CFL Heat Question

I wanted the opinion of some experienced CFL users on a possible heat flaw in my design...

Small Grow Box, 12 Cubic Feet of Grow Space. I'm using 8 CFLs, a mix of 100 and 150 watt equivlent bulbs. 2 Plants using LST.

My exhaust fan runs at a speed of 25 CFM. Do you think this is a fast enough fan to keep the box at a reasonable temp? I also plan on putting 1-2 PC fans within the box blowing towards the lights.

I am asking this opinion because the fan I have is the only one like it and if the majority of you guys think I will need to buy a faster fan I will have to redesign the exhaust system.

Thanks!

the fans your thinking of using should be ok enough to move some air and keep the temps at hot but not burning. Use two PC fans for sure ...maybe use them to bring cool air into the room if possible..if not try and keep the door open for a bit throughout the day... then again your talking about a possible 800 to 1000 watt cfl grow.. i did mine with 340-450 in a 2x4x5 space using just a wall fan and small compact fan ..but i also kept my door open most of the time to let the cool air in. use as many of those PC fans as you can maybe. I'm sure you know but it's not the bulbs giving off the heat ..it's the ballast

No he said 100-150 watt equivalent-a useless rating to us. That means hes using a mix of 23 and 42 watt bulbs, so total possible watts is 336 if they are all the 150 watt equivalent's.

What your box is 2x2x3? Do you not have it finished? Why not just turn it on and see what the temps are like and if the one fan is enough instead of asking us to guess?

Serialkiller is right.
Do some of your own research and experimentation first, then, when you are stuck and cant find the answer, then ask.

Its rude to ask someone to do your guessing for you.

^agreed.i have a 1x2x3 cabinet with 9-11 24 watters and i just use the cheap 80cfm inline fan from the depot. my temps stay under 78 if its sucking.and under 85 if its blowing with passive exh.

I've got 10, 26 W CFL's running, and a 450 CFM for exhause, and 2 50 CFM bathroom fans for intake. My temps are still at 80 degrees consistently. My exhaust fan broke at one point, when I got home from work it was just over 100 degrees in there... My room is also air tight.

So from my grow, and personal expierence I would have to say that you aren't going to be able to keep temps where you want them with a mere 20 CFM fan... That's just my $0.02

HookdOnChronics said:

I've got 10, 26 W CFL's running, and a 450 CFM for exhause, and 2 50 CFM bathroom fans for intake. My temps are still at 80 degrees consistently. My exhaust fan broke at one point, when I got home from work it was just over 100 degrees in there... My room is also air tight.

So from my grow, and personal expierence I would have to say that you aren't going to be able to keep temps where you want them with a mere 20 CFM fan... That's just my $0.02

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Dude your problem is your intake fans, if you have a fan that can exhaust 450CFM and your only taking in 100CFM then your only able to exhaust 100cfm with your fan even tho thats not 1/4 of what its capable of.

Also you realize it takes a 6" vortex style fan or a squirl cage blower to move 450CFM, no little inline fan is going to move that, I hope thats what you have and no one lied to you when you bought something small.

guys serisely tho if your using cfl just and its a small grow with one or two plants just put a small rotating fan that you can get from a dollar store hang it somehow towards the top by the light and rotate the heat from the top to the bottom to even it out cfls make heat but nothing to write home about. But in an air tight container (which one out of four are airtight) you have to get into a good air flow system.