Mars Hydro - FC-4000 EVO

The FC-4000 EVO is a 320 watt bar fixture producing 912 µmol/s, drawn around a long 120 × 60 cm growing area in flower. Its bars sit well apart, which spreads the light along the length.

Dust costs you light, and you never notice

A bar fixture hangs for months above a space where you water, spray and handle dry soil. A film of dust settles on the diodes and on the heat sink as a result. It builds slowly, you never see it happen, and that is exactly why it escapes attention: the lamp appears to be doing what it always did, while less light reaches your canopy than on the day you hung it.

A second effect comes with it. That same film sits on the heat sink and acts as a blanket there. The diodes then run warmer, and warm diodes give slightly less light for the same wattage. So you pay twice for the same dust.

The maintenance is nothing remarkable, fortunately. At the end of each grow, unplug the lamp, let it cool and go over it with a dry soft cloth: the diodes first, then the fins of the heat sink. No water, no cleaning products and no compressed air, because that drives the dust down between the fins instead. Five minutes a cycle and the problem does not exist.

Technical Specifications:

• Model: FC-4000-EVO
• Power: 320 W
• Light output: 912 µmol/s PPF
• Efficiency: 2.85 µmol/J for the complete fixture
• Flowering coverage: 120 × 60 cm
• Current: around 1.4 A at 230 V
• Dimmer: built in
• Cooling: passive, wave-shaped heat sink without a fan
• Weight: 16.4 kg

Frequently asked questions

How often should I clean the lamp?
Once per grow is plenty. In dusty conditions, give it a pass halfway through as well.

Can I use a damp cloth?
Better not. Dry wiping does the job and keeps moisture away from the electronics.

Will this lamp suit a square tent?
It is drawn around 120 × 60 cm. In a square space two edges fall behind, and the FC-4800 EVO is the one meant for that.

Which diodes does it use?
Mars Hydro moved to another brand during the life of this range, so we name no manufacturer. The stated values for the fixture are unchanged.