Struggling To Find A Way To Cool My Box Down.

[MisterDoctor]

I'm getting ready to switch to flower here pretty soon but I noticed when I run the lights for flowering with the ViparSpectra 600W my box gets too hot, temperatures hit 80 and rise, so I turned it off immediately and went back to just veg lights where my box sits around 76... Any ideas an how to cool this off? Since I need to run both lights for flowering...

Not a current photo of the plants. just trying to give an idea of what the inside is like.

 

[MisterDoctor]

The two smaller fans are intake and the larger fan is outtake.

 

[DemonTrich]

More air flow is needed. Or your light is too large for the small box.

 

[MisterDoctor]

More air flow is needed. Or your light is too large for the small box.

do you think I should make the small fans outtake and big fan intake then?

 

[Toaster79]

You made a mistake in the first place putting your exhaust on the side. Put those fans on the top of your cabinet above the light and have them all sucking the air out of the cabinet. Close those holes on the sides.

 

[G gnome]

I dont think theres anything really wrong w where ur holes are.....u just need more air flow....get rid of those silly little fans and get a canfan

 

[MisterDoctor]

I dont think theres anything really wrong w where ur holes are.....u just need more air flow....get rid of those silly little fans and get a canfan

I dont really see how I could fit a can fan lol

 

[Toaster79]

I dont really see how I could fit a can fan lol

Think outside the box.

 

[MisterDoctor]

Heres how the inside looks currently

 

[MisterDoctor]

Think outside the box.

So would you suggest I just cut a larger hole at the bottom and replace the small fan with a small can fan?

 

[Toaster79]

I dont think theres anything really wrong w where ur holes are.....u just need more air flow....get rid of those silly little fans and get a canfan

My first setup was like that with 4 5" (140mm) PC fans sucking hot air out on the top. Worked just fine.

 

[Toaster79]

So would you suggest I just cut a larger hole at the bottom and replace the small fan with a small can fan?

Hot air moves upwards. Mount that can fan on top of the cabinet pulling the air from the cabinet. Since that cabinet is nowhere near air tight you won't need any extra intakes.

 

[MisterDoctor]

Hot air moves upwards. Mount that can fan on top of the cabinet pulling the air from the cabinet. Since that cabinet is nowhere near air tight you won't need any extra intakes.

Thanks, I'll have to look into it

 

[Toaster79]

Thanks, I'll have to look into it

Just see that you remove the hot air light produces and you're golden.

 

[DGP]

The problem I see with the commercial fixtures like this is the LED drivers are inside your box. The nice thing about a DIY LED system is you can cool the drivers outside the box and get quite a bit of heat out of your grow environment. Also the 600 watt light your using isn't really 600w, it is more like 250W out of the wall which still might be more light than you need in that space. Is it dimmable? I think your light is rated for about 6-1/2 square feet of flower space but then again is the manufacturers recommendation accurate? Usually you want 40-50w per square foot. That means your light is probably good for about 5 square feet (I guess not too far from the manufacturer's estimate). How many square feet does your box come out to?

Dee

 

[Dutchcity]

Get a temp contoller. Get a different fan to pull air out of the box. Hook fan up to temp controller.

I run temps around 76-80 in veg and 80-86 in flower.

 

[Enforcer]

IMO, @DemonTrich is right, you need more air flow. And as has been previously pointed out, the box is not air tight. To get effective air flow, the exhaust needs to be greater than the intake. Therefore, I recommend you flip the intake fans around so all fans exhaust. That will make more negative pressure inside the box, thus pulling more air through the cracks and when you open the cabinet.

However, not to be a killjoy, but the same cracks that allow air in will also allow light in during the dark cycle. Have you considered how you will prevent light leaks before you flip to flower?

 

[DGP]

IMO, @DemonTrich is right, you need more air flow. And as has been previously pointed out, the box is not air tight. To get effective air flow, the exhaust needs to be greater than the intake. Therefore, I recommend you flip the intake fans around so all fans exhaust. That will make more negative pressure inside the box, thus pulling more air through the cracks and when you open the cabinet.

However, not to be a killjoy, but the same cracks that allow air in will also allow light in during the dark cycle. Have you considered how you will prevent light leaks before you flip to flower?

How about dome reflective HVAC Aluminum tape strips on the inside of the box?

Dee

 

[DemonTrich]

3m hvac tape is not light proof. Even at 6 layers, it still let' light thru.

 

[MisterDoctor]

Lights go off at night when the room is very dark anyway. I was just going to cover the front with a blanket for good measure but leave the fans open.