Help needed guys

[Cooper7612]

Hey everyone im new on here so please be nice. I recently brought a 400 cooltube i intend to use to grow with. Couple questions i have. Do i need to run a cooling fan? And will the change from cfl to mh/hps hurt my plants? If anyone needs more info on my setup just ask i just dont know what info to put up. Cheers all..

 

[sub1427]

you should run a fan pulling hot air from the tube and grow room through your cooltube unless you have a massive grow space and there is room for the heat to dissipate ... Carbon filter --> cool tube --> insulated ducting pipe---> out of grow room.

Just start the lights higher... watch for burn. You should be totally fine. GL on your grow!

 

[Cooper7612]

Would it be better to suck cold air through the tube? Currently im not using a carbon filter as im still in veg but will get one soon which i planed to run on a separate fan. Then have a fan if needed to suck cold air through the tube from the room and back into the same room if that makes sense?

 

[coreywebster]

Pulling or pushing the air will work much the same with a cooltube, since there's no restriction in a cooltube.
There's an argument that you should push because the air going through the fan is considerably cooler than if you were to pull through. But its an argument and I don't believe anyone has tested both ways to see how it effects the lifespan of the fan.
I used to push mine through. But my fan was high quality and could take the static pressure either way.

 

[Cooper7612]

Pulling or pushing the air will work much the same with a cooltube, since there's no restriction in a cooltube.
There's an argument that you should push because the air going through the fan is considerably cooler than if you were to pull through. But its an argument and I don't believe anyone has tested both ways to see how it effects the lifespan of the fan.
I used to push mine through. But my fan was high quality and could take the static pressure either way.

Okay so push or pull wont really matter that is good to know. Another question i had is if i were to suck cold air from outside the grow room through the tube then back out of the grow room again will the cold air do damage to the tube globe ect ect?

 

[coreywebster]

Okay so push or pull wont really matter that is good to know. Another question i had is if i were to suck cold air from outside the grow room through the tube then back out of the grow room again will the cold air do damage to the tube globe ect ect?

Not really unless your talking freezing cold air temps, that might do something but never had to deal with that.
If your in a situation where you can pull enough cool air in to cool your light as well as provide cool air in the grow then go for it. If for some reason your restricted to how much air can be brought in then I would think that using that as intake air would be more beneficial than using it to just cool your light.

 

[Cooper7612]

Space isnt ideal in my grow room but will work its a closet 600x1200x2.4 so it will work but i dont want heat to be a issue at all. So if wanted to use 2 fans filter ducting ect what would be the best way to set it up? Fans are 6inch with 190 cfm each

 

[coreywebster]

One extracting the heat as high as possible, having a passive intake low as possible.
Second fan as you said pulling in air to the cool tube and pushing it out through a separate window or hole.
You don't want all your hot air that's been extracted to be pulled straight back into the room if you can avoid it.

Its highly possible to only use one fan to do it all. I used to run an 8" fan sucking through filter, pushing through 3x 600w cooltubes and out through a chimney in a 4x8ft tent, also did the same in a 2mx2m tent. Worked well all year round, but I do live in Europe so temps are not stupidly high most of the year.

 

[Cooper7612]

One extracting the heat as high as possible, having a passive intake low as possible.
Second fan as you said pulling in air to the cool tube and pushing it out through a separate window or hole.
You don't want all your hot air that's been extracted to be pulled straight back into the room if you can avoid it.

Its highly possible to only use one fan to do it all. I used to run an 8" fan sucking through filter, pushing through 3x 600w cooltubes and out through a chimney in a 4x8ft tent, also did the same in a 2mx2m tent. Worked well all year round, but I do live in Europe so temps are not stupidly high most of the year.

So set filter as high as possible to extract heat and combat odur through ducting and out. Then a duct from outside into the cooltube into fan then out again. What do you mean passive intake down low? Im also running a 6 inch desk fan blowing over the canopy to circulate air. Im hoping to setup for a SCROG that way i can use the cooltube nice and close during flower.

 

[Cooper7612]

One extracting the heat as high as possible, having a passive intake low as possible.
Second fan as you said pulling in air to the cool tube and pushing it out through a separate window or hole.
You don't want all your hot air that's been extracted to be pulled straight back into the room if you can avoid it.

Its highly possible to only use one fan to do it all. I used to run an 8" fan sucking through filter, pushing through 3x 600w cooltubes and out through a chimney in a 4x8ft tent, also did the same in a 2mx2m tent. Worked well all year round, but I do live in Europe so temps are not stupidly high most of the year.

Also i live in Australia so temps can get very high during summer and quite low during winter.

 

[coreywebster]

. What do you mean passive intake down low? .

The air your removing has to be replaced, so having a passive intake low means all the new fresh air goes from the bottom and is drawn out through the extraction at the top. The air travels from bottom to top. By passive I mean there is no fan bringing the new air in, just negative pressure.

 

[coreywebster]

Also i live in Australia so temps can get very high during summer and quite low during winter.

Cool, your best bet then is to go with your two fan option, then you have it should you need it in the summer and if you don't need it in winter you can always adjust your set up to one fan, or simply use a fan speed controller to slow it down and maintain higher temps when needed.

 

[Cooper7612]

The air your removing has to be replaced, so having a passive intake low means all the new fresh air goes from the bottom and is drawn out through the extraction at the top. The air travels from bottom to top. By passive I mean there is no fan bringing the new air in, just negative pressure.

Okay so how do i make the passive intake light tight for flower?

 

[Cooper7612]

Cool, your best bet then is to go with your two fan option, then you have it should you need it in the summer and if you don't need it in winter you can always adjust your set up to one fan, or simply use a fan speed controller to slow it down and maintain higher temps when needed.

 

[Cooper7612]

That sounds great!! Fan speed will control my temps!!!! Brilliant mate!

 

[coreywebster]

Okay so how do i make the passive intake light tight for flower?

A light trap. Basically a cardboard box will do, you need a couple of pieces of card in there at certain angles. This stops light from reflecting in or out.

 

[Cooper7612]

A light trap. Basically a cardboard box will do, you need a couple of pieces of card in there at certain angles. This stops light from reflecting in or out.

Will deffo look into that man thank you heaps for your help will be putting it all together tomorrow cheers heaps.

 

[coreywebster]

Will deffo look into that man thank you heaps for your help will be putting it all together tomorrow cheers heaps.

No worries! Happy growing.

 

[Cooper7612]

No worries! Happy growing.

Hey mate i built a light trap today and am waiting for it to dry from painting it black. Should work well. I have another question. Will a 4 inch carbon filter and fan be enough for heat extraction? Considering i plan to run a alternate 6 inch fan for the cooltube alone? So total is two fans one 6 inch and one 4 inch both on fan speed controlers.

 

[sub1427]

I found a good controller that runs off temp. For example, you set the temp you want the room to be at and if it gets warmer than the set temp the fan turns on... I'm a firm believer in constant air movement... Maybe put your cool tube on a separate controller... When the light is on run the fan obviously to keep your hood cool... And run the carbon filter 24/7 just for air movement. My 2 cents... I leave 3 fans on constantly just to make sure I have good circulation. GL man! Sounds like you'll be just fine!