Scottishgrower Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) Hi allI'm thinking of using led lights for my grow I'm in the process of setting up. I've been looking at SPAM and was thinking of using 2 of there 300 watt lights.Would I be right that they don't need a ballast?I'm also wondering if I could plug them both into the same timer with as I'm a bit short of plug points?If I can't il have to go with a single more powerful light?Thanks in advance Edited October 6, 2015 by Owderb Spam removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pennywise Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 hi mate, no you wont need a ballast. Maybe you could use a plug extension to have both in the 1 socket 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenVision Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 @@Scottishgrower Do yourself a favor and get a HID light. I know its a little off the topic and not quite answering the question, but I am genuinely trying to help you. LED's alone are hard work. GV. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishgrower Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 Apologies for putting the brand in my post. Thanks for editing. Yes I'm just wanting to check if it would be possible to use an extension before I buy them. The reason I'd rather 2 is I think I'd get better light coverage. I'll be using a 80x80x160 tent would 2x300 watt light be too much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
op8 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Up to you pal, you won t need a ballast. Have you done your homework on your LEDs you plan to blow all that dosh on? Are they going to be big and strong enough for your growing area? are they well made(relatively speaking) good genuine reviews, adequate heatsink n fans and actual top bin LED? Are u going COB or as I suggest DIY? just a penny for my thoughts. GO FOR IT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishgrower Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) @@GreenVisionI was originally planning on a 400w hps but my tent is in the loft so I'll need to be running cables through a cupboard up into the loft. I'm not sure about using a ballast and extension cable together. Do you know if it would be possible to use a ballast and extension cable safely as I read somewhere else it shouldn't be done. It would be better to use hps as with led I'd probably need a heater too Edited October 7, 2015 by Owderb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenfinger53 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 If those LED lights can pull 600w out of the plug then that would be more risk than 400w for a hps ballast. Invest in a high quality digital adjustable ballast and suitable power cable for the job 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTP Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 spend a bit of money on a reputable LED light and not only will you save electricity cost, you'll have no heat issues! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenVision Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 @@Scottishgrower I can only tell you that I have done it for many grows. You can buy ones that are better suited to the jobs, but believe it or not 400w is not a lot juice to draw from a 13amp extension lead. The power pack in my PC is 500w, and its on from 7am till 10pm and a screen plus modem are plugged into it as well. The safety factor isn't the equipment, its the person using it. If you unreel the lead and lay it flat, use a 4 way reel lead with built in RCD, made by a good reliable company I see no reason why a 400w ballast would be any more dangerous than flatscreen TV. Remeber if you do HID, just use common sense where you place the ballast, dont go laying on a pile of newspaper. Lumatek's are a good ballast IMO, all get warm but I can pick my Lumatek up even if it has been on for 10 hours. I'm not telling you get a HID, or that LEDs are useless, all this is just my opinion based on my experience. Best of luck in whatever you do though mate, just get growing either way you chose and you will get more comfortable with the equipment as you go along. GV. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erbivore9 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 I wouldnt use a reel extention lead personaly, they dont have the best build quality ime and you never end up using the reel anyway, standard 4 or 6 plug leads are fine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus1000 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 If you really want to be safe,you could buy a 2 gang extension and some 2.5mm, 3 core cable and wire it yourself.Bit over the top perhaps,but with the cable being thicker than what is normal in many extension leads,you can have a longer run of cable with less chance of the cable overheating and possibly causing a fire. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joint hogger Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 i run a 4way adaptor in my grow & its wired with 1.5mm cable, i also have a 600w hid plugged in as well as fan controller & a 5" fan plus i run another extension for power into the tent for the clip ons & a few tube heaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELO Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 spend a bit of money on a reputable LED light and not only will you save electricity cost, you'll have no heat issues! Pish pish pish As for LED's very overpriced and an HPS will do a good job, most likely better than these cheap chinese panels that they claim LED growlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~nobody~ Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I wouldnt use a reel extention lead personaly, they dont have the best build quality ime and you never end up using the reel anyway, standard 4 or 6 plug leads are fine.That's a bit of a generalisation isnt it? I'd take a good quality reel over a cheapo 4 way anyday. And what if you need more than 5m? Unless you make it up yourself (which is admittedly my preferred option) reels are your only choice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erbivore9 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I have owned two reel extensions, one stopped working the other went pop because of bad wiring. Never had a problem with a standard lead, there's so little that can go wrong with them and checking is simple. I use 10m ones but you can get 15m if you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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