How do i make my 400w HPS air cooled
- Thread starter Doctor
- Start date
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
Soo... lets assume you already have a fixture you want to 'air cool'. One of the interesting things I found in 'Barrel of green' posted by Major Toke and By Dr. Pot in this forum was the way they made the light easy to ventilate. They used a round clear plastic tube that is sold for baking bread. Readily available at stores in your neighbor hood, and if anyone sees you buying it they will like you.
Mogie did a post on installing a glass shield for a light that doesn't have one. You may want to check that out, an enclosed unit can be air cooled efficiently. I would think any Hydro shop will carry flexible ducting that will 'with stand the heat', VV
Mogie did a post on installing a glass shield for a light that doesn't have one. You may want to check that out, an enclosed unit can be air cooled efficiently. I would think any Hydro shop will carry flexible ducting that will 'with stand the heat', VV
BloodShotI'z
Well-Known Member
Buy or build a cooltube for the bulb...
Hi-Tech Garden Supply sells them for under $100 I believe....Or you could make one.
Hi-Tech Garden Supply sells them for under $100 I believe....Or you could make one.
BloodShotI'z
Well-Known Member
Try to get better ventilation if you can too. That always help to bring down the temps. When I installed my 400w HPS my temps were getting up to 90F.
At that time I just had one circulating fan blowing on the plants. I bought two more fans from WalMart for $13 each...placed them wisely inside my grow closet....now my temps stay at about 80-82F. So try venting....its cheaper than buying a tube...maybe just as cheap to make one....but with no labor.
At that time I just had one circulating fan blowing on the plants. I bought two more fans from WalMart for $13 each...placed them wisely inside my grow closet....now my temps stay at about 80-82F. So try venting....its cheaper than buying a tube...maybe just as cheap to make one....but with no labor.
Garden Knowm
The Love Doctor
Cool tubes rock!
Al B. Fuct
once had a dog named
Finding an appropriately sized Pyrex (or equivalent) heat resistant glass tube is half the battle for prospective DIY air-coolers.
The DIY 'cool tube' method using the Pyrex "Bake-A-Round" thermally tempered glass tube is brilliant. Allows use of a cooling system with a focus-adjustable batwing reflector, where the fully enclosed type reflectors can't normally be adjusted for focus.
In my case, I do depend on heat from the lamps to keep the room up to temp during the cool months, but come summer, boy would it be nice to put the heat outside the flowering space. In winter, I'd just remove the exhaust duct tube, allowing fan cooling of the tube but dumping heat into the room air.
See
DIY Pyrex Bake-A-Round cool tube - CANNABIS.COM Message Boards - Quality Marijuana and Hemp Information
The DIY 'cool tube' method using the Pyrex "Bake-A-Round" thermally tempered glass tube is brilliant. Allows use of a cooling system with a focus-adjustable batwing reflector, where the fully enclosed type reflectors can't normally be adjusted for focus.
In my case, I do depend on heat from the lamps to keep the room up to temp during the cool months, but come summer, boy would it be nice to put the heat outside the flowering space. In winter, I'd just remove the exhaust duct tube, allowing fan cooling of the tube but dumping heat into the room air.
See
DIY Pyrex Bake-A-Round cool tube - CANNABIS.COM Message Boards - Quality Marijuana and Hemp Information
th3bigbad
Well-Known Member
i use cool tubes (DIY bake around) and run 2 1000watters inline with 1 small intake fan pulling air from outside the grow room and blowing it out back outside. the fan is out of an old computer, but works well enough.
i got the bake arounds from ebay for about 30.00 for both, the fan was 10.00 at radio shack, i needed 4x 2"L brackets, 6x 4" hose clamps, and 4" drier vent. all in all about 50 bucks, and 2 hours of work.
i havent used it when it was hot outside yet, but over the winter i could keep my hand on the bake arounds without getting burned at all. im sure it will out out alil more heat as summer gets here, but im 99% sure it will be just fine.
i got the bake arounds from ebay for about 30.00 for both, the fan was 10.00 at radio shack, i needed 4x 2"L brackets, 6x 4" hose clamps, and 4" drier vent. all in all about 50 bucks, and 2 hours of work.
i havent used it when it was hot outside yet, but over the winter i could keep my hand on the bake arounds without getting burned at all. im sure it will out out alil more heat as summer gets here, but im 99% sure it will be just fine.
ILoveUMaryJane
Well-Known Member
mmm, bake-a-round... now gotta see how much it costs to get one to the UK!
bleezyg420
Well-Known Member
I came across a dyi on another from about the bake around. Always caught my interest. Thats weird that you mentioned it since I was just trying to locate some close by. I plan on using these hoods until I come up with the funds to buy some bat wings, or find where I can get ahold of that reflective material, so I can make one myself.
Al B. Fuct
once had a dog named
That's great news! I understood that Corning stopped making the Bake-A-Round in 1985. This might explain why there's so many on Ebay labelled as 'vintage.'
If the item you saw in WalMart is not the Pyrex branded unit, I'd make double sure it's made from tempered glass suited to baking (might be labelled 'borosilicate'), which is similar to the conditions the tube will encounter when repurposed as a cooltube.
I wound up buying commercially made 150mm cooltubes.
Bake-A-Rounds are just a tick too small for my tastes in terms of clearance between the bulge in the middle of the glass envelope of a 1000HPSand the interior diameter of the Bake-A-Round tube, which I think is 100mm ID. There's only about 10mm clear between the lamp tube and the tube ID. However, Bake-A-Round tubes are great for 400 & 600HPS, with much more space between those smaller tubes and the Bake-A-Round tube's ID.
Al B. Fuct
once had a dog named
I bought ready made cooltubes from the hydro shop.
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
I just recently bought some stuff to try and air cool my hps system i already have but was wondering is pyrex glass or glass in general the best to use to close up my reflecter? I just went down to home depot and got a sheet of acrylic plastic but it seems like its holding in a lot of the light. at least it seems like it was brighter before haha should i just get a sheet of glass instead??
Al B. Fuct
once had a dog named
You're quite right that perspex/plexiglas does not pass as much light as glass. Definitely use glass- and the thinner, the better.
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
alright cool thats what i figured since it seemed like less light with the plastic covering on. i figured it would help keep in more heat but didnt think about the light passing through it 
guess ill head to the grow shop tomorrow and look for some glass thanks!
guess ill head to the grow shop tomorrow and look for some glass thanks!
Al B. Fuct
once had a dog named
Plexi would keep more heat in, but you're right, at the cost of light transmission. Can't have that. Glass should be available in a couple of thicknesses at Ye Olde Giante Hardwarre Shoppe. Your local glass shop may have some good suggestions for you. Glass used for picture framing is usually pretty thin and colour neutral.
You're relying mainly on high air flow volume to remove heat, more than any insulation quality of the light fixture/cooltube.
The principle is to warm up a few air molecules and shove 'em out the door fast before the longwave thermal energy can transfer into the glass or ducting and then convect into the room's airmass, which defeats the purpose.
You're relying mainly on high air flow volume to remove heat, more than any insulation quality of the light fixture/cooltube.
The principle is to warm up a few air molecules and shove 'em out the door fast before the longwave thermal energy can transfer into the glass or ducting and then convect into the room's airmass, which defeats the purpose.
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
I'm not quite sure i understood all of that but thank you haha. So you think I am better off getting the sheet of glass from the grow shop? or maybe a thinner piece of plexiglass? or could i find a thinner sheet of glass than what they have at the grow shop ahhh so confused now haha