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#1
12/20/2006, 10:45 PM
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Using an air vent on top of canopy for exhaust?
I am running 3x250 MH in my canopy...I always have to leave the front open to keep the tank cool. I am going to cut a hole in the top of the canopy as an exhaust, but am thinking about putting a gable vent to keep the light from shining out of the top of the canopy. Anyone ever use one of these?
HERE IS A PIC OF THE VENT |
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#2
12/21/2006, 10:19 AM
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not real sure about the guts of that vent, but it looks to me like you're still going to get uplighting through it. to block uplighting through top vents, you need an "L" shaped vent. I think you won't like the result, depending on where you have your tank located in your house.
Buy 1 or 2 muffin fans and install those in your canopy. MH is tough inside a canopy due to their huge heat output. Icecap makes expensive but really nice fans that come w/ a temp probe that automatically runs the fan at one of three possible speeds, depending on how hot it gets near the temp prope. they are very quiet (i have 2) running at any speed. I run T5 lights in my canopy, so they're not as hot as your MH's, but what the guys at Icecap told me to do was install the fan in one end of the canopy, blowing down the length of the bulbs, and wall in the back of the canopy almost entirely, which forces the air to circulate more in the canopy before exiting a small space in the back. My temp is very stable now that I have the IC fan running, which also extends the life of my bulbs. Good luck. |
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#4
12/21/2006, 10:55 AM
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so you're running 3 metal halides inside a canopy that is completely sealed off??? Thats a very bad idea imo and i'm sure you're trying to fix it due to the very high heat problems its causing? Also having the top completely covered does not allow for gas exchange, so once you put on the vents (and i strongly suggest doing more than just one of those...the one wont be enough....and also put in a couple tiny little fans blowing under the lights but not on them)....but anywho, once you get the vents on your pH will likely rise a bit if you do not have a sump right now that is.
like tech said, if the lights are higher than the vent, then you'll get the light coming thru it downwards (and i'd thin that the vent would actually focus it a bit outwards). IMO, if you turned the thing upside down then you might not get that light coming down thru it because if its upside down, the slots are angled so that the light would have to come from below.
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TAKE...LUCK!!! |
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#5
12/21/2006, 10:57 AM
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__________________
TAKE...LUCK!!! |
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#7
12/21/2006, 11:04 AM
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just cuz you got MH does not mean that you'll need a chiller. I live in arizona (where it is hot obviously) and just last night i went to a buddy's house and he's got 3x250 mh on his tank with no chillers at all. Just a 6 inch fan on one side of the canopy blowing right across the water, the back is all open. No heat problems whatsoever and he had the thing running since before the summer and its been the same, so its not becuase it is cold right now that he has good temps. I'm just saying that fans are a much better first option rather than a chiller.
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TAKE...LUCK!!! |
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#8
12/21/2006, 11:38 AM
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The back is all open
that is the key, if the canopy is all enclosed I seriously doubt enough fans can be added to get the temp down. I could not. It aint much different tempwise in the summer here versus there. Anyway if your house is air conditioned the outside temp probably has little to do with your tank temp. |
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#9
12/21/2006, 12:10 PM
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Look at computer cases for example. If I take the cover off my computer, the CPU temperature goes up 15 degrees. One inlet, one outlet... wind tunnel.
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72 Bow w/6x54w T5HO,,2xMaximod1200, PS-3000 skimmer |
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#10
12/21/2006, 12:31 PM
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I would lose the vent idea and just router slits in the top. That's what I did when building my T5 canopy. I expected some "light polution" but there is actually none whatsoever. I guess the T5 reflectors block the light. This canopy is incredibly cool. I have (6) 14" long x 1/4" slits
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#11
12/21/2006, 12:34 PM
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liquid, t5s also have virtually no heat to them at all compaired to MH...
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TAKE...LUCK!!! |
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#12
12/21/2006, 12:41 PM
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I'm not sure if I understand your point. He asked about adding a home-like metal vent to a canopy and I merely suggested to create the same effect by removing material(wood) from the existing structure.
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#13
12/21/2006, 01:23 PM
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150w of T5 produces the same amount of heat as 150w of MH.
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72 Bow w/6x54w T5HO,,2xMaximod1200, PS-3000 skimmer |
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#14
12/21/2006, 01:46 PM
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Here's how I did mine..... 2 x 400w MH's...... I used eggcrate for part of the back, and most of the top. I used 2 PC type fans (blowing in) to help get the heat out. The fans are wired on the same circuit as the MH's, so when the lights are on, the fans are on also. This works so well for me, that I have seen the heaters come on even when the MH's are lit !!!! I do have to add approx. 3 gal a day top-off water also.
 [IMG] 
Last edited by Hoosier Reefer; 12/21/2006 at 02:12 PM. |
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#15
12/21/2006, 03:22 PM
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wow...this thread has picked up since I first posted. First off, the canopy is not fully enlosed...the back is completely open. The tank is about 4 inches from the wall, so the canopy can breath. I live in Texas which is part of the problem.
I have been trying everything I can to avoid getting a chiller. The two fans I have currently are in the back of the canopy blowing in. Due to my expensive cabinentry, I did not want to put the fans exposed on the side. I am going to move the fans from the back and mount them on the top. I might try the slit idea... |
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#16
12/21/2006, 03:30 PM
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Bigstun, its not about being able to breath, its about actively moving the heat out of the hood.
Whats the ambient temp in your house?
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72 Bow w/6x54w T5HO,,2xMaximod1200, PS-3000 skimmer |
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#17
12/21/2006, 03:32 PM
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I understand your reluctance to hack up your nice woodwork. I wasn't nuts about adding a fan to mine but T5's need fans blowing lengthwise. My fan is actually inside the canopy and the fan plate you see doesn't look that bad. I got it at radioshack for $8.
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#19
12/21/2006, 04:00 PM
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Rich is on the money, both w/ moving the air out, and about how you move the air. i'd suggest getting something cheap and just holding it up to the back of your canopy, enclosing most of the open back. you will see a marked difference in how the air flows through your canopy, and helps bring down the ambient temp in there. my canopy is an AGA canopy, and the back is nearly all open. I bought some wood and closed that in to 1) help cool my lights down, and 2)keep my stupid midas blenny INSIDE the tank.
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