Help me with venting and heat issues....

Ok so at the moment the plan is to have 2 x 4x4 secret jardin tents, one for veg with fluorescents and one for flower with a 600w hps... I want to box it all up with 6" loft insulation (R13 possibly?) to deaden noise and protect against a heat signature...

Now im going to get a Y piece and connect the two exhausts together and that gives me a single exit point for all the heat

I would say this is a smallish personal grow and at the moment i run the exhaust for the 600w hps from my bedroom outside the bedroom door and into the hallway...

I do this as i dont want it coming out a window for FLIR to pick up that stream of hot air escaping, i have also heard that if you vent it into an attic (which i have...) that the heat just builds up inside the attic and the roof of the property will glow on FLIR

So basically this is the reason i havent vented outside or into the attic... if i disperse the heat about the house then surely that isnt as detectable.......... or is it?...

We all know that aside from 1000's the 600w will give the best yield although it does produce a lot of heat so that is why i bought it

So the question is how many 600watters could i get away with if i am only going to disperse about the property and is it a bad idea, in other words will the property show more red on FLIR?

I am considering renting a cottage in the countryside with a slate roof and a chimney as it would seem the best way to give an outlet for the warm air that looks acceptable on a FLIR camera

I think it is quite hard to grow in a flat - the heat is giving me issues, im sure other people on here have the same

So how do you cope with it?

few things to consider. from a money standpoint, best yield does not mean most cost effective. For example using HPS lights might yield the best but you gotta invest in heat and exhaust systems which depending on your situation can be a bit pricey. Moreover HPS and MH bulbs consume more electricity than other options. In short its old technology from the 60s-70s. Now a days we got bulbs that are much more efficient in lumens per unit watt.

Furthermore, from a getting caught by popo standpoint there are other things to consider. Heat profiling homes via infrared technology to find large home grows. Monitoring of electricity consumption compared to other homes in the area (highest electric consumption by a certain % will raise suspicion and cause popos to monitor you more). Both of these popo profiling techniques utilize traits that are characteristic of MH and HPS technology (high electric consumption and high heat output)

When its all said and done... for me HPS and metal hallide are not worth:
1) GETTING CAUGHT BY POLICE: greater chances of getting caught by popos via electric and heat profiling
2) COSTS: the greater cost via the electric bill
3) COSTS: the greater cost associated with heat and exhaust systems.

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What I chose to do which kills 2 birds with 1 stone is:
1) use t5 floro high output 54 watt bulbs for vegging and cloning (very low heat and very low electric and arguably better lumens because you can kiss the bulbs on the plants). I use 4 bulbs so thats 216 watts only compared to a 400 watt MH.
2) use LED 205 watt bulb panel for bloom which not only uses much less electricity but also gives off similar lumen profile to HPS 400 watt bulb anyways. Not only that it can arguably give better yields because you can kiss the plants with the LED (the heat is so low). Ive read many LED journals from experienced growers stating that LEDs if used right gives just as good if not better yields.
3) since the heat given off is so low with these technologies I just completely ignore having a heat and exhaust system which is even more savings for me and even less suspicious looking to the popos.

So while the 205 watt LED might be more expensive up front compared to a 400 watt HPS youll make that money back easily with not needing to invest any money in exhaust and heat; T5 floro bulbs are about same cost as their MH counterparts so the vegging light decision is a non-issue. Also the lower electric bill makes this more than worth it as well. Its also a way to stay a step ahead of the popos because it nullifies 2 methods they use to catch home growers.

Remember the quality of the weed is dictated by its genetics and when its harvested. Having better lights does not mean better weed it just means higher yield. Yield is a function of production and efficiency not a function of quality. There are other ways besides increasing yield that improve efficiency. (ie: lower electric consumption and eliminating other costs such as cooling and exhaust systems). If you are stuck on highest possible yield then buy 2 205 watt LED blooming panels and and you can get similar lumens to 600-1000 watt HPS bulbs while completely eliminating the heat issues and associated costs thereof.

regards
-T

you make very some good points

i have already invested in hps so i might as well see it through although i think one light is enough because of the heat

some led's alongside my 600w might not be a bad idea at all since they give off little or no heat

in fact led's fluoros and hps might be a good idea

How much would a led 205w cost only online?