Welp, been having heat problems in my 2x4x4.5ft tent. As you can see in my crudely draw set up I am using a floralux 400watt hps air cooled hood and balast. The carbon filter and dump fan is located at the top of my tent duckting through my hood and out of my tent. The fan is powerful enough to cool a 600watt. I have no intake besides for a few 6 inch holes. The guy at the hydro store said the filter would do the job of the intake because it will suck air outside of the tent into it. So here's my problems. I'm about a foot away from my plant but the temps are still in 84-92 degree range. I am exhausting hot air from my filter into the top of my hood and out the top of my tent. It works well , but as you can see the top intake to the hood is partially blocked by the reflector. It could easily work 10 times better if I had the air flow. It looks like a pain in the dick and I'm not sure if its meant to be taken out or tried to be removed. Has anyone used floralux? Any tips on how to bring down my heat? Intake fan? Raise lights?
Hi there! just a noob here I've just put together a grow tent with a 400W hps and an exhausting similar to yours! I've a cool tube so the exhaust is going trough the light and taking the heat out (i can touch the cool tube without getting burned). One thing i have different is just that i have the carbon filter then the cool tube and in the end the exhaust PULLLING the hot air out trough the top of the tent (not pushing the air all the way as yours, read somewhere that it's easier to pull then to push the air). The temps here not high! allways 24 to 25 Celsius (75 to 77) and have only the exhaust system and a fan to blow the plants like you if i understood your scheme... just my 2 cents as i'm on my 1st grow http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1232742-please-check-give-feedback-photos.html
I understand, so basically filter, hood, and then fan pulling all the air from the top after sucking it through my filter and hood correct? I feel like that piece of reflector is the thing fucking me, it blocks circulation although it has a big grooves to let air pass through, without it it would be full proof.
Correct! I have it that way and it's ok! I noticed that your balast is attached to the reflector... Mine is outside the tent... That must also add some heat...
Actually have some co2 stuff, and a awesome hook up for it. I don't have a timer or proper regulator, but I was running it on the lowest psi for 15 minutes. Definitely something I will invest more into. But yea, the ballast in the tent isn't helping me either. I will try to reposition my set up. Maybe take off my glass and bulb and see if anything is possible to try and get that top of the reflector off.. A intake fan or another fan inside wouldn't help me?
Intake fan I think would help.... Another inside think wont... Maybe someone more experienced can help...
Thanks guys, I'm getting chummy w the hydro store guy and I play disc with his son. Lol, I'm about to see if I can get some knowledge dropped on me. I thought about doing everything you suggested before so at least my thinking is on the right track. P.s. if u have Netflix watch "plants of desire" funny interesting watch
Where is your exhaust going? If it's not being vented outside your house, than you are just continually sucking warm stale air into your grow area and your light is just slowly raising the ambient temps outside your tent. You can only get your tent temps to a couple of degrees above the intake air temp regardless of how much air flow you have.....ie. if it's 85 degrees outside your tent, the best you will do is high 80's underneath your light. Summer growing is a bitch, and even in a cool basement I have to run AC to keep my temps in the proper range...this is the case with most growers in the summer time. In the meantime, definitely raise your lights, a 600W light is still very effective at 16-18"....having it at 12" with those temps is only going to heat stress your plants, no good.
Thanks Shiva. Not too sure what my temps are outside of my tent but the ducting goes to a small basement window. And yea, I'm doing my thing in the basement. BTW, just talked to the hydro guy. He pretty much told me the reflector that is blocking my circulation is the key, and to cut it out by any means. ( dick hurts thinking about it). But he said its basically like me cover 1/3 of the air flow leading to the exhaust. So I guess that's my project tonight... >_> Shiva how is a good way to vent air with it being noticeable? Its basically just pointed towards the half open basement window. I feel like adding more ducting will make it harder to exspell my hot air
In a tent I would have not recommended a light hood with a built in ballast. Is the ballast magnetic or digital? The built in ballast is another heat source plus I would cut out the vent ports to me that's restricting air flow through the light hood. In a tent that size I would have recommended spending a little more and going with a digital ballast outside of the grow tent and a Cooltube light hood. That's the only light hood I have seen sofar with vents infront of the air intake.
yes! you are correct!! I'm using a cool tube http://www.primaklima.biz/cooltube.html and i have no heat trouble... the ballast is outside the grow tent and the temps are arround 75 to 77 (24/25 Celsius)... here is a pic of my setup... http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1232742-please-check-give-feedback-photos.html
I agree, it was cheap. And at the time my tent was almost 3 times bigger, but the temp was perfect. Took off that flange, broke a branch doing it, but it did seem to help push more air. Floralux is a cheap, I'll see if I can sell it after harvest..