600w HPS newbie questions

Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Questions:
If I run a 600w HPS though a cool tube in a tent, and my inline fan fails, can the tube trap the heat burn up and cause a fire?

Will running the light dimmed for long periods shorten (or lengthen?) the lifespan of the bulb?


Backstory:
I started with CFLs, briefly moved to burple LEDs, and then to COBs. I'm now getting ready to experiment with my first HPS light -- I'll be finishing an outdoor plant in my garage under it. So I'm totally new to HPS. I'm also considering next winter running one tent in the garage with the HPS light in it... maybe a 3x3? I'd actually rather run two plants in a 2x4 (I prefer more variety to single larger plant) but it seems like the footprint would be less than optimal for this kind of light... which is why I asked about dimming it. If I ran the 600w at about 400w I could put an Optic 120 on either side of it... might cook the plants though, not sure.

Thanks in advance --

:peace:
 
Bbcchance

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
Humanrob said:
Questions:
If I run a 600w HPS though a cool tube in a tent, and my inline fan fails, can the tube trap the heat burn up and cause a fire?

Will running the light dimmed for long periods shorten (or lengthen?) the lifespan of the bulb?


Backstory:
I started with CFLs, briefly moved to burple LEDs, and then to COBs. I'm now getting ready to experiment with my first HPS light -- I'll be finishing an outdoor plant in my garage under it. So I'm totally new to HPS. I'm also considering next winter running one tent in the garage with the HPS light in it... maybe a 3x3? I'd actually rather run two plants in a 2x4 (I prefer more variety to single larger plant) but it seems like the footprint would be less than optimal for this kind of light... which is why I asked about dimming it. If I ran the 600w at about 400w I could put an Optic 120 on either side of it... might cook the plants though, not sure.

Thanks in advance --

:peace:
Click to expand...
I dunno man, I think a 600w hps in a garage with a couple blurples could do fine for you man, might even find you don't really need the tent 1473379447960-903120768.jpg
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Bbcchance said:
I dunno man, I think a 600w hps in a garage with a couple blurples could do fine for you man, might even find you don't really need the tent View attachment 3776310
Click to expand...
The garage is detached and unheated, so this winter I think I'd do better to use a tent and take advantage of the heat the light makes. The whole thing might be a bad idea, I've got time to think it through.

So is my fire hazard concern totally off-base? I guess I started to think about it because the garage is detached, and if the fan stopped I wouldn't even know it.
 
Bbcchance

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
Humanrob said:
The garage is detached and unheated, so this winter I think I'd do better to use a tent and take advantage of the heat the light makes. The whole thing might be a bad idea, I've got time to think it through.

So is my fire hazard concern totally off-base? I guess I started to think about it because the garage is detached, and if the fan stopped I wouldn't even know it.
Click to expand...
My garage is detached also, I use a portable air conditioner to keep it cool in summer and radiant heaters in winter to keep it warm, I also duct my heat from my lights into the room and draw my intake from outside(basically reversing the ducting connections)
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Bbcchance said:
My garage is detached also, I use a portable air conditioner to keep it cool in summer and radiant heaters in winter to keep it warm, I also duct my heat from my lights into the room and draw my intake from outside(basically reversing the ducting connections)
Click to expand...
Yeah, venting the room, that's a whole other issue. I live in the NW, and I can't pull air in from the outside in the winter, too wet. From what others have told me, I'd have to be careful running a heater/AC/dehumidifier while the lights/fans are on, its just a single 20amp fuse going there. So I can dehumidify (which makes a bunch of heat) or run a heater in the winter when the lights are off.

Not a lot of options, that's part of why I'm not sure if this is a bad idea. I'm thinking that running the dehumidifier all night should keep the temps above 50º (and the RH at about 50%), and hopefully the light would make enough heat to keep the tent around 70º when they're on. I might just have to try it and see what happens. I do have a small heater with a programmable thermostat, so one way or another I can deal with it.

This all started because I'm pulling two of my outdoor girls into the garage to finish them. It's been a PM intense summer with way more rain and coolness than normal and I want to be sure at least a couple finish so I have meds. So I picked up my first 600w HPS light for that purpose. I've never run one before (been 100% COBs in my last few indoor grows)... but now that I have it, it started me thinking. And thinking is often dangerous.
 
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Bbcchance

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
Humanrob said:
Yeah, venting the room, that's a whole other issue. I live in the NW, and I can't pull air in from the outside in the winter, too wet. From what others have told me, I'd have to be careful running a heater/AC/dehumidifier while the lights/fans are on, its just a single 20amp fuse going there. So I can dehumidify (which makes a bunch of heat) or run a heater in the winter when the lights are off.

Not a lot of options, that's part of why I'm not sure if this is a bad idea. I'm thinking that running the dehumidifier all night should keep the temps above 50º (and the RH at about 50%), and hopefully the light would make enough heat to keep the tent around 70º when they're on. I might just have to try it and see what happens. I do have a small heater with a programmable thermostat, so one way or another I can deal with it.

This all started because I'm pulling two of my outdoor girls into the garage to finish them. It's been a PM intense summer with way more rain and coolness than normal and I want to be sure at least a couple finish so I have meds. So I picked up my first 600w HPS light for that purpose. I've never run one before (been 100% COBs in my last few indoor grows)... but now that I have it, it started me thinking. And thinking is often dangerous.
Click to expand...
It does tend to be
 
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