just got the tent last week, have been heavily committed to CFL since this is my first grow and i started very small i have almost 400 watt cfl, 6"inch inline 188cfm exhaust w/ducting to window fan cant stand the heat and the mess of the many clip lights and fixtures i am about to make the jump to mh/hps and would like a switchable ballast can anyone share experience if i can use 400watts w/o serious heat issues if i go cooltube with exhaust? of should i be sticking to 250 or less?
i use the gl60 with a 250 watt hps and a 4" canfan. i have no heating issues at all, but the room the tent is in is also air conditioned to around 79. but without a/c and proper vent it was definitely hitting around 90+ degree temps easily.
Sweet thanx for the reply so ur using the passive intakes? How r they tweaked out also is the light cooled with the canfan? I'd also like to know the model of light you use since it would obviously work for me the room temps are between 68-75
i am sick and tired of spending so much time trying to get it all "dialed" in i still cant find a good combo of bulbs, distance from plants,and intake and exhaust i am running 9-10 degrees above ambient which is ok for now but will put over 85 when its warmer so every few hours per night i am tweaking something and then going back for more i just want the right light the right ventilation and be done with it i worry that a 400watt mh/hps will give off way too much heat the tent is 2'x2'x5.3 if i were to use this light http://www.thelashop.com/product.php?productid=1034 along with my 6" fan and i can keep temps about 6 degrees above ambient i would be very happy
ive got a GL60 that i run 400+ watts in, no cooltube (the glass is taken off of the reflector for an 'open air' type fixture) I use the SuperSun2 Reflector from SunSystems...the SuperSun line is one of the best reflector sets on the market, for what thats worth anyhow, since im not cooltubing, I use a 740cfm 8"HO canfan to pull air out of the 5" and the 4" duct attachments in the top of the tent, causing a vortex of air (two points of extraction, two sizes at each point, so the velocities are different and create a swirling of air) the passive intakes at the bottom are more than enough if you leave them open
see this is the type of help i am looking for please help end my frustration!!!!!!!!! with a little more details i will be setup perfectly can you tell me what ballast and bulb you are using? like this one? http://www.specialty-lights.com/901410.html mine has a 5" on top and a 4" near top but in the back, how do you exhaust air with one fan from two different ports? (btw i just looked and those fans are damn expensive!!!) i have my 6" fan mounted on top with a 6"-5" reducer are you using the intake ports, or the screen windows?
i edited some numbers into your post, make the reply easier lol 1. - SunSystems Harvest Pro - Elite (400w, NON-switchable, I use a CMH sometimes) ballast bulb(s) I use - Standard cheap-ass 400w Philips HPS from home depot (the 55000lm, 20 dollar one lmao) and the Philips MasterColor 4000k Ceramic Metal Halide (i probably prefer using this bulb) 2. Go to home depot / lowes / whatever hardware superstores you have access to, and find the ductwork section. Youre looking for a piece of duct that has three connections, they come in two shapes. A Y-shaped and a T-shaped. The Y usuallly has a large and two smaller vents, like an 8" and two 6" vent adaptors, the T is often three of the same size so, you want to find a splitter that fits your fan, then find duct to finish it out. You know you need a 5" and 4" (yeah, the 4" is up top, but technically on the back, but that assists the swirling I talked about earlier). I use a Y- 8"x6"x6" splitter I put a 6"-4" reducer in the back of the tent, and a 6"-5" reducer in the top, and voila! Just have to run some 6" duct to connect the dots lol 3. Screen windows. My ports are just for wires and such. The screen windows, if you use all three, work just fine for me. If I turn the fan speed all the way up, I open a port as well, as the vacuum pressure gets a little intense lol and yeah, the fan is expensive, but a great investment IMO. a year into service, its still quieter than the smaller AND cheaper ones at my local grow store (which doesnt carry the CAN line of fans, only the cheap ones lmao). Shop around online, I think I got mine at discounthydro.com or something
worth noting, the SuperSun(SS1) reflector is going to be too large for your tent. the SuperSun2 (SS2) reflector is the same design effectively, but in a smaller package...it fits perfectly in the GL60. the SS1 wont even fit at all though though
Thanx again few more questions that might get wrapped up if u can post pics 1. Is the fan inside blowing out or outside the tent pulling the air 2. How is it mounted 3. What do you use for circulation?
1. outside pulling. I have a huge filter (i did a little overkill on the whole ventilation thing lol), and the fan sits on it, with duct running a few feet to the tent 2. answered above 3. I do have a small office/cubicle clip fan blowing on the bulb, but it makes little difference I imagine. The circulation comes from the overall air movement in the tent, IMO if you need to see a specific pic, ill see what I can do, but there might be some limitations
HydroFarm: Active Air 6” In-Line Booster Fan 188 CFM [eco-5601A] - Fans, Blowers & Ducting - Environmental Control - Discount Specialty Farm, Greenhouse & Garden Supply Store - Horticulture Source this is the fan i am running now, i have a 6"-8" reducer connecting the 6" ducting in a short 90 degree bend to an 8" window fan thats on high its just not enough, i am still holding temps at 10 above ambient and need to get down to 5 or 6 and i dont have the dough for a can fan, is it worth getting a $30 inline fan at a big box store and using a 6"-4" to pull air from the rear port and connect it to a 'T' like you have so i can blow both ducts out the window, or should i do something else
I use a cooltube with a 250 hps. put the fan inside your cabinet so it draws its air from the cabinet. Route it through the cool tube and out of the cabinet. outside is preferable. i did mine with 6" dryer ducting. i put the fan above the light so it draws all the heat from the cabinet as it cools the light. i run a 440 cfm can fan. Through a stroke of luck i was able to graft my setup right into my chiminey and it vents 30 feet above ground. i raised my cabinet 4" and cut a 4" x 10" vent in the floor and by using a labyrinth (maze) i was able to to block the light but let the cool air in. my cabinet is 30" x 48" x 79" and completely sealed for light i can still run +1 f above room temp consistantly
i just bought this Shop Inductor 8" In-Line Duct Fan at Lowes.com[com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%4019c35d8d%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%401a22dd8d%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%401a025d8d%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%401a635d8d%2C+com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%401a405d8d]¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FnewSearch%3Dtrue%24Ntt%3Dduct+fan%24y%3D0%24x%3D0&Ntt=duct+fan&URL=TopCategoriesDisplayView&langId=-1&langId=-1&storeId=10151&storeId=10151&Ntk=i_products# will add this before the window fan and run ducting from the 4" rear port and then put my 6' fan posted above inside the tent we shall see what happens still not ideal, but for the low price if i can drop a few degrees it is worth it
make the bottom one blow into the tend and the top one blow out....sets up a circulation in the tent...more cool air gets where its needed and since heat rises you get greater heat removal.
Well that was dumb I had way too much goin on I am back to my 6" boost fan mounted on top with a 6-4 reducer works better than 5" dude gabby I think he said at growlabs said my fan is too big and that i would need all intake ports and screens wide open. It's one thing I hadn't tried I need it to be more light proof but I am down several degrees now
No offense but I got that part down that's simple logic we were talkin earlier in the thread about what intake ports were open in the bottom thebdude gabby or whatever at grolabs said I can run up to 250 mh/hps and a long as I use the same exact fan for intake and exhaust I won't have any trouble Anyone agree
Go to HTGsupply.com - those guys have great HID light packages for a good price. I think you could get an air-cooled 400w combo for half what you'd pay at a specialty garden/hydro store. I know the non-air cooled 400w package starts around 115 bucks, add 50 or so for an air cooled hood. EDIT: Hey, for ventilation, you may have more trouble if you have a fan for both intake and exhaust. If you can set it up so you have a passive intake toward the bottom of the tent and an active exhaust sucking air out of the tent you will create negative pressure and better airflow. Adding a fan for the intake may mess with the pressure unless they have the exact same CFM rating.
Thanx for th site I am sure I hav been there before but will check again gabby said negative pressure is bad he tries to keep it neutral I was doing negative before thinking that's whatvi wanted so I was choking the passive intakes to create it but it runs cooler with the intakes wide open I just know there should be a very specific setup that will keep this tent within 5-6 degrees of ambient