NEED SOME SERi0US hELP.. COOLiNG iSSUES.!!

[SiL3NT B0B]

Alright so i got a small stealthy grow box going and i got one plant going.. its under 4 26watt CFL's.. i have a small cool mist humidifier.. a 15 inch tower fan and a 12 pc fan pushing hot air out of the box..

ISSUE: im running lights for 18/6.. i looked in the box and the temp was at a rediculous 102F.. and the humidity was at 28%.. what could i do to get this box to cool down..

Thanks in advance... ++rep for those with positive advice..

 

[growman09]

you need an intake hole ( if u dont have one)

 

[TheMightyS]

Add another fan at the top, make sure they're placed as far away from the intake as you can (for example; Intake = Bottom left of box, Exhaust = Top right of box). Also, add a passive intake in the bottom if you haven't, just a hole so a vacuum can be formed and air can make a current.

Also, feel how hot the humidifier and fans are, some fans can get pretty hot themselves and generally defeat the purpose of having one, they get hot around the motor running the fan and then that blows hot air.

Got any pics of your design? Might be easier to help you out.

 

[TCurtiss]

a couple things

Run your lights at night - cooler temps and you should have intake and exhaust fan going 24/7 for that very reason

Good luck

 

[SiL3NT B0B]

you need an intake hole ( if u dont have one)

i got the exhaust fan in the bottom left and a hole in the top right but now fan just like an outlet for the hot air to escape. thanks for the advice +rep..

Add another fan at the top, make sure they're placed as far away from the intake as you can (for example; Intake = Bottom left of box, Exhaust = Top right of box). Also, add a passive intake in the bottom if you haven't, just a hole so a vacuum can be formed and air can make a current.

do you reccomend i flip the fan thats in the bottom left to suck in air and then put another fan in the top right to push air out.. where should i put the other hole at?.. thanks for the good advice earlier.. +rep

Also, feel how hot the humidifier and fans are, some fans can get pretty hot themselves and generally defeat the purpose of having one, they get hot around the motor running the fan and then that blows hot air.

Got any pics of your design? Might be easier to help you out.

thats a good idea.. i somewhat did that before but i should take a better look at it.. i dont think the himidifier is getting hot but maybe the fan is.. good advice.. thanks..+rep

a couple things

Run your lights at night - cooler temps and you should have intake and exhaust fan going 24/7 for that very reason

Good luck

yeah i normally run them at night but the timer that they run on now is shitty so i will come home when they are supposed to be off and they are still on.. i dont think that will hurt them but its kinda frustrating.. thanks +rep

 

[dew-b]

Alright so i got a small stealthy grow box going and i got one plant going.. its under 4 26watt CFL's.. i have a small cool mist humidifier.. a 15 inch tower fan and a 12 pc fan pushing hot air out of the box..

ISSUE: im running lights for 18/6.. i looked in the box and the temp was at a rediculous 102F.. and the humidity was at 28%.. what could i do to get this box to cool down..

Thanks in advance... ++rep for those with positive advice..

put your huidifer out side your box just raise the humidty in the room your intake will raise it in your box. gl may you be cursed with many buds

 

[Snowchild]

I am also battling heat issues. I like what others have said. I can agree that creating a flow of air is the goal. Without it your plants are basically in an oven. How much air are your fans blowing? Are they moving enough air out to provide fresh air in your grow environment? Remember hot air rises and cool air sinks. The reason most intakes are lower and exhausts higher up.

 

[TheMightyS]

Right mate, issue solved already.

Heat rises, you just said you had your exhaust in the bottom right. Thats just pulling out cold air, meaning your gonna have a build up of hot air, and no cold air.

Where you have the hole for the exhaust fan at the moment, take it out, leave the hole with nothing in it so cold air can go in from the bottom, then place that pc fan you have at the top of the box, in the hole you have there.

The heats will go down by around 10-20 straight away. (dependent on fan strength).

If heat still seems to be a problem consider removing the humidifier, if that doesn't work add a fan for an intake in the passive hole where your exhaust fan used to be.

Hope this helps.

EDIT : Also, if you've got a dodgy timer (mine used to be dodgy), then put the plants on 24/0 for now, its not worth stressing them out with random light cycles, at least with 24/0 your not gonna interupt them, and then buy a nice timer and when your ready to flower switch to 12/12. Don't risk making them hermy by using a shitty timer.

 

[TheMightyS]

One more thing before i shut up, if your having a hot day, a quick fix which doesn't last for too long (1-2hour depending on temperatures) then you can freeze a bottle of water and place it infront of the fan, this basically works as a home made AC unit.

Obviously this isn't a permanent fix, but it will sort you out for the time being if your suffering from a hot day Any more questions just ask, be good to post a picture, best way to work out wot is best for your situation

 

[SiL3NT B0B]

put your huidifer out side your box just raise the humidty in the room your intake will raise it in your box. gl may you be cursed with many buds

sounds like an idea worth trying out.. i guess anything at this moment would be worth trying.. it scared the shit out of me to see the temp get that high.. lol. thanks for the good input..

I am also battling heat issues. I like what others have said. I can agree that creating a flow of air is the goal. Without it your plants are basically in an oven. How much air are your fans blowing? Are they moving enough air out to provide fresh air in your grow environment? Remember hot air rises and cool air sinks. The reason most intakes are lower and exhausts higher up.

deff gonna do that as soon as i get home.. im stuck here at work for another couple of hours.. but im gonna shoot home and change shit around.. thanks for the advice..

Right mate, issue solved already.

Heat rises, you just said you had your exhaust in the bottom right. Thats just pulling out cold air, meaning your gonna have a build up of hot air, and no cold air.

Where you have the hole for the exhaust fan at the moment, take it out, leave the hole with nothing in it so cold air can go in from the bottom, then place that pc fan you have at the top of the box, in the hole you have there.

The heats will go down by around 10-20 straight away. (dependent on fan strength).

If heat still seems to be a problem consider removing the humidifier, if that doesn't work add a fan for an intake in the passive hole where your exhaust fan used to be.

Hope this helps.

EDIT : Also, if you've got a dodgy timer (mine used to be dodgy), then put the plants on 24/0 for now, its not worth stressing them out with random light cycles, at least with 24/0 your not gonna interupt them, and then buy a nice timer and when your ready to flower switch to 12/12. Don't risk making them hermy by using a shitty timer.

yeah the timer was pissing me off.. but i will try the 24/0 for the rest of veg.. where should i put the temp meter at? should i put it under the lights or away? thanks for the good advice..

 

[SiL3NT B0B]

good advice from everyone so far.. ++++++++++++ rep

 

[ReelFiles]

I don't grow in a PC case, but I used to do some serious overclocking and that's a battle against heat too. I have tried various fan setups and I found that positive pressure works best. To explain:

Positive Pressure: There is more fresh air coming into the case than there is hot air exiting the case. Basically, the CFM from intake fans exceeds the CFM from exhaust fans.

Negative Pressure - There is more air exiting the case via exhaust fans than fresh air entering the case via intake fans and vents. The CFM for exhaust fans exceeds the CFM from intake fans.

Calculating Positive Pressure


What is the CFM rating of a fan?[FONT=&quot] [/FONT] Every fan has what is known as a CFM rating. This refers to the fans ablity to move air. The amount of air is measured in CFM or Cubic Feet Per Minute. Factors like speed, size, torque, shape and pitch of the blades are all contributing factors in determining the CFM rating. Something to consider is that bigger and slower moving fans can have the same or a higher CFM rating than a small fast moving fan with the added benefit of producing less noise.
How to determine CFM ratings of fans:
CFM ratings of fans are usually indicated on the packaging or the fan itself but in case of this information not being available; contact the manufacturer of the fan through their websites. If you are unsure contact your dealer.
Factors to take into account:

1. Filter rating
2. Internal fans
3. Intake fans
4. Exhaust fans
5. Openings in case ​

= CFM inhibited by filter action (% of filtered intake)
= CFM in needed to cool components
= CFM in
= CFM out
= CFM out Filter rating: F
The filtering process will inhibit a certain amount of air entering the case. This amount will depend on the filter rating you are using. This is expressed as a percentage and is indicated on the packaging. Example: If the filter rating is 20 it will inhibit 20% of the air from entering the computer case. This sum will have to be added to the required CFM of air needed for the intake fan(s) to compensate for the loss of air. Let’s call the filter rating value F. Remember that this is a percentage value.
How to determine the CFM sum of the internal fans: C
Add all the internal fans CFM ratings together. This is the minimum CFM of air that is needed to cool the internal components like CPUs, RAM and graphic cards. Let’s call this value C
How to determine the CFM sum of the intake fans: A
Add all the CFM ratings of the fans blowing air from outside the computer case into the case together. Let’s call this value A
How to determine the total air intake into the computer: T
Deduct the filter rating value (F) from the CFM sum of the intake fan(s). Let’s call this value T
How to determine exhaust fans CFM rating: E
Add the CFM ratings of all the fans blowing air out of the computer together. This will include the power supply unit fan(s), PCI slot exhaust fans and in some cases the graphics card fans. (Some graphics cards have their own exhaust systems.) Let’s call this value E
How to determine the CFM sum for openings in the case:
As this value could be positive or negative we can assume that this value will always be equal to the total value of the CFM of air leaving the case. Without intake fans this would be true as the same amount of air will replace the air leaving the case.
How to calculate intake CFM needed:
Internal fans like your CPU and graphic card cooling fans CFM rating can be used to help determine the minimum CFM intake. Intake fans CFM rating must be at least but preferably higher than these combined as this is the minimum amount of air that the computer uses for cooling. When your total CFM sum entering the case (after filter rating is subtracted) is more than the CFM sum leaving the case through the fans it equate to positive pressure. The surplus air will force its way out of the case through any other openings like optical disk drives, card readers etc. and so help to keep these components clean.
Calculation: Determine the value of C
Decide on what value of F you need
Deduct the value of F from A. This value is T
T has to be bigger than C and has to be bigger E to achieve positive pressure with adequate cooling.
Example: C = 40
F = 20%
A = 80
E = 30

80 – (20% x 80) = 64 or T
64 – 30 = 34 CFM
So in this case you will have 34 CFM of air leaving the case through unprotected cracks and openings of the case. Positive pressure is achieved! The more porous the case is the higher this value will have to be.

http://www.demcifilter.com/positive_faq.htm

A positive pressure system used with fan filters keeps the case cleaner because the only air entering the case will be filtered and the extra air that isn’t exhausted by the exhaust fans will blow out through cracks and vents in the case. It will also run cooler since fresh air is pushed into the case and over the plants from all or most of the fans.

 

[TheMightyS]

Make sure you make that change on the placement of the fans mate, you dont understand how much of a difference it makes The rule is Exhaust at the highest point, and intake at the lowest, if you dont have an intake fan, just cut a whole for air to move through, the exhaust fan will pull air in.

Place the temperature meter level with the plants. I place mine right next to the top of the pots, where the plants are, if you place it at the top of the box your gonna get a dodgy temperature (just heat building up).

Seriously tho, sort those exhaust fans out, because when those plants get bigger its gonna become more of an issue.

 

[SiL3NT B0B]

One more thing before i shut up, if your having a hot day, a quick fix which doesn't last for too long (1-2hour depending on temperatures) then you can freeze a bottle of water and place it infront of the fan, this basically works as a home made AC unit.

Obviously this isn't a permanent fix, but it will sort you out for the time being if your suffering from a hot day Any more questions just ask, be good to post a picture, best way to work out wot is best for your situation

yeah i got a picture its not the best but idk maybe u can see sort out this ghetto stealth grow..

NOTE: dont mind the temp meter that was when i just put it in there..

 

[TheMightyS]

I don't grow in a PC case, but I used to do some serious overclocking and that's a battle against heat too. I have tried various fan setups and I found that positive pressure works best. To explain:

Positive Pressure: There is more fresh air coming into the case than there is hot air exiting the case. Basically, the CFM from intake fans exceeds the CFM from exhaust fans.

Negative Pressure - There is more air exiting the case via exhaust fans than fresh air entering the case via intake fans and vents. The CFM for exhaust fans exceeds the CFM from intake fans.


http://www.demcifilter.com/positive_faq.htm

A positive pressure system used with fan filters keeps the case cleaner because the only air entering the case will be filtered and the extra air that isn’t exhausted by the exhaust fans will blow out through cracks and vents in the case.

Nice post! thanks for the good read +Rep

 

[TheMightyS]

Nice ghetto system mate im liking, bit of a fire hazard with the cardboard but its good

Get an osculating fan in there, will help air movement and cool things down more. Just remember heat rises. Possibly consider cutting a little hole in the middle of that cardboard fixture you have with the lights on, place a fan on it pushing air upwards, it'd take away the heat from that area and move it upwards away from your plants

 

[TCurtiss]

There is zero reason to have fans on timers

They should run 24/7

And a fan inside the cabinet to keep the plants dancing

 

[TheMightyS]

There is zero reason to have fans on timers

They should run 24/7

And a fan inside the cabinet to keep the plants dancing

Who said to put the fans on a timer? :S

 

[SiL3NT B0B]

Make sure you make that change on the placement of the fans mate, you dont understand how much of a difference it makes The rule is Exhaust at the highest point, and intake at the lowest, if you dont have an intake fan, just cut a whole for air to move through, the exhaust fan will pull air in.

Place the temperature meter level with the plants. I place mine right next to the top of the pots, where the plants are, if you place it at the top of the box your gonna get a dodgy temperature (just heat building up).

Seriously tho, sort those exhaust fans out, because when those plants get bigger its gonna become more of an issue.

yeha i gonna do that asap.. its the little things that count..

 

[SiL3NT B0B]

Nice ghetto system mate im liking, bit of a fire hazard with the cardboard but its good

Get an osculating fan in there, will help air movement and cool things down more. Just remember heat rises. Possibly consider cutting a little hole in the middle of that cardboard fixture you have with the lights on, place a fan on it pushing air upwards, it'd take away the heat from that area and move it upwards away from your plants

gotta do it ghetto and stealthy.. that tower fan that i put in there osculates..

There is zero reason to have fans on timers

They should run 24/7

And a fan inside the cabinet to keep the plants dancing

yeha i gonna do that asap.. its the little things that count..

the fan is on 24/7.. just the lights are on timer..