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Build Your Own Air-Cooled HID Grow Lamp
from: Katherine KeleherHydroponic growing gives home hobbyists great flexibility in
designing their indoor gardens. Through clever design, a
gardener can convert everyday household items into useful
hydroponic equipment, at a fraction of the cost of commercially
pre-fabricated products. This example uses a couple of 70w
parking lot security lights from the local Home
Depot/Lowe's/Wal-Mart-type store to build an inexpensive
air-cooled grow light.
First, you need to decide what lights you are going to convert.
These can be HPS or MH, both types of bulbs are very similar for
hydroponic growing applications. (More information on the
different types of grow lights can be found at
http://www.indoor-gardening-guide.com.) Any size between 40 and
150 watt will work fine in this setup. Used lights will work
just as well as new or you could check the prices at one of the
many online light distributors. New or used, the total cost for
this air-cooled grow light project shouldn't be any more than a
hundred dollars.
Larger light bulbs will require more ventilation and a bigger
cabinet than the one used here. This project can be scaled up to
accomodate bulbs of any size just by following the same steps
with a larger cabinet and glass piece for the heat shield.
Because most of the parts used for this conversion are common
household items, the additional cost for a larger box is
minimal. If you can afford a larger HPS or MH light bulb, you
can easily build an air-cooled cabinet for it.
Disassemble the old lights, setting the sockets and ballasts
aside for later. Make sure you keep any brackets, screws,
washers, etc., as you may need them later. You can discard the
motion-sensor, if it has one, or keep it for another project,
but you won't need it now.
Set aside the grow lamps and parts you've decided to keep. For
the box, I used an old dresser drawer, but any solid,
heat-resistant box will do (not plastic or Rubbermaid, it will
melt from the light's heat). You'll need a piece of glass for
the heat shield. It can be as small as a square foot, just so
long as it covers the area where you will mount your bulbs. Most
new security lights come with some type of heat shield, so you
can use that if you purchased new or can find usable salvage
parts.
If you also chose to use a dresser drawer, you'll find that your
box is far too large for the size of your grow lamps. Mark the
area needed to hold the glass heat shield in place and cut the
drawer down until it fits. Use the wood from the unneeded drawer
length to make up the sides of your box, or use other scrap wood
until you have a nice tight fit. Most dresser drawers have a
groove where they fit into the dresser's frame. You may be able
to use that to hold your glass shield, depending on the size.
Look through all the screws and brackets we set aside after
tearing apart the old lights. Hopefully, you will be able to
find something that will fit where you want to mount your new
garden grow lights. If there are no suitable brackets or mount
pieces, you should be able to find something usable at the local
hardware store. It doesn't have to be fancy, just some way to
secure your bulbs so they won't move around inside the
air-cooled box we're building.
Now you need to add ventilation to your box to prevent
overheating. Plasting ducting works very well for this purpose
because it is flexible and can be stuffed through oval holes
when desired. This allows you to cut a smaller hole in the sides
of your light box while getting better airflow over your bulbs
by using a wide, flat oval hole for ventilation. This box uses a
4" hose, with an oval hole about 5 inches wide and only a little
over 2 inches high. Try to position the holes so the airflow
will go directly over your bulbs, not in the center of the bulb
where the air will just get stuck in the socket assemblies.
Line the inside of the box with foil to increase the light
reflection. Even better would be to include a cheap metal
reflector, bent around the inside of your box so it creates a
nice tight fit. Now it's finally time to mount the grow bulbs
inside the box. Make sure you mount them where the hot bulbs
will not be touching the sides or any brackets, screws, etc.
You can use almost any type of fan for ventilation. Old fan-type
heaters, blowers, and computer fans are common household items
that usually work well in hydroponic gardens. If you don't have
any of these laying around, computer fans are usually the
cheapest option. Check out the local Fry's/CompUSA/Circuit
City-type store or (even better) shop around online for
super-cheap computer parts.
Squeeze the ventilation duct through the oval holes you cut in
the sides of the box. You may have to snip wires or extend them
in order to make everything fit, depending on your design.
Whatever you do, be sure to use the right kind of wire and
splice ends properly. Wire is cheap, don't be tempted to skimp
on this part and create an electrical hazard in your house.
Drill a hole to pull the wires through, nail or screw the back
on, and your box is complete. Connect the wires to your
(recently-converted) remote ballasts and your air-cooled grow
light is all ready to go.
The box at the end of this particular project ended up being
about 11 inches square, with a nice air-cooled hood and two 75w
HPS bulbs. It is expected to give off between 4,500 and 5,000
lumens, with almost no heat buildup. Not too bad for under a
hundred bucks.
About the author:
For additional
ml">garden grow light information, indoor gardening
articles, hydroponic system comparisons, and more on
hydroponics, visit http://www.indoor-gardening.guide.com.
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