cool tubes info

[aussie1]

I see your point with the length of duct and air flow difference.

I will get a centrifugal for each and do as you do and bring air in from outside to run through tubes and exhaust to outside.Is there any odour problems escaping through the tube that you have noticed as my tube exhaust will be going directly outside with no treatment

[Gazza2001au]

aussie1, if set up correctly no one can give u an avrage temprature unless they run there exhaust fan on a fan speed controller and adjust it daily to suit outdoors weather and adjust the fan speed to correct any drop or rise in grow room temps (u can only run the GR as cool as outdoor temps and these temps do fluctuate) so basicly cool tubes will remove around 90% of the heat produced from the lamp this was my setup it was up and running for 2 weeks before i pulled it down due to problems but again if u had read up on the coolies u'd know not to over do the exhaust with one day running cool the next running hot IMO without a fan controller u can and probably will run into problems esp with temp fluctuations u idealy setup a cool tube to run off of a single fan and that just sets the over all running temprature of the glass/bulb but our outdoors weather changes boiling hot to freezing cold with different seasons this is what plays a big part and this is what cracked my cool tube as i wasnt around to adjust the speed controller after a few hot days than 2 freezing cold days and cracked my coolie as the fan speed was still running higher to cool the lamps over those hot days

[Luke Skywalker]

I have to say that you're the only person who I've heard has had one explode /shatter due to these uses. I have a feeling the tube may have been micro-fractured in production or shipping, and this may have been enough to weaken it significantly. A glass crack can quickly get very large when large temp fluctuations occur.

 

Provided you run fans for 1/2hr before and 1/2 hr after, you shouldn't have any problems. That said, it's not a bad idea to have a fan spd control. The temp diff would have to be rapid and wild to crack symex glass without imperfections. I mean like dropping from 30-10 within seconds, it's unlikely this would cause a prob on it's own. So for those reasons, I reckon you got a freak one there gazza, which had been damaged in transit/manufacture somewhere....

 

btw, I never said avg temps, I just said that I'd found a diff of 5 degrees between my nova shade and my cool tube in favour of the latter. Whether that's an average I have no idea.... But it's a conservative temp reduction figure I think. Anything above is pretty much a bonus.

 

The smell thing is no problem if you seal the duct and connections in and out of the room properly. Get new ducting, new tape, and make a thorough job of it, and you shouldn't have a prob. I'd probably just use a single centrifugal with 2 600's. Just get a good quality one around 150-200lps or so and you'll be laughing.

[keepleft]

they work great. inside temperature of my grow room matches outside temp which is amazing.

 

i have 4 in a square. with an 8 inch centri extracting via a Y reducer to 6 inch and i also have 2 x zheil 6 inch pushing air via an 8 x 6 inch Y reducer. works a treat. nearly 4 months now and no cracks or any other damage. can keep the 1000's 30cm from plant tops.

[aussie1]

Thanks for your input it sounds like they do make a significant difference.

I didn't want to go and spend around $500 on each cool tube, fan and accessories

for a 1 or 2 degree drop,but it sounds like I can expect better than than.

 

Look forgive my ignorance, but this is why I am asking the questions because

I don't know much about the cool tubes.

From all of the pictures I can find, it seems you do away with your regular shade

( bat wing etc) is this correct, and if so, what is used to reflect the light back down

onto the canopy. I can't find many pics on the net and when I do it is hard to tell

if people are doing a DIY set up or if it is a stock standard off the shelf set up.

Regards

aussie

Edited December 8, 2006 by aussie1

[Chato]

I've run em a few times ducted off a/c and fans. when ducting off the a/c the glass used to get super cold at night and heat up quite a bit during day, never had a prob. run another that had a slight crack in the glass from construction it also went good. runnin off a/c youll be able to kiss the glass and have plants resting against it.

 

peace

c

[Gazza2001au]

go for some type of wing reflector or adjusta shade the internal shades are only any good for wardrobes

[aussie1]

I have sourced all of the parts for cool tube, $125 for the cool tube and

$230 for the fan plus ducting etc, times 2 as I have 2 lights, so I am looking

at an investment of around $750 but I figure that from here on I will claw

that back on savings on the power bill as I hope I don't need the air con

as much.

QUESTION?

I will mount the centrifugal fan on the exhaust end of the ducting of course

but should I have it as close as possible to the cool tube, or half way along

the ducting, it seems like it would have more cooling power if it was right

next to the globe/cool tube.