Heat prob.. go w 400 or 600?

Looking for suggestions based on existing equipment with respect to current grow situation dealing with high heat.

Got no cash at the moment for an immediate solution.. portable ac or a new cob.. or both, so have to go with what i got.

Im running 3 autos in soil inside basement room during summer. Cooling is currently a problem. Im running a 600 hid 3 weeks into it and the canopy temp is running between 82-84 on a 24 hr light cycle. Today i moved light down so its 2' above canopy and wham.. temp up to 88. I have exhaust but the basement temps are high here and i cant get cooled air (can get the hot out at least) swapped in easily. So i added a couple more fans and got the temp down to 84 - 85.. but i want it lower.

Would there be a significant enough of a drop in heat by moving down to a 400 if i eventually want to maximize light penetration because ill drop it down as close to canopy as i can ..what about a foot for a 400 slightly bit more for a 6? Not sure i can pull that off and maintain feasible temp range with a 6... or either for that matter. But i have both lights to choose.. though the 400 bulb has been thru 3 grows. So thats another concern. But the 6 is fresh...

Thanks

Go get a loan from the bank . Go online find a used ac unit.

Also humidity is extremely important. Maybe a second loan .

Now youre talkin.. use the banks dollars!

Humidity ok based on vpd scale...running 70s so good for high heat and i've been supplementing as i have controls for humidity..

https://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Crunch-Cool-Tube-Reflector/dp/B072LXKS5F/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

$27 to the door..

Its supposed to be cooling down some later this week if you're still sweating thru this heatwave. As long as youre exhausting properly the cool tube should get your temps down. Good luck!

Short answer Yes.

Dimming my 600 to 400w dropped the temp about 4-5 deg. f. in a 4 x 4 sealed room. I second the cool tube idea.

A fan and source of humidity can be a huge help too. You can drop the temp several degrees with a spray bottle and box fan. You might have to do it a whole bunch to make any difference but if this is a basement with a floor drain maybe you can get creative with a cool mist humidifier you might already own? Soaker hose? Just get some water in there to carry away heat as it evaporates one way or another.

Another thought I had is maybe go to a 20/4 or 18/6 cycle with the dark portion of the cycle taking place during the hottest part of the day (in your room... the outside and inside temps don't always peak at the same time!) to give the plants a break. I notice zero difference between 24/0 and 20/4 in terms of growth rate (I actually think 20/4 gives marginally faster growth).

Thanks for the tips. I think im gonna break down and get a portable ac. My next question is.. if i run a tent grow would i be better off cooling the air around the tent and pulling it in passively via exhaust fan, or run a hose directly into tent and cool directly? Temp controller would be in tent for latter option..

So the story is ive been running on an old underperforming 400 mh bulb in a warm to hot temp range (82-86) and the results are spindly, streched out plants, except for one dwarf. When i planted i used fox farm soil around perimeter of container and the center of the pot (i transplanted from peat pots to 4 gal) i layered over a gentler pro mix for the transplant medium - both mixed with 40% perlite.

At 28 days im getting preflowers on two of the three so i know theyre def autos. I was questioning this because when i looked at some other lsd-25 auto grow logs my plants do not look right.. long and spindly whereas at the same point others seem low and thick with large fans.. without any training.

I now have a 600 mh running in a tent so my lighting problem has been solved and the ac arrived so the temps will be controllable for flower Even though i have room to grow these out (tallest is shy under 2') in the tent since ive left them untrained.. with the way they look.. is it even worth tying down/supercropping now with roughly 40 days left of flower?

Never dealt with autos before and im still a plebe when it comes to growing..

I have to ask:

If you're in a basement, why are you growing in a tent?