Top left: Carbon filter and fan mounted directly above in attic Middle: duct straight from the main AC supply line into the socket side of the reflector Right: single clip on fan to pull the hot air coming out up and towards the exhaust Over the weekend I ran ductwork from my main AC supply line into my air cooled reflector. I have confirmed cold air coming out of the And at first I ran it straight into the side opposite the socket because the socket side is closest to where the exhaust fan would pick up the heat and pull it through the carbon filter and back out the attic. I also have a passive air intake in the bottom right side of the floor that is vented and filtered but the majority of cool air comes from under my door and less I have company in which case I have to put a towel in front of it. Long story short either my AC is not running properly (which it definitely is not at 100%) or I just have my light, air-conditioning, and exhaust system set up incorrectly. Three plants just went into their 5 gallon DW see buckets over the weekend after the AC project was finished and my temps are still hitting 99-102F during the hottest parts of the day. I have someone coming out to look at AC compressor unit outside this weekend. Hopefully it's just low on freon. In the meantime I've got as many fans as I own running: one to suck the hot air off the other vented side (it's not on because I felt like it would pull the cold air off the bulb instead of letting it work) of the reflector and a clip on fan to pull that hot air up and towards the filter/exhaust fan (Apollo Horticulture 440CFM 6" inline fan; mounted in the attic) I should have more pics in the link in my signature of the build in process. Thanks for any tips or advice. Oh and I guess I'm dropping frozen Gatorade bottles filled with water in there every day around peak hot times until the AC is fixed/works or I figure out a way to run a water chiller also if it comes to that
First step in cooling ur grow area is to run the lights at night when it's cooler. I do this every summer myself. Second... You need to run insulated ducting on the exhaust side of the reflector to your filter/fan to efficiently exhaust the heat. Third... Remove as many bends and turns out of the ducts as possible. Efficiency drops dramatically otherwise. Fourth...I would run the cool air from the ac into the room itself and use outside air for the reflector cooling If possible I would move your reservoir to another room where it remains cooler Good luck