Is This Cool Tube Any Good?

[zvuv]

I am not happy with my aircooled hood which clumsy and doesnt cool that well.

I was going to go DIY cool tube but by the time I buy the bake tube, the socket & power cord, I am over half way there and I still have to make some hardware.

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-CoolTube-6in-Reflector.asp


I might make a better hood for it.

Appreciate any comments. Thanks.

Found a cheaper one on ebay.

 

[auswolf]

For $20 more you can buy cooltubes with a bettter reflector i paid $120 for mine.
And as for cooling i'm only running a 250mh in it atm, and it is as cool as 20w cfl

Pic below of my cooltube

 

[zvuv]

It's good to know that it cools so effectively. I have metal working equipment so knocking out a hood is not a big deal for me.

One of my concerns is the quality of the glass. Are the cheaper tubes more fragile?

 

[auswolf]

Id say they are made by the same manufacture just diff shades.
As for the durabilty, i guess the glass is maybe 3-4mm and i dont see it being broken
in normal use.

That being said, it's kinda like a glass bong treat it with respect and it will last forever.

 

[hoagtech]

Ive the hydrofarm brand before and their nice. I wouldnt worry too much about the brand of a tube, because the science is prettey basic behind it. Its 6" tube,as long as their are no air leaks they all perform the same. I may be worried about running a 1000w hps in a small tube without a powerful fan. You would have a high heat source almost touching your most likely mylar ducting.

 

[zvuv]

3-4mm thick sounds good. It wont be as fragile as those lantern glasses they sell for a few $$. I am running a 600W mh and the 4" vortex fan does a decent job of extracting the heat except for the glass window.

I think one of the advantages of the cool tube is a smaller volume, which forces the air to move faster over the surface of the glass and cool more efficiently. The compact design is a significant advantage in my closet where the hood is just big and clumsy.

Thanks for the advice

 

[stephaniesloan]

pyrex is a very strong glass anyway.

 

[pazuzu420]

Pyrex (just a name brand btw) is pretty durable material. As long as you don't physically try and scratch it, let cool water hit a warm or hot shade.
Have to agree with Hoagtech in that you need to use a good sized fan with limited resistance, bends and kinks in the pipe, as this drasticly reduces performace of the fan.

What air cooled hood are you using now? Have a shot of your exhaust? Perhaps, we can rectify your problem without you having ot buy anything.

 

[iNFID3L]

For $20 more you can buy cooltubes with a bettter reflector i paid $120 for mine.
And as for cooling i'm only running a 250mh in it atm, and it is as cool as 20w cfl

Pic below of my cooltube

View attachment 1696296

thats tidy i like that , in fact im gonna do the same, but use a 4 inch to pull plenty of icy cold english air into my room !

 

[auswolf]

Ive had a few people asking about the cooltube and where i got it.

I bought mine from ebay australia for $120au. But i have found a place in the US selling them for $89.
http://www.hpsgrowlightsusa.com/accessories-reflectors-hood-html-6.html

These cooltubes are big, it was advertised being a 150mm x 600mm, but the actual overall length was more like 800mm, the reflector on it mesures 640mm x 750mm.

That photo above, and the ones below show the cooltubes being setup in 10x5x7 tent just to show how large they are.

 

[jimmygreenfingers]

Ive broke two cooltubes in the last few months, the glass doesnt take much to break. They are good tho for the price and make a big difference to grow room temps even if there light spread is a bit naff. Gonna get myself a couple of super suns i think.