Adjust-a-Wing vs Air Cooled

Hello Everyone,

I'm in the process of setting up a veg room.

The room is 600 square feet, 10 foot ceilings, no windows, one wall with the entry door and a garage door that face NW which gets fairly warm in the summer but I'm insulating the doors now. There's a vent for a non-existent swamp cooler. There's a small vent connected to the light in the bathroom. On the roof there are two 10" vents but the insulaters and drywallers that recently renovated the place covered those up. I can uncover them, although it'll be a pain in the ass to do a good job and make it look nice.

I plan on using four tents: two 2x4s for small plants and clones, and two 4x8s for larger plants.

The 2x4s will have multi-level racks with t5s, and I'll probably put an appropriately-sized exhaust fan on the top of each.

The 4x8s are a little tougher. I can't decide whether to use Adjust-a-Wing reflectors or Air Cooled reflectors.

What has been suggested to me was to use Air Cooled reflectors, and duct the hot air from the reflectors from outside the tent, and exhaust it to outside the tent. It was also suggested to pull fresh air from outside the tent and exhaust it outside the tent. Basically, keep these two air streams separate.

This seems redundant, since the hot air from the reflectors will be mixing outside of the tent with the same air that will now be pulled back in as fresh air for the plants

The Adjust-a-Wings would allow me to use just one exhaust fan and pull all the air out, both stale and hot alike.

Another option would be to use the Air Cooled, but don't duct them from the outside -- just keep one side open and exhaust the stale air with the hot through the Air Cooled reflectors.

And what I'll probably do for keeping a fresh amount of air in the room itself is to open those two covered vents, and put a fan pushing air into the room, and a fan pulling air out of the room.

Any thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated.

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I would only use an air cooled hood if you're going to use co2. Otherwise.. the plants will appreciate the additional fresh air turning over as much as the lights. So, stick with the wings.

You also need to uncover those vents in the outer room. You need to keep fresh air pumping through all the rooms.. tents and room. If not, then you'll eventually want co2, then you're back to the air cooled hoods.

As for the hot and cold air mixing.. the hot air will rise up to the ceiling and the tents always have there intake vent on the ground to pull in the coolest air.

I was looking into getting an adjust a wing, then I came across this...

http://www.greners.com/reflector-test.html

According to that, there are better reflectors for the same price.

The test doesnt say anything bad about adjust a wings, its just that the test was done in a 4 x 4 area adjust a wings are great but i would go with blockbusters, cool it or not the blockbusters kick ass...

2 medium adjust a wings... won't rip your tent apart from the weight of em either... 2 600s per tent and u'll be good... 1k can be a bit much in less than 5x10 or 5x5 tents

Aaw's might distribute hot spots a little better... But it just doesn't compute w total heat in the area... The bulbs are still producing 3k+ btus... And u'v got that x4, plus the t5's which make a fair amount of heat too.

Going into summer... That's one hot box, the garage. Those vents are goin to b needed... And a real ac... Not that swampy.

I run aaw's, but still vent em... And need the normal amount of ac cooling to boot. Bigger issue might become odor control w all the venting u'l need.

I'll only be vegging here, so I'm not concerned about odor control.

I've moved past the idea of the swamp cooler, so now my options are a mini-split or a wall unit with appropriate ducting (since I don't have a wall to use with it).

Either way, Adjust-a-Wing or Air Cooled, if I'm venting the hot air from the space, I'd still be venting out the cool air the AC is creating.

Unless I just stick with 600s, run all of them at night, and exhaust all of the air with cooler air from outside. The average low temperature is 60 in the hottest months.

What's people's experience with Icebox Chillers?

I think yud regret trying ta run bare bulbs in the summer, even with air conditioning. Air cooled reflectors take out alot of infrared heat as well as the heat from the arc itself. If ya can't keep it cool yer vegging plants will end up with more innernodel spacing/stretching.

Good luck with what ever ya do. BC

i would go for the Blockbuster 6" Reflector's they look amazing

In tents - aircooled.. always in my opinion.

When running vented tents I have always pulled through a filter - pushed through my lights and out. Intake was from the cool "lung" around the tents. (intake into room containing tent somehow..forced intake if necessary).

That said.. its still a big headache to me.

I've heard the adjust a wings are awesome but havnt had the luxury of trying them yet.

Can you do a split AC?

If this is a permanent place you'll likely be loads happier if you get install a ductless split AC and run the room without tents (put the money into AC) using the adjust a wings. A properly specced AC in a room with no glass reflectors is just awesome.. leave the frustrations of climate control/a lot of fans/aircooled reflectors, etc out of it and just get down to growing plants.

sealed with co2/ ductless split/ non-ac reflectors makes you god in your room.. its and a clean simple room.

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Otherwise if your stuck on the tents.. pull through filter/push through lights/ and out. Do this in both tents and use your remaining intake to hopefully bring in cold outside air to fill the space around the tents lower intake. Even so your going to run into high temp should your intake temp rise considerably over cooler air.


my 2c

any kind of hid in enclosed space will heat the area quickly. In most situations you will find that you need to exhaust the hot air from the enclosed area. the larger the area, the more likely it will be able to absorb the heat better.so if we take a 600, place it in a 5x5,non air cooled, with in no time, that area will be 80 or better. depending on many different variables ie where the tent is located, upstairs or in a basement,what season it is, summer vs winter, how many other heat load appliances are in the room or in the tent. ive been using aircooled for years. im always needing to get rid of that heat from the lamp. if i had a large enough space i wouldnt use aircooled. lumens lost through the glass and the hassles of running duct and holes everywhere. pain in the ass. unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 i need to air cool. unless u you have a sealed, airconditioned room, or a big enough room where it can absorb the heat from an hid.