1st grow and have heat concerns.

Just want to say that I've been reading a lot of posts and people here seem to have a good handle on things.
Im in the middle of building a stealth grow under the stairs in my basement. I went to a buddy who owns a smoke shop for advice and he set me up with:
1x1000 veg lite
1x1000 flower lite
Digital ballast (three settings)
Hood reflector
Black/white poly (kinda like panda plastic)
5 gallon pots (1gallon pots to start)
I don't have the brand names handy.

I have built my version of a grow tent. I wrapped a space 3.5' x 3.5' x 5.5' tall in the poly and tuck taped the bejesus out of the seams. It's safe to say I have a good seal all around.
I hung my lamp tonight and I think I have a problem. I have the reflector sitting 6" from the top of the tent but it is large and almost touches all the walls too!! It's approx 5-8" from the walls on all sides.
My main question is, how big of a problem is this if I'm running a 1000w lamp? I can turn the ballast down to 500w output but am I creating a fire hazard? Does the reflector act as a heat shield? I would prefer to run at 1000w for yields alone.
Keep in mind I have not set up my exhaust and intake fans yet. I am not asking for growing temps yet, just if my wife is gonna kill me when I burn the house down lol.
Any advice would be appreciated!!
Pics to follow.

Your best bet is to check your temps. I Didnt notice you tell me about fans?. I Run alot lower heat then u with cfls but i even have fans for my hot 30+ days Or 90 For the americaNS. Id suggest Getting an inline fan and a small desk fan for starters. And get a thermometer . High Heat is an issue. I Run at 30c alot of days but i inject co2 to help and my plants are fine.

So check your distance to the plants, your tent heat ect

Shaun2000 got it goin.

If you have high temps like I always do in my state, it helps a LOT to have a fan big enough for your room to blow across the canopy. Move the air. Movement makes air cooler. The moving air keeps the heat from settling into your ladies. Some use air conditioners. I find that a gentle breeze is good enough for my situation.

Also a light breeze makes stronger stems. You could use a box fan on Lo. Be sure to get the fans you mentioned hooked up. A 1000 HP bulb will give ya heat.

Also get a 3 way thermometer. It tell you the current, high & low temps. Not very expensive. I like to use a hot/cold thermostat to turn my fan on & off. When it's hot it'll run a fan, in cold a small heater.

A rule of thumb for how hot your plants can get: If you hold your hand even with your tallest plant & have to move your hand because of heat, it's too hot. If it's not hot enough to make your skin hot, U B OK. Still, run a fan across the plant canopy just in case.

Some lights come in a self contained set up where you can blow heat away from the bulb using a small diameter 4-6" duct tube. If you got those set ups yer way ahead.

For future reference, look up Ceramic Metal Halide Bulbs.

mM

Thanks guys. Both responses helped. I will look into the CO2 because I suspect I will be running hot. Also I picked up a slick thermometer today that has max/min and humidity. It's also wireless so I have the display on my coffee table so I can keep an eye on it without opening the tent.

I still have the fire safety concern though. Will this lamp create enough heat on the reflector that the reflector will melt my poly? It's only 6"-ish from the edges.

Zeeker, put your remote sensor at the place you are worried about & see hot hot it gets. I am sure you can find sites that tell ya the ignition point temp for your material.

And also after your light has been on a while slowly & carefully see if ya can touch the poly &/or look to see if it starting to melt. Or spray a mist of water on the hot part & if it sizzles it's probably too hot. Don't spray the bulb!

Good luck.

mM

Thanks Mm. I shoulda have tried that. Luckily my buddy owns the headshop so he swapped the 1000 bulbs and ballast for 600. For the price difference he threw in some Hog's Breath seeds. First time germinating coming up!!!