Are you using t9 or t12 bulbs? Single or double jacket bulb styles?
t12 double jacket bulbs since they’re in an open enclosure
2 Likes
I’ve been running these 1000w de cmh bulbs dimmed to 6, maybe 750. They run wayyyyyyyyyyy to hot. @Demontrich , @clouds, will youse guys recommend a solid setup for me to buy and run head to head against this to see? I have a few old single ended ballasts and adjusta wings around… should I get the conversion kits or buy all new? I always seem to make not so ideal choices when deciding these things so y’all’s input is appreciated. Links would be great. Thanks
I used all my old hoods when I switched to cmh. An 11.00 mogul socket adapter is needed per hood.
For a 1000de, a 630 cmh can come close.
1 Like
I prefer the 2x315 double bulb fixtures for CMH, what’s your thoughts? Also, have you tried the new 1000W CMH?
2 Likes
Raptor hoods (iirc) were the only hood to offer dual mogul sockets. If you go that route, put a 930 (flower) and a 942 (veg) bulb in each hood.
They also make a 945cmh single bulb.
3 Likes
I really dig the footprint of the Phantom’s ( https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-System-Philips-Wieland-277-347V/dp/B07MXW6NMG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=38I4ORA1JOF4S&keywords=phantom+dual+315w+cmh+system&qid=1583337064&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=phantom+dual+%2Clawngarden%2C161&sr=1-3 ) .
I think phantom is the ONLY brand out there that uses a specific ballast plug type. Many stayed away from phantom due to this. And yrs back their ballasts were crap.
Prism ballasts are hands down the best bang for your $. No frills basic ballast. Just dont skimp out on the bulbs.
1 Like
Sound advice on the bulbs, and advice i’ve received from several folks. I’d personally build my own led’s out of samsung strips if I was setting up a grow. I just wish the new L2 strips came in a 100-150W 4ft configuration. 2 footers is definitely doable though.
2 Likes
I run air-cooled hydrocrunch 630cmh de fixtures and they are amazing.
2 Likes
@Estokha Thats my preference as well, though I havent seen any side by sides of 630 vs 2x315, only anecdotal evidence.
@BG305 Did you ever write up your comparison - LED vs DLI 315?
2 Likes
It is damn near impossible to find good information on the dual 315W side by side reflector. I know I heard/saw something a long time back that showed it provided superior coverage to a 4x4 compared to one 630w bulb. Being a fan of strip lights, i’m immediately prone to liking the double reflector. I guess the spacing between the two would be the critical factor; if the overlap is wrong you could get some fairly intense hotspotting.
4 Likes
You can have/make a 630cmh dual bulb setup 2 ways.
1 buy a premade 630cmh dual bulb all in 1 kit.
2 buy a double mogul socket hood (raptor and 1 other make dual bulb hoods) use 2 mogul socket adapters, and 2x 315 ballasts and run it like that.
1 Like
@Demontrich Do you have any photos posted of your set-up and sorry if I missed it earlier in the thread, but when you moved to CMH, did you have an opportunity to see results with a mix of Dble Ended HPS and CMH (2 x 315) for flower?
I went from 3x 600hps to 4x 315 cmh. I’ve done flower run testing with 3x 600mh, 3x 600hps, 4x 315 942 veg bulbs, 4x 315 cmh 930 flower bulbs.
3 Likes
Do you think your preference for 315’s has more to do with the height of your grow room, or do you find the 315’s to be superior to the 630 and 1000w?
I save quite a bit of $ on power, but get the same yield, but better frost quality with the cmh.
With a 630, it’s all in 1 hood. You dont have quite the light spread as you can get with 2x 315 setups. For 1000de you really need 10’ ceilings. If I had 10’ ceilings, I probably still would run 315cmh.
1 Like
I’ve heard the bulb life is superior to HPS or MH, how often do you have to replace yours? Do you do it on a schedule or based on output measurements? Are you using glass covers to keep the bulbs clean?
I run all air-cooled enclosed hoods. T9 style bulbs in veg and flower. I swap mine out 1x a yr. I actually need to swap out my veg bulbs now.
The 20k and 30k “bulb life” it says on the box is utter bs! I’ve burnt bulbs out a little over 1yr into use
2 Likes
I run 4 foot Samsung F Series strips (8 per fixture for 500w) in one room and Citizen COBs in the other. They both work the tits. I dig the strips more, but I’m interested in supplementing the spectrums with deep red ala the Spydr and Gavita LED. I am beating the the yields I got with SE 1000w HPS and using way less power FWIW.
3 Likes