Vertical lights and heat - Vertical / Colosseum Growing - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

LORD BENIS · 10-15-2008, 04:20 PM

Anyone know how to cool a room with the lights hanging vertically with no hoods. I've never done a vertical grow yet but I like trees and low plant numbers so I've got my heart set.

In the past I have run passive intake, active exhaust rooms (using hoods) that work great but never as quality as when I used sealed rooms. I just can't keep temps low enough w/o feeling like I'm exhausting a bunch of AC straight into the attic.

What I would like to do is hang three 600 HPS bulbs vertically/no hood in a straight line and grow a row of plants on either side. I would run ducting just above the sockets to pull the heat off and circulate this air constantly. AC would be added from either the central AC or a window unit.

Anybody with insight, experience, links, etc. on how to cool a vertical grow PLEASE post here.

Deviant420 · 10-15-2008, 04:38 PM

Although I haven't personally done a vert. light setup, my first thoughts would be to run a cool tube setup. There are a few DIY's floating around out there that use Pyrex Bake-a-Round's and I'm fairly certain they fit anything except for 1000-watt MH bulbs.

Hope this helps.

messn'n'gommin' · 10-15-2008, 04:41 PM

I have been looking into this for a while now, and this is one of the best cooltube designs I've seen, so far. Hope this helps.

“My Cabinet (w/DIY’s and lots of love),” by Hoosierdaddy
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=84904

Namaste, mess

Edit: Some have had a bit of trouble with a simple way to hang the bulb without a cooltube design. If this is your case as well, this may help.

Fan Grill/Socket Base
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=25131

Mr Celsius · 10-16-2008, 05:12 AM

well... my room was long and skinny, had a bunch of bare bulbs and a 10" can fan pulling air from one end to the other end. I never measured the temp, but during summer it never got above 85 F (my educated guess).

I actually found it easier to cool a vert setup. All the heat goes straight up and then the filter removed it.

BlindDate · 10-16-2008, 06:11 AM

I use an AC and just enough ventilation to replace the stale air.

If you are going to grow trees and light them on one side only, the other side is going to be shit. Rethink your lighting. What is the size of your grow space?

TGT · 10-16-2008, 08:15 PM

I always grow vertical and grow tree style so I might be able to help. You can check out my gallery of pictures as most of them are this type of set up. What I have found in the past with using vertical bulbs and AC is that if you are air cooling the system has to be closed so that no air from the room is expelled. That way you are not loosing your AC out the window or into the attic.

I have found for me what works best is to have a fan placed at ground level pointing dirrectly up towards each vertical light. The cool air from the floor is pushed past the bulbs and the hot air is sent upward and circulated throughout the room through natuar convection. I can get the plants within 8 inches of the bulb without any burn using this method and I have 1000 watt HPS.

I cool my room with either a portable AC or a window unit, and usually with four 1000 watt HPS a 12,000 BTU does the trick. If your room is smaller than 12 by 16, then you might need a little more BTU. The good thing is with the four fans under each 1000 you are not loosing any of the AC power through venting. This is the way I have set up for years now and it is the best method I have tried.

If your room is say 10 by 12 and you are using more than four 1000's than air cooling is probably your only option. But like I stated before, make sure the cooling system for the lights is a closed system so that you are not loosing your AC.

Hope this helps, if you have any questions on my set up please don't hesitate to ask.

TGT

10-16-2008, 08:21 PM

I have grown vertically with cool tubes (air cooled) and also with exposed lights and air conditioning, but this requires bigger spaces usually, so the plants don't get too close to the bulbs..

TGT · 10-16-2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlindDate

I use an AC and just enough ventilation to replace the stale air.

If you are going to grow trees and light them on one side only, the other side is going to be shit. Rethink your lighting. What is the size of your grow space?

Sorry to make a doulble post. I just saw the above quote and felt the need to comment. What he is saying is totally true. With tree's and vertical bulbs you get your best production from having the bulbs set up in two's, so two in one row and the other two in the other row. This way you have plants in between the lights so that the inside plants get light form both sides. You are always going to have the outside plants with light on one side, but if you tie them up properly they will still produce very well. On the inside is where the bulk of the yield will come from so with having the lights in a straight line you won't benefit from this bulk yield. If you still want to do bulbs in a straight line the best bet is to not grow them larger than 3 feet when finished and have the lights at a 45 degree angle from the plants but still vertical. That way the tops and sides get light and this reduces the effect of one side buds and one side scraggle, if that makes any sense lol.

TGT

LORD BENIS · 10-27-2008, 05:43 AM

BlindDate - My grow space is rather theoretical right now. My current set up is working fine now, but in the future I would like to figure out an efficient way to run a vertical grow. I will end up dedicating a regular sized room, so lets say ~12 ft. x 12 ft.

TGT - Great pics, I dig your style. I've always found it hard to believe it's possible to keep a vertical grow cool without active exhaust, but after asking around it seems to be the way all the productive vert grows are done.

As far as having a single row of lights and a lopsided yield is concerned, here are my thoughts. In fact, let me elaborate on my design, as it seems I'm not the only person interested in vertical lighting.

First off, I'm going to keep my lights under 2000 watts (I'm cheap and paranoid about using a lot of power), so hopefully it won't get too hot. I haven't quite decided on the exact combo of lights yet (3 x 400's, 2 or 3 x 600's, or 2 x 1000's). I'd like to just grow out four or six plants to their full potential. Also, I run Bio-Buckets. The net pots are very easy to spin and I plan on rotating them constantly to keep growth even. I usually put four bamboo stakes in each pot before filling them up with the lava to help brace the buds later on in flower.

LORD BENIS · 11-10-2008, 03:50 AM

Do ya'll think I can effectively cool 3 x 6oo's with just a window unit and no in-line fans? The room is about 1440 cubic feet.

10-15-2008, 04:20 PM	#1
LORD BENIS Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 382	Vertical lights and heat Anyone know how to cool a room with the lights hanging vertically with no hoods. I've never done a vertical grow yet but I like trees and low plant numbers so I've got my heart set. In the past I have run passive intake, active exhaust rooms (using hoods) that work great but never as quality as when I used sealed rooms. I just can't keep temps low enough w/o feeling like I'm exhausting a bunch of AC straight into the attic. What I would like to do is hang three 600 HPS bulbs vertically/no hood in a straight line and grow a row of plants on either side. I would run ducting just above the sockets to pull the heat off and circulate this air constantly. AC would be added from either the central AC or a window unit. Anybody with insight, experience, links, etc. on how to cool a vertical grow PLEASE post here. __________________ The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena. Whose face is marred by dust, sweat, and blood;who strive valiantly and know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause. Who at the best, know the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt -
	Quote

10-15-2008, 04:41 PM	#3
messn'n'gommin' ember Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Home, where they should be. Posts: 1,753	I have been looking into this for a while now, and this is one of the best cooltube designs I've seen, so far. Hope this helps. “My Cabinet (w/DIY’s and lots of love),” by Hoosierdaddy https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=84904 Namaste, mess Edit: Some have had a bit of trouble with a simple way to hang the bulb without a cooltube design. If this is your case as well, this may help. Fan Grill/Socket Base https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=25131 __________________ Last edited by messn'n'gommin'; 10-15-2008 at 04:48 PM..
	Quote

10-16-2008, 05:12 AM	#4
Mr Celsius I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it. Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: In my head Posts: 2,087	well... my room was long and skinny, had a bunch of bare bulbs and a 10" can fan pulling air from one end to the other end. I never measured the temp, but during summer it never got above 85 F (my educated guess). I actually found it easier to cool a vert setup. All the heat goes straight up and then the filter removed it. __________________ A plea for your Health (look at this) HP Stadium Organic Pest Control Organics for Beginners BigTokes ~ Basic Water Chemistry!! ALL ABOUT BONSAI MOMS/MUMS Yayyy! My first colloidal silver generator The 6k Stadium that foil tape built Nature is like a brilliant opponent in chess: "We know that his play is always fair, just and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance." - Thomas Henry Huxley "Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." -P. J. O'Rourke
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10-16-2008, 06:11 AM	#5
BlindDate Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,063	I use an AC and just enough ventilation to replace the stale air. If you are going to grow trees and light them on one side only, the other side is going to be shit. Rethink your lighting. What is the size of your grow space? __________________ Tired of Hiding Last edited by BlindDate; 10-16-2008 at 06:13 AM..
	Quote

10-16-2008, 08:15 PM	#6
TGT Tom 'Green' Thumb Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Purgatory Posts: 1,846	I always grow vertical and grow tree style so I might be able to help. You can check out my gallery of pictures as most of them are this type of set up. What I have found in the past with using vertical bulbs and AC is that if you are air cooling the system has to be closed so that no air from the room is expelled. That way you are not loosing your AC out the window or into the attic. I have found for me what works best is to have a fan placed at ground level pointing dirrectly up towards each vertical light. The cool air from the floor is pushed past the bulbs and the hot air is sent upward and circulated throughout the room through natuar convection. I can get the plants within 8 inches of the bulb without any burn using this method and I have 1000 watt HPS. I cool my room with either a portable AC or a window unit, and usually with four 1000 watt HPS a 12,000 BTU does the trick. If your room is smaller than 12 by 16, then you might need a little more BTU. The good thing is with the four fans under each 1000 you are not loosing any of the AC power through venting. This is the way I have set up for years now and it is the best method I have tried. If your room is say 10 by 12 and you are using more than four 1000's than air cooling is probably your only option. But like I stated before, make sure the cooling system for the lights is a closed system so that you are not loosing your AC. Hope this helps, if you have any questions on my set up please don't hesitate to ask. TGT __________________ Life is like a toilet paper roll, the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.
	Quote

10-15-2008, 04:38 PM	#2
Deviant420 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 190	Although I haven't personally done a vert. light setup, my first thoughts would be to run a cool tube setup. There are a few DIY's floating around out there that use Pyrex Bake-a-Round's and I'm fairly certain they fit anything except for 1000-watt MH bulbs. Hope this helps.
	Quote

10-16-2008, 08:21 PM	#7
cbf Guest Posts: n/a	I have grown vertically with cool tubes (air cooled) and also with exposed lights and air conditioning, but this requires bigger spaces usually, so the plants don't get too close to the bulbs..
	Quote

10-27-2008, 05:43 AM	#9
LORD BENIS Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 382	BlindDate - My grow space is rather theoretical right now. My current set up is working fine now, but in the future I would like to figure out an efficient way to run a vertical grow. I will end up dedicating a regular sized room, so lets say ~12 ft. x 12 ft. TGT - Great pics, I dig your style. I've always found it hard to believe it's possible to keep a vertical grow cool without active exhaust, but after asking around it seems to be the way all the productive vert grows are done. As far as having a single row of lights and a lopsided yield is concerned, here are my thoughts. In fact, let me elaborate on my design, as it seems I'm not the only person interested in vertical lighting. First off, I'm going to keep my lights under 2000 watts (I'm cheap and paranoid about using a lot of power), so hopefully it won't get too hot. I haven't quite decided on the exact combo of lights yet (3 x 400's, 2 or 3 x 600's, or 2 x 1000's). I'd like to just grow out four or six plants to their full potential. Also, I run Bio-Buckets. The net pots are very easy to spin and I plan on rotating them constantly to keep growth even. I usually put four bamboo stakes in each pot before filling them up with the lava to help brace the buds later on in flower. __________________ The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena. Whose face is marred by dust, sweat, and blood;who strive valiantly and know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause. Who at the best, know the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt -
	Quote

11-10-2008, 03:50 AM	#10
LORD BENIS Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 382	Do ya'll think I can effectively cool 3 x 6oo's with just a window unit and no in-line fans? The room is about 1440 cubic feet. __________________ The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena. Whose face is marred by dust, sweat, and blood;who strive valiantly and know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause. Who at the best, know the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt -
	Quote