How long do your LED grow lights last?
ChilLED LED grow lights are rated for 60,000 hours. Based on 12 hours on - 12 hours off daily schedule you can expect the lights to last 5,000 days or just about 14 years.
What are the main advantages of switching to your LED grow lights?
Other LED grow light companies would answer this question by telling you the main advantage is in energy savings or lowering of your power bill by replacing HPS lighting with lower wattage LED lighting.
WE on the other hand have a completely different answer: Your main advantage with our LED grow lights is in the increase in yield and profits by replacing your HPS grow lights with the SAME wattage LED grow lights.
Why do you recommend replacing HPS with LED grow lights watt for watt?
Since our LED grow lights produce significantly more light output per watt than HPS grow lights (and more light per watt than most other LED grow lights on the market, for that matter), replacing watt for watt would provide much more light output even though you are using the same amount of electricity as with your original grow lights.
As you know, plants grow better, faster, stronger and produce higher quality and larger crop yields when exposed to more light. Just think how poorly plants grow in the shade or overcast weather vs direct sunlight.
Should air temperature be adjusted after switching to LED grow lights?
YES! When using our LED grow lights you should raise your air temperature higher, to around 85°F.
Why? Because HPS lights produce a significant amount of radiated infrared heat that warms your plant canopy well above your room air temperature. This is the reason why HPS grow rooms are usually controlled to around 75° F. Our LED grow lights have very little radiated infrared heat output, because most of the energy is focused on generating light that the plants can actually use. So to keep your plant metabolism high enough in order to utilize the light they are receiving, they need to be warm enough. To do this you would simply turn down your AC so that your air temperature climbs to around 85°F.
As a side benefit, this also means less need for cooling and when it is needed, it operates more efficiently due to the higher air temperature. The same goes for dehumidification, the higher the temperature, the more efficiently you can dehumidify your room. All of this leads to lower energy bills, without having to lower the wattage of your grow lights.
Do I need to supplement CO2/carbon dioxide?
That depends on the light levels your plants are being grown under. The higher the light levels, the higher the plant's need for carbon. So if atmospheric CO2 is enough for your plants at the light level they are receiving then you would not need to supplement CO2, provided there is enough fresh air exchange in your grow room to replenish consumed CO2 by your plants.
On the other hand, if your light level is higher than what can be supported by atmospheric CO2 levels for optimal plant growth, then you would need to raise the CO2 level higher. This will prevent your plant's growth from being carbon limited, which would cause the extra light to just be wasted, as plants need proper ratios of light and carbon (along with other factors) for optimal plant growth rate.
What canopy distance should I hang the grow lights at?
As a general rule, you will have more even coverage and higher penetration if you hang your lights higher vs lower. Also, hanging lights to have overlapping canopy coverage would be better vs non-overlapping hanging arrangement.
Of course, if you are height limited then you must make due with the growing environment you have to work with. When height is restricted try to use a higher quantity of lower power units and arrange them to provide even coverage at the highest possible height your room allows.
