Hello all!

I've recently been given the go ahead by my better half to start a small grow, and so I've been furiously researching on the forums in order to design my space.

It has to be as inconspicuous as possible, so I've gone for the following drobe which I purchased yesterday:

Click to view attachment

The dimensions of this are 103cm [W] x 62.5cm [D] x 180cm [H].

I'm pretty much certain I'm going to be using a 5" Ruck with filter, and an air-cooled (Cool Star) reflector. I have planned for at least 5 x 5" passive intake.

So, with that out of the way, I've reached a stumbling block in that I'm not sure which size light to put in there. By my reckoning I have a floor space of ~6.5 sqft, and a 250w HPS would give me a little under 40 watts per sqft, whilst a 400w would give me just over 60. Obviously the 400w is more desirable, but I don't want heat to be an issue. The intake cannot be ducted in so it's going to be ambient room temps.

What do people think about my chances with an air-cooled 400 watter? Are they that much hotter than a 250w?

Thanks for your help

I grow in a similar sized space...

with a high powered 4" ruk and rhino to extract with passive ventilation
i only use a 250w hps if i was using a larger light i would upgrade to a 5" or 6" extract and think about forced intake.
My temps are about 28 lights on

For your drobe the air colled 400w would be a good idea as they are great for keeping heat down but not so good at spreading the light, but in that kind of space there should be no problems.

Try to make sure your extraction goes into another room or out doors as if it lands in the same room you could end up recycling the warm air also possible humidity problems


good luck with your grow

oo looking good, i'm about to start a similar grow in the same space, good look with the grow

~Bubbler

With an air-cooled hood and 5" fan I think you'll be ok with a 400w. I used to use a 400w without an air-cooled hood in a similar space (also not vented outside, although in my previous location i was able to have the window wide open and the extract about 3 feet away and aimed at it) and only had minor temp problems in the summer.