Tag: MH

You Need a 30 Amp Timer Box


What a Lifesaver and Timesaver this box has been! What does it do you ask, what doesn’t it do? First it lets you plug straight into your 30 Amp Dryer Socket. So instead of trying to plug in your HID lights straight into the wall in your room, your using the higher amperage dryer socket instead! No more tripping your breaker when you plug in your second 1000w light.

Indoor Grow Lights

Specifics

This particular model allows you to run up to 4 1000w lights and up to 10 amps of accessories from the same timer.  The 4 1000w lights are run off of 20 Amp Breaker and 240V receptacles instead of the traditional 120V. The benefit of this configuration is that a 1000W HPS running at 240V (4.3Amps) runs at half the amperage then if plugged into 120V(8.9Amps). Essentially this will run 4 1000W lights for the costs of 2!

I also run my fans that cool my Air Cooled Hoods through this box. Another electricity saver; When my lights turn off, their cooling fans turn off. The box is controlled by a single 120V Trigger cord. I have mine connected to a digital timer which  makes it nice and easy to control it and see what is happening. Make sure the timer will carry the load of whatever you have plugged into it, safety is always the most important thing. Never plug more then One 1000w Light into a standard timer.

The Amp Timer box saved me so much time and money. Its costs around $300 and compared to the several hundred dollars more it would have cost to higher an electrician to come in and do the work it was worth every penny. Not to mention how much lighter the electric bill will be in the future.

You can get the 30 Amp Timer Box at Amazon. Click here to read more.

Kevin

Choosing the Right Set of Grow Lights

This post will no where near cover everything you need to know about choosing grow lights.  This post will give you some very helpful hints and considerations to take into account before spending money on an expensive system.

-Number of chambers : Will you have all your plants in one space for their whole life time.  If so you may want to consider a Metal halide Bulb and Ballast for the grow cycle and a high pressure sodium/metal halide conversion bulb for the bloom phase.

-Amount of Space : If your grow spaces are large you will need high powered lights so that all the plants get light.  Keep in mind 400 watt and higher MH and HPS bulbs will benefit greatly from air cooled hoods which require strong inline fans to cool.  The cost of these items may raise your initial setup fee but will pay off by the first harvest by the success of the crop yield and quality.  Without an air cooled hood a 400 watt HPS bulb must be 3-4 feet away from the plants to keep temperatures down.  With an air cooled hood some plants can be nearly touching the glass.  If you have a high powered inline fan the plants can most likely grow up to the hood.  This makes a big difference in yield because light is diminished at higher rates at farther distances.

-2′ x 2′ or 3’x3′ gardens can bloom under 400 watts

-3’x3′ or 4’x4′ gardens could easily use 600 watts

-4’x4′ or 5’x5′ gardens can use 1000 watts of light

-Number of plants: Depending on your style of growing you may want to get a set of 2 lights instead of one big light.  3 x 600 watt lights can outperform 2 x 1000 watt lights in the exact same conditions.   The three 600 watt lights can cover a greater area without losing light from distance.

-Height of Grow Space: If your grow room or grow box is not very tall and you are also concerned with heat, you may want to use compact fluorescent tubes from the hydroponic shop.  You can get high powered tubes for grow and bloom phases.  The height of the ballasted light set is only a few inches so it can fit in short places.  Its great for the grow phase or a mothering chamber.  The bloom tubes will flower plants but sometimes they are lanky unless you use a product like BushMaster.