Anyone ever used cold winter air to cool lights?

[infrared]

I've had some issues with heat in my tent this summer and it got me thinking . . .

Is it crazy to pump in cold air from outside, through the lights to cool them?
Obviously, I'd filter the air from outdoors somehow to prevent junk from coming in, but could it get too cold and burst the bulbs?

This is probably one of those Rube Goldberg (or the 'other' Heath Robinson, lol) stoner ideas, but I'm curious to hear if anyone's ever tried anything similar or if this gets you guys thinking of other alternative cooling methods. I think I remember hearing about one guy who water cooled his lights using a swimming pool as the reservoir, but I'm not sure how that would even help during the summer . . .

 

[EvolAlex]

good question. i await the answer, what is too cool to cool your lights with?

 

[XRagnorX]

as long as you don't strike the hot lights with a blast of frigid air or have uneven flow I would think it should be alright, It would seem like extremely dry/low humidity air in an environment such as lets say Colorado would reduce the air capacity to carry heat away from the lights.
Rapid temperature changes would be my primary concern, glass expands and contracts as it is heated and cooled as do most things. It can only flex a certain amount before it crystalline structure fails causing breakage. I used to work in a glass tempering plant so I know a little about it. However in this specific application it seems that one might actually contact the bulb manufacturer for specific information.
My gut says it would somehow reduce bulb life and even effectiveness if the temps where too low....
Perhaps run a length of shiny silver slinky duct through the tent to pre warm the cool air just a bit. 55-60 degrees?

 

[infrared]

as long as you don't strike the hot lights with a blast of frigid air or have uneven flow I would think it should be alright, It would seem like extremely dry/low humidity air in an environment such as lets say Colorado would reduce the air capacity to carry heat away from the lights.
Rapid temperature changes would be my primary concern, glass expands and contracts as it is heated and cooled as do most things. It can only flex a certain amount before it crystalline structure fails causing breakage. I used to work in a glass tempering plant so I know a little about it. However in this specific application it seems that one might actually contact the bulb manufacturer for specific information.
My gut says it would somehow reduce bulb life and even effectiveness if the temps where too low....
Perhaps run a length of shiny silver slinky duct through the tent to pre warm the cool air just a bit. 55-60 degrees?

You mention a 'blast' of 'frigid' air on the hot lights . . . maybe you could start the cold air intake a few minutes before striking so the area is a bit colder than it would have been otherwise. The temp fluctuations should be pretty gradual from that point.

And yes, I was thinking around 60 would be perfect, probably because of the cursory research I've done on chillers and some of the recommendations I've seen regarding reservoir temps.

Interesting that you mention the relatively small range of tolerable temps for these lights, and I know that glass doesn't like to go up and down in temps fast. But aren't these MH and HPS bulbs pretty similar to the lighting in use at sports stadiums ('frozen tundra', anyone)?

 

[Specialboy]

HPS bulbs have been used for street & security lighting for years so I don't think it would be a problem as long as the intake fan came on with the light. But I live in a fairly temperate climate with no big extremes of temperature...

 

[infrared]

HPS bulbs have been used for street & security lighting for years so I don't think it would be a problem as long as the intake fan came on with the light. But I live in a fairly temperate climate with no big extremes of temperature...

Cool, that's what I thought re: street lighting.

I feel like this could be a great energy saver during the winter, and am interested in other 'holistic' approaches to conserve and re-use wherever possible. I just started using the water from my dehumidifier, which is awesome cos it comes out at 7.0 pH with minute PPMs. I read something about a guy who was pumping his hot exhaust into the central ventilation in his home to heat it during the winter, and that, to me, is pure genius!

 

[XRagnorX]

Interesting that you mention the relatively small range of tolerable temps for these lights, and I know that glass doesn't like to go up and down in temps fast. But aren't these MH and HPS bulbs pretty similar to the lighting in use at sports stadiums ('frozen tundra', anyone)?

My thought on this goes into how a plasma arc must reach a certain temperature to produce the correct spectrum of light, temperature is frequency is color. At ridiculously cold temperatures it may require higher voltage/amperage to produce the desired arc. Then again electricity flows better at cooler temps.... However when you turn the lights on in a blast freezer they take much longer to get bright then they would at normal temps.... that's the line of thought I was on. Not sure if it's valid or not.

 

[infrared]

My thought on this goes into how a plasma arc must reach a certain temperature to produce the correct spectrum of light, temperature is frequency is color. At ridiculously cold temperatures it may require higher voltage/amperage to produce the desired arc. Then again electricity flows better at cooler temps.... However when you turn the lights on in a blast freezer they take much longer to get bright then they would at normal temps.... that's the line of thought I was on. Not sure if it's valid or not.

Interesting . . . I'm not sure if it's valid either lol, but this is exactly the kind of thoughtful consideration I was looking for. Kudos!

 

[cannawizard]

My thought on this goes into how a plasma arc must reach a certain temperature to produce the correct spectrum of light, temperature is frequency is color. At ridiculously cold temperatures it may require higher voltage/amperage to produce the desired arc. Then again electricity flows better at cooler temps.... However when you turn the lights on in a blast freezer they take much longer to get bright then they would at normal temps.... that's the line of thought I was on. Not sure if it's valid or not.

*hi'gh. cool post.. uumm, any links/info where someone could research what you just stated?

--thnx budd

 

[4mula420]

the change in temps will cause condensation in duct work and it will drip everywhere

 

[Specialboy]

the change in temps will cause condensation in duct work and it will drip everywhere

Ah good shout

 

[Phillip J Fry]

i was wondering this also, condensation could def be a problem. I even started to build a vent box that would suck from outside but quit with it only half complete.


**i love leela

 

[Whatstrain]

i was thinking of this too but was always wondering about the condensation and if it would be too cold (-50c sometimes) but i decided that im just going to crack the window with smaller fan pulling cold air in and having the cold air come out 2 or three feet from where the intake to cool my lights is. I think the best bet is just finding that distance between the two where its pulling in 50% of the rooms warmer air and 50% of the air from outside.

 

[stems&seeds]

I've tried this with little to no success. As previously mentioned, condensation will be your biggest issue. I could not combat it effectively and eventually threw in the towel.
Whatstrain: you kind of have the right idea if I'm reading you correctly. I have a sealed room within another room. I ran an intake fan pulling outside air into the general room. Then another intake fan pulling this cold air into the sealed room. (Outside air) ->inside ->sealed environment
This setup worked very well for me.

 

[infrared]

the change in temps will cause condensation in duct work and it will drip everywhere

I've tried this with little to no success. As previously mentioned, condensation will be your biggest issue. I could not combat it effectively and eventually threw in the towel.
Whatstrain: you kind of have the right idea if I'm reading you correctly. I have a sealed room within another room. I ran an intake fan pulling outside air into the general room. Then another intake fan pulling this cold air into the sealed room. (Outside air) ->inside ->sealed environment
This setup worked very well for me.

Thanks for the insight, guys. Any chance you could deal with the condensation by having the ducting heading upward so that any drops drain back down and to the outside rather than toward the lights?

So stems, just so I'm clear, you're saying the cold air is run into the bigger room, which allows you to intake colder air into the sealed room without dealing with the problem of condensation? Also, I thought a 'sealed' room means the air recirculates, which is done to facilitate CO2 supplementation?

 

[DrFever]

i use fresh winter air for my intake and yes when useing aluminum ducting condensation will build and drip in excess dies it effect lighting nope, it
as for humidity its great in veg when goin to flower de-humidfier is much needed

quick fix is to build a wall inbetween your actual room and cold air in allowing it time to sorta warm up would help with the dripping haveing a fan blow it then into room

 

[bowlfullofbliss]

I use cold outside air all winter. Not one drop of condensation. My fan turns on with my lights, air temp this last winter was down into the 10's and 20's for the entire winter. That air is about 100 degrees by the time it goes out of the duct work.

 

[researchkitty]

I've done this for years. You'll be fine.

 

[infrared]

I've done this for years. You'll be fine.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. Pretty sure I'm going to try this when I build a new room to replace my DR150.

Kitty, I've read through most of your journal and to hear it works for a grower of your caliber, that's good enough for me! Hope you can stop by when I start my own log soon

 

[cannawizard]

*hi'gh. sorry about moving your thread out of AMC, but i feel you would get more in-regards to your Qs in this forum. thank you for posting @t RIU

--cheers
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