopefully you'll find loose screws, nuts or bolts. If it's the rivets, that could be trouble. Unless riveting is something you're equipped for.

 

[LolaGal]

Bought one 400 MH/HPS Sun System....then I got another.....now I want more. You can't have too much light. I would be disappointed if I had got anything smaller. Low light=loose buds. Go for the 400 at least!

DaDank: If light is new, return it before opening and get another one if possible. That sounds way too loud to me! I think opening them up voids the warranty, if it's still good. You can set it on some foam to quiet it down a little, if that helps!