ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
Interesting, I never pulled over 2lbs from a thouie!
Vertical Goodness and Other Batshit Craziness
- Thread starter ttystikk
- Start date
m4s73r
The Laziest
I was running 2 of them when I was doing that. Id run the lower one for 6 hours and then the upper one for 6 hours. Each trellis was 5'hx4'w. with 4 plants, 6 ft tall. Averageing 9-10 ounces per plant. Shit I thought I was sucking. You were pulling more than that I thought.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
I was getting 12-18oz per plant but I was running both lights full time.
I was thinking of adding a waterfall on my system but I tried installin a Venturi instead n it work pretty.
well.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
Welcome! I'm kinda new here myself but the people here seem to know what they're doing.
A venturi would work fine. The waterfall breaks the surface tension in each tubsite, which also works to break up any scum that starts to form.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
Welp- I didn't get after my babies fast enough so they grew into the lights and so they choked themselves and now they look kinda ugly in their new homes. But they're in place! Rather than cry over what isn't perfect, I'm going to give them a few days to recover, clean them up and flip the tables when they look ready. Maybe next week.
Meanwhile I still have more small plants than I know what to do with and that's the kind of "problem" I can live with.
Meanwhile I still have more small plants than I know what to do with and that's the kind of "problem" I can live with.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
Let's talk climate control and HVAC here:
Also, IME it costs about 40% less electricity per unit of product to use LED vs HID of whatever type. That's not a big deal for a guy using a spare bedroom but it's very significant in commercial facilities. That said, the savings don't pencil out unless you're paying Hawaii or Enron prices. This is why it's taking awhile for LED lighting to make inroads in commercial facilities.
Climate control is a similar thing, only more so. It's common for home growers running up to 2kW of lighting in a given room not to have AC at all and just to ventilate the space from the outside.
This approach goes right out the window as soon as you hit the 5kW mark and usually well before then. At this point you MUST have AC and most likely humidity control, too. The problem with commercial facilities is that they find themselves stuck between equipment suppliers who often don't know anything about growing or about the other equipment needed to maintain optimal conditions so all that equipment ends up fighting each other, and the bleeding casualty left on the battlefield is your power bill.
This is why home grows are fundamentally different from commercial facilities.
They say that one Watt is 3.414 BTu no matter what but there has to be some kind of factor in there for operating temperature. We all know how much harder it is to keep a Gavita 6/750 cool than a 750W LED light. This might be what @Heisenbeans was getting at.
Also, IME it costs about 40% less electricity per unit of product to use LED vs HID of whatever type. That's not a big deal for a guy using a spare bedroom but it's very significant in commercial facilities. That said, the savings don't pencil out unless you're paying Hawaii or Enron prices. This is why it's taking awhile for LED lighting to make inroads in commercial facilities.
Climate control is a similar thing, only more so. It's common for home growers running up to 2kW of lighting in a given room not to have AC at all and just to ventilate the space from the outside.
This approach goes right out the window as soon as you hit the 5kW mark and usually well before then. At this point you MUST have AC and most likely humidity control, too. The problem with commercial facilities is that they find themselves stuck between equipment suppliers who often don't know anything about growing or about the other equipment needed to maintain optimal conditions so all that equipment ends up fighting each other, and the bleeding casualty left on the battlefield is your power bill.
This is why home grows are fundamentally different from commercial facilities.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
@Heisenbeans this is my first generation water cooled LED light design. I'm interested in the COBs for looking at because covering these chips with lenses is much easier than trying to waterproof strips or boards.
I never put lenses over mine and never had an issue but your situation might be different
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
Let's continue this conversation here, away from the bullshit in that thread.
Requirements vary in different places but from what I understand the area has to be zoned for commerical, light industrial or farm use and they may or may not need to see some kind of business license.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
I think lenses are advantageous in my application because water cooled lights need better protection from water, the vertical installation right where people walk to work the plants means they rub on the lights and so they need protection and because I am placing the lights a bit farther away to make room for the aisle between lights and buds.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
What state?
pinner420
Finally on a roll....
Montana
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
Any bets on Idaho or Wyoming? Lol
m4s73r
The Laziest
Well home grows have the advantage of using their home HVAC system for sure. No argument on commercial vs home grows. I dont spend shit to grow my little harvests. And now with solar my electric costs are nill. Other then water and my annual build a soil order I dont really spend much. Seeds from time to time.
But I see what you're saying. If i had to add the cost of building, commercial hvac, environmental control, I can see why LED is a lot to start. Using Heisens room, he has 12 lights in the last pic he posted on his thread. If we were to drop in 12 of my ChilLed lights thats $10K. vs $3600 for Gavitas.
And if your going to need the same amount of cooling and environmental either way, then LED loses. I guess my only thing is wouldnt I only need half the cooling? My drivers are remote. and they're about half the heat of the system. That has to factor in a tad. Moot if your drivers are sitting on top of your light.
ttystikk
Nerd Gone Vertical
If your drivers are pulling more than 5% of your total output then the design needs to be revisited. Drivers feel warm because they have a relatively low surface area to mass ratio compared to LED boards or strips.
HLG kept coming up with a factor of about 60% of power needed for LED vs HID, unless those HID lights really sucked, like SE lamps on magnetic ballasts. AC would be resized to account for the above difference. It saved some but not enough to justify it in big facilities.
What I'm working on will save enough energy that the ROI argument can no longer be ignored.
I added it all.up both ways and couldn't justify the start up cost of LED. The savings in power really would not offset the cost for a couple years. We may convert over time but you have to recoup your start up losses to stay a float. I'm sure people that sell flower can recoup after the first grow and not really care that they are still making money over time to still pay for those shiny new lights. LED is more efficient , there's no arguing that. By how much is really the question.
Dis you include the cost of replacing bulbs? Don't you have to replace all those bulbs once or twice a year?