First off. Respect to sirtootsalot for doing it first with a reflector hood. If I had a couple free ones I would use them instead. I'm starting this thread in my design phase and it may generate better ideas than what I am planning. Right now I have a 2x4x5 tent and its only running a 4" fan/filter to extract heat and smell. The fan keeps up with the 4 qb120 boards that are in there now but that is because I have also been running a portable AC in that room. I want to draw fresh air across the 96s and then feed it outside the tent. My goal was to be odorless in and out and that is why I am planning it this way. My current design with locally sourced hardware is a simple 12x8 duct length to fit with 4" hose mounts on both ends. I'll cut holes in the bottom of the duct to be able to drop in from above the 96s with L brackets mounted to keep them from coming too far down. Here are a few things I'm thinking about in no particular order. 1. Cost. Duct plan is about $60-70 in hardware 2. Space. A 6x4x36 duct or other material would work 3. Separated design. Should I make each light its own box so I can adjust height? This would add $20+ and labor hours. I could just mod it later. 4. Do I know a HVAC guy that could slap one together in 15 minutes. @Tbone Shuffle in the other thread you asked to be tagged and you seemed interested in the active cooling or the LED boards. I will update as I buy and build.
Everything will be here tomorrow except for the "wireway" and end caps made of galvanized steel. I decided to build as a single unit for now so I got a 6x6x36 inch wireway that should work perfectly. Pulling off odorless warm air may be a perk for the winter to keep the house warmer. My version of a cool tube for qb96s. Depending on temps and air flow I may build it like a cool tube layout, filter > light > fan > exhaust. @Tbone Shuffle
Hi. Sounds like a plan. I haven't read up on this cooltube idea but I'll look it up. My idea is to use 4" aluma flex duct from each 96 to a manifold then to the exhaust fan. I'm thinking about building a sheetmetal shroud that covers the top third of each 96 heatsink so fresh air can be suck in past the lower part of the heat sink pins then upwards into the shroud and out. This is just temporary till i can get my liquid cooled setup going. Building effective stuff is fun!
I thought about water cooling but between cost of setup and dealing with a rez and the what if any of it fails. I went air cooled with the heatsinks because they were made to run that way without active cooling and i can use the tent ventilation as a main and have a backup fan. I looked into custom making a box for them, but with the few tools I do have the cost of material alone made me look for a pre-made box and found one that will work. In the old line of measure twice cut once.. I overlooked the heatsink measurements I had when I was designing and the widest part is 6.4"x6.5" so I may have to trim the heatsink a little to fit perfectly. My box should be here in the next few days so I should have some updates and pictures soon.
I've run 4 QB120's in the same size tent. Did you have problems with them or find them lacking? Or are you on the quest for the perfect setup?
I am currently running 4 qb 120s in the tent with the drivers outside the tent. Temps get to 78-80f. Its not bad. My flaw was in setting up for 4" fan and filter instead of 6" so performance is lacking. I have a small veg tent that I have a mars hydro 300. I guess I am on a quest to make something that works best for me. The 4" pulls enough air to control smell but not enough to control ambient heat that is generated by the qb96s. If I contain the heat that is generated and move it away before it warms the whole tent then I don't have to scale up air flow. Less air flow to the attic means more heat and ac stays in the house.
What's this rez you speak of? Lol Nah, I'm not going to use a reservoir. My plan is to use one ip67 cast aluminum electrical junction box per 96 as the heat sinks.(hermetically sealed with silicone)Thread some copper adapters into it,one for supply one for return. Then manifold them and bring them through 1/2" copper pipe out the garage wall to a fan coil unit outside. It then gets returned via copper to the small pump( sizing depends on temp drop at fancoil) and then back into the junction boxes. Continuous circulation style, same as the cooling system w/ rad in a car. Hopefully within a few years I'll be able to direct the cooling tubes to a ground source loop ill be burying in the backyard. 5 feet underground is almost always 55-58°F, perfect for getting rid of waste heat. Maybe in wintertime i can pipe the heat into the garage radiant floor. Possibilities are many for reusing excess energy.
All that copper, might as well build a still. Lol. I think making moonshine is harder than growing for sure. My delivery estimate was wrong. Its all here now. Thought I was getting a plain galvanized wireway but it ended up powder coated. Ill make it work. So the work begins.
That looks like it will end up working pretty good! When i was talking about burying a ground loop i am going to use Wirsbo aquapex pipe with air barrier. Only 40 cents a foot and very tough stuff. I used to make shine years ago, built my own still and condensing tower as well. It took about 1 hour of light work and 3 hours of light boiling to get 1.5 litres of 55%. I definitely recommend doing 2 runs through the still to get rid of the yeast taste in the final product though
Oh I removed the powder coat all right. I cut straight through it and light and heatsink fit inside just right. Tonight. Final mounting of electronics and figuring how to cut a 4" hole on both endcaps.
Your could try a 4" bi-metal holesaw, take about a minute each side. If you have a friend with one it would save you 30-40 bux.
While sitting here thinking of the wrong way to do it.... I could just dremel out an octagon. The 4" hose flange has enough of a lip it could make up for flaws. But then again I want to do it right. I always wanted a plasma cutter.
Yes!, bring the Rocket launcher to the knife fight!lol Do you have a jigsaw with a metal blade? Use a drill to make a pilot hole that will let the jig blade down into the metal then cut out the 4" hole. Presto! I would take the qb's out if you do it that way though, vibration might fuck them up.
Luckily the endcaps come off. I may see if there is a local shop that will do a nice clean cut for $20 Or I buy more tools. Sadly I don't think I will finish this build until Monday or Tuesday.
One last trip to the hardware store and 2 wire protection rubber grommets away from having the wiring done.
Test run for a short period. Weak air flow Heatsink temp 110 f Focused air flow though heatsink down by 10 degrees I think it will do exactly as I wanted.
Nice outcome! Good looking build. What do you mean by weak airflow, Is the fan not working properly? I thought those inline fans were pretty heavy duty. I've always had really great airflow using squirrel cage type fans.
I say weak because this was the cheapest vivosun plastic inline 4" fan and it can't even pull much air through a filter. That and it was just blowing in the box and not sealed up. Total weight is 26.5 lbs I guess I should show a control temp of what it is without and active air movement.
Got the ends done. Used the only paint I had on hand. Black. Would like to paint the whole thing is white later to be more reflective. I have a few more placed to seal up once finished. I am going to bolt on D ring picture hangars to use to hang the whole box. I have also ordered temperature probes because I'm obsessive. I would like to make a nice way to mount them but I'm not sure I want them permanent.