Hood recomendation

[Ghost25]

I am planning a grow with a single 1000W HPS light (hopefully ~10 plants in 3 gallon containers). I currently have a cheap hood that doesn't have any ducting or any way to cool it. It seems it would be in my best interest to get an air cooled hood, correct?

That said from what I've read "cool tubes" are effective at cooling bulbs but have poor light dispersion compared to other air-cooled hoods. I understand that the poor light footprint would apply to this style:

Does it also apply to this style where the tube is encompassed by a full reflector?

I'm trying to decide between the above style and this style:

They seem to cost about the same but I don't know exactly how significant the trade off is, I want to light a reasonable area with only one light but I don't want the light too hot. Which style do you recommend?

 

[Hold Your Fire]

Dimensions of your space?

 

[Ghost25]

In a shed with dimensions 6' 9" wide X 10' long X 6' tall. I only plan to use as much as necessary to hold ~10 plants in 3 gallon containers, not excatly sure how much space that will take.

 

[Hold Your Fire]

I've done well in the past, with 9 plants, in a 4x4 area. 5x5 is doable, but I wouldn't go much bigger than that.


I'd recommend, a reflector like the bottom one.

A Blockbuster, from sunlight supply would be perfect for a 4x4 or 5x5 area.

 

[supermanlives]

do not get cool tube of any kind unless absolutely nessesary. the newer aircooled hood are fine and give ya better coverage an lumens. the last one looks like my cap ones at 99$ each I paid. mine have hinged glass for easy cleaning an bulb change. I have several cooltubes in storage where they belong. lol

 

[nachoconqueso]

Like everyone else said, do an air cooled reflector like a blockbuster or magnum xxxl. I have a blockbuster and it is very nice. I do a magnum and a blockbuster. The magnum is on my sativa side because I have height restrictions and the plants grow up to about a foot from the light. The bigger magnum reflector gets those edges a little better and I run a halide on the sativa side which seems to be a little cooler so it's all good keeping the hood very close even at 1000w. On my shorty indicas, they seem to like the hps but a bit higher up due to light intensity so the blockbuster does well with coverage. I wouldn't put a blockbuster closer than 18" from the tops or else the edges just don't get it good.

 

[Sativa Dragon]

The bottom one as long as it is laid out like SML said I had one like that and it did not have a gasket and it leaked, which is bad if you want a sealed room.

Peace

 

[skunk_valley]

Like most everyone say, go with the one on the bottom. I use a sunlight supply and it runs super cool.

SV

 

[Scottish Research]

Get a Magnum '6 or Epic '6 inch from sunlight supply, or just rock it vertical. My 600 vertical cool tube works well in a room larger than yours; I can hardly walk due to all of the buds...

3 gallon containers = perfect size. Best of luck!


R.Fortune

 

[Ghost25]

Thanks guys, I went ahead and picked up a 6" Magnum XXXL for $100, came with a bulb as well.

 

[nachoconqueso]

Good choice. Perfect for a single 1000w hps. You could chain two up in the future with the 8" but 6 is right on for your application. Happy growing.

 

[Hold Your Fire]

Thanks guys, I went ahead and picked up a 6" Magnum XXXL for $100, came with a bulb as well.

New?????

 

[Gregster]

The block buster type is better than a cool tube, I have a 3x3 square reflector and a 2x2 block buster, and a parabolic 3x3, the block buster has a more intense light pattern than the other's.I don't have a light meter but my eye's don't lie to me,the result's speak for themselves.The bigger hood's spread the light more but I like my light a little more concentrated.

 

[Ghost25]

New?????

Haha no, my local hydro shop has a bunch of used hoods and fans that they sell for people. It seems to be in excellent condition though.

 

[Hold Your Fire]

Haha no, my local hydro shop has a bunch of used hoods and fans that they sell for people. It seems to be in excellent condition though.

Good price any way!

 

[JointOperation]

cooltubes like others have said. have there place.. but honestly vertical hung bare bulbs. are what have been killing it for big plants.. and if your wanting best bang for ur buck.. with quick harvest times.. SOG.. if your rooms tall enough.. u can do 1 room ontop the other.. and run a flip flop and kill it with a horizontal .. but its all about what kind of space you have to work with.. and what your willing to do ..

 

[Drek]

Totally agree. Horizontal is ok for tight spaces, etc....but a bare vert bulb is best.

 

[Snow Crash]

Haha no, my local hydro shop has a bunch of used hoods and fans that they sell for people. It seems to be in excellent condition though.

A used reflector is a bad deal. The reflective material inside oxidizes with use. After just 1 year you've lost 10% of the reflective ability. after 2 years you've lost a little more than 16%. It's bad news...

Oversized reflectors like the Magnum also have an issue with the socket holding the bulb more on one end of the reflector than the other. This creates an interesting spread of the light with some areas receiving much less than others. Add in old reflective material, glass, and that slow buildup of dust on the lense... and you're working with maybe 75% efficiency. So keep that big sucker close to the canopy, that's the whole reason it's so large, and maximize what you are getting out of that system.

A 6" Irradiator would have been my choice for you.

 

[tokersmoke]

My local guy got me a sunlight supply hood that is 4x4.NO way A BARE BULB can cast off more light.

 

[Snow Crash]

My local guy got me a sunlight supply hood that is 4x4.NO way A BARE BULB can cast off more light.

Sunlight Supply doesn't make a hood that large. The largest one I am aware of is the Epic 8in AC Reflector with a 40.2" L x 32.7 W, but that sucker is like $380 MSRP. I assume you mean a hood that can cover a 4x4 area, in which case that has much more to do with your light than it does your reflector. The question really is: At that distance, how high does your reflector need to be from the top of the canopy to light a 4x4 area. And how even is the light directly beneath the bulb compared to the far corner some 27"+ from the bulb.

The issue with Glass in your reflector is that you lose anywhere from 5% - 10% of your light across the spectrum depending on the quality of the glass (while atoms are mostly empty space some of the photons will reflect off of the silica atoms in the glass). Factor in aged reflective material, and an old glass reflector might be upwards of 20% less efficient than a bare bulb in a new open wing reflector. The trade off is that glass allows the lamp to be placed much closer to the canopy to offset this efficiency loss as the IR can be contained and controlled much easier. But now the reflector has to be extremely large to cover the edge to edge of the space and you get a much less even spread of light intensity. When it comes to the heat of the room, BTU's are BTU's and it's more about moving X cfm of hot air than anything else. I've actually had an easy time cooling a naked bulb without the AC hoods.

Oddly enough, the most efficient model is a vertical hanging bulb without reflection. A round bulb doesn't make much sense when placed horizontally because half the energy is going the wrong direction and has to be reflected back at 95%.