CFL grow cab heat

R

robsmoker

Member
I have just finished my first cfl grow cab and I think heat will be an issue.

Its 6'w x3'd x 5" tall I plan on growing 4 beautiful ladies using 24 23W cfl from the top with 6 42w cfl lining the sides. So far I have only 14 of the lights hanging from power strip and it a bit toasty inside. For ventalation I have installed a 4" 190 cfm filter fan combo with a 8x4 passive intake coupled with a 240 cfm fan for a seperate intake I sat in there with only the 14 lights and started sweating pretty quick.

When I hook up the rest of my lights will heat be a factor and should i hook up a comp fan to my passive intake or use comp fans in any other way or anything any advice is much appreciated

On another note my cab is not air tight I have a bunch of areas for air to get in for ventalation I have worked a lot on this cab any feed back would be nice. Thanks a lot happy growing for everyone on RIU peace
 
G

growone

Well-Known Member
you will need some sort of thermometer in there, i know it's another expense
but it will make a huge difference, you need a good temperature to grow properly
 
Stylez C

Stylez C

Member
where are the pics?? and a thermometer is under $10. timers too. no fans on timers tho'. 24/7 with them. unless you have abig grow, then ur vent fans go on timers.
robsmoker said:
I have just finished my first cfl grow cab and I think heat will be an issue.

Its 6'w x3'd x 5" tall I plan on growing 4 beautiful ladies using 24 23W cfl from the top with 6 42w cfl lining the sides. So far I have only 14 of the lights hanging from power strip and it a bit toasty inside. For ventalation I have installed a 4" 190 cfm filter fan combo with a 8x4 passive intake coupled with a 240 cfm fan for a seperate intake I sat in there with only the 14 lights and started sweating pretty quick.

When I hook up the rest of my lights will heat be a factor and should i hook up a comp fan to my passive intake or use comp fans in any other way or anything any advice is much appreciated

On another note my cab is not air tight I have a bunch of areas for air to get in for ventalation I have worked a lot on this cab any feed back would be nice. Thanks a lot happy growing for everyone on RIU peace
Click to expand...
 
LTsmoker

LTsmoker

Active Member
Do you mean 6'x3'x5' instead of 5"? I use 2 measurements on the temps. One is a permanent analog thermometer, the ones cooks use with the long metal stem. This is on the top with the probe inside the cabinet and clock face read out only shows outside. Then I take a reading on the bottom with a precise digital meter and heat probe I have. I can detect a 8 degree difference on the bottom most of the time. I find the more CFLs the higher the heat goes up. Fans to the rescue........a comp fan imo is too small. 24.95 commercial duct exhaust fan works wonders, 3 mins of fan time temp will drop dramatically, 10-12 degrees.... good luck on your grow,,,,,,,,,,,
 
SunnyJim

SunnyJim

Well-Known Member
Post pics please. If you're already concerned about temperatures rising, add more cooling before you start your grow. It's much easier to perform surgery on your grow box when there aren't plants living inside it.

For a box of that size, I would have two pc fans near the bottom as intake, and 2 pc fans near the top as exhaust.
 
R

robsmoker

Member
SunnyJim said:
Post pics please. If you're already concerned about temperatures rising, add more cooling before you start your grow. It's much easier to perform surgery on your grow box when there aren't plants living inside it.

For a box of that size, I would have two pc fans near the bottom as intake, and 2 pc fans near the top as exhaust.
Click to expand...


Pics coming soon I have reduced the lighting to 6 26w cfl and room was at 84 degrees at 3am. New to this site should post a new thread with my pics or add to this wanna give more detail
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
My cfl cab is 20"x26" no ceiling on it though my house ceilings are 10 ft or so.. but I use 24 26 watt cfls for top light and some 42s on the sides. End up just over 700 watts. So for your size I would definitely add more light. I use box fans to cool works amazing
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
20" box fans I use are 2142 cfm. A few 15 dollar box fans at wall mart will put out more air than anything for the price.
 
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