400w Tent Purple Haze & White Widow - Heat Issues!

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by PaCman328, Oct 20, 2010.

  1. Hello GC, I recently began my first tent grow with a DR60 grow tent and a 400w hps. I might want to add this is also in a closet, making air circulation an issue. I currently have a sun system super sun reflector with a 160cfm inline exhaust fan for heat extraction. I also have a 60cfm axial fan at the base of the tent in one of the ports for new air to be brought into the tent. I also have a 6" fan blowing at the tempered glass on the reflector and finally a 20" box fan cooling the plants off. Sounds like enough fan action for a cool grow tent right?...Wrong! im running temps in the low 90's!!! I need some desperate help and ideas.

    Here are some pictures of the setup for a better idea on what im working with.

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    any ideas or help is appreciated.

    thanks a lot gc!
     
  2. when I have temp issues like that I just leave the tent unzipped and open even on 100 degree days it seems to do the job my room never gets above 80
     
  3. Changed the light a little, got the temp to 89.6

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  4. I have the exact same grow tent. I also leave my tent unzipped and have an oscillating fan blowing into it just so it doesn't take up room. One thing I did was put my 4 inch inline fan on top of the tent, run ducting from that into the tent and zip it up. Works perfect. The sides suck in from the negative pressure. Just to see if it's workin blow some smoke into one of the bottom passive intakes and it should suck it right in

    Also, just curious are those G13 strains?
     


  5. Hey paCman, we grow in very similar conditions. I also have a DR-60 with a 400w. During veg stage I use CFL’s 318 actual watts and my temps are pretty controlable with just computer fans and the back bottom vent open ,But once I start flowering it’s a whole different story. My temps on my last grow got really out of control and it was setup very close to yours. So I figured I have to make due with the space I have so something had to give. Well I decided to make some modifications and it has really paid off. I have included pics of the modifications below. The first thing I had to deal with was the space restaints, the height more than anything else. There were 2 ways I delt with this problem. First I had to get the light as high as possible to the top of the tent and my plants as low as possible to the floor. First thing I took my light and cut a hole in the top of the light and got a 4in. toilet flange from home-depot to attach my inline fan to. (This made it possible to have the light touch the very top of my tent) Then I attached wire conduit hangers on the outside of the lamp to secure the poles that came with the DR-60 to hang your light from. Now you would have to cut the whole for the top of the flange to stick out of the tent then just seal any gaps with foil tape. After that I made a pedastool for the tent to sit on so I could drop my buckets thru which eliminated the extra foot of grow space due to the buckets. Again I measured out a 24*24 square and drew out the circles for my buckets and cut a whole in the platform the tent rests on. Then I simply traced out my wholes when the tent was on and cut them out so the buckets could fall thru. I don’t really worry about getting the light really close you gotta remember were growing in a 24*24*55 in tent so the light intensity is still very stong and as long as you keep a somewhat even canopy you get excellent light coverage. I know this is a bit longwinded and may be a bit confusing so if you have any questions please fell free to ask me. Im more than happy to help in anyway possible.
     

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  6. It has been said that if you are able to hold your hand above your canope and it not burn your hand, than your plants will be ok.

    I see that you have foil on the walls. Whiye paint is a lot better for reflection. Foil produces hot spots where the paint does not. I didn't notice a fan to vent out the air in your tent. You need to replace the air in the tent as well. Just having your lights vented won't do the trick.
     
  7. #7 PaCman328, Oct 20, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 20, 2010
    The grow tent is a SecretJardin DR60, the walls have 95% Reflective Mylar on them, which isn't the same thing as "foil". Its actually a hell of a lot better than white paint for reflectivity, and won't create hot spots. I also keep the tent door open so there would be no real purpose for an extraction fan for the tent. I get better air circulation having the door open and many fans blowing. There is no specific need for an extraction fan.

    Ive heard about the hand test. This seems silly to me, considering there are different levels of a burning feeling you can have on your hand and what might feel alright to the human hand might not feel right to the leaves.
     
  8. very good idea on cutting out the bottom of the tent for the bubble buckets, i would do this but i am restricted on height of the tent. I really like the idea of hanging the light with wire conduit hangers, i might run by the big orange box to get these. Thanks a lot darkstar
     

  9. Had the same problem myself had a 600w in a 1m2 tent, lucky it had a switch to go down to 400w i had a 4inch in and a 6 inch out and it was about 80, but i got away with just a 6inch out in winter it all depends on your outside temp, bring cold air in from outside or from the cellar change your grow schedule so its on later on through the day or early morning.
     
  10. this is true but the best is white/black poly . mylar , while not creating "hot spots", it does creat a hotter environment because it does not dissipate heat nor does it reflect as evenly as well as black white poly
    and its not silly just a rule of thumb and when your hands aint burning your plant is fine cuz trust me if its close enough to make your hand burn you can almost be sure your leaves will follow the same pattern sir.
     
  11. you need to exhaust the hot air out the window or at least out of the room. Your just moving around a bunch of hot air. unless your exhausting the hot air from your light out of the room, you gunna battle heat isuues forever. I would never go cutting my tent up. Thats crazy.

    It was said by goldrusher. Cold air in, hot air out. If your ambient air is around room temperature lets say 70-72 there should be no reason why you couldnt keep that tent at 80-82. especially in the winter.

    I run 1000w in a 5x5 tent in my basement. Temps are steady at 78-80 lights on and 68-72 lights off.
    Im running 2 4 inch exhaust fans. How ive got it set up is this,

    carbon filter~~~Ducting~~~1000w cool tube~~~Ducting~~~ 4inch inline fan outside tent~~~20 feet of ducting~~~4 inch squirrel cage fan pushing all hot air up the chimeny through the bottom cleanout in the crawlspace. Works great and just like that the hottest it will get is 82-83. So I just crack the window a half inch and BAMMO perfect temperature's. None of this cutting up your tent nonsence.Negative pressure is your best friend. cool air in, hot air out.

    Try keeping the room cool and the tent should be perfect! good luck and dont do something foolish like cut a hole in your tent!
     

  12. but black has no reflective properties at all?
     

  13. I feel like my hygrometer might be a little whack, i got the temps down to 84 with light on, and 82 with light off for 3 hours running all fans. it just doesn't make sense to me, the change should be bigger than 2 degrees
     
  14. im aware of that
    u use the white side for reflection......
     
  15. You have an air cooled reflector but the pics look like your not using it. You need to run an inline fan that sucks the air through the reflector, out the otherside into ducting and have the ducting piped out of the grow tent. It will drop the temps a lot.
     

  16. yes!

    you are cooling your light with hot air! change this
     
  17. #17 pigpen03, Oct 21, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 21, 2010
    ^its the right fan and it may be backwards but i doubt he'd do that.

    does it have glass on the reflector?

    if so seal it up and suck all the heat out.

    and it shouldn't be that warm in there.

    you need a 4 in fan as a scrubber and a 4 in to cool the light.

    is it on a dimmable ballast?

    if so just run a 250 hps. its perfect for 2 plants.

    400watts are for larger grows like the dr120 is wide and not tall.

    but yea another 60$+ for another fan will solve your issues.

    also buy a cooltube man, they are the best growing invention ever
     
  18. And no need to have that giant box fan pointed right at your ladies. If anything I would put it in the doorway of the closet/tent blowing air out. I do this with an osculating fan and it drops my temps be at least 7*f.

    It looks like wind burn on your plants. When they are that young its hard on them. The air circulation should only be as strong to where your fan leaves have a light flutter. Good luck.
     

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