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Best Light
- Thread starter Hutch
- Start date
I am not an experienced grower, however I am/ was dealing with a similar situation. I had a 6'x8'x3' w/ a 400w hps. I was originally trying to exhaust it w/ a 140 cfm bathroom fan. This was not enough to exhaust I found and I did not have an exhaust intake. Well, I then bought a 70 cfm exhaust and used it to air cool the light in addition w/ the bathroom fan. Well, the temps were still reaching 90, so I bought a 200 cfm squirrel fan. I exhausted from the ceiling with the bathroom fan, the light with the squirrl, and converted the 70 cfm as an exhaust intake. together my fans are 340 cfm, but in no way am I using them efficiently, yet I have gotten the closet down to 78 as the highest temp.
I know that was a ramble but I'm just wanted to illustrate exhausting can throw some loops at you. What I suggest you do is air cool your light with the fan, but instead of drawing fresh air into your light I would attach a dryer hose from the air cooled light to the ceiling so that you use your fan to exhaust the two hottest parts of the room, the light and the ceiling.
peace
I know that was a ramble but I'm just wanted to illustrate exhausting can throw some loops at you. What I suggest you do is air cool your light with the fan, but instead of drawing fresh air into your light I would attach a dryer hose from the air cooled light to the ceiling so that you use your fan to exhaust the two hottest parts of the room, the light and the ceiling.
peace
G
Guest
I would say use a 400 watt HPS in there. But if you want to save on power and heat even more. I would say a 250 watt would do the job...
Thanks for the replies guys. Sorry it took so long to answer but I had to leave for awhile. My grow space is a cab in my computer room. Temps in room will be a max of 78. I'm having to exaust into the room. Also exaust is going thru a charcoal filter ( can type ). I would really like to use a 400w if I could control heat issue. 4' height isn't a lot to work with if I can't get plants close to light. Which is hotter, HPS or MH? Right now I'm useing 320w floros, 4' tubes.
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If your room temps are going to be 78 then you are going to have an awful hot room if you use a 250 or 400. Been there and done that and never again, lol. If you plan on doing this you should find a way to cool the room. I think you will have trouble keeping the cab or the room under 90 with a 400. HK is correct on the SOG and SCROG. With only 4 feet that will be your best choice......
I would go with a 400w also take a look in to the Hortilux Metal Halide-Blue I've noticed they run a little cooler and they have a better spectrum. The MH ballist are cheaper but the bulb cost a little more but well worth the cost IMO. I've done side by side test with Hortilux - HPS and the MH-blues I see better results with the MH and cooler temps.
Hutch said:
Well personally I feel like the MH runs a bit cooler, not much but a bit. I haven't really tested it and the difference is relatively small though. One way you might be able to work it and control temps is by using an air cooled light. You can either by them that way or if you are willing and able there are a number of how to's around on making your own air cooled light. In your case I would say you would want to also exhaust the air out of the room. If it exhausts to the room you'll not keep the room at 78 for long.
Im really not sure that it makes a difference what he uses for a light. If the inside temps of the room are going to be 78, he is going to have to draw air from outside and vent the cab air outside, or air condition the room or things are going to be to hot. I had a situation like this in one grow and it was a constant fight with the heat.
G
Guest
Hutch said:
You have 8 square feet of growing space, so a 250 watt hid will give you just over 31 watts of light per square foot and a 400 watt hid will give you 50 watts per square foot.
I would go with the 400 watt hid and work on ways of cooling the room more.
Hi all, just reading over the posts to my question. Thanks for all the info. There is an ac vent right beside my cab, less than a foot away. My intake for the cab is a 6" hole in center bottom of cab, useing a light baffle, & cab is sitting about 2" off floor. What about turning the ac air to blow under cab & use a cool tube on a 400W HPS? Do you think my 265cfm dayton will keep it cool enough? The exausted air will still be going thru my can filter. With ac running temps are closer to 72-74 ambient.
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jj, all I've done so far is lst. I'm on 2nd grow now. With an hid I know i'll have to change that. Probably be best if i did scrog. Now all i have to do is figure out how to do scrog!!! Been doing a lot of reading & have found out there isn't enough pics on that subject. Lots of good info though.
bostrom155
Active member
Hutch said:
If thats the case then get a 600 for the 4x4 space, a 400 will not cover the whole space, 3x3 is max i would think even 3 feet from tip of bulb to base is not optimum. I have the c22 and a 400, the light at the ends of the cab suck
WeedKrazy420
Member
i have a box 4 ftx 4ftx 18 inches and i have a 250 watt hps. i do not ahve a air cooled hood just a metal reflector. i have a regular mini house fan as a exhaust .i also have a regular size house fan pointing at the light with a big square taken out on the side for intake and the 1st lil ones didn't do the job. i also have mylar covering the walls and roof. its still at temps of 86 degrees. i have grown a sucessful female my 1st gro. i can;t keep it close tot eh light tho as its really hot i keep it like 12 inches or
so away and i kno its suppose to be 5 to 6 or whatever but i had a nice sold nugs and got about a half oz from one plant.it wasa bag seed. i am doing 3 bubblicious now and they r at day 23 and seem rather small tho but not dying. i have a post in the diaries section on it. well if i had a better exhaust fan might have it better on temps. smell is also a factor as i had just one plant and could smell in the room a lil and used insensce got these tru air filters not to try us just plug um in and have heard good things bout them for a small gro
so away and i kno its suppose to be 5 to 6 or whatever but i had a nice sold nugs and got about a half oz from one plant.it wasa bag seed. i am doing 3 bubblicious now and they r at day 23 and seem rather small tho but not dying. i have a post in the diaries section on it. well if i had a better exhaust fan might have it better on temps. smell is also a factor as i had just one plant and could smell in the room a lil and used insensce got these tru air filters not to try us just plug um in and have heard good things bout them for a small gro
