Billyboob

I have a reallllllyyy small grow space right now, about 20''x12''x12'' until i move them outside, but i have a problem with heat build up from the 2 100 CFLs i have running. I have a small fan to help because i need it quiet but i took a temp measurement of the soil and it came out around 93+. I'm not adding another fan because i need it quiet and i dont have the space or desire to add some sort of exhaust or intake system here. So is there some sort of around the house ideas that anyone can share? I heard freezing cups of ice can bring the temp down by 10 degrees and possibly more so ill try that for now.

ILLEGAL-SEED

putting ice into a mini microwave will only last for 20 minutes.

fans DO NOT cool air, they move air. you can add 20 fans, your temps will not come down.

exhuast and intake are your only choices. or leaving the door open.

red-bull

or buya smal aircon unit

Ashmore11

If you wire two 3" pc fans (1 intake, 1 exhaust) and wire them to a 9 volt adapter instead of a 12 volt, then the fans are completely silent but less powerful! should help in a small space like yours though!

__________________

analog

cut back on the lights

__________________

Luke Highwalker

is it really inside a microwave?

200w in 1sq ft sounds pretty excessive, i gotta go with analog on this one.

__________________


SPACE-CASE Filing Cabinet Stealth Box
HOTBOX: Cheap & Easy in room A/C

Billyboob

Alright thanks for the tips. Ill probably get rid of 1 of the bulbs for now then and if im able, maybe scrounge up some computer fans and get a 9v converter.

Van Omen

I've been freezing two waterbottles and putting them capless under the fans next to my plants during the heat of the day and unfortunately the temp only dropped by maybe 2 degrees after 2 hours. I too would like a quick and easy temperature drop...

V8d8Child

I have similar problems. It helps to keep the fan on the light since the light is the source of the heat. It doesn't matter whether the light is HID or CFL or simple fluorescent. If they are heating up a room, then a fan needs to be directed on them. Just blowing on the plants or around the room isn't going to help as much as directing it right on the light. Keeping the light cool also makes it run a little more efficiently. I found a decrease in load with my Kill-a-Watt load meter when I use a fan on the light.

But really, I think the most important change I will make is that I will quit growing in the summer, even inside. From now on my grows will be timed so that vegetation occurs in the coolest part of the year. So I will start a grow in early October and another in Febuary. At least those two points. And maybe another overlapping the grow starting in October. I figure it is always easy to add heat in the winter by adding lights. But keeping things cooler in the summer requires air conditioning which means another electrical appliance and more energy to spend.

Another thing ... always check the temperature at the highest point of the plant. This is where the plant is most likely to get the worse temperature. The soil is the last place to get extreme temperatures unless you have some extreme temperatures right below the pot. An ice cold basement floor, for example. I always keep a thermometer at the base of the plant at least.

bloodysafety

if you have the money and time, Dry Ice may help.