Questions about hid lights... Please

kpm2335

kpm2335

Member
I have a 600 watt ,mh/hps,dimmable,digital ballast and inline hood. The questions that i have are

1. Is it normal for them to make few funny noises when warming up?

2. the ballast got really hot as well ,is that normal?

3. how powerful of a fan will i need to cool this hot son of a bitch lol temp got to like 84.5 degrees and rising little less than 5 foot from light with tent door open

4. when i do cool it how close will my lil babies be able to grow to it, my tent is only 6 foot tall and i want them as tall as possible


anybody who could cover these few questions would be really helpful and i would appreciate the help as i am new to all this THANKS!!
 
Bluntcuts

Bluntcuts

Active Member
1) Mine makes some when I start it yes. The bulb does.

2) Really hot as in how hot? not being able to touch it? I run a 250w hps and my ballast stays warm to cool.

3) Depends on how powerful you want it too be. I would get at least a 400 cfm

4) This depends on how much heat you can suck out of the light. Use the back of your hand, if its too hot for you, its definately too hot for your plants
 
Elite Nugz

Elite Nugz

Active Member
I have a 600 watt ,mh/hps,dimmable,digital ballast and inline hood. The questions that i have are

1. Is it normal for them to make few funny noises when warming up?
What makes a funny noise?? Your ballast or your bulb?? Bulbs usually make a little buzzing sound until they are fully ignited.

2. the ballast got really hot as well ,is that normal?
Electronic Ballast shouldnt get very hot. If its really that hot, then I would take it back and ask to exchange it for a new one.
3. how powerful of a fan will i need to cool this hot son of a bitch lol temp got to like 84.5 degrees and rising little less than 5 foot from light with tent door open
Too many factors involved to be able to answer this question accurately. For basic air exchange, you want enough CFM that can clear your entire area in under 5 minutes. As far as temps... that would depend on the size of your grow area.. and the temp of the air being pulled in.
4. when i do cool it how close will my lil babies be able to grow to it, my tent is only 6 foot tall and i want them as tall as possible
Put your hand at the top of your tallest branch. If you had can sit there for a while and still be comfortable, then your plants will be too.


anybody who could cover these few questions would be really helpful and i would appreciate the help as i am new to all this THANKS!!
 
thc&me

thc&me

Active Member
HID bulbs do burn very hot. They're not well suited for confined spaces unless you have abundant ventilation and/or your growing area is air-conditioned. Controlling that heat is one of the greatest obstacles that I and many others have had to face. Your plants will vegetate fine in 30C temperatures, but once flowering begins, you'll need to lower that lights-on temp by 3-4 degrees. My ballasts run quite hot as well, so I definitely make sure there's nothing flammable nearby. You do leave your ballasts outside your tent, right?
 
kpm2335

kpm2335

Member
the noise that it makes i think its the bulb but it is a funny white noise lol type of noise, yes my ballast is on the outside of the tent and yes you can touch it without burning yourself but it is significantly hot , and the question regarding the amount of cfms i will need to cool, my tent is 4x5x6 feet that is with a 600 watt air cooled hood and i would like the plants to be able to grow right up to the glass if possible so how many cfms would i need??? thanks for replying to my questions the answers were helpful plus rep for all who reply . If someone could help me out with the amount of cfm i will need my fan to pull i would appreciate it THANKS!!
 
Illegal Smile

Illegal Smile

Well-Known Member
Plants cannot grow up to the glass in any case. There is no simple formula where x cfms gives you y temperatures. It depends on many factors - ambient room temp, ability to get cool air in (how cool?) and ability to get hot air out (to where?). I run a 600 in a closet that is 2.5 by 3.5 and 8 ft high, but I have the doors open when the light is on, two fans in the ducting and three others doing circulation around the plants - and I still have heat issues. I can't imagine it in a closed grow tent unless there is AC or other below room temp air involved.
 
MrStickyScissors

MrStickyScissors

Well-Known Member
kpm2335 said:
the noise that it makes i think its the bulb but it is a funny white noise lol type of noise, yes my ballast is on the outside of the tent and yes you can touch it without burning yourself but it is significantly hot , and the question regarding the amount of cfms i will need to cool, my tent is 4x5x6 feet that is with a 600 watt air cooled hood and i would like the plants to be able to grow right up to the glass if possible so how many cfms would i need??? thanks for replying to my questions the answers were helpful plus rep for all who reply . If someone could help me out with the amount of cfm i will need my fan to pull i would appreciate it THANKS!!
Click to expand...
my exhaust fan is 750 cfm and runs at 2500 rpm keeps it pretty cool
 
kpm2335

kpm2335

Member
Illegal Smile said:
Plants cannot grow up to the glass in any case. There is no simple formula where x cfms gives you y temperatures. It depends on many factors - ambient room temp, ability to get cool air in (how cool?) and ability to get hot air out (to where?). I run a 600 in a closet that is 2.5 by 3.5 and 8 ft high, but I have the doors open when the light is on, two fans in the ducting and three others doing circulation around the plants - and I still have heat issues. I can't imagine it in a closed grow tent unless there is AC or other below room temp air involved.
Click to expand...
so what do you think is an ideal setup to operate the 600 watt at ideal temps??
 
kpm2335

kpm2335

Member
Illegal Smile said:
Plants cannot grow up to the glass in any case. There is no simple formula where x cfms gives you y temperatures. It depends on many factors - ambient room temp, ability to get cool air in (how cool?) and ability to get hot air out (to where?). I run a 600 in a closet that is 2.5 by 3.5 and 8 ft high, but I have the doors open when the light is on, two fans in the ducting and three others doing circulation around the plants - and I still have heat issues. I can't imagine it in a closed grow tent unless there is AC or other below room temp air involved.
Click to expand...
not to discredit you or anything but ive actually seen plants grow up to the glass on many hid air cooled grows and 600 watt hids in grow tents?
 
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