is there a cheap way to cool a 400 watt hps bulb?

almightyfinesse

Active Member
is there a cheap way to cool a 400 watt hps bulb? i have a 400 watt hps light bulb air cooled hood in a 5x2 closet and i have 2 plants that are 5 and 4 weeks old and they still are in red cups so i need to transplant them asap but im scared the hps light will cook them,im on low on cash so i cant afford a inline fan that cost 100 dollars.i saw a video on youtube, the dude was cooling has 400 watt light bulb just by have a jar of water on it,has anybody try this ? can i just have the closet door open and the windows open in my room till i buy a fan ?
 

LetsGetCritical

Well-Known Member
you can buy inline fans for way less than $100 bro or just get a household fan on it in the meantime, personally I wouldn't have jars of water around anything electrical
 

LetsGetCritical

Well-Known Member
by household I mean point a household towards the hood inlet so it blows through the hood and maybe a bit of duct taking some hot air outside the grow area if that's all you can do its better than nothing
 

snoyl

Active Member
I would recommend getting a large oscilating fan blowing on your plants-you should have that anyway-and I suppose you could maybe get a clip on fan and clip it on the hood so its blowing on the bulb continously
 

Squidbilly

Well-Known Member
So you have an air cooled hood, just not the fan to actually air cool it?

If you can't exhaust the hot air from your light out of your closet then oscillating fans won't do much to keep the heat down. Also, what ever room you vent it into will get really hot-75-85degrees-be prepared for that if you can't vent it outside.

If you can keep the closet door open for now and blow cool air into it with a fan, that will at least help. Without air conditioning, a 400W set-up will heat up your closet and the room it's in if you leave the door open.

Your going to need to figure out ventilation, there is no way around that in such a small space. Look on ebay for cheap inline fans.
 

almightyfinesse

Active Member
so i have the closet door open and a fan blowing between the plants and the light bulb and all the windows open in the room open, the temps still 81
 

banks dank

Active Member
is there a cheap way to cool a 400 watt hps bulb? i have a 400 watt hps light bulb air cooled hood in a 5x2 closet and i have 2 plants that are 5 and 4 weeks old and they still are in red cups so i need to transplant them asap but im scared the hps light will cook them,im on low on cash so i cant afford a inline fan that cost 100 dollars.i saw a video on youtube, the dude was cooling has 400 watt light bulb just by have a jar of water on it,has anybody try this ? can i just have the closet door open and the windows open in my room till i buy a fan ?

Water plus 400w=bad idea
 

nflguy

Well-Known Member
so i have the closet door open and a fan blowing between the plants and the light bulb and all the windows open in the room open, the temps still 81
Dude, dont fret a lot about 81 degrees. Thats not a big deal. If thats as hot as it gets, you are fine. I would be concerned if it breaches 85 or 86 though
 

Squidbilly

Well-Known Member
The real answer is to duct hot air from your light somewhere else. If you can do this you'll be golden since most of the heat comes from the light.

Unless your in a cold basement, or the room stays less then 65 degrees, a 400w light will heat up a small room with the closet door open. Especially when it starts getting hotter outside. That light is like a radiant heater, you can move all the air you want, if your not exhuasting it somewhere else it will just get hotter, and hotter, and hotter...unless it's the dead of summer and it won't get any hotter outside, expect that 80 to reach 90+

I have a 600w light in a cold back room in my basement that is approx 9'x25' feet. With the light off it get's down to 60-65degrees in the dead of summer. During 90degree days with my light on I have a hard time keeping it below 80 degrees. I have an air conditioner I use just for these hot days. The point is I have an ideal grow room-in a cold unfinished part of my basement-that a 600w heats up pretty good. I use an air cooled hood in a 4x4 tent, but blasting the hot air into the room heats it up pretty quick. I rarely have to use the a/c, but I do sometimes.

If you can get an air cooled hood and duct the air outside you'll be golden. The hardest thing about a closet grow is heat control and air exchange. You can grow in the closet but your gonna need all sorts of ducting coming in and going out.
 

almightyfinesse

Active Member
im planing on harvest them before june and i run the light during night time so the temps are now 70-75 so im cool for now. i just transplant them and they are still small but i want to flip to 12/12 so i can harvest before june they are like 4-6 inch tall but they are 5-6 weeks old,will they still produce 2 oz a plant ?
 

BenFranklin

Well-Known Member
81 degrees is near perfect, the only reason you need a fan is for air movement, the plants loooooove to have air movement.
 
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