CoolTube Issues...

[Guest]

Anyone ever have a problem with your bulb rattling in your cooltube?

I have a 600Watt Gavita in a tube attached to a 265cfm inline fan. For now I've coiled up the duct leaving the tube to slow down the air and I added some springs to the hangers to help stabilize enough to keep the bulb from slamming into the glass. It is still shaking a little though.

I'm going to run the feed duct about ten feet across the room to suck in cold air from a window...hopefully once I do that it will get better. If not I guess I'll hook up a speed control or get a slower fan.

This irritates me a little...seems like an obvious design flaw to me. Aren't these things supposed to have mass airflow running through them?

DKF

 

[GratefulPhish]

mine is sturdy ?_? i have a 600 in a cooltube from mdhydro with a 265fat as well, doesn't move at all...

 

[issack]

yeah...i have 6 lights....a 620cfm fan is at each end.....of a row of three...blowing full blast..

what i think is u have the intake very close and it is creating a whirlwind of ar air....what you are talkin bout doing i think will help..

just a hunch...good luck....

 

[Guest]

Thanks guys.

Issack...You are correct the fan is right next to the tube.



So, basically I have to slow down the fan to make this work. Could have just gotten a smaller, quiter, cheaper fan that draws less electricity...that's what annoys me. If I HAD to run a long duct or couldn't put the fan close, a larger fan would be necessary.

Seems to me they should account for this. My perfect situation would be no duct on the other side of the tube...then the light would stay cool, and also be exhausting the room...which another fan is doing now...so two fans (one bigger than necessary) to do the job one could do.

Oh well...

Danks again.
DKF

 

[Guest]

Well, I extended the duct work to my fresh air window and extended the duct from the fan to the tube a little...it's better but not great. Every things seems sturdy in there, nothing loose.

I finally put a solid foam pad on top of the bat wings, then some weight on top of that. That makes it usable, but you can still watch the bulb gently shake.

Guess I'll add a speed control and turn the fan down...luckily for me the weather is getting cold and I wont need so many cfm's for long.

DKF

 

[issack]

I am glad things are better...get that motor speed control and straighten out those ducts and you should be fine,,,,all those bends is creating friction and bouncing in the air....resulting in shaking??....

good luck man....!!!

 

[Guest]

Ok...Here is my assesment of this situation. Hopefully anyone considering buying a CoolTube checks this out.

I believe the problem is that I am using a Gavita bulb. It is shaped like a nerf football and extends to about 1/2" to the edge of the glass. If i had a smaller bulb or bigger tube, I don't believe this would be an issue. My 400 what dildo shaped bulb would work perfectly in this...did I just say "dildo shaped"? Anyway...

This is just one problem in a string of problems I am having right now, and I am so frustrated at this point all I can do is laugh...

When I slow down the fan (or straighten out the duct or both) then there is not enough air flow to keep the room cool. I can get the bulb to stay still just fine, but my temp shoots up to 90. If I raise the cfm until the bulb is almost smacking the sides of the glass, I can keep temp at 78.

I have several fans, and I am experimenting with different configurations to see what works best, but it is hard since I am also growing...can't exactly move the whole system out of the room to re-arrange.

Ok, back to work...

DKF

 

[Guest]

The bulb shouldn't vibrate that bad, have you checked the ceramic base and mount screws. Some models used pop-rivots and tend to loosen after long usage and heat stress. Make sure the base of the bulb is tight to the mounting fixture, then turn your attention to contact points that could shake the bulb - the seal at the glass tube and duct. If the duct is fastened tight to the glass vibration will be transmitted along the duct to the glass and eventually to the bulb. A high temp O-ring at each end to provide cushioning between the glass tube and the duct may help soften vibrations. I've used 1/2 inch furnace tape that was thick enough to provide a cushion but not so thick the duct wouldn't fit on.

I guess you could also bend a rod and insert it around the bulb to hold it in the center of the coo tube, but it would only stay in place with tight friction and that may or may not add to your vibration.

Bottom line is your bulb shape and limited clearance to the glass revealed a flaw in your mountings, if all is tight and insulated from vibrations then think strongly about a different bulb shape that will give you the clearance that you need in the cool tube.

Just my