Quick Question About Air Cooled Reflectors

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EvilRuin

Active Member
Hey all. I had a quick question about air cooled reflectors. What type of fan do you hook up to it? Can I have the ducting from my intake fan hooked up to the reflector so that the air is blowing on the bulb? Is that how it is suppose to be? Also how do the reflectors with 2 openings at both end for ducting work?

Thanks,
Ruin
 
Illegal Smile

Illegal Smile

Well-Known Member
The idea is to extract the hot air from the bulb, not so much to blow cold air on it. I'm thinking of one, but the issue is often - where do you blow the hot air to? Also, if you can't keep the temp in the room where the grow is reasonably low, the air cooled reflector won't help.
 
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mrmadcow

Well-Known Member
like smiley said, you are trying to get rid of the hot air. any fan big enough to do so will be fine. I have used 2 PC fans on a 400 watt HPS but I was sucking very cold air in & had no bends in the duct to restrict airflow. 2 holes in duct are for air in and out,if you can pull air from outside the grow(no smell) and push it outside the grow, you wont need to filter it & can use a smaller fan.
 
Thedillestpickle

Thedillestpickle

Well-Known Member
pull in cold air , push it through the hood and out of the room, doesnt need a filter because of no contamination with the room. If you pull through the tube the hot air could overheat your fan. You can use the hot air to heat your home in the winter.
 
hornedfrog2000

hornedfrog2000

Well-Known Member
Jesus such shitty info in these noob forums. PULL the air through the reflector, don't pussh it. The Carbon filters are designed to have air pulled through them as well...
 
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Gyroscope

Well-Known Member
Thedillestpickle said:
pull in cold air , push it through the hood and out of the room, doesnt need a filter because of no contamination with the room. If you pull through the tube the hot air could overheat your fan. You can use the hot air to heat your home in the winter.
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Pickle is right about pushing the air over the bulb so as not to overheat your in line fan.
 
hornedfrog2000

hornedfrog2000

Well-Known Member
I really wonder how new guys filter through all the bullshit? You pull the air through your reflector. The only reason I am here is because I thought to myself " It was so hard filtering through the BS to really know what was real when I was new, maybe I can help others out?". Search my name on grass city member since 2005, search my name on Overgrow, oh they are long gone. Anyway, I'm just trying to help you with actual info from someone who has actually grown.... I grow full time.
 
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Gyroscope

Well-Known Member
hornedfrog2000 said:
I really wonder how new guys filter through all the bullshit? You pull the air through your reflector. The only reason I am here is because I thought to myself " It was so hard filtering through the BS to really know what was real when I was new, maybe I can help others out?". Search my name on grass city member since 2005, search my name on Overgrow, oh they are long gone. Anyway, I'm just trying to help you with actual info from someone who has actually grown.... I grow full time.
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No need to get in a huff. You can hook it up any way you like, but if you pull through the reflector you also pull the heat right over the motor in the center of you inline fan thus reducing its lifespan.

I agree that you have to pull air through the carbon filter if using one, but I personally pull from outside the room so I don't need one for the lights.
 
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mrmadcow

Well-Known Member
either way will work. fans are more efficient at pulling than pushing air. the heat would only be a concern if temps are over 2-300 degrees and if they are that high,you need a bigger fan.
the only advantage of pushing the air through is that if you are ducting fresh air into the light & out the grow, a fan set up to push the air will build positive preasure in the duct and push air out into the grow through any leaks. a fan that pulls air will suck air(and smell) into any leaks so if you are concerned about odor......
 
Thedillestpickle

Thedillestpickle

Well-Known Member
mrmadcow said:
either way will work. fans are more efficient at pulling than pushing air. the heat would only be a concern if temps are over 2-300 degrees and if they are that high,you need a bigger fan.
the only advantage of pushing the air through is that if you are ducting fresh air into the light & out the grow, a fan set up to push the air will build positive preasure in the duct and push air out into the grow through any leaks. a fan that pulls air will suck air(and smell) into any leaks so if you are concerned about odor......
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I think that about settles it, push that air through the hood or unless you are 100% sure you have that shit sealed your going to get smell outside of the room.
 
Illegal Smile

Illegal Smile

Well-Known Member
In my particular case, I have nowhere to bring cold air in from, and I can vent it to where smell doesn't matter. But everyone's case is different.

Let me pose a related question:

If I now have a 400w hps and I keep temperatures manageable with an open reflector, and I switch to a 600w with air cooled hood and I vent it out (out only), will that venting be enough to compensate for the heat increase from 400 to 600? more than that?
 
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