Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,

Does anyone have any ideas on cooling compact flourescents? My daytime temps are way too high, even when i have the fan on.

Also, is there any problem with the ballast exposed to high humidity? I mounted it on the inside right of the hood, but it does get a slight saturation once in a while when i mist. I just dont want to make this a fire hazard or toxicity issue.

Thanks,
M.N

I have a few tips that might help, as it sounds like you have some issues with your setup. Keeping heat down with compact fluorescents can be tricky, especially if you haven't built your hood out of metal (which conducts the heat up and away, while wood tends to insulate and allow heat buildup).

First, you should not have your ballast where it is exposed to high humidity . . . it will reduce the life of your setup.

Second, your ballast should be mounted on the outside of your hood (preferably on the back where you can't see it). This will help prevent some of the heat buildup, as the ballast produces a good deal of heat.

Third, it's a good idea to place a piece of plexiglass between your lights and the terrarium cover, and make at least one vent out the back or top of your now "sealed" hood. This causes a dead air space betweeen your lights and your terrarium top to further insulate it from the heat build up. You can make this even more effective by placing a computer fan on the top vent to suck air out the top, and drill some small vents in the bottom or side to allow ambient air to flow in.

Fourth, make sure your tank is adequately ventillated to allow heat to escape.

If you're really into reducing the heat, the use of heat sinks with the fan might be helpful . . . but that is another issue. Additionally, a false bottom setup with a water feature will help equalize the temperature differential, as water has a much higher specific heat than air, and its thermal mass will help buffer temperature extremes. The more surface area you have exposed, the more efficient the heat transfer will be.

That's all I can think of right now. Let me know if I need to be more clear, or if that is not responsive to your question.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

Nice response Homer.

Do you have any pictures of the setup? Sounds like you have the lights inside the tank or setup, and I am gussing that would heat things up very fast.

I made a hood for mine, and had to raise it 3/4 of an inch to bring the heat down to normal, but now it is not any hotter than a normal hood. So my temps are about room temp. I have my ballasts in under the hood, but the top is vented.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Thanks, but i did not make this hood (kinda wish i did). I only added more light sockets, and flourescent sockets and mounted them under the original fish lamp. I have two compacts, and a flourescent for lighting. I then covered the whole bottom of the hood with screen.

I think you misunderstood on the ballasts though. They arnt actually "exposed" to the terrarium. It has its own gap in which its filled around with styrofoam. However, theres one side which it isnt blocked. That gets a slight misting by the fan that redirects the water to the ballast. So, i'll either move the fan or replace the ballast some where else.

Thanks for the response,
M.N

Well, i dont have a pic of it. Though heres a diagram. Do you think i should add a plexi glass layer ontop the screen? I can probably lift the fixture a couple inches using styrofoam until then.

Sorry, me again. There also should be some reflectors on the bottom of the lights.

M.N