sickstoner
Well-Known Member
is it worth it?
pc fans on a cooltube would it work
- Thread starter sickstoner
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Gastanker
Well-Known Member
Sounds alil risky. Computer fans can move alot of air if there is no or little restriction. For instance moving air from one side of a hole to another. Once you give the fan something to work again (ducting) they slow down real fast. If you put the cpu fans directly against the cool tube with no ducting it would work but then you have to worry about the fans overheating. Just being that close to a HPS bulb could burn the motor out or even just melt the parts. No way to know until you try it... Ide suggest blowing through the tube versus pulling through it - less heat exposure to the fan.
Little Tommy
Well-Known Member
I think it wouldn't be efficient enough to get the job done which is cooling the light. If you add a carbon scrubber, forget about it. In order to cool the fixture you need to move lots of air into the fixture and then back out again quickly and efficiently.
Gastanker
Well-Known Member
I completely agree that with a scrubber there is NO way a computer fan would get anything done. But at the same time I have a 60 cfm duct fan cooling my 1000w and I can easily hold my hand 12 inches from the bulb. Some computer fans are rated higher then 60 cfm. Not sure that they pull as hard though.
vh13
Well-Known Member
I'm running a 250w HPS setup using two PC slot fans to cool the bulb with great results. PC slot fans are the centrifugal/squirrel-cage type of fan, they move about 1/2 as much air as the radial types but can build negative pressure better, which means they can pull through ducts and filters unlike the radial PC fans. My canopy temperatures are identical to ambient temperatures outside my grow space.
The trick is, I use a separate air intake for my lights and for the plants, so I don't filter the light exhaust. In winter I've used carbon filters on the PC slot fans with only one air intake, it helps with temperatures but I wouldn't attempt that setup in summer, simply not enough power in a PC fan to control temps as much as I need without a separate air intake.
If you're running more then 250w, or you need to filter your air, then no, a PC fan will not cool an HID bulb. If, however, you can run a separate air intake for your bulb and you're running 250 watts or less then a PC fan might work.
Be warned however, in my experiments I've burned a couple of PC fan motors. Be sure to keep an eye on your HPS setup for the first few weeks if you use a PC fan. If the fan starts to make knocking or grinding noises it will soon fail, and you'll need a better exhaust solution.
The trick is, I use a separate air intake for my lights and for the plants, so I don't filter the light exhaust. In winter I've used carbon filters on the PC slot fans with only one air intake, it helps with temperatures but I wouldn't attempt that setup in summer, simply not enough power in a PC fan to control temps as much as I need without a separate air intake.
If you're running more then 250w, or you need to filter your air, then no, a PC fan will not cool an HID bulb. If, however, you can run a separate air intake for your bulb and you're running 250 watts or less then a PC fan might work.
Be warned however, in my experiments I've burned a couple of PC fan motors. Be sure to keep an eye on your HPS setup for the first few weeks if you use a PC fan. If the fan starts to make knocking or grinding noises it will soon fail, and you'll need a better exhaust solution.
sickstoner
Well-Known Member
i'm like macGyver when it comes to growing i wanna build it
Sold. Bargain, I'll have that, I'm borrowing a mates at the moment, would happily have that.
ltkipras
Active Member
dude cpu fans are designed to sit on to of a hot cpu, an hps bulb won't burn it, I have put an iron which is nearly touching a intake pc fan and it is still working
Yes! It's possible
!!! ..I'am running a 250W MH in a DIY Cool-Tube (Bake-a-round tube) and running 3X 3.7" CPU fans (+ Blue LED's) wired to a 12V transformer...I also have a separate 4" In-Line fan, 4" Odor Soc and 4" Carbon Filter to deal with Odor control...but whilst both are running my ambient temps are approx 26.2 oC ...WINNING !!!The ducting is missing from the right hand side, in this pic ...I'll add a pic below to show ya how it looks now its finished, minus a couple of wires that need hiding!
:-
CPU > DUCTING > CPU > PYREX TUBE+LAMP > DUCTING > CPU
*Here is a pic looking into the 3.7" ducting with 1 of the 3.7" CPU's on display, I used a Dremel to remove the corners of the fan casing, this allowed me to make the CPU's "IN-LINE"
I f you would like to see more etc I'll add a LINK to the above project below
:-https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/551472-ztelthys-100w-hps-tv-cabinet.html
(Originally it was going to only run 100W but I managed to get a 250W Ballast and lamp in there :Happy Dayz: )
Hope that helps - ZTELTHY
