New to hps and mh. Need help

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by Quality Herbage, Mar 15, 2015.

  1. How do you know if it's getting to hot. Right now I have a 600 watt air cooled tube with a 6 in inline fan I got from lowes. It's pulling in cool air and leaving the room but the glass still feels hot to the touch. And I just turned it off and it took like a minute to come back on. Usually when I turn it on it doesn't take no more then a couple seconds. Again idk anything but what I read about these fixtures but there is also a yellowish looking liquid forming in the bulb itself any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated! Here is my set up ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1426438203.750202.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1426438216.750849.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1426438229.419337.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1426438241.335535.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1426438253.687762.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1426438264.771837.jpg
     
  2. Nice set up.
     
    Trash that fan though... You're going to need a nice 6" centrifugal fan, not something like that, those fans waste energy & won't do you much good for anything else other than circulating air around the tent. Downside is the centrifugal fans are more expensive but you can search on craigslist for a decent one. I got mine for $35 on cg; uses ~120watts & lots of cfm. (I recommend getting a $18 fan controller off eBay to make it quieter and slow it down a bit for more heat transfer)
     
    Also... If you're wanting to use the air cooled light fixture also to create negative pressure in the tent (assuming it's a closed tent) take off the ducting on one side & leave it open. Place your new 6" centrifugal fan outside the tent hooked up to the ducting so it's sucking the air out of the housing, not pushing through. 
     
    You want the suction coming out of the tent as high as possible because heat rises & you want to suck that hot air out, and cool air stays at the bottom so you want your passive intake near the bottom sides of the tent. Again, nice construction work.
     
     
    Open End -> Light Fixture -> Ducting -> CARBON FILTER -> 6" Centrifugal Fan -> Out.
     
    That's a simple exhaust system with one fan. What I use is:
     
    1. (Outside Tent) 6" C Fan [Pushing] -> Ducting -> (Inside Tent) Light Fixture -> Ducting -> (outside tent) -> Vent outdoor.
    &
    2. (Outside Tent) 4" C Fan [Sucking] -> Ducting -> (Inside Tent - Placed near top side of tent) -> Carbon Filter.
     
    #2 will create the negative pressure in my tent to allow no air to escape & be filtered. (as well as bring in fresh air from passive vent on tent)
    #1 will cool down my light and transfer the heat out the window.
     
  3. #3 Stiller, Mar 15, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 15, 2015
    I tried using the system you have before and it created too much heat. (I use a 1000W system though...)
     
    Anyway, MH bulbs will not turn back on for a while if they are turned off. The gases inside the MH lights take a little bit to heat up before they ignite. There's a few stages which is why they turn on, and the light slowly gets brighter. The gases ignite in stages in a way using an arc ignition (similar to TIG welding).  I don't know the specifics but you can google that. If the power gets interrupted & turned off, just wait 10-15 minutes for the gas to cool down & then turn the power back on. Voila.
     
    The yellowish liquid I'm not sure about, its probably from the arc or the gasses, not a big issue imo. I think mine have the same thing; I'd have to check. Bulbs do have a certain life span so don't worry most MH should come with a warranty anyway, so make sure you keep the receipt if anything goes wrong.
     
     
    If you create the method I have with your setup, you will get excellent heat transfer & everything will stay nice & cool. The light housing will be cool to the touch, the glass will always remain a bit hot to the touch though.
     
    (Keep in mind an electrical circuit only has so many amps. Make sure your house circuit (not outlet) can support the energy you plan on running. That's why energy efficiency is so important so you don't blow a breaker, like I have... One bedroom per circuit is common. Each circuit should have a 15-20amp max load)
     
  4. That sounds great man I'm going to definitely move some things around and already looking for a better quality fan. At one point I had the fan connected to the tube blowing on the bulb and it was bouncing the bulb on the glass tube. I guess can't expect much for how cheap it was. Thanks for all the info man I'll post some pictures when it's complete
     
  5. You should also try to shorten the length/curviture of your ducting so you can get the most cfm and effeciency.
     

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