Will plants lower temp

Tominmo

Member
Hi. First grow here. I'm almost done veg and about 7-10 days from turning to flower. My flower tent is all ready. I've messed with the ventilation, have air cooled reflectors, am venting outdoors, and am pulling fresh air from the coolest room in the house. Even with all that my tent sits at about 88 degrees with the lights on for a full cycle. I haven't added any plants to the tent yet but will be adding 8-10 3-gallon fabric pots. My question is will the biomass of the plants, roots, soil, and water lower the temps. I suspect they'll cool the space some but not sure how much. It's a 4x8 tent, 6.5 feet tall, has 2 600 watt HPS lights, and is being vented by a 440 cubic feet per minute 6-inch inline fan. Already have three fans in the tent circulating air and am pumping air conditioned air into the tent. Any chance the plants will lower the temp?
 

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
Hi. First grow here. I'm almost done veg and about 7-10 days from turning to flower. My flower tent is all ready. I've messed with the ventilation, have air cooled reflectors, am venting outdoors, and am pulling fresh air from the coolest room in the house. Even with all that my tent sits at about 88 degrees with the lights on for a full cycle. I haven't added any plants to the tent yet but will be adding 8-10 3-gallon fabric pots. My question is will the biomass of the plants, roots, soil, and water lower the temps. I suspect they'll cool the space some but not sure how much. It's a 4x8 tent, 6.5 feet tall, has 2 600 watt HPS lights, and is being vented by a 440 cubic feet per minute 6-inch inline fan. Already have three fans in the tent circulating air and am pumping air conditioned air into the tent. Any chance the plants will lower the temp?
Your theory is very silly. It will decrease the area for air to cool and escape from, increasing your temperature if anything. It's because you're using 2 600w HPS lights in a small tent.
 

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
Ok. I was thinking like when you drive by a field on a hot day and feel the temp lower. Maybe incorrect but silly is a bit rude.
I don't mean to be rude, just informative. The plants would be immobile. You get cooler on a drive because of air friction due to movement and wind, not from biomass.

Your issue is, you should be using a room, not a closet with 1200w of HPS.
 

Tominmo

Member
Lol. Going to take further steps. Just thought I'd share the info. I'm guessing it might give me maybe half a degree. Not nearly enough so I ordered a new box fan and tubing to run cold air from a source well below 70 degrees. That should get me the 3 degrees I need. You need to relax man. No need to be so aggressive sounding. Go smoke a blunt a relax. I'm pretty confident I can get the 3 degree reduction I need for my strain. Will try a 40 dollar solution before I completely rebuild my setup.
 

thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
no no... the biomass will reach ambient temps and effectively contribute nothing in terms of changing temps... The soil will affect it slightly, only in terms of how long it takes for the tent to warm and cool when you go from lights on to off and back, and not much... the air heats up fast in terms of ambient temps.

And then yeah... you are mostly really warming up air, and as
Your theory is very silly. It will decrease the area for air to cool and escape from, increasing your temperature if anything. It's because you're using 2 600w HPS lights in a small tent.
The lights are the main factor driving temps here. Seems like too much, for the space. Yes we do want as much light as possible, but that much in your space is not possible, using HPS... given physics... because you will have a problem with heat.

You could AC. But will the added bud offset the AC. You have to find an efficient balance for you.

I use LED (300W) and supplemental CFL (~120wats) in a 3x4x4 "cab" (some closet doors and boards screwed together. I live in a chilly environment (it's been high 60's low 50's). I let the LED vent right in the cab my air temps are in the 70's to low 80's, I have to warm my soil to keep it around 70.

Take your whole environment into account when deciding how to set up, not just whats generally "best" and remember that big or small you have to be efficient for you. I tried to grow too many plants in my cab hoping for more bud, except I was getting rot from the tight quarters... well, better a bit less than none at all then huh? ;-)
 

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
Lol. Going to take further steps. Just thought I'd share the info. I'm guessing it might give me maybe half a degree. Not nearly enough so I ordered a new box fan and tubing to run cold air from a source well below 70 degrees. That should get me the 3 degrees I need. You need to relax man. No need to be so aggressive sounding. Go smoke a blunt a relax. I'm pretty confident I can get the 3 degree reduction I need for my strain. Will try a 40 dollar solution before I completely rebuild my setup.
I'm not trying to talk shit to you, but even 85 is a bit too high. Optimally, you want it 75 degrees, or at least 70-80 degrees. You are more than likely going to have to rebuild your setup. You should have researched your setup better and you should have been aware that two 600w is a lot of power and a lot of heat. It just will not do well in a small to medium sized tent. You should dedicate an attic or basement for that kind of power.
 
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thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
as an aside, I have been accused of being too sensitive on here, so I say this:

When I read the your theory is silly bit I concurred... because it didn't sound to me like he was saying you're dumb and have silly ideas, just more like well that isn't very well thought out... kinda silly when you think about it logically,, if you know a bit of science...

It was more like how you can think a song says one thing, and then you're singing it with a friend, and they correct you and call you silly, and when you think about it you're version doesn't make much sense, you know, like that.

Trust me, there's some very rude people on here, as everywhere in life. Don't take anything too seriously, and just hit ignore if it really gets stupid (which believe me, it will)

Oh and stay out of the cafe... mostly Toke n Talk... place is a war zone with the flame wars that rampage through there... lots of hurt feelings litter those gray grounds, and wing nut hate spewing bat shit crazy weirdos, waiting to pounce on you (seriously, not even like a little kidding)
 
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thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
1 600w should be more than enough though, and be able to be cooled, so you don't have to totally rebuild, just take out a light and center the other. I'd love that set up right now :)
 

Uberknot

Well-Known Member
The Bigger the pot the slower the roots will heat up, but eventually everything will heat up.

The main thing is that heat created from the lights and getting it out of the area as fast as possible.

You will need cold air to get those temps lower unless you can turn down those lights or remove the heat faster.
 

thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
The main thing is that heat created from the lights and getting it out of the area as fast as possible.

You will need cold air to get those temps lower unless you can turn down those lights or remove the heat faster.
AND replacing it with cooler air, either to mix with the hot for the avg, or to replace it... I mean, otherwise you have a vacuum :-P

which oddly enough I've seen problems with a lot.. people not thinking this out and collapsing their tents... or the reverse... pushing too much air too fast and blowing it up... like, so many times to think it was worth mention
 

Uberknot

Well-Known Member
SO what exactly does your tube light do? does the air pass through it and exit the tent?

Just trying to get a visual....
 

tyke1973

Well-Known Member
Hi. First grow here. I'm almost done veg and about 7-10 days from turning to flower. My flower tent is all ready. I've messed with the ventilation, have air cooled reflectors, am venting outdoors, and am pulling fresh air from the coolest room in the house. Even with all that my tent sits at about 88 degrees with the lights on for a full cycle. I haven't added any plants to the tent yet but will be adding 8-10 3-gallon fabric pots. My question is will the biomass of the plants, roots, soil, and water lower the temps. I suspect they'll cool the space some but not sure how much. It's a 4x8 tent, 6.5 feet tall, has 2 600 watt HPS lights, and is being vented by a 440 cubic feet per minute 6-inch inline fan. Already have three fans in the tent circulating air and am pumping air conditioned air into the tent. Any chance the plants will lower the temp?
SO what exactly does your tube light do? does the air pass through it and exit the tent?

Just trying to get a visual....
yes dude
 

tyke1973

Well-Known Member
No i'm not sure plants lower the temp's but they do make a difference to the humidity,Just like nature you will have lower temp's below the plants once they get big shaded area but not by much,
 

tyke1973

Well-Known Member
you filter pulls air from the room into it then is pushed through the tube,and out the room look at my journal i think there may be pictures of my cool hoods in that,there is a icture on page two bottom that will give you a idea what a cool vented set up is like
 
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