What are the Pros&Cons of the cool tube?

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

As a strategist, i am automatically attracted to the cool tube verses a hood. And im aware of the hood with cool tube which is out of my budgetting range at the time. What im asking is: #What are some of the benefits of a cooltube verses not having a cooltube? #Why would a person rather not have a cool tube? #Is blowing air on the bulb wise or unwise? I see how the cooltube has both sides where you can connect ducting but #which side would be the right side or the best strategic and safer way to extract heat using a cooltube? Thanks in advance. Your anwers will help me better decide what get for optimal and productive future grows. :peace:

jijiandfarmgang · Sep 25, 2014

Normal HPS lights when air cooled loose about 5-10 percent of light output mostly because of glass and dirty glass.

A good air cooled reflector has a nice even light spread.

Cool tubes suck, I'm surprised people still use them.

- Jiji

SnapsProvolone · Sep 25, 2014

Poor reflection characteristics combined with need to remove duct to change bulbs = cooltubes

Saerimmner · Sep 25, 2014

just buy a hood, lot easier and you can get either a hood or tube for about£50 so no real price difference either

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

Saerimmner said:
just buy a hood, lot easier and you can get either a hood or tube for about£50 so no real price difference either

Which hood would be more suitable for productivity?

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

Would be better to suck air from the cooltube than to blow air on it?

Saerimmner · Sep 25, 2014

gardengardian7 said:
Which hood would be more suitable for productivity?

honestly depends on what size area you are using, how many plants you are doing and what power HPS you will be using with it etc

I just bought one of these for £50 for a 600W HPS in a 1mx1m area

Saerimmner · Sep 25, 2014

gardengardian7 said:
Would be better to suck air from the cooltube than to blow air on it?

Suck air from carbon filter and then blow it thru the light onto your exhaust duct/hole/whatever

like this......

GrowerGoneWild · Sep 25, 2014

gardengardian7 said:
As a strategist, i am automatically attracted to the cool tube verses a hood. And im aware of the hood with cool tube which is out of my budgetting range at the time. What im asking is: #What are some of the benefits of a cooltube verses not having a cooltube?

The only reason to use a cool tube (the style with no reflector) if I was running a colliseum or vertical grow. The reflection pattern of one isnt so great in comparison to a large hood. Verify yourself with a light meter.

t0adgr0w · Sep 25, 2014

Saerimmner said:
Suck air from carbon filter and then blow it thru the light onto your exhaust duct/hole/whatever

like this......

There's nothing wrong with this it works just fine, but it will lower the life of your fan, that's not a myth. I had a new gekko 1500m3h go in just under 4 months cooling a couple of HPS like that. Now I'd just run a smaller fan to cool the light and let the CF and main fan do the rest. It also has the added benefit of heating your house up if you wish without the moisture as the warm air from the light is flowing directly through the tent from the room itself.

Saerimmner · Sep 25, 2014

t0adgr0w said:
There's nothing wrong with this it works just fine, but it will lower the life of your fan, that's not a myth. I had a new gekko 1500m3h go in just under 4 months cooling a couple of HPS like that. Now I'd just run a smaller fan to cool the light and let the CF and main fan do the rest. It also has the added benefit of heating your house up if you wish without the moisture as the warm air from the light is flowing directly through the tent from the room itself.

Sucking the air from the cooltube thru the fan will without a doubt lower the life span of your fan but doing it this way ive never had a problem

RetiredMatthebrute · Sep 25, 2014

I use a hood with the glass removed, I also grow in a open room with no need for cooling...

that being said...if your growing in a tent theres really nothing wrong with a cool tube BUT like others have said they do not reflect as well as a decent hood. with the tent the mylar walls help distribute the light and if space is a issue cool tubes take up far less room than a standard hood.

if you have the room then get a decent air cooled hood, if you don't need to cool it then leave the glass out of it and just use fan filter with the passive intake method to scrub the air and circulate fresh.

jijiandfarmgang · Sep 25, 2014

I always pull not push air through reflectors. My quality fans have a 5-10 year warranty. No problems (except for Chinese junk ones that aren't quality).

- Jiji

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

t0adgr0w said:
There's nothing wrong with this it works just fine, but it will lower the life of your fan, that's not a myth. I had a new gekko 1500m3h go in just under 4 months cooling a couple of HPS like that. Now I'd just run a smaller fan to cool the light and let the CF and main fan do the rest. It also has the added benefit of heating your house up if you wish without the moisture as the warm air from the light is flowing directly through the tent from the room itself.

Im not familiar with the gekko 1500m3h. Are you not using a scrubber? Whats has me confused is, i read that its not good to blow air on the bulb have you heard of that?

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

RetiredMatthebrute said:
I use a hood with the glass removed, I also grow in a open room with no need for cooling...

that being said...if your growing in a tent theres really nothing wrong with a cool tube BUT like others have said they do not reflect as well as a decent hood. with the tent the mylar walls help distribute the light and if space is a issue cool tubes take up far less room than a standard hood.

if you have the room then get a decent air cooled hood, if you don't need to cool it then leave the glass out of it and just use fan filter with the passive intake method to scrub the air and circulate fresh.

Im using a 48*60*24 tent 3 plants. Trying to figure what will be the coolest and the brightest for canopy as to only having 4ft of vert room and the canopy will grow bigger. I just dont the plants being too close or scortched.I want a hood because it seems to accomodate light output and i dont really want to cover the bulb but my main concern is extracting heat.

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

And do thank you guys for the input of knowledge. :peace:

RetiredMatthebrute · Sep 25, 2014

jijiandfarmgang said:
I always pull not push air through reflectors. My quality fans have a 5-10 year warranty. No problems (except for Chinese junk ones that aren't quality).

- Jiji

yeah I always set my fan up pulling air as well and venting directly out of the cab so It would be something like this | filter ----> light----->fan ----> out side of room

RetiredMatthebrute · Sep 25, 2014

gardengardian7 said:
Im using a 48*60*24 tent 3 plants. Trying to figure what will be the coolest and the brightest for canopy as to only having 4ft of vert room and the canopy will grow bigger. I just dont the plants being too close or scortched.I want a hood because it seems to accomodate light output and i dont really want to cover the bulb but my main concern is extracting heat.

unfortunately with a tent your going to need to have the sealed hood, or one hell of an exaust fan, even so with such a small vertical space a open bulb will still produce ambient heat and will burn the plants if they get withing 4-5 inches of the bulb, even with my hood sealed on my last grow the plants grew up to the glass and ended up burning the tops....

gardengardian7 · Sep 25, 2014

Would it be a bad idea for:

Out<------<---Ex]----[L]----[CF---->--->out

vostok · Sep 25, 2014

Underestimating the dim ness that fingerprints cause, and forgotten that fucker glass is HOT when you got to move it ...lol

What are the Pros&Cons of the cool tube?

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