super basic light & ballast question

[mapleleafgrower]

hi i've been looking at simple light set ups for a small 3-5 plant grow in a closet about 4ft x 3 x 6 and was planning on using cfls and a few leds.
my questions are at what point can't you plug into a socket watt wise?Also are a bunch of smaller cfls spaced around best or a couple big ones?and if some one could explain to me at what point ballasts are used and what would be cheapest in the long run.
thank you

 

[Noobian]

"at what point can't you plug into a socket watt wise?" What do you mean there not really follwing...

How many lights is an interesting question. having more of the lower wattage bulbs will allow you to put light points in more areas although they will be weaker and have less penetration into the canopy. Bigger bulbs you won't be able to use as many of them but you will get better light penetration so there's that. It's really up to you to decide what will work best for your situation. If it was me I would just go with a HPS and a few 23w CFL's and forget about higher wattage CFL lights

 

[mapleleafgrower]

at what point can i not plug into the wall? could i get a 250 watt cfl and plug it into my wall socket? sorry to be confusing

 

[StealthDragon]

most cfls are self ballasted. The little plastic part below the spiral glass is the ballast. Anything over 200 watts for flowering and I'd get a hps security light. If you do end up going with straight cfl though I recommend more smaller bulbs (20-42w) instead of one big one..the larger cfl's are very inefficient for lumen per watt and their shape. Best cfl's are pll lights, but you probably can't find them locally..but online they go for about 3-4$ a bulb vs a 42w cfl running you 15$. Also another good light to use is the flourescent 65-70watt worklights like these:



those flat bulbs are afar more efficient design then a large spiral cfl...those can be found at lowe's or HD.

Your lights are the most important part of the setup, they should be a very high % of your budget imho.

 

[mapleleafgrower]

ok thanks and i could just plug that worklight into a reg wall outlet and not blow the fuse or would that trip the breaker

 

[StealthDragon]

it would be fine to plug into a normal 110 outlet..it's only about 70 watts..so you'd be fine, it's probably about the same electricity as your computer...most outlets in your house can probably run 500-1000 extra watts and not have any problems.

 

[mapleleafgrower]

thanks you've been very helpful
two of lights that size would be perfect what was it's size

 

[StealthDragon]

they're about 6x10"

be sure to check out the micro growers section here, there's tons of great info about cfls and small grows. You should look through some people's threads and find one very similar to what you want to do as far as space, lights and yield..then just copy them! You might find a lighting solution that you like better too

I started out with a single 23w cfl in a pc case 2 years ago.

research research research. you reap what you sow.

 

[Electrician]

General duplex receptacles are usually rated for 120Volt 15Amps. Don't modify cord ends. The metals on these devices are designed to withhold that amount of heat. So 15Amps

 

[mapleleafgrower]

ok what does that mean?

 

[messn'n'gommin']

I'm no sparky, and one is more than welcome to correct me, but as I understand it:

Each breaker controls a circuit and by design has a limited amount of power its circuit can draw from. Most (but not all) household breakers are rated at 15 or 20 amps and everythiing plugged into that circuit draws a certain amount of power through that breaker. If the draw exceeds the breaker rating (potentially dangerous!) it automatically shuts off. So, a safety margin of 20% for a 120v, 15 amp circuit means no more than 1200w working load.

hth

 

[mapleleafgrower]

thanks everyone you've been very helpful

 

[Bud Spleefman]

Get a 400 watt light, HTG has complete setups with bulb, ballast and reflector for like $120 bucks. You can plug that, and a small vent fan, into an outlet, and it's easy, and will produce plenty of bud. The prob with the CFLs is the have crappy penetration, and you are working with a decent size space, not a cabinet, so if you don't use a decent light with plenty of lumens you'll get a bunch of airy bud. And you need ventilation, regardless of the light, and it's the same effort to hook up a micro vent fan, as it is to hook up a 4 inch.

 

[mapleleafgrower]

could i get a smaller light, ballast & reflector to cover 3 plants? i could lower the size of my grow area slightly

 

[StealthDragon]

yes,

you could also pick up a cheapo hps security light at homedepot or w/e. it's all depends on your budget and how handy you are (even if you're not handy we can walk you through it)

 

[mapleleafgrower]

do you have a link that i could look at to see if that would work? would that kind of light also work in a pc/ speaker sized grow?