Should I take the glass off my hoods?

[sgt. schultz]

will yield increase enough to off set the extra energy my minisplit will be using?

No doubt dude.

 

[PuregenetiKs]

I air cool in a sealed room. It allows me to get my lights closer, making up for the 10% loss. The biggest benefit is I direct all the hot air directly to the intake of my AC. So when the AC is running, the hot air is being dealt with immediately.

 

[ttystikk]

I air cool in a sealed room. It allows me to get my lights closer, making up for the 10% loss. The biggest benefit is I direct all the hot air directly to the intake of my AC. So when the AC is running, the hot air is being dealt with immediately.

Huh? You suck air through the hoods then dump it back into the same room?

 

[PuregenetiKs]

Yes, it dumps directly into the intake of my ac, it gets dealt with immediately. Otherwise heat just radiates from my hoods down onto the canopy.

 

[ttystikk]

Yes, it dumps directly into the intake of my ac, it gets dealt with immediately. Otherwise heat just radiates from my hoods down onto the canopy.

You do know you're just shooting yourself in the efficiency foot to the tune of at least 10%, right? You would get noticeably better results by simply removing the glass and raising the hood- and no, doing this would absolutely not result in less lumens on your plant's leaves. Things won't be quite as hot in the room that way, either. You've just demonstrated with your vent blowing into the face of your AC that your cooling system is up to the job of cooling your grow without assistance. The only reason to run sealed and vented hoods in the first place is to dump excess heat; otherwise, it's a complete waste of light and the energy to make it. And that hurts your yield and your wallet- both to buy the excess power being wasted and the AC to cool it, but also in less money from your crop.

 

[GR33NL3AF]

You do know you're just shooting yourself in the efficiency foot to the tune of at least 10%, right? You would get noticeably better results by simply removing the glass and raising the hood- and no, doing this would absolutely not result in less lumens on your plant's leaves. Things won't be quite as hot in the room that way, either. You've just demonstrated with your vent blowing into the face of your AC that your cooling system is up to the job of cooling your grow without assistance. The only reason to run sealed and vented hoods in the first place is to dump excess heat; otherwise, it's a complete waste of light and the energy to make it. And that hurts your yield and your wallet- both to buy the excess power being wasted and the AC to cool it, but also in less money from your crop.

I can see his reasoning but... this method is only valid in veg when getting the light as close to the plant as possible is the name of the game, to produce those hefty stalks. Though I wouldn't aim my duct towards the A/C I would just leave the end of the reflectors bare and allow the heat to blow into and dissipate into the room. Once flowering is induced it is not needed and removing the glass/raising the lights is ideal.

 

[PuregenetiKs]

I agree glass less equals more useable light which equals higher yields and is better overall. However in my experience and needs I find I like the more consistent controlled temps and management of the heat. Sometimes bulbs blow to, just had my first bulb blowout ever a month or so ago, glad hot glass didn't go everywhere. I find I can get my hoods closer when air cooling which probably makes up for the 10% loss.

 

[ttystikk]

I agree glass less equals more useable light which equals higher yields and is better overall. However in my experience and needs I find I like the more consistent controlled temps and management of the heat. Sometimes bulbs blow to, just had my first bulb blowout ever a month or so ago, glad hot glass didn't go everywhere. I find I can get my hoods closer when air cooling which probably makes up for the 10% loss.

No, moving your hood closer is just making up for light you've spent money for and are throwing away- while still spending top dollar to cool it. The spot directly under the sealed hood will be bright, but the spot itself got a lot smaller!

This is intuitively obvious- and you've got some of the best minds on the Farm all telling you the same thing. You came here for advice, take it!

 

[purpleberry]

Yield goes up ALOT when you ditch the glass. Don't know why, I just know it does. IT don't take that much more ac if your already running a sealed room. You can run the bare bulbs pretty close if you have enough fans. Im 20" away on some and it don't burn the plants. About 1 fan per hood, anywhere you can squeeze one in, between every hood. I can touch the hoods anywhere as close as I can to the bulbs and they are not hot, The agrotec hoods are so thin with one layer of metal, the heat dissipates very easy. I cant believe anyone would air cool lights on a med to large setup unless you have to. If you going to ac the room just get one big enough run bare bulb.

 

[AlterEgo860]

I remove during winters.. easier to cool .. during summer everything stays in air cooled hoods and is exhausted .. right now. I need to remove 2 cooltubes I connected together by taking the metal off the ends.. turning it into a 60in cooltube.. im taking this down.. putting up 2 xxxls with no glass.. and going to toss in a 400w vertical mh for more spectrum..

 

[woodsmaneh]

Just though I would mention that every bulb manufacturer recommends that HPS be enclosed for safety reasons. I have seen a few blown bulbs in my years at the shops, not a lot, but than we all have fire insurance right. Remember there are 100`s of thousands of these bulbs out there and they do fail just saying.......

If you have kids or people you love where you grow you should never risk it!

 

[BrianDirt]

Were is the windex at!

 

[PuregenetiKs]

No, moving your hood closer is just making up for light you've spent money for and are throwing away- while still spending top dollar to cool it. The spot directly under the sealed hood will be bright, but the spot itself got a lot smaller!

This is intuitively obvious- and you've got some of the best minds on the Farm all telling you the same thing. You came here for advice, take it!

In no way was I ever asking for advice, nor did I come here for advice. I have pretty much done it and seen it all. Whatever works for you is best. I am fine with my electric bill being a bit higher and yields a bit lower. In return I get safety and over all more control of my environment. I have done both, I prefer air cooled.