I found a straight-walled glass tube at goodwill, can I use it for 400w?

littlebittaweed

littlebittaweed

Well-Known Member
It's a 4" diameter glass tube x 24" long. It is not a bake-a-round or a hurricane glass tube--it's just a basic, 4" diameter glass tube. I'm wondering if this will work as a cooltube setup or if the 400 will be too hot for the glass. It is not pyrex. Will this work?

Stock image but looks identical...

Fan is a 200cfm S&P inline
 

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littlebittaweed

littlebittaweed

Well-Known Member
I have a metal bracket to hold the lamp inside the tube. I've made a very similar one before with a 6" straightwall glass, but unfortunately dropped it when I was dismantling the tent (at least I finished the grow!). My concern is that this one is only 4" in diameter so the bulb will be closer to the glass. I also ran the bulb at 75% instead of 100% out of fear the glass would break under heat. Maybe my understanding of glass thermal dynamics is poor...

The air is drawn from a cool place, but not cold. I'm just afraid of the glass breaking under heat while I'm away and setting my house ablaze. Probably very unlikely but I'm getting more paranoid with age! Do you think I need to worry? Should I just spring for a proper setup? Or will this thrift store solution work just fine?
 
whitebb2727

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
littlebittaweed said:
I have a metal bracket to hold the lamp inside the tube. I've made a very similar one before with a 6" straightwall glass, but unfortunately dropped it when I was dismantling the tent (at least I finished the grow!). My concern is that this one is only 4" in diameter so the bulb will be closer to the glass. I also ran the bulb at 75% instead of 100% out of fear the glass would break under heat. Maybe my understanding of glass thermal dynamics is poor...

The air is drawn from a cool place, but not cold. I'm just afraid of the glass breaking under heat while I'm away and setting my house ablaze. Probably very unlikely but I'm getting more paranoid with age! Do you think I need to worry? Should I just spring for a proper setup? Or will this thrift store solution work just fine?
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Then buy a proper tube or hood. Not all glass is made to handle that kind of heat. The ones that are, are still brittle if cold air hits them.

I forgot a pyrex dish in the oven one time. I pulled it out with a pot holder. I sat it on the counter and someone had spilled some water. That thing exploded like a 12 gauge went off.
 
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whitebb2727

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
since1991 said:
Ive done that. To the op....dude just by a cool tube or any other aircooled reflector. There cheap as hell online. Iam all for diy but when it comes to the lamps and electricity.....you really dont wanna fuk around.
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I'm all for doing you're own work. Electric is OK.

With electric be smart. Don't smoke and go do an electric job. Forget to flip breaker off and shock yourself.

Its straight forward. Do it right and don't cut corners.
 
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since1991

since1991

Well-Known Member
Wiring up a relay on a 240v circuit or outlets for rooms is easy as cake but wiring up upgraded fuse panels and sub panels i leave to my electrician buddies. Thats just me.
 
since1991

since1991

Well-Known Member
What ive always done is when i get to a new spot the fuse box needs to be bigger usually from the start. I call my electrician friends (i got a few) and have one of them wire up at least 150 amp. Lots of room for my own circuits. Then after that i can handle the rest. Its pretty easy. Done it a bazillion times.
 
since1991

since1991

Well-Known Member
Smart move. Aircooled reflectors are so inexpensive these days. Once you made the purchase....its all set. Move on to the next project....there are quite a few more.
 
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