COOL TUBES! How many CFM's is your fan?

blacksnow

blacksnow

Well-Known Member
My grow cabinet is 36" Wide x 54" Tall x 24" Deep. I'm finishing up my first grow, and plan on upgrading from my t5's to a HPS.

I'm debating between a 400W HPS and a 600W HPS. There is only a $14 difference in price, but the 600W HPS offer nearly double the lumens!

I will be using a 6" cool tube, and I'm having trouble deciding on which light to go with and what fan I will need to keep this thing cool.

I've looked at a 300CFM inline fan, and a 440CFM inline fan. The 440CFM is much larger in size, and I'm sure much louder.

Would 300CFM be enough to keep the light & box cool? I plan on having the carbon filter in my cabinet, then run from that to the cool tube, from the cool tube to the inline fan, then it would exhaust out of my cabinet.

Suggestions?

+rep for any insight
 
jesus420

jesus420

Well-Known Member
i think anything over 150 would be adequate for cooling off the light...

you need to change the air in the room once every 5 minutes.

so if your room is 500 cubic feet, you need at least 100 cfm. but more is always better, but bigger fans are louder generally

just looked at your dimensiosn you're only dealing with a few cubic feet... i think 600w might be overkill for that area... but you bought it already so just use it... tbh 250w would have been perfect.

i think anything 100-150+ will work. any other opinioins?
 
blacksnow

blacksnow

Well-Known Member
I haven't purchased the lights yet. I want to hear some opinions and plan it all out before I make any purchases.

The fans I plan on using are supposedly pretty quiet (was recommended to them by someone on here). Here is a link to the page.
Soler & Palau Commercial Centrifugal, Axial, Propeller, Exhaust and Supply Fans - Soler and Palau - HVACQuick.com
I'm looking @ the TD-150 which is 293CFM on high.

Keep in mind this fan will be pulling air through the cooltube, and also the carbon filter I will have attached to the cooltube.

I have 2 decent intake fans pushing fresh air in already. So I'm hoping with a decent fan on the cooltube it will pull the heat off the bulb and pull the stinky air through my carbon =]

I'm sure 400W HPS would be plenty it would put out about 55,000 lumens, but the 600W put out about 95,000 lumens. For $14 more it seems almost stupid not to go for it =O. Yet I don't want to run into a heat nightmare.

Trying to do my homework before I do my cabinet upgrade!


Also I will be using some dynamat type material in my box when I upgrade to reduce any noise generated by my upgraded fans =]
 
jesus420

jesus420

Well-Known Member
blacksnow said:
I'm sure 400W HPS would be plenty it would put out about 55,000 lumens, but the 600W put out about 95,000 lumens. For $14 more it seems almost stupid not to go for it =O. Yet I don't want to run into a heat nightmare.
Click to expand...
i agree i would normally say go big or go home, but you have a small grow space and HPS puts out a LOT OF HEAT, i mean you are creating literally a miniature sun, the sodium in the lamp gets heated until it reaches the 4th state of matter (plasma), which comprises the surface of the sun.

in all reality anything over 7500 lumens/sq.ft. you get little benefit... 5000 is enough for very respectable growth...

you have 6 sq.ft. so you need ~30k lumens. a 250w will give you 25k which is a little under ideal, however with two 45w cfl's you can easily bump that to 30k, which is what i recommend, however i might be biased as I have a 150w hps in about 3 sq.ft. same dimensions as you but only 18" deep and with good vent (no cooltube) it's about 86, which is not ideal but workable, growth still seems solid.

so go with the 400w max. or the 250w with a few cfl's.

400w will give you 55k lumens which is almost 10k lumens/sq. ft. which matches the intensity of the sun. anything over that is complete overkill.

the more i think about it i think the 400 with the cooltube is the right choice. just be prepared to be spend some time on the ventilation. remember the cooler your light the closer you can get your plants and often that makes a bigger difference than the actual wattage of the light.... i got a 1000w hps sittin outside my apt but it doesn't do any damn good for my plants while lighting up the parking lot...
 
Rocky Top High

Rocky Top High

Well-Known Member
jesus420 said:
i agree i would normally say go big or go home, but you have a small grow space and HPS puts out a LOT OF HEAT, i mean you are creating literally a miniature sun, the sodium in the lamp gets heated until it reaches the 4th state of matter (plasma), which comprises the surface of the sun.

in all reality anything over 7500 lumens/sq.ft. you get little benefit... 5000 is enough for very respectable growth...

you have 6 sq.ft. so you need ~30k lumens. a 250w will give you 25k which is a little under ideal, however with two 45w cfl's you can easily bump that to 30k, which is what i recommend, however i might be biased as I have a 150w hps in about 3 sq.ft. same dimensions as you but only 18" deep and with good vent (no cooltube) it's about 86, which is not ideal but workable, growth still seems solid.

so go with the 400w max. or the 250w with a few cfl's.

400w will give you 55k lumens which is almost 10k lumens/sq. ft. which matches the intensity of the sun. anything over that is complete overkill.

the more i think about it i think the 400 with the cooltube is the right choice. just be prepared to be spend some time on the ventilation. remember the cooler your light the closer you can get your plants and often that makes a bigger difference than the actual wattage of the light.... i got a 1000w hps sittin outside my apt but it doesn't do any damn good for my plants while lighting up the parking lot...
Click to expand...

Wouldn't a 600HPS give more penetration? I currently have a 400HPS that I was thinking about upgrading to a 600HPS. My cabinet is about the same size (8sf) and I am pleased with the 400. I just thought the 600 would give more penetration. Please, educate me.

blacksnow, I have a 440CFM fan on the 400 and it is run through a cool tube and a carbon filter. It does a very good job of cooling the light and cleaning the air. It is a bit loud but that is not a big issue for me. I could definitely make it quieter. I use a passive air for my intake and that fan really pulls the air through. It's all I can do to open the door on my cabinet. The leaves on my plants flutter in the breeze! :mrgreen: My plants love the constant breeze of fresh air.

I want to give you +rep for doing your homework. Taking the time to plan out your rig and gear is time well spent.
 
dhhbomb

dhhbomb

Well-Known Member
well i would have agreed with the 400 if u didnt add that u later are planing to upgrade to a differnt cab if u dont mind the differce in electricity of 200 watts then get the 600 so u dont regret it later in the future but i done have an awnser on the cool tube cfm would like to know as im going to purchase one
 
Bagelthief

Bagelthief

Well-Known Member
i bought 400's and i really regret it. i have a new motto when ever i buy things for my grow now. "always buy with the future in mind". get the 600. btw, i think you will need a bigger fan, because the filter will slow the airflow ALOT. i have the s&p fans you speak of and they are great, nice and quiet. anyways, get 400cfm or above and i think you will be golden with the 600.
 
blacksnow

blacksnow

Well-Known Member
These opinions make me even more confused =O

hrmm...what to do.....what to do...

400w with a 300 cfm s&p

or 600w with a 538cfm s&p


hrmm.....
 
blacksnow

blacksnow

Well-Known Member
anyone else care to share some opinions?

I'm ready to order....hard to decide =O...i want to go 600watt...im just worried i wont be able to keep it cool enough..i know the fan & cooltube will be sufficient to keep the light cold..im just worried once summer comes around again i wont be able to keep the huge closet cool without installing an ac of some sort...hrmm

was hoping with 400w would produce some nice buds, and not have to worry about heat so much..oh boy...
 
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