DIY Cool Tube How-To

7th1der

Well-Known Member
Hey man, nice work, very custom looking:bigjoint: What r u using for the reflector part? Most importantly, hows the temp drop? bongsmilie

I used aluminum duct something for the reflector, just cut it to fit. Don't remember the name though. you'll see it in Home Depot in the ducting section. temps are 83ish but think they will drop after I add an addition intake hole. wish me luck! lol
 

richjames

Well-Known Member
For sure man good luck! I tried tubin my old 400 but didn't get it nearly as good as urs. It was basically a 'passive' exhaust on it with just a 4in duct running from my ac for an intake, lol.. I finally broke down and bought a new hps with an air cooled hood and wow,low 70's 6in from the glass! I got nothin against the diy stuff, love it actually, just havent found myself to be thathandy with it. If u get enough air goin through that thing, u can get the the temps WAY down there!
 

Veilside420

Active Member
Hey man I hope you still check this thread cause I have a question for you...

I am building a grow closet in a old fridge and I need a way to cool a 250w hps bulb and this seems like a perfect idea! But what do I need for the actual light? I see the socket but were is the ballast and were can I get the socket and how does it attach to the ballast? any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
 

richjames

Well-Known Member
There's a pretty detailed 'how-to' on cooltubes in the faq that'll walk ya right through buiding a cool tube. Ur ballast, is the power supply for the light itself, think of it like an amplifier for ur car speakers. It's location depends on the type of light setup but it is normally located SEPARATELY from the grow space to keep the heat it produces out of there(this is called a 'remote ballast'). It connects to the bulb socket via a power suppply cord that simply plugs right into the ballast. Now, if u have an older light, the ballast may be located in the hood of the light itself, in which case u'd need to take apart the light, and romove the ballast and probobly the socket too from the hood, then go from there adding the longer wires needed. Hope this helped, lemme know how it turns out.
....Oh ya, all the parts u need like sockets, ballasts, cords, etc.... can be found at ur local hydro shop or online. Check out htgsupply.com- they got some sweet stuff, and reasonably priced. I order all my lighting stuff from those guys now since my hydro store want like $2,000 for a fricken 400w setup! Anyways, good luck man.
 

7th1der

Well-Known Member
Yeah, what richjames said! I sit my ballast on top of the cabinet. It has like a to or 15 ft cord so I can practically put it outside the closet if I wanted to but I chose to keep it outta site. I modified this design and when I get a chance, Imma post pics of the modifications. Alot simpler than using the metal rod thing I used in the beginning. Good luck toyou dude and be careful with the temps inside of that fridge.
 

Veilside420

Active Member
Yeah, what richjames said! I sit my ballast on top of the cabinet. It has like a to or 15 ft cord so I can practically put it outside the closet if I wanted to but I chose to keep it outta site. I modified this design and when I get a chance, Imma post pics of the modifications. Alot simpler than using the metal rod thing I used in the beginning. Good luck toyou dude and be careful with the temps inside of that fridge.
thanks man Im just having a bitch of a time finding a bake a round or anything for that matter... I was at home depot today however and I noticed they have 75w hps lights meant for hanging on a post for 37.99!!! Im thinking of getting 2 and putting them in the same tube once I can find one...
 

7th1der

Well-Known Member
thanks man Im just having a bitch of a time finding a bake a round or anything for that matter... I was at home depot today however and I noticed they have 75w hps lights meant for hanging on a post for 37.99!!! Im thinking of getting 2 and putting them in the same tube once I can find one...

Hey, before you order from eBay, check your local Thrift Store/Goodwill. Heard a lot of people get lucky there and spend less than $10, sometimes less than $5.
 

poundpusher2009

Well-Known Member
Very Nice. Im gonna try to make one of these within the next few weeks. Well see where I get. I was thinking of trying to make a 3 stage vertical but figured you would need to add a couple more steps to have a spot to plug into. Ill keep ya posted on how progress has gone. Thanks for the diy information.
 

7th1der

Well-Known Member
I removed the SIMPSON Strong-Tie 18" aluminum strap and re-attached the mogul socket to the 'All System Cord Set'. All you need is 4 machine screws (.98 @ Home Depot).





Then, fold the cord over and tape to tube so that its not necessary to feed cord through ducting. And have the opposite end totally open.

 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
I should be ordering another real cool-tube here soon. I'll post some pics here when I get it if you want. Some of this stuff looks simple, but it's the details in the engineering that make them worth the money.

Home made cool tubes rock for smaller lights! Keep up the good work 7th1der :peace:
 

7th1der

Well-Known Member
I should be ordering another real cool-tube here soon. I'll post some pics here when I get it if you want. Some of this stuff looks simple, but it's the details in the engineering that make them worth the money.

Home made cool tubes rock for smaller lights! Keep up the good work 7th1der :peace:

thanks dude, and i'll post the revision of my box when I'm done with construction.
 

richjames

Well-Known Member
Hey quick Q, sorry if u already posted it, but what are u using for an intake/exhaust for that? I got an old 400 watter layin around, ande my 'partial' colltube for it, but still gotta pick up some fans and make some more modsto the light itself.:peace:
 

7th1der

Well-Known Member
Hey quick Q, sorry if u already posted it, but what are u using for an intake/exhaust for that? I got an old 400 watter layin around, ande my 'partial' colltube for it, but still gotta pick up some fans and make some more modsto the light itself.:peace:
Intake is a 120mm PC Fan and my exhaust is a S&P TD-150 on top of my cab. Do a search keyword '7th1der' and click on the "Could use some help with my cab" threat and there should be a pic to see what I am talking about. I gave her another makover, so I might post pics in a few days.
 
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