# Air cooled hoods vs. open bulbs with A/C



## mochadog70 (Apr 10, 2010)

So we all know summer is coming and our rooms will get hot again. I'm making some improvement this year and I wanted to see what some *experienced growers* out there have done. I used to use air cooled hoods, but then I switched to wing style reflectors for the winter. The wing reflectors made a huge difference for me as my hood where probably to small anyways. I'm going to be adding a mini split for A/C so my question is there any benefit from using air cooled hoods vs. open bulbs if I have the correct A/C to keep the temps in check? I'm looking for experienced growers to response with factual data not snake oil myths.


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## HAMandCHEEZ4life (Apr 10, 2010)

i run 12 1000 watters with open bulbs and a 5 ton split ac. never a problem. so i guess it all depends on the size of your ac. personally i dont like reflectors. i just use bare bulbs and go with a vertical growing style. ive used cool tubes and open bulb reflectors and bare bulbs just seems to work the best for me. 

make sure you run your flower room at night when the temps are low. and dont cheap out on your ac. i dont know exactly what you are running, but for a decent sized setup look into excel air ac. they are great fucking guys, and are very very knowledgeable and helpful. excelair.ca is their website. i got an ac from them and its easy to setup, and the lines came pre charged. which is a great plus for people already running a setup. anyway...thats my two cents. lemme know how it goes.


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## mochadog70 (Apr 10, 2010)

That's what I'm going to get for this summer is a mini split. Right now I'm running 6 - 1k. I have been looking into getting a Mr. Slim mini split so I can do both veg and flower rooms. Yep I run my lights at night too. Did you have to vacuum your line set when you installed it? You should of had to because of moisture I hear. Nice 12 lighter!! What kind of weight are you pulling off that? Are you using soil or hydro?


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## HAMandCHEEZ4life (Apr 11, 2010)

using a soiless medium. but ill be switching to rdwc in the coming months. i get 2 a light. but i also have a 2000 watt veg room running 24/0. and i burn co2.

i didnt have to do anything to the lines when i got them because they come pre charged. i just had to run the soft copper. run some nitrogen through it to check for leaks.(make sure u start on the low end. hehe) and then release the refrigerant.

by the way my my garden is 100% legal. ..maybe ill start a journal someday..too busy. be safe bud!


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## stonerchef (Apr 11, 2010)

is it ok if your reflector is not air cooled gonna have 1000 w hps sun system in 4x4x6.5 ft grow room dwc bubbleponics. Which is better air cooled or not does the glass and attachments really matter? Only reason i ask found a 1000w hps reflector and hood whole set up plus hortilux 1000 w bulb 190 bucks so i got it just wondering if this is ok?


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## homebrewer (Apr 11, 2010)

I don't think there is an answer to your question. The open bulbs vs hoods question has more to do with your grow room design than one being 'better' than the other.


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## terrorizer805 (Apr 11, 2010)

stonerchef said:


> is it ok if your reflector is not air cooled gonna have 1000 w hps sun system in 4x4x6.5 ft grow room dwc bubbleponics. Which is better air cooled or not does the glass and attachments really matter? Only reason i ask found a 1000w hps reflector and hood whole set up plus hortilux 1000 w bulb 190 bucks so i got it just wondering if this is ok?


As long as you keep your temps on check and provide enough ventilation for you plants then I say you should be good.

I use air cooled hoods because i'm in a tent and temps really rise in those tents without proper venting..


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## [email protected] (Apr 11, 2010)

Bare bulb pro's: 
1.) No "loss" of light.
2.) No glass to keep clean
3.) Less fan and ducting to run
4.) Easier to lift and lower lights

Con's:
1.) Easier to burn plant (if they get too close)
2.) Easier to burn bud (while still on the plant)
3.) Feel's like you're in a tanning salon - heat just radiates from the bulbs.
4.) WILL FUCK up your eyes - wear welding glasses
5.) Heat - but get 5 tons for 12k, One fan venting to the attic (or outside) and you're god to go.

Have a pool? Plumb one of these guys in and forget about line sets or compressors outside the room! http://www.coldflow-ac.com/


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## mochadog70 (Apr 12, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Bare bulb pro's:
> 1.) No "loss" of light.
> 2.) No glass to keep clean
> 3.) Less fan and ducting to run
> ...


You always have such great ideas!! No pool here and it would be weird to setup a pool where I live. Plus these units would stick out where I live also, but if I had the place for them I probably would use them. I think I'm going to stay with the wing style reflectors for now and see what happens. Oh yeah and I do have a tan from the bulbs and I try to wear glasses when I'm in the room because of the stakes for my plants. They have came very close to getting poked in the eye, but they do help with the lights. I have also got a few nasty burns from the open bulbs. I used hoods before and they let me down. When I got rid of them my plants where so much more happier.


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## Hobbes (Apr 12, 2010)

.

I haven't read everything so I apologize if I'm repeating someone's ideas:

An air cooled hood is to get your light close to your plants, there are other ways to vent heat.

A regular hood with a hot air exhaust in your ceiling will take out as much heat as with an air cooled hood, though there will be more heat closer to the canopy.

The glass in an air cooled hood gets dusty - easy to clean but I always forgot.

A light mover will let you get your light closer to your plants without the air cooled hood.

Hook your air fan, your light and mover to the same electrical outlet - if a breaker trips or fuse blows your light will go off with the fan and your plants won't cook in the summer.

.

This is a Sun System 2 air cooled hood. I took the glass and ducting off, air vent in ceiling.







.


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## Wohjew (Apr 12, 2010)

Hobbes said:


> .
> 
> I haven't read everything so I apologize if I'm repeating someone's ideas:
> 
> ...


the glass on an aircoolded refector will also give 20% less light than a bare bulb. on a 1000watter ... so i hear


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## researchkitty (Apr 12, 2010)

...so you hear. Again, test something not myth. OP wanted growers who dont "hear" things, but "know" things. If you are going to say that glass between a light bulb and a plant causes 20% reduction in light, you better be ready to support that by facts.

(It's because its bullshit, though!)

...if glass reduced light by 20%, nobody would use an air cooled hood because of the yield decrease.


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## Wohjew (Apr 12, 2010)

researchkitty said:


> ...so you hear. Again, test something not myth. OP wanted growers who dont "hear" things, but "know" things. If you are going to say that glass between a light bulb and a plant causes 20% reduction in light, you better be ready to support that by facts.
> 
> (It's because its bullshit, though!)
> 
> ...if glass reduced light by 20%, nobody would use an air cooled hood because of the yield decrease.


 k sorry . back it up if its b.s since you show concern for someone elses thred. thats y ppl like bare bulbs with ac over cooled bulbs . bare bulbs= more light. im am know expert , just my opinion


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## HAMandCHEEZ4life (Apr 12, 2010)

this is true. from my own personal experience and others around me bare bulbs def. give off more light. the light reduction can be offset by the fact that with an air cooled hood you can move your light closer. soooo. it all depends on what you are savvy on. personally. i just hate the sound of fans. i dont want my house sounding like a jet engine is inside of it. my ac makes barely any noise at all because i have a deadening box around the condenser. pretty stealth. you wouldnt even think i was running. i just got some winged relfectors thought. since i got more patiants i am going to do a SOG style with more plants instead of vertical trees.


/ramble


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## [email protected] (Apr 12, 2010)

HAMandCHEEZ4life said:


> this is true. from my own personal experience and others around me bare bulbs def. give off more light. the light reduction can be offset by the fact that with an air cooled hood you can move your light closer. soooo. it all depends on what you are savvy on. personally. i just hate the sound of fans. i dont want my house sounding like a jet engine is inside of it. my ac makes barely any noise at all because i have a deadening box around the condenser. pretty stealth. you wouldnt even think i was running. i just got some winged relfectors thought. since i got more patiants i am going to do a SOG style with more plants instead of vertical trees.
> 
> 
> /ramble


Thread jack & opinion.

I assume you are changing genetics to go SOG. If you're growing good trees with your current line, the only reason for tree growers to change to SOG would be to go with something more exotic and probably indica dominant.

I just don't think tree genetics can do better in a SOG given the same environmental variables.

/ThreadJACK


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## HAMandCHEEZ4life (Apr 13, 2010)

right now im running a cherry lime kush, pure kush(the original og), dj short blueberry, and afghan kush.

any of the kushes can do decent SOG i wouldnt say i have trees right now. more like 5 foot tall bushes. 

buttt alas you are right. because i told my clone guy about my sog plan and he wille have alot purple urkle clones ready for me in the coming months. purple urkle is my favorite purple strain. and these will be what i use for my sog.

as for the sog system incase you are interested.

4 of these with 3000 watts over each one. veg for 3.5 weeks. 

http://cch2o.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=42

the 16 pod 64 site model.


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## backnine951 (Jul 1, 2010)

Reflective air cooled sealed hoods are better than bare bulbs.....handsdown. Ask and I'll let u know every real reason why, there's a lot of them.


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## sven deisel (Jul 1, 2010)

cooled hoods can be moved in closer but i like my central air it is always bringing in fresh air from outside and i dont realy worry about how close i can get the lights cause i usaly have stuff in all dif stages of flowering so everything is dif hieghts


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## MIKE JONES (Jul 1, 2010)

i only use air cooled 1000 waters


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## kindbuds (Feb 23, 2011)

Backnine951, I'm interested in hearing all your reasons why you think reflective air cooled sealed hoods are better than bare bulbs, if you wouldn't mind sharing..


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