How can I improve the air flow in air cooled light hoods?

[SmokeyMacPot]

How can I improve the air flow in air cooled light hoods?

Like many of you, I use Hydrofarm hoods for my lights. I also air cool them using the 4" adapters sold by most hydro shops. Now, one thing you'll notice when attaching those adapters is the "grating" over the location where the adapter goes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that those slats are going to impede air flow. So let's remove them and give a real boost to our air flow.

Step 1. Take down the light/hood and remove the bulb.

Remove the mogul socket by removing the two screws.

Remove the 4" duct adapter.



Step 2. Cut out vent, using a Dremel, Zip, or similar tool. Repeat for inlet vent.



Safety Note: Be smart, use safety glasses and don't do this stoned.


Step 3. Reassemble your hood (mogul, adapters, etc).

Optional insulation:

I use some of that bubble attic insulation (or hot water tank insulation - similar to foylon) you find at most home improvement stores to make an "insulating blanket" for my hoods - every little bit helps.




Building a DIY high output air-cooled canopy.
Authors: ncg7579 and MoS

 

[blackgold]

nice job.

 

[Flying Dragon]

The hood on my shopping list is sealed with glass underneath. My question is, in what order do I install the inline fan, filter and light? From intake to exhaust, is it filter, light, fan?

 

[FX Grower]

Hi NewHydro, i think you got it sorted in that order, I think it is easier to draw air through the filter than blow, although I have no scientific reasoning for this except that im stoned and i know it all then lol, but on another note, and being serious if my opinion is of no use, I did look at a site that makes sealed units like you have spoken about and the order they had was to draw the air from the tent through the light fitting straight from inside the tent, and then blow it outside the tent through ducting and then blow it through the filter in the outside room, loft etc. as i said, that is how the manufacturer shows, but i still think a draw is better than a blow anyday, IMO (wife just looked at me with disgust at my humour ,no wonder i get stoned)

 

[Flying Dragon]

I now have two fans: one for the sealed air-cooled light, and one for the filter. The reason I changed it was to minimize CO2 loss.

The fan for the light is outside the tent, blowing in through ducts... pushing the hot air out. Somewhere on here is a post that says fans are for pushing not pulling.

The filter sits inside the tent on the floor and it's fan sits on top of it, ducted up and out the roof of the tent. It is hooked to the temperature part of my controller unit.

The filter fan won't exhaust when CO2 is running. Or CO2 won't run when filter is exhausting. Fancy controller unit.

 

[bunches]

I'm not cutting my reflector.

 

[FX Grower]

Hi Hydro, If someone says push the air then thats cool, all i saying is, you don't push through a filter, you draw, also, when i first started i used tio push the air through the light and out of a hole in the wall, but i still had heat problems, I went to the grow shop and they told me to draw the air through (and i specificaly remember it as I was scared of over heating the fan) the fan.
You say you have your filter on the floor? Can you not put the filter at the top of the tent on a few straps, that is where the most things are you want to extract, heat, moisture etc, if the fan is to heavy, use a piece of ducting to the filter. We seem to have the same setup other than the layout of the fan, I use a de-humidifyer as well so I never use the external fans, the co2 stop's the need for new air in, and the de-humidifyer keeps the humidity at around 60 plus or minus 10% (I still in veg) so the fans dont set off, cause I use co2, the temps can go to 32C and mine never go over 30 because of the Humidity.
Let me know how you are getting on
Cheers
FX