Help needed: Cannot keep my temp down - an 18+ month fight (pics)

[Mr Chomsky]

Hello ozstoners long time lurker (since the .cjb.net days) first time whinger

 

Here is a story

 

After putting in about 2g on a student salery towards my grow box over the last 2 years I have continously tried to get it off the ground until just before last christmas I decided it was time to smash my fucking fist into it almost breaking bones and give up..... but now im back! you wont get the better of me hps light!

 

I simply cannot get passed the test stage... HPS goes on, fan goes on, temp goes up 10+ degrees celcius in under 20 minutes

 

The setup

 

600hps, glass cover, fan attached

Square pc fan attached to hood

active outtake (larger then) passive intake

 

Things to note

 

I realize the temperature will build up in the shed itself outside of the box once everything is in full swing and I already have more venting and a smell get-ridof-er (forget the technical name its been so long since i was doing this) that attaches to the outtake hole and goes straight to a hole in the shed. That will all come once I can actually get the first half of the bloody ventilation system to work

 

Plans once this (if ever) is finally conquered is a four plant hydro drip and drain scrog setup

 

Box shut

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8995/boxclosedkf6.jpg

Box open

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/7096/boxopenxj2.jpg

Light, fan attached to hood

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/126/ventfx2.jpg

Diagnol oposite side of hood

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/1045/hooduf0.jpg

active outake (fan on hood at other end)

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/6728/exhausttz9.jpg

Look down outake

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4997/rabitholenq2.jpg

Passive Intake, bottom back right corner of box

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4950/passiveintakers7.jpg

Slight air/light gap on bottom of the doors

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/1188/lightleakondoorer8.jpg

Edited September 19, 2006 by Mr Chomsky

[nugget]

G'day Mr. Chomsky

 

First off, that looks like a very small cabinet to be running a 600w HPS in there, imo (which dont mean much really ) you'd be far better off, and it would make it more manageable with a 400w HPS in there.

 

Secondly, what temps are you getting?, I read ya post and dont think you mentioned that part? You mentioned it goes up 10° but didnt say what it went up to.

 

[Stoney]

hey there mate welcome the the crew

 

i would suggest a bigger heat extraction duct and probably a better fan to suck as much heat out as possible mate thats all i could thing of and maybe a small fan inside the room blowing cold air onto the plants

 

hope this helps

 

cheerz :Dj:

[Mr Chomsky]

Hey thanks for the replies fellas

 

The box dimensions are about 1.5m x 1m x 1m or roughly there abouts, cant really remember

 

So a 400w would probably in hindsight be a better option now but at the time of buying most of it I just had to go for that powerhouse 600

 

A bigger fan would also be nice but my local stores go from those square style pc fans (which they assured me attached straight onto the hood and with my dimensions would be suffient) straight to $300 big cyclone blowing psycho ones and I am reluctant to spend the money and all the effort of somehow rigging it all up....

 

I guess I will be forced to down grade light or upgrade fan but if no other solutions come about

 

I'll run out n grab the pad I wrote down the temp changes on....

 

Todays test making sure both ends of the vent were maticulously air tight as possible

 

Time temp/humidity

 

2:15pm 24.6c/54% (before turned on)

3:00pm 34.1c/35%

[keepleft]

have u tried turning the light on at night and off during the day? temps are cooler at night

 

assuming you have done this, next best thing is grab a 6 inch axial fan (recommend zheil) there only about $110 and would work much better than that pc fan. you should be able to buy online.

 

and you can use the pc fan as a passive intake instead!

 

i

[mull]

How about a second extraction fan like the one you have now mate? Can try it out.

 

If you got the dough, maybe a bigger fan, pulling thro a mini carbon filter, mounted high in the box.

 

Good work and good luck there

[maxgrow]

I can understand your problem but we can help you.

 

The PC Fans on thier own definately not enough (they do ot have sufficient pulling or push power) that said you can get more flow from them with this simple solution (regardless of what some may tell you).

 

it - hotglue 2 or 3 PC fans together (ge the direction right) and place on directly on the inlet and exhaust sides of the light. use the inlet side to extract the hot stale air from the room, route the exhuast directly outside (it will not have enough power-output to filter the air). Also use several fans to push fresh air into the grow room at floor level (it is much cooler down there).

 

Lastly it will make a big difference if you use the daytime hours as your plants night cycle (beaware you must have 100% light proof for this to work effectively in regard to plant life cycles). Use the night cycle as your plants daytime cycle, MJ needs a temperature difference of 10 degrees from night cycle to day cycle to get maximum benefit of grow cycle etc.

 

A side benefit here in Tassie ( fro those of us on "Pay as you go" power get to run our lightsd on at the cheapest time of day (1/3 the morning rate).

 

I have been using this grow cycle for a year + now - it has solved a couple of delemmas for me.

 

Give it a try !

[two2time]

hi there , just thought when you remove air from your box without a good inflow of freash air will give you a neg preasure inside your box.. when this happens your temp will rise very hi and go out of control..

 

there would be two things i would do :

 

1 . Cut inlet holes close to the floor to get better intake of air. cost nothing....

 

2 . go to your hardware store and buy two 250mm bathroom fans . the cost of this will be around $100..

 

By doing this you will be daging tru new air and replacing your hot air..Many peps say you can not use a 600 w in a small place , I disaggree with this thought as it is only light but you must be able to remove the heat from this light real fast . I belive this is the key to your prob.

 

I have just made a box 1200w 600d 1400 high and i have 850w in it .. now my temp stays on 26deg all day but i have 3 250mm bathroom fans which pulls thru the air in such a rate it does not stay the long enough to get to hot in there.

 

just my thought i hope this helps...

 

 

tt

[420Downunder]

Follow the advise given and you should beat the heat, of course you'll only lower it to the ambient temp of the air surrounding the box or the outside air if you have the intake ducted to outside. If this is too hot then only an aircon will help.

[Gazza2001au]

ive been thru the same problem as u can can tell u now that sunon fan is fuckin hopeless for aircooled hoods i use two sunon 120mm fans converted into inline fans with spigots one in one out done very little a 400w was controlable 600w didnt work to well.... u either need a 4"-6" axal or centrifugal fan to fit ur ducting thats all u need if u cant afford one of those sell the aircooled hood u have and buy a cool tube the fan u use will be the size of the tube needing way less air moving thru the tube/shade to keep things cool but as i said those small 120mm sunon fans do jack! also the idea of aircooled shades is u need to duct the inlet from a cool sorce ie: under house, another cool room etc... Edited September 19, 2006 by Gazza2001au