HPS Heat on a closet grow

I'm trying to start a closet grow and I just got done hooking up my 400W HPS I got yesterday. I'm growing in plastic storage containers and I don't see how people keep HPS cool enough for growing. It keeps the box at freaking ambient + 15F. I can only keep it down at like 92F and that is with two intake fans. Any ideas on how to keep it cooler?

When I grew in a closet I made a hole to underneath the bathroom's sink and exhausted it out the cabinet

snowman4839 said:

I'm trying to start a closet grow and I just got done hooking up my 400W HPS I got yesterday. I'm growing in plastic storage containers and I don't see how people keep HPS cool enough for growing. It keeps the box at freaking ambient + 15F. I can only keep it down at like 92F and that is with two intake fans. Any ideas on how to keep it cooler?

Click to expand...

This is where ventilation comes in.

So, you put the 400w HPS inside of a growbox which is inside of your closet?
How big is the box?
How big are the intakes?

I don't have a sink near this closet

18"x22"x16" is the dimensions of one and have two stacked on top of each other. I have 2 5" square fans on top of each other.

snowman4839 said:

18"x22"x16" is the dimensions of one and have two stacked on top of each other. I have 2 5" square fans on top of each other.

Click to expand...

I don't quite understand, both boxes are 18"x22"x16"?
The boxes are stacked on top of each other?
2 fans stacked on top of each other? Are these boxes open?
Pics would help.

Hmm..... Yeah, jweezy707 is right, we're probably going to need pictures to go along with the description.

And by the looks of your signature, snowman4839, you're probably going to need a lot more assistance

How big is the container?? You may need a larger room/container and/or more air flow and a air cooled hood.. What type of fans are you using? PC fans will not work, get a good duct fan. If you have money to invest a A/C may be an option.. People always under estimate how much heat a HID gives off I know I did... Post some pics of your set up that helps alot too.. My set up is usually between 78 and 85 With the light on

well I can keep it at 88 with the top box lid slightly off. but it's an HTG 400W HPS. Idk how to describe the hood. It's like a turtle shell kinda.

Here's a diagram. Black and blue are the two boxes. The green squares are the fans. Purple squares are fans. Yellow thing is the HPS. Pink blob is the exhaust holes.


Here's pics of the setup. It's just two plastic storage tubs stacked on each other. I think I need to try putting one as an exhaust instead of two intakes.

Looking at it from the side. You see the light coming through because I haven't put the white posterboard on the sides yet. Those holes are for exhaust and they didn't really work...


Looking down the top with the HPS hood in the way a lil bit



The two intakes

Would it just be possible to use the closet instead of the box? You're basically putting a box in a box... in a box.

Possibly. I just need it to be stealth. The thing I can't figure out about stealth grows is what people do about light cracks and how they still keep ventilation. I mean I would love to use like half my closet and just leave the door open but if someone just waltzes in there because they see 55,000 lumens creeping out, I have a problem.

It's just that I need to find a way to fix light leaks so people don't know light is even coming out of my closet. Any ideas? I just keep running into walls because they more light leaks you fix, that generally lessens airflow opportunities.

snowman4839 said:

I'm trying to start a closet grow and I just got done hooking up my 400W HPS I got yesterday. I'm growing in plastic storage containers and I don't see how people keep HPS cool enough for growing. It keeps the box at freaking ambient + 15F. I can only keep it down at like 92F and that is with two intake fans. Any ideas on how to keep it cooler?

Click to expand...

I had this same issue. You need to air cool the room from outside or use an AC unit. IMO I would have gone with a 250w. 400w was just too much for my closet as well.

well a 400W was only an extra $2 or so (for some crazy as hell reason). I didn't see the point in getting a 250W

That too big of a light in too small of a box, I would recommend using the whole closet it seems to be a good size for you light... I had the same problems with light proofing and haven't found a solution that keeps all of the light in the closet but have manage to come close enough.. I can sleep in the same room, but it's not 100% light proof.. But what I did was got a large sheet of corrugated plastic from the lumber store and put up a plastic wall just inside the sliding closet door, cut a door into that so it's kinda a door with in a door.. It work out so I could cut holes in that and not the sliding door. And put poly on the inside and a shit load of duct tape

on a mates grow we used 2 inch strips of carpet tacked to the inside of the door frames to stop the light leaking out so when the door closes its like an extra wide door frame it works well

I use a 4ft length 3 ft width 8ft tall closet with a 400 watt mh / hps i got from HTG i went down to lowes hardware an bought a " bathroom vent fan " cost me 29.99 then i went to autozone an bought a 4 inch filter adapter withb a 4 inch cone airfilter.. i bought charcoal an carbon filter to wrap it in this is a damn good set up keeps my plants at around 78 to 82 * all year around even when temps were - .5 * hear in new mexico...

Well I got a basic grow room set up. I moved the HPS to the side of my closed and then stapled a blanket to the wall and tied it to the other side for light cover. It works great for light coverage except for the top which doesn't have anything on it but I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm using the storage boxes as more light cover beside the blanket. I have a fan pointing up to circulate air out the top and I can keep it about 84F to 85F. Tad higher than I like but workable. Now I just gotta setup my timer and move the plants I and I should be good. I'll just work on increased lightproofing and ventilation tomorrow.

snowman4839 said:

Well I got a basic grow room set up. I moved the HPS to the side of my closed and then stapled a blanket to the wall and tied it to the other side for light cover. It works great for light coverage except for the top which doesn't have anything on it but I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm using the storage boxes as more light cover beside the blanket. I have a fan pointing up to circulate air out the top and I can keep it about 84F to 85F. Tad higher than I like but workable. Now I just gotta setup my timer and move the plants I and I should be good. I'll just work on increased lightproofing and ventilation tomorrow.

Click to expand...

I lied. I can actually get it about 81F-83F so it's pretty good. I'll leave a lamp on in that room during it's light cycle to cover up excess light. I should be pretty good now.