Requesting advice before finalizing order.

Hey all, new to the forum. Figured I'd ask everyone here what they think of this setup before I order. New to indoor growing but have done guerilla patches before. Please feel free to reply with opinions and any necessary modifications.

Light:
Amazon.com: 400 Watt 400w Digital Switchable Ballast Grow Light Set Includes HPS, MH Bulbs, Reflector, Power Cord and…

Tent:
Amazon.com: 100% Reflective MYLAR Hydroponics Grow Tent 3'x3'x78" GYO1005A: Home & Garden

Soil/Nutrients:
Miracle Grow Organic potting soil, blood meal and bone meal
generic 18-18-21 tomato food (got it for free, probably use dilute solution for foliage feeding)

Fan:
Amazon.com: Hydrofarm ActiveAir Blower Fan 95 CFM: Home & Garden

I'm looking for advice specifically on the heat that this lamp puts out relative to a 58.5 ft^3 mylar tent and if a 95 cfm blower will be enough power as well as how much noise a blower like this makes.

Thanks!

have you even looked at any LED's?

no heat! :smokin:

mine are a little large for your tent but you will be money ahead in the long run with good LED lighting;)

hey thanks for the heads up. i would like LEDs but is there anything effective for under $200? I'm looking to grow 7 plants btw.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by smartparts

I'm looking for advice specifically on the heat that this lamp puts out relative to a 58.5 ft^3 mylar tent and if a 95 cfm blower will be enough power as well as how much noise a blower like this makes.

Thanks!

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IMO that fan isn't gonna do the job. A 400 bare-bulb will overheat that space fairly easily, unless your intake is pulling in very cool air. If you intend to ever use an odor filter, you need to flow 2-3 times what that lil' fan is capable of. Those small Active-Air fans are reasonably quiet, but they are *very* sensitive to flow restrictions.

Need better ventilation, and a cooltube maybe? Like EC^^ said, depends on intake temperatures a lot, but if the temps are that low then you'd need a heater at night... The ventilation (fan, carbon filter, duct, cooltube, mufflers) with HID's will cost as much if not much more than the lighting setup. I'd say look up some ventilation formulas, there's one in the Noob's Guide to Growroom Design thread by Rhizome. There are others online as well. Figure out the CFM you will need and buy one size larger with a speed controller. :twocents:

Ok, so I started looking into cooltubes and they don't seem too difficult to build. I've seen large diameter polycarbonate tubes at hardware stores and I was thinking about mounting 2 smaller fans on either side of the tube and venting air in and out. They intake air can be as cold as I want because I dont pay for a/c or electricity :thumbsup:

This would of course mean that the tube is stationary and I would have to raise the plants up off of the floor. I have 2 adjustable tables that would do the job I think.

I'm guessing you live in an apt or rent in someway if you don't pay electricity. That means someone else is and will be pissed if your electricity skyrockets to 10x its current rate. Also, will a single 400W HPS be enough for 6 plants? Seems like of skimpy

400W HPS can manage six plants but better to do them SCRoG style to achieve maximum coverage.

Whats up?

If you go the cooltube route then make sure the hot air is sucked completely out of the tent via ducting otherwise it wont be any cooler than a bare bulb inside the tent. Im not sure if you knew that but by the way you described the small fans on either side of the tube sounds like you didnt. Also your best bet is to have one big fan pulling air through the tube instead of two small ones pushing and pulling.

Im using a 600w air cooled hood that is turned down to 400w and it can still get hot with a 400cfm fan pulling room air through it. Make sure your ventilation is up to par before you plant your seeds!!!

Goodluck!