Vish Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Originally posted by Orange Crush (though I'm not sure why you'd want to do this...) Well, just to make sure that the distance that you have between the light and water level is OKay for your setup and you don't end up making new one like Ross had to do as his previous hood didn't work because it was too close to the water level and causing heating problem for him. Am I right Ross? Link to comment
Orange Crush Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Well, just to make sure that the distance that you have between the light and water level is OKay for your setup and you don't end up making new one like Ross had to do Ah. This makes sense. Damnit OC.. I was gonna post almost the same thing.. Sorry X, but when I see an opportunity to look smart, I have to jump right in there. Doesn't happen often X) Link to comment
ross76053 Posted January 4, 2003 Author Share Posted January 4, 2003 it was too close to the water level and causing heating problem for him. Am I right Ross? Yup - you'd be correct. I had a standard 10-gal glass top and thought the glass would keep the water from getting too hot. I was wrong [again]. Another good reason to come up with a design for height-adjustable lighting - acclimating new corals to your environment. Let's say you have 2x36w PCs and decide to upgrade to 2x55w (assuming your hood is wide enough). If you suddenly blast your corals with 2x55w lighting when they're used to 2x36, you may have all kinds of problems...bleaching, wilting, etc. Adjustable lighting would allow you to start your 2x55's at their upmost position, while slowly lowering them over a period of weeks. Link to comment
Caesar Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Ross can you start another thread explaining how you wired those pc fans to your lights or can you send me a PM with the info. Thanks in advance Link to comment
glazer Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Nice job Ross, great documentation as well... maybe TOO good. The little snafu's on the mitered corners and all... well ya know you could have just skipped over that pic and done your fix and picked up where ya left off....lol I know there's a saying that applies to that.... what the hell is it anyway? Takes a stupid boy to mess up but a real man to fix it, or admit it or was there even a stupid person involved... oh now I gotta dig out the book of quotes...damn! hehehe Anyway... very admirable, oh you know what I mean! Link to comment
bdmiller Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Great thread Ross. I'm debating on giving this a try. How do you feed and dose then? Do you do it from the back or do you lift the hood up? Link to comment
ross76053 Posted January 9, 2003 Author Share Posted January 9, 2003 Thanks so much, Glazer... Yeah, probably should have skipped the foul up, but wanted people to know that when building a hood, most anyone will make mistakes along the way. Caesar, here's how to tie two PC fans together & live to see another day: PC Fans: PC fans have two wires - they may be black/red, or one may have writing on it, while the other won't. Either way, tie the same wire of each fan together. Transformer: If you buy 12v fans, you'll need a 12v transformer. I prefer the Radio Shack transformers in which you can set the voltage manually via a switch. The trasformer also has two wires, either with different colors or with writing on one wire. Cut the connector off the end of the transformer (if it has one) & split the two wires apart as needed. Tieing Together: From the two PC fans, you now collectively have two wires. Slip a heat shrink (available at most hardware stores) over each of the fan wires. Take one of the fan wires and tie together with one of the transformer wires. Do the same for the other fan wire & transformer wire. Pull the heat shrink over the connected wiring. Borrow a hair dryer from your wife, girlfriend, mistress, Michael Jackson, etc., and apply hot air (Jackson is probably your best choice here) to the heat shrink. You now have a water-tight electrical connection. Testing: Plug in the transformer. It'll either work, or it won't. The guy standing next to you, Murphy, says it probably won't work. In this case, unplug the transformer. You'll need to switch the transformer wires tied to the fans. Plug in again, and it'll work this time. If you're an electrical engineer, you can probably look at a transformer and tell which wire is which. I'm not, so I can't. If you're not, it's trial and error. HTH Link to comment
technoshaman Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Ross, sweet hood. I have the material to make a few nice hoods I am just lacking one thing. A good table saw or something I can make angled cuts with easily. Most of the planks I have I could use are too big to fit in my mitre box and I usually end up skewing it if I use a hand saw. Think a inexpensive skilsaw some clamps and a solid surface I could make some clean cuts? If I end up putting a hood together I want it to look nice and not ragged. The one I'm working on now I have been hand sanding to fix a few imperfections from cutting sloppy. So if you have any suggestions for a decent multipurpose saw let me know. Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 Nice Effort matt, and good thread. You should have offered it to Chris Marks as an article rather than a thread. you forgot one minor detail.... TLC and LOTS OF ELBOW GREASE... PS: you just put me out of business.. You will be hearing from my Lawyer. Mr. D.Betta Link to comment
ross76053 Posted January 10, 2003 Author Share Posted January 10, 2003 Matt? Who's Matt? It's Ross, Dave....Ross. That's it...I've had it with you.... I want to break up. Give me my ring back if you can't even remember my name.... :woot: Link to comment
BruiseAndy Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 As far as the transformer thing goes any old tranformer you may have that is 9-12VDC and 200ma-800ma you could use to power the fans. Just might be a cheaper way of doing it rather than buying a brand new one from rat shack. Link to comment
Rook Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 Couple of quick questions. 1) What type of wood did you use? Do you suggest using a laminent plywood? 2) I would like to make somthing similar, except, I would like a hinged top to open. To do this I would need a small (about 4-6") strip of wood along the back to hing the top on. But, I am concerned about the structural quality of the canopy as a whole with only glued joints between the front and sides, and an unconnected, hinged top. What do you think?? 3) For the inside, you simply used white flat primer and 4 coats of varathane. Is that correct? Thanks, Great post, and great job. Link to comment
XtremeSport Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Ross, Looks great. Did you mount the reflector flush or did you space it for cooling. Jay Link to comment
ross76053 Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 Rook, I used "project woood" - can be found at most Home Depots & Lowe's, Builder's Square, etc. It's available in several finishes - my favorite is the red oak finish. It's pressed plywood with a veneer finish. The hinged top idea is a good one (many reefers have built them here). But as you mentioned, you'll need extra support on the inside corners. There are several ways to do this - if it were me, I think I'd use a 1x1 glued vertically in each corner, stopping at the tank line (the point where the tank rests on the side supports). You're correct on the inside, but I used about four coats of primer as well - the stuff I used went on pretty thin. XtremeSport, I mounted it flush - there's no need to use spacers. The bulb brackets keep the bulbs a good 1/2 inch off the reflector, which allows plenty of room for fan cooling. Heat is definitely not a problem with this design. Ross Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Ross... Nicely done. I have a retrokit for a 10g and am getting ready to build a simple canopy/hood. Your thoughts on the following? 1) Is a fan essential? My initial plans are similar to yours but with a tilt-up hood holding the lights, for access to the tank & water. Back will be open. Using a 2x32w PC with 10K and a Blue. 2) Glass/Plexi insert? I didn't even consider using a glass piece. Can I get by without it? How high would you recommend the light fixture being if I went without a glass piece? Or is it simply a moisture barrier? Thanks Ross - or anyone else! Link to comment
OxInYourBox Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Sea Mountain, I have a custom 10G hood with a 2x36 setup exactly how you describe. I don't run a fan since the back is open. I haven't had any heat related problems in the last 3 months. With regards to the glass or plexi-I personally don't run with one but I would use glass over plexi if you decide to. Using one will keep your reflectors and bulbs salt free which helps in the maintenence as I've broke a bulb cleaning it and the reflector. Also you will have less water evaporation but will need to remove the hood and glass to get at the water (I remove the hood regardless as I've slit my hands too many times on the reflectors than I care to admit). Not using one will mean more evaporation but topping off each day or using an auto top off will take care of that. As far as light height-I can't remember how high my PC's are from the surface but I'm guessing no more than 3". HTH and sorry to hijack your thread Ross. Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Thanks Ox. Exactly what I was looking for. This is my first SW experience and I find I am already skimming through catalogs - planning out my 90g! Ka-ching!!! I have it stored in a friends garage, 'cuz there is no place in my apartment to set it up. Hopefully the 10g nano will give me a bit of foundation and experience I need to really have an amazing reef one day. Link to comment
ELGORDOINAVW Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 great thread, i hope to make my hood look as good as yours. Link to comment
bailmonee Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 I'm a complete newbie, so thanks Ross for all the great info. I was wondering couldn't you just wire the fans into wires for the lights? if not you could get a used 12volt transformer at a goodwill store for like 75 cents. Also instead of adding moulding and staining/sealing the outside, what about keeping the outside flat/bare and just glueing veneers to them? there are a multitude of colors and exotic wood veneers on the market. Has anyone tried that? Link to comment
digitallinx Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 any thoughts on selling unfinished hoods, for those who do not have the pleasure of owning power tools. Link to comment
ross76053 Posted July 22, 2003 Author Share Posted July 22, 2003 Yeah, there used to be a guy here (Glazer) that made awesome hoods. I believe he makes a living doing woodworking, and he can take old fence boards and make a hood out of it. I don't have the time to make/sell unfinished hoods, but it seems like it'd be a decent side business for someone. Dave ESPI used to make/sell 'em. Speaking of ESPI, can someone PM me and lemme know where he is? Haven't seen him around. Link to comment
OxInYourBox Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Hey Ross, Glad to see you're still around and I've pointed at least 10 different people to this thread on how to build a canopy. Thanks again for the thread. Link to comment
ross76053 Posted July 23, 2003 Author Share Posted July 23, 2003 Awesome - thanks for the compliment, Ox. Link to comment
Graywolf57 Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Glazer - how about "a good carpenter knows how to hide his mistakes" Ross - You've heard it already but you made it look easy, good work and great documentation. Link to comment
SubZero Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 I had to revive this thread just because this has got to be the MOST informative how to in regards to building a hood for your tank. Even those of us with mediocre skills can simply make one of these hoods. Ross, you have inspired me to build mine for my new 15H. I am going to change a few dimensions as this hood is going to house a MH light with actinic PC's. My biggest concern is keeping the heat out. Do you think the two fans and a little more height in the hood would keep it from getting too hot? Good job, thanks for the great post Mark Link to comment
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