need some input on a DIY cool tube Im about to build ...

got a 600W HPS potlight for flowering (got a good deal)

a few pics (strains comming down is holding my T5HO fixture as I was in Veg at the time the pics was taken .. I guess)




let me fist say Im a metal worker/smet .. on daily bases I build big machines in stainless steel/Aluminium for the medical and textail industries ..

so I do have the skills and I can use all the tools at work doing my lunch breaks (30 minuts a day .. so it wont be pretty .. I go for effectivity )



what I found at work is some thin aluminium sheets .. with a patern similar to maylor

what made me start .. tho had the idea for some time now since a 600W do produce a lot of heat as Im sure most of you know ..

I also had a old pice of glass from a small coffee table (14x11 inch`s and 3 milimeter tich)

what Im thinking .. is takeing off the addaptor from the alluminium hood (allready done)

and use it on my new DIY hood so its easy to put on and take off for cleaning and so its lockd on to the lamp ..



now for the questions ..

will use pop rivets to keep it together as its not welderble Alu .. reccon I can make the hood 99,9% air tight ..

got some red silicone (can stand +1100 celcius) and also got "free" acces to aluminium tape

problem is wher the addapter is lock on to the lamp ..ther will be a small opening around it only a milimeter or two ..

would it be ok to use aluminium tape to make it air tight here ? as I dont like to silicone the hood to the lamp ..

tho Im concernd as it is kind a close to the bulb and socket so I reccon it will get hot ..

and Im not sure about smell either .. I only have 4 plants at a time and I dont mind a littel smell .. but not to mouch .. and I also got neighbors .. but I know how easy air finds a way .. so I reccon some will escape .. how bad will lets say 1% air escape be ? anybody with some experiance here ?



also will normal glass be ok to use ? as I said its 3 milimeter tich .. and how less effectiv will a 600W HPS be with the glass on ?



and last questions .. guess ther will be many oppinions here ..

how schould I set up my ventilation and carbon filter (got a 6" vent and filter and tubeings)

I will make two 5" (the tube I have) addaptors on each side of the DIY hood .. hood will be like a triangle (point up with the glass sheet as the bottom)

inspiration comes from this one:



tho in alu and with two tubes ..one on each side ..


I would like to use it as "normal" and just add the cool tube between the filter and ventilation ..
so it just sug the air through the filter .. pass the lamp/hood and out the ventilation/room ..

also why Im concernd about smell .. as Im sure 110% air tight is hard for me to achieve ..

but I dont like to begin to changes to mouch .. tho have a 4" ventilation as well (fist buy that was a bit to small ) useing it to pull fresh air from a tube/window 10 meters away to my passiv intake ..

so I could use it for the cool tube alone .. but would it make a big diffrent in temps ?

I mean to runn my 6" vent/filters as normal for outtake and then make a 4" vent/tubeing for the cool tube alone ?

and if .. schould I also runn a tube out and make it sug or just make a intake and make it blow room tempert air in on the bulbs and out the hood in to the room for my 6" vent/filter to clean out ?

grow room is in a spare bed room .. so temps will build up in ther slowely over night .. even with fans aso .. so also need to take that in to consideration ..

what would be the best choise

1.) use it as normal and just add the cool tube in between filter and 6" vent. and just continue to use the 4" vent. to help pull fresh air/co2 in from a window to my passiv intake/plants .. and live with a littel smell maybe doing flowering ..

2.) use my ventilation/filter as I do now so all air going out go through my filter with a littel under presure in the room ..
and make a sepperate tube with my 4" vent for the cool tube alone and make it sug air from the spare bed room through the hood and out agin (remember the air will be vent. out to the room wher my passiv intake also is located and smell can still escape ..

3.) just use the 4" vent with a pice of tube .. to pull air in and blow it on my bulb and just let the hot air come out of the other hole and in to my grow room .. hot air will then come in over my lamp but all smell will be ventilatet through my filter ..

sorry for the long post .. cant seems to stop

hmmm .. 97 view but 0 replies

guess I made the post to long and boring agin or nobody had any input or experiance makeing one ?

Ooh well I made it anyway ..

3x lunch break + 10 minuts here and ther
so all in all 2 hours of work maybe .. so as I said in the fist post .. its no beauty .. no time for great finish .. did go for effetivity and speed ..




also decided to just leave my 6" vent. as it is .. with my filter on .. to vent. the room ..

and use my 4" for the cool tube alone with a sepperate tube out/in .. hope its air tight

tho I can run the tube out the room to my bathroom and on a 4" outled vent .. if nesseary late in flowering ..
tho tube will be anoying .. lets see ..

also hope the alu tape will stick when it gets hot .. have no idea how hot the hood will get ?

have to use it to make it air tight around the edges as I cant mount it with the bulb in .. so need to slide the glass in and then seal it after the hood and bulb is on ..

wish me luck ..

ok so fare so good ..






just need to buy some 4 or 5" alu tubeing tomorrow and add my 4" vent ..

Ooh yea and drill two holes .. bet that would be a good idea ..

That's bloody awesome mate. Fuck buying shit just make It. I'm gonna go rummage through the shed now

Cool! Make sure the glass is tempered for heat

lol .. thanks

and yea I love to invent and build stuff .. half the funn ..

Coho said:

Cool! Make sure the glass is tempered for heat

Click to expand...

yea that was one of my previus questions ..

I dunno .. but its 3 mm thic .. so it is`t that thin ..
and I ended up useing a shelf from a carbinet with spot lights (know they dont get a fiction as hot but still)

but I guess only time will tell ?

as I said .. its 3mm ..with faset grinded edges/smoot and round ..

would worry more if it was normal thin 1mm cheap cut glass that break easily .. this dont ..

and I do have around 2 inches from the bulb to the glass and when its on the 4" 197/M3/hr will also runn ..

so hopefully it wont get to hot ? can also add one or two big table vents to blow at it to cool the lamp/glass down even more if nesseary ..

but have no idea to be honorst .. but 3 shelfs more like that one so hopefully they last

thanks for the concern tho ..

Input! You don't need no Stinking Input!

Great Job Man!

lol thanks .. but its kind a my work .. 8 hours a day .. and have been for +20 years s now .. so if I couldnt work in metal I might aswell quit and start growing full time

the input I was looking for .. was also more on how hot the hood would get with a 600W HPS as I am a bit worried about the glass and alu tape ..

and how to vent it the best way .. would it be my 4" vent on the hood alone with the 6" for the room/smell
or the 6" on the hood with the filter and the 4" as intake ..

and is sug or blowing the best way (I reccon suging)

and how mouch would a littel crack etc. 1% make my appartment smell if my hood is`t 110% air tight .. aso.

if anybody care ?

just tryd it out for the fist time .. and damn I love it seems to do the job perfect and boath glass and alu tape (nock on wood) seems to stay cool enough to stand the heat ..

been running all night and when my ambi. temps. normally is 26C it usually raise over night to +30 with out the hood ..
it is now stable it seems .. did only go up like 1 degree over night compaird to before when it easily could go up 5 or more on hot days/nights



me like 27,5C (around 81F) and 40% RH .. perfect for flowering .. not them 90F as before ..

a few pics ..



just set it up .. so still in work .. mind the wiers and tubeing hanging .. also since they dont realy smell that mouch yet and it was fist day .. I decided to just run it with out the carbon filter on .. tho it is set up so I can connect it easily ..

decided to try to just run it on my 6" ventilation/filter line ..

Thats bad ass, you should go into the hood building business. I will buy one lol