It's gettin hot in here!

ToneOZ

Well-Known Member
Hey riu. Have some nice bubblelicious and northern lights seedlings on an ebb and flow table. Currently 8 of them under 2 four foot shop lights. Room is approximately 15 ft long by 11 ft wide by 6.5 feet tall. I have a window air unit approx 5000 btus running keeping the room 72 degrees. Also running a 10" 700 something cfm exhaust directly out the opposite side of the air unit. Being that my seedlings are ready for more light I installed my 1000w lumatek mh lamp as high as it would go in the room. I come back an hour or so later to temps of 90 degrees. The ballast was placed right below the air conditioner and away from lamp. The lamp hood is an old hydro farm box type relector. Any reason why the temp jump to 90f? It was at 84f for a good hour before I left the room. Then an hour later I come back to a heat wave! Temps outdoors are 73f. What the heck?! Someone help a brother out!
 

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
1. I believe your BTU window unit is just too small for the size room you are trying to cool, and having a 1000W aint helping.
2. How do you have your exhaust set up? It will do no good to have your exhaust pulling out the heat along with the cool air your ac is trying really hard to put out. Then your AC never has a chance to re-cool the air....it just runs constantly never cooling the same air twice which is counterproductive. I cant say with certainty since I have no clue how your room is set up, but you will likely need an air cooled hood to exhaust the heat from the light out without pulling your AC air out in the process.
3. If you can, put your ballast outside of the tent/room since it is just an added heat source.

Any more details of the setup of your room would help others in helping you.
Got any pics? Those say 1000 words.
 

ToneOZ

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reply red. Here's a pic. Exhaust vent is out a window opposite of the ac window. And putting the ballast in an other room isn't an option
 

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Mount

Well-Known Member
^^^ What Hydro said... air cooled hood, which exhausts out of the room and more details please..
 

Mount

Well-Known Member
Does it have glass or open? Looks like a 4 inch vent.. you could get some exhaust out of it, but for a 1000 watt, it is small if it is 4 inch...4 inch fans are usually only 200cfm or less... but something is better than nothing..
 

ToneOZ

Well-Known Member
Then inline fan is hanging in the center ceiling and going 5 feet out a window. The ducting is insulated 10". I'm guessing I will need a true cool tube reflector. Possibly a new air conditioner? How will pulling through the cool tube not be the same as pulling straight out of the room. What if I ran with a regular open batting reflector? How would I battle temps that way?
 

ToneOZ

Well-Known Member
@ mount: no reservoir is 45 gallon. I planned origanlly on these plants becoming mother plants in the table under floroz. But I really needed clones soon so I figured more light would help achieve that. Now heat is a big prob. The plants head room is 46" from top of table to ceiling.also the reflector is open
 

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the pics, they really do help tremendously. The open bat wing wont work for you with inadequate cooling. Your best best would probably be to get an air cooled hood with glass covering the reflector, then have an exhaust fan dedicated just for the light. Have an intake coming from your window to one side of the light, then vent it out the other side of the light back out your window. Then you are using outside air to cool the light without exhausting your AC air.
 

Mount

Well-Known Member
If they will be mother, personally I would use T5's for that... save the 1000watt for flowering or veg if you have that many plants going... I would get the duct from the exhaust fan close to the face of the hood being open to help pull the heat out...
 

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
I agree with Mount....save the heat wave lights for flowers and veg/keep the mommas under Fluoros/T5's. Less heat/energy etc.
 

ToneOZ

Well-Known Member
Well I appreciate the help guys. I'm going to get a 8-10k btu a/c and go buy an air cooled hood and see how that works out. Until then I'll just keep it simple
 

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
So hydro,bit is a must that the cool tube gets its own inline extraction?

If you want to keep the AC air in the room yes, unless you can afford to waste the ac air sucked through the light then out the window. Your AC will run non stop like that though. Its the equivelant of running your ac in your house with your windows open and a fan blowing out. Thats about the simplest remedy I can think of at the moment for your room.
 
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