what type of hood ?

[MTgrower]

well when i started this - i had very little knowdledge of lights and hoods , i have a 600 watt light but did not get it air cooled its open reflector with serious heat issues in summer is there a way i can convert it to air cooled or should i just get a new one. Its only a 4*4 closet but with temps outside still at 55-74 degree's - i'm still running at 80 with door cracked and i would prefer to keep it shut

It depends on the brand of hood. Some have louvers that can be replaced with flanges to hook up ducting. You could try a DIY if you are handy.

What brand and model are you using now?

I'm not into massive hoods, so I wouldn't recommend any of them. I'd be happy to tell you why if you want to know, but if you have your heart set on a huge hood, I don't want to waste our time.

 

[purpleberry]

MT why do you think the big hoods are a waste? Ive ran small hoods and seen how poor they cover 4x4 area. xxxl hoods kick ass and cover 4x4 with very little hot spot, so you can run them closer than smaller hoods that sometime get a big hot spot right in the middle.

 

[ttystikk]

MT why do you think the big hoods are a waste? Ive ran small hoods and seen how poor they cover 4x4 area. xxxl hoods kick ass and cover 4x4 with very little hot spot, so you can run them closer than smaller hoods that sometime get a big hot spot right in the middle.

I think you're on target here. The bigger hoods work better to evenly spread the light. The small ones, like the xtrasun, trap too much light in the box and don't have a good spread pattern. I happen to be partial to the 8" ocho xxxl magnum hoods, but I think that the 6" or the raptors would be just as good, if not slightly better IF you're set on getting an aircooled hood.

If I had it to do over, I'd get all adjust-a-wings, and run more cooling. These hoods are big, and efficient.

Last, don't stop at the hood when considering lighting efficiency. Definitely use some kind of reflective material around your plants, and be sure to get it as close to your canopy as possible. That will help reduce the effects of light intensity falling off towards the edges of your growspace.

 

[soserthc1]

It depends on the brand of hood. Some have louvers that can be replaced with flanges to hook up ducting. You could try a DIY if you are handy.

What brand and model are you using now?

I'm not into massive hoods, so I wouldn't recommend any of them. I'd be happy to tell you why if you want to know, but if you have your heart set on a huge hood, I don't want to waste our time.

well not exactly sure ill tell you the best way i can its a 600watt Valubright aluminum bright reflector VB2AW HYDRO farms products VB lumininaire series ....made in china lol - do they grow weed in china never seen any chinese strains ........just a thought and yes i would like to know why you prefer smaller hoods .... knowledge is power karma bro peace........ day 3 of drying my mawi ------sweet

 

[MTgrower]

MT why do you think the big hoods are a waste? Ive ran small hoods and seen how poor they cover 4x4 area. xxxl hoods kick ass and cover 4x4 with very little hot spot, so you can run them closer than smaller hoods that sometime get a big hot spot right in the middle.

What hood did you use before converting to a huge one?

I don't like them for many reasons, but before I talk shit I need to go down to the shop and fire up a Raptor and a Daystar AC to compare the coverage. It has been a long time, but from my memory of doing this before, I was totally unimpressed with the Raptor sized hoods. The only one I disliked more was the one that held two bulbs in one hood.... the Growzilla I think.

 

[mradjective]

hood choices

Hey guys , My head is spinning. Trying to make a choice of hoods. Went to several shops and the sales guys where directing me away from the Raptors to the Day Stars.
I wanted to grow shurbs to approx 4 feet 3-4 wide. My ceiling is 78''
I was going to vent the lights cause the room does not at this time have enough cooling.
Any info that I left out to help me make a decision let me know

 

[los0420]

i pulled the trigger on 4 xxxl magnum 8" just got them in and i love them they are a piece of art i think they fixed all previous problems mentioned by other users quality is awesome and def. better than my radiant hoods if u guys have any question let me know oh and mradejective i would go with a hood alittle bigger than the day stars but it depends on the square footage u are looking to cover

 

[SaltyWerkz]

I have a xxxl 6'' and a Raptor, love the Raptor hands down for quality and massive size.

Still the same here guys. Love it!:sun2::sun2:

 

[mradjective]

I dont know if I being to anal,but I wanted to keep all my hoods uniform in that i wanted to buy the same hood for vegging as I would have in the flower room.
My vegging would take place on 3 by 6 tables. I could veg on 4 x 6,
From there to a DIY undercurrent system where at finished 3 x 4 wide shrubs.
Plants on center 36" Using 1000 watts
But the ceiling ht was bothering me at 70 some inches.
S0 any help would be helpful

.

 

[Calgreen]

What do you guys think about yield master 2 supremes ive used em once before and was happy with them.

 

[H3AD_CAS3]

Sun Leaves King Cobra FTW!

 

[hqclones]

I have 3 Raptors AC 8" running 1,000w and two Daystar AC 6" running 600w (I have also ran 1000w in these).

Personally, I've found the raptors to be top notch over true 4'x4' tables. The Daystar AC 6" just couldn't cover the area like the raptor. And, as previously mentioned, the Daystar gives a hot spot in the middle, while the raptor provides a great spread. Get some Smart Grips and you'll be all set. Also, I cool everything with one 700 cfm max fan pulling (opposed to pushing) the air. I've found this to be the most effective way to cool and cheapest. Hope that helps.

I also have some adjust-a-wings and just can never use them because they heat my area up too much, especially in summer. I have a friend that runs three 600w adjust-a-wings and has seen great success because they don't get as hot as the 1000s. If I didn't run tables, I would try these because you can cut some serious wattage and get huge coverage with the light spreaders.

To whoever posted about not using the light spreader, why is this? Does it cut the output like the 8% for glass figure or is it just overkill? Thanks for any response.

 

[ttystikk]

I have 3 Raptors AC 8" running 1,000w and two Daystar AC 6" running 600w (I have also ran 1000w in these).

Personally, I've found the raptors to be top notch over true 4'x4' tables. The Daystar AC 6" just couldn't cover the area like the raptor. And, as previously mentioned, the Daystar gives a hot spot in the middle, while the raptor provides a great spread. Get some Smart Grips and you'll be all set. Also, I cool everything with one 700 cfm max fan pulling (opposed to pushing) the air. I've found this to be the most effective way to cool and cheapest. Hope that helps.

Raptors, magnums and even the king cobra someone mentioned are all good choices in sealed vented hoods, because the shallow angle of the inside reflective material helps spread the light better and reduces the hotspot directly underneath the hood. That's what makes them better hoods, not weight, or simple size; it's the 'angle of incidence' advantage.

Props on using the max fan to pull the air through the hood- this works for any sealed and vented hoods. Pushing air heats it, and boy do the hoods get hot when you do it that way! The best place to mount the fan is as close to the exhaust from the room as possible, since everything downstream of it gets hot. If you can't manage that, then be sure you insulate the downstream ducting.

I also have some adjust-a-wings and just can never use them because they heat my area up too much, especially in summer. I have a friend that runs three 600w adjust-a-wings and has seen great success because they don't get as hot as the 1000s. If I didn't run tables, I would try these because you can cut some serious wattage and get huge coverage with the light spreaders.

If you have the large size adjust-a-wings and you want to get rid of them, let me know. See if we can work out a deal.

To whoever posted about not using the light spreader, why is this? Does it cut the output like the 8% for glass figure or is it just overkill? Thanks for any response.

The super spreader is basically a light shade, designed to allow the user to lower the adjust-a-wing down closer to the canopy without burning the plants directly underneath the hood. Trouble is, by using one you're giving up most of the advantage of having an adjust-a-wing in the first place!

Here's what a guy who worked in industrial lighting for a living has to say on the subject: