Help with Heat. 600 watt HPS/MH, 4x4 tent

I am very new to growing and about to start a small grow op. I really would like some help with heat since I have been reading a lot about heat buildup with HPS lights.

I am about to start growing in 3 weeks. I have ordered and received a 600 watt HPS/MH electronic ballast light. I also ordered a 4x4x7.5 (about 105 cubic feet) grow tent and 2 6" duct fans (160 cfm). I will have all items by Tuesday and will start testing out airflow. I ordered 10 seeds from an online seedbank and expect them in a couple weeks. I will have 5 feminized Northern Lights and 5 feminized White Rhino. I am a little worried about heat build up in the grow tent. I will be using soil and chemical fertilizers.

I live in a townhouse and the grow tent will be in the upper master bedroom facing the back of my house. The tent will sit in the corner of the room over top a central air register duct. I will cut a rectangular hole in the bottom of the tent to allow cold air in. I keep my air on 76 and can adjust if need be. Summer is coming soon so I imagine the air will blow 20 minutes every hour, I assume. I will probably use the 2 duct fans as exhaust and use passive intake. I do not have a cool tube for my light but may have to get one? I plan on exhausting hot air out the window and not back into the room (need to sleep in there). I am also thinking about buying a 4" inline fan with carbon filter to control smell since I do live in a townhouse.

I am very new to this and very worried about heat buildup. I tested out the light yesterday and it got much hotter then I imagined. Any advice on what else I may need to make this work would be appreciated. I am not looking to spend a whole lot of money but I realize if I skimp too much it will cost me more in the long run (dead plants, lawyer, etc.).

If you need any other info please let me know.

Listed below if the 3 items I have bought so far and also what I plan on buying. Invested so far $322.00. Trying not to go much over $500.

Bought
Light (Basic wing).... http://www.ebay.com/itm/160722062856?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Fans x 2..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/220886242433?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Grow Tent.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/170788845182?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Plan to buy
Carbon filter and 4" fan..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Inline-Fan-Carbon-Filter-4-x-12-Combo-scrubber-exhaust-blower-odor-/200715318736?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebb90b5d0

yes, you need a air cooled hood, yes you need a carbon filter... i would get a 6 or 8 inch carbon filter, and a air cooled hood.. filter the air through the hood out the window. you need ph meter and stuff too yet..

fir3dragon said:

yes, you need a air cooled hood, yes you need a carbon filter... i would get a 6 or 8 inch carbon
filter, and a air cooled hood.. filter the air through the hood out the window. you need ph meter and stuff too yet..

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Thanks. I will do that. I have a ph tester, hygrometer, thermometer, etc. just need what you sais plus soil, pots, and ferts. Thanks again. I will update this post after setup with results.

If you vent the heat from the lights out of the tent plus have a/c you should be fine.

You need to be able to exchange the air in your room every 2 minutes, better to have a little more than less but you don't need anything to big as the noise gets louder as you get bigger, so the 4" will work well with a couple 90's in the line and the filter. I hang all my fans with thick black bungee cords, this stops vibrations in the mounting points. You do need a carbon filter, Can 50 is plenty big. I would suggest you get a hood and not a cool tube. They do make 4" hoods, don't be cheap as you will have the hood forever. Good German reflector inside and tempered glass. Seal it with tape when you set it up and all your joints. The hood will focus more of the light on your plants than the cool tube in such a small footprint. Most cool tubes spill light out to 6 feet when raised up to 5/6 feet. or put a bungee cord on the reflector on the cool tube to pull it in. The adjust a wing does this to control the light.

Thaks everyone

Are you venting the hot air out of the window you say? If worried about choppers this is not a wise move.

djlifeline said:

Are you venting the hot air out of the window you say? If worried about choppers this is not a wise move.

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Yes I am venting out the window. Not really sure where else to vent to. Im not gonna stick the duct tubing right in the window, but right by it so it wont be seen from outside. Im not really worried that much about choppers but maybe I should be? I live on the northeast side of the country about 30 miles from DC. I rarely ever see any choppers and my electric bill will only go up around $40 with the setup I will have. Any other suggestions? I could always run it to the attic above but this is a rental complex and im sort of afraid to do that.

And beside growing is legal in your house, just not weed. A chopper derecting heat won't be enough for a search warrant. They would need that combined with a witness or smell. Witnesses and smell will all be controlled.

Run it into same room and keep that room cool. If vent out of window copter could see flow of hot air. BUT I believe they can't do this in US without a warrant? I'm not sure I'm UK grower. Worth asking RIU though.

djlifeline said:

Run it into same room and keep that room cool. If vent out of window copter could see flow of hot air. BUT I believe they can't do this in US without a warrant? I'm not sure I'm UK grower. Worth asking RIU though.

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Not sure about the warrant thing needed for flyovers but I usually don't just see them hovering around. I live next to a major city and I imagine growing is taking place all over the place. I will try to run it back into the run and see what kind of heat builds up in the room. Thanks a lot.

I just finished my setup and I'm in the middle of my first grow. I also have a 4x4 tent but I'm running 1k hps. If you get a fan / filter combo get the 6" setup, it's worth it, you won't need the other 2 6" inline fans and maybe you get a refund and put the money towards something else. I started with 2 6" inline fans and they lose cfm's due to ducts bends and what not really easy. I upgraded to a 6" 400 cfm fan on a speed controller and I'm glad I did

OkImAddicted said:

I just finished my setup and I'm in the middle of my first grow. I also have a 4x4 tent but I'm running 1k hps. If you get a fan / filter combo get the 6" setup, it's worth it, you won't need the other 2 6" inline fans and maybe you get a refund and put the money towards something else. I started with 2 6" inline fans and they lose cfm's due to ducts bends and what not really easy. I upgraded to a 6" 400 cfm fan on a speed controller and I'm glad I did

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so your 6 inch can cool your 1k hps? or do you not got a cool tube?

ya man youll be fine i got a 1000w (600+400) in a 5.5x2x6 closet and the temps only goto about 80 max.. however if i leave the door open and the rooms warms up for some reason it doesnt cool down until the following day and remain cool (when the doors have remained close since wake up) temps only go up to about 83.8 at that point

i also do have a inline fan ad carbon filter connected to both my lights sucking the air out on max speed blowing into my bedroom (Cooled by a window ac)
i also think you should have got a 6" inline fan instead of 4"

oh and at 80F my plants are great.. even at 83.8 they are happy ( i havent left them at this temp for a long period of time but i still dont think it would do much harm... 86F+ you might need to be concerned

fir3dragon said:

so your 6 inch can cool your 1k hps? or do you not got a cool tube?

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I have an air cooled hood, its not a cool tube its an ExtraSun or something but yes it cools my 1k and I have it dialed down to about 70%. I am in a basement though which has cooler ambient temps. Right now I'm exhausting to another part of the basement but I'm hoping to have my exhaust go out a basement window by the time summer hits.

OkImAddicted said:

I just finished my setup and I'm in the middle of my first grow. I also have a 4x4 tent but I'm running 1k hps. If you get a fan / filter combo get the 6" setup, it's worth it, you won't need the other 2 6" inline fans and maybe you get a refund and put the money towards something else. I started with 2 6" inline fans and they lose cfm's due to ducts bends and what not really easy. I upgraded to a 6" 400 cfm fan on a speed controller and I'm glad I did

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Thanks man.....just got the tent today so gonna set it up and see what kind of temps I get. I will probably get the 6" like you said. Appreciate the help.

Definatley get an inline fan & carbon filter. Since you like E-bay (me to) You can find a nice kit fan& filter 6' combo for about $150.00. Those carbon filters work. When my tent is zipped up I cant smell a thing outside tent, I exhaust in the same room (spare bedroom) as tent, and I pull fresh air in through a window, with a 400 cfm 6' fan.

scotty0129 said:

Thanks man.....just got the tent today so gonna set it up and see what kind of temps I get. I will probably get the 6" like you said. Appreciate the help.

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would you mind posting some pics of the tent? (Inside/outside/air vents). Am buying one in the next month and have been looking at this one on ebay. Just am wondering if I should spend the extra money on a better tent (DR90 or DR120)

Cool items you have gotten. BTW... no one is going to give a rats behind about heat going out your window. Many AC units vent out the window and the air coming from those are just as hot.

Bluntcuts said:

would you mind posting some pics of the tent? (Inside/outside/air vents). Am buying one in the next month and have been looking at this one on ebay. Just am wondering if I should spend the extra money on a better tent (DR90 or DR120)

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I don't have a good camera right now (plus my room is not that big where I can back up and get a good shot) but I can tell you the tent I got is very nice for what I paid (under 100). It's a nice size for 4-6 plants. I am starting with 5. It has a vent hole in the top, 2 on the right side, 2 on the left side, and 2 square vent holes. Took me about 15 minutes (while high) to set it up. Very easy. If you want a good starter type tent go with the one I got on the first page. You won't be disappointed.