My DIY Vented Hoods!

Hey guys,

I posted this in another area, that i was gonna build them, that was before I seen the DIY section here! So I thought id post them in the proper area wit ha bit of a write up on how i did them.

First off, i ordered the 24" x 24" Blue Star aluminum hoods, they were about 60.00 here. I then bought 12 feet of aluminum j trim, used for hanging soffit. I got the local glass place to cut me 25" x 25" glass (2 sheets). I picked up 4 - 6" metal elbows from the local hardware store.

I cut three pieces of the soffit to fit around the hoods, and used self tapping #9 scres to secure them to the hoods, the glass slides into them, all you need is three sides. I marked the holes for the elbows in the sides of the hoods, and cut them out. I them flanged the elbows and used the #9 self tappers to secure them. I used aluminum ventilation tape to seal the edges. slide the glass in, install all the 6" vent hose and its good to go. Im using a 435 cfm can fan to pull the air through the hoods and vent the hot air out, I also added a filter on the intake end so dust doesnt collect inside the hoods.

The total cost of the hoods after mods was under 100.00 each. pretty good i'd say!

here are some pictures.






so what you guys think?

look good, are they air tight around the glass ? and is the glass harden/heat temperate

here is one I made in a few lunch breaks at work, so no beauty, did`t had time for finish, but do the job, glass is a shelf from a cabinet and is harden, was`t sure it would work, but did run +1/2 a year with no problem (600W HPS and 330cmf vent)

nice, how much time invested, would you say? I feel like you could have picked up a couple on craigslist for the same price and skipped all the work, though. either way very nice job, and clean looking.

it took me about an hour....and craigslist? LOL, around here, there is NOTHING on there. you wont find anything used for 500+ miles around here. And the glass isnt tempered, I was told it isnt necessary. As LONG as the fan always runs that vents it! As far as being sealed? its 98% sealed. I could easilly make it 100% sealed, but I dont run C02, and the airflow is very good through them, it isnt necessary to seal them any further, IMO.

well guys, I have my 2 DIY hoods running in the small romm (off my DIY Flipbox!), and I'll say THEY WORK AWESOME! The temps in the room are staying at 80 degree's! the temp of the air coming out of the hoods is 115 degrees (average). So far the regular glass in the hoods is fine as well, i believe as long as the fan runs itll be good too. I hooked up the fan to the flipbox relay, so when the lights flip on the fan runs along with them! I didnt want to chance the fan being on a cheap timer on a differnt circuit, and for some reason not firing up, so running it off the flip's relay power was a simple solution. I just wish there was a way I could have it run for 5-10 minutes after the relay flips the lights over, so it could cool down everything for a bit. I imagine there is a way, but its prolly good enough the way it is.

well, anyways, id just like to say these DIY hoods far exceeded my expectations, and i wouldnt hesitate to do it again if need be! I saved quite a bit doing them myself.

hey guys, ive been running these hoods now for 3 weeks or so, and the non tempered glass is holding up just fine! the air going through the last hood is about 120f, and the plants are about 12" from the glass, and doing just awesome. If you are needing new glass, or doing it yourself, dont hesitate to use regular glass. (3mm).

Update.... I added a third hood to my small room.... Ive run these two first hoods for a year now. The non tempered glass has held up fine. I built my third hood in about 45 min. Once you build one or two, they are a breeze. I figured out my total cost. It is just under a hundred bucks all in. Good deal, to DIY.....

Great bit of DIY...ginzy....I would keep a close eye on those pains of glass mate....there dealing with a lot of heat from those lights....it be a shame to see them shatter all over your ladies...