Heating question.

Okay guys.

I’ve tried about everything to keep my grow tent at a consistent temperature. From heating the garage with a space heater, putting the space heater in the tent, turning my intake exhaust fan off every few hours to warm things back up but nothing seemed to work... UNTIL I had an idea to put a 100w incandescent bulb in the tent. Bam. It’s fixed, cold nights I’m at 75 and more mild nights around 81. Perfect fix for winter

Now my question is since that bulb (incandescent) is on all the time, should my LED grow light be on 24/0 too? or is 18/6 still okay even if for the 6 hours of ‘dark’ the incandescent bulb is on.

Cheese auto
DWC
PH 5.3-5.7
PPM 500
RH 50-65
Week 3 Veg.

Thank you!
RF.

RF90 said:

Okay guys.

I’ve tried about everything to keep my grow tent at a consistent temperature. From heating the garage with a space heater, putting the space heater in the tent, turning my intake exhaust fan off every few hours to warm things back up but nothing seemed to work... UNTIL I had an idea to put a incandescent bulb in the tent. Bam. It’s fixed, cold nights I’m at 77 and more mild nights around 81. Perfect fix for winter

Now my question is since that bulb is on 24/7 now should my LED grow light be on 24/7 too? or is 18/6 still okay even if for the 6 hours of ‘dark’ the incandescent bulb is on.

Cheese auto
DWC
PH 5.3-5.7
PPM 500
RH 50-65
Week 3 Veg.

Thank you!
RF.

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With LEDs you will want a dark period for at least for some strains or you will stress your plants. Not sure if complete darkness is required when working with leds. You may be able to get away with turning on the incandescent bulb when the led is off to increase the temps without stressing the girls. But if your growing photoperiods you have to think about what to do in flower.

Dreminen169 said:

With LEDs you will want a dark period for at least for some strains or you will stress your plants. Not sure if complete darkness is required when working with leds. You may be able to get away with turning on the incandescent bulb when the led is off to increase the temps without stressing the girls. But if your growing photoperiods you have to think about what to do in flower.

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I’m growing an auto flower so that makes me feel a little better about it but I just want to make sure I’m not confusing the plant.

How many watt incandescent bulb is keeping it warm? How many watt was the space heater?

printer said:

How many watt incandescent bulb is keeping it warm?

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100w

it’s in a clamp light fixture in the tent but away from the plant. I was trying to use a 1500w space heater. The space heater also dried the air out which killed my RH.

You’ll be fine with an auto.

RF90 said:

100w

it’s in a clamp light fixture in the tent but away from the plant. 1500w space heater. Saving wayyy more energy with the bulb.

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But the 1500W space heater could not keep it warm but the 100W light does? The space heater should have a thermostat, if you set the temperature of the thermostat to what temperature the light is keeping things the heater may take more power when in use but it will be on for almost 5% of the time.

printer said:

How many watt incandescent bulb is keeping it warm? How many watt was the space heater?

Click to expand...

printer said:

But the 1500W space heater could not keep it warm but the 100W light does? The space heater should have a thermostat, if you set the temperature of the thermostat to what temperature the light is keeping things the heater may take more power when in use but it will be on for almost 5% of the time.

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yeah the only problem is where my intake brings in cold air from the garage the space heater is constantly working to keep it at that specific temp I set it to. Which in turn has it running all the time trying to keep up and drying the air out. It worked fine when it was in the tent but it was always off and on (repeat).

What temp is your garage? I keep mine at 63 and my dwc temps hover 60-65f lights off to on. My grow chamber is about 75f when my hps is on and about 63 when lights off. Grows biggest roots like fills the 5 gallon bucket and gows 3/4 to 1/2 lb per plant depending how i maintain my ph pretty much.

Kdoggy said:

What temp is your garage? I keep mine at 63 and my dwc temps hover 60-65f lights off to on. My grow chamber is about 75f when my hps is on and about 63 when lights off. Grows biggest roots like fills the 5 gallon bucket and gows 3/4 to 1/2 lb per plant depending how i maintain my ph pretty much.

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Usually the garage is around 50-60f on nights in the 30s.

It is 200sqft finished but not heated.

RF90 said:

yeah the only problem is where my intake brings in cold air from the garage the space heater is constantly working to keep it at that specific temp I set it to. Which in turn has it running all the time trying to keep up and drying the air out. It worked fine when it was in the tent but it was always off and on (repeat).

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But that is what it is suppose to do in the tent, turn on and off. That is the job of the thermostat. The heater would be way oversized for a tent but it is ok that you have a solution with the light bulb. Wrap it in aluminum foil to shield the tent from the light.

RF90 said:

Usually the garage is around 50-60f on nights in the 30s.

It is 200sqft finished but not heated.

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O ya ok way to cold. I actually use my hps to help heat the garsge i just vent it outa chamber to garage but i also threw in a old furnace to heat the garage then i can hang out in there.

printer said:

But that is what it is suppose to do in the tent, turn on and off. That is the job of the thermostat. The heater would be way oversized for a tent but it is ok that you have a solution with the light bulb. Wrap it in aluminum foil to shield the tent from the light.

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Thank you for the tip! I just decided to switch over to 24/0 lighting so no need to cover the bulb. It’s an auto.

RF90 said:

Thank you for the tip! I just decided to switch over to 24/0 lighting so no need to cover the bulb. It’s an auto.

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So I’ll have the LED and the incandescent light running always which will get me through this grow in the cold months!

RF90 said:

So I’ll have the LED and the incandescent light running always which will get me through this grow in the cold months!

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Just a heads up. But if you put a Tupperware with water and a towel half in half out that would help your humidity issue while still using the heater.