It's about that time again to start growing veggie seeds on my grow-shelf however I need to rework some things to make a better environment.
I have a 3 shelf setup, with 2x4' 2 bulb T-8 fixtures per shelf, all surrounded by 2mm mylar except for the back. Each fixture has a ballast that is meant to run 4 bulbs, so I'm over-driving 2 bulbs. This works great for light intensity but it also raises the heat substantially. To work around this last season I installed a window fan on the back of each shelf to pull out some of the heat. It worked OK.
I was wondering how I can more effectively remove some of the heat and if possible passively do so. I was thinking of re-wiring all the ballasts, and mount them on the outside of the fixtures. Then mount an aluminum bar such as one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/6061-T6-Aluminu...ryZ45024QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
On top of each ballast. Would these work effectively for removing the heat? Or would I be stuck in the same situation?
Lastly I have a 2 computer fans, one on each side, running on each shelf. I want to better supply air flow and was thinking of using 4" duct fans, and duct tubing. Anybody have experience with this?
Any ideas would be great!
I have a 3 shelf setup, with 2x4' 2 bulb T-8 fixtures per shelf, all surrounded by 2mm mylar except for the back. Each fixture has a ballast that is meant to run 4 bulbs, so I'm over-driving 2 bulbs. This works great for light intensity but it also raises the heat substantially. To work around this last season I installed a window fan on the back of each shelf to pull out some of the heat. It worked OK.
I was wondering how I can more effectively remove some of the heat and if possible passively do so. I was thinking of re-wiring all the ballasts, and mount them on the outside of the fixtures. Then mount an aluminum bar such as one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/6061-T6-Aluminu...ryZ45024QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
On top of each ballast. Would these work effectively for removing the heat? Or would I be stuck in the same situation?
Lastly I have a 2 computer fans, one on each side, running on each shelf. I want to better supply air flow and was thinking of using 4" duct fans, and duct tubing. Anybody have experience with this?
Any ideas would be great!