Ventilation Question

RedKasper

RedKasper

Member
I'm currently running a 400w HPS in a small grow room...roughly 2' x 4'. In order to cool the plants, I'm running an A/C system with the intake attached to my reflector. It works great, but it's getting very expensive and I need an alternative method.

Here are my questions:

Do I need just an in-line fan?

Or do I need a blower too?

What's the difference?

I'm not too familiar with how it works so any information would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Here are some pics to help out.
 

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RedKasper

RedKasper

Member
Thanks for responding......it's a closet....the whole closet is about 2 feet deep/6 feet wide/6 feet tall. I'm only using 4' (wide) of the closet for growing.
 
pdillo

pdillo

Well-Known Member
I just started using a intake blower, I think it helps cool things more than passive intakes, but most people will tell you passive intakes with a single inline fan are just fine. If you want to save some money and just use passive intakes, the rule of thumb for intakes is 50% larger than your exhaust. Can you cut into the floor? Crawlspace or basement air would be best.
 
magik*420

magik*420

Active Member
Venting a closet can be tricky if you cant cut into any walls/doors. And Im guessing you wont be able to leave the door open at all for even a short period of time right?

IMO I would recommend either buying or making a DIY Cooltube. Get a high CFM inline fan and use the open end of the cooltube to suck air from the grow room.

Pretty much you wanna get rid of the heat from the light as well as suck some of that air out of the room. Use passive intakes if you go this route..

The tricky part is how are you gonna run the duct from the inline fan out of the room? And without anyone noticing a 4" or 6" duct hang there? lol

Good Luck
 
magik*420

magik*420

Active Member
Also if all else fails build a grow box or buy a tent.. That way you can create holes or use the pre-fabbed ones in the tent..

I have about the same closet space roughly, and I also live in an apt.

So yea, building a cabinet seemed like the wisest route for me.. :D
 
#1Raiderfan420

#1Raiderfan420

Well-Known Member
RedKasper said:
I'm currently running a 400w HPS in a small grow room...roughly 2' x 4'. In order to cool the plants, I'm running an A/C system, but it's getting very expensive and I need an alternative method.

Here are my questions:

Do I need just an in-line fan?

Or do I need a blower too?

What's the difference?

I'm not too familiar with how it works so any information would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Why don't you just put an exhaust fan on top or side of your room with a passive intake or two depending on the cfm of your exhaust fan. Then you can connect a carbon filter to the exhaust to kill the odor..here is a great thread on making your own filter..https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/7074-easy-build-diy-carbon-filter.html.

Good luck!
 
RedKasper

RedKasper

Member
Yah...I'm currently leaving my closet door open slightly...about 4-5"...just enough for the duct to exit the closet. Then I put up a blanket to shield the light from entering the closet through the opening. I know I need another method because I'm just asking for light leak and hermies...building a cabinet is probably my best route. Or I was thinking of installing a high cfm inline fan into my reflector that already has 6" flanges. Then I would run ducting from the fan to my closet door and let it push the hot air into my bedroom. Since the door needs to stay open slightly for the ducting...i would have some passive intake. Then at night I would have to push my ducting back into the closet and close the closet door completely so no light leaks inside. If I went this route...i wouldn't have fresh air at night....but this is actually similiar to what I did on my last grow and the plants didn't seem to mind not getting the fresh air at night. I don't know...maybe a board of wood to seperate the closet and block the light would do the trick...with a couple of holes for intake/exhaust.
 
#1Raiderfan420

#1Raiderfan420

Well-Known Member
RedKasper said:
Yah...I'm currently leaving my closet door open slightly...about 4-5"...just enough for the duct to exit the closet. Then I put up a blanket to shield the light from entering the closet through the opening. I know I need another method because I'm just asking for light leak and hermies...building a cabinet is probably my best route. Or I was thinking of installing a high cfm inline fan into my reflector that already has 6" flanges. Then I would run ducting from the fan to my closet door and let it push the hot air into my bedroom. Since the door needs to stay open slightly for the ducting...i would have some passive intake. Then at night I would have to push my ducting back into the closet and close the closet door completely so no light leaks inside. If I went this route...i wouldn't have fresh air at night....but this is actually similiar to what I did on my last grow and the plants didn't seem to mind not getting the fresh air at night. I don't know...maybe a board of wood to seperate the closet and block the light would do the trick...with a couple of holes for intake/exhaust.
Click to expand...
You know what might work is if you take the door off and put a peice of 12" x (the width of your doorway) plywood or even therma board. So basically you are shortening your door opening wiith the board so you can cut holes in it for your ducts. You could place it in the top or bottom part of your doorway. Make one hole for your exhaust duct connected to your reflector and one or two for passive intake. Then use thick plastic (visqueen) for the rest of your opening. You can get a zipper for the plastic to make a door in your plastic wall..the zippers are less than ten bucks.
 
#1Raiderfan420

#1Raiderfan420

Well-Known Member
RedKasper said:
I just posted some pics to help out.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah... you have a huge opening. You could actually take those doors off and replace with Therma Board(light wieght insulation board) and cut out a door..You actually just literally with a carpenters knife can cut this stuff. So you cut three sides of the door and then just score the last side to use as hinge..duct tape that side. It is very light weight and you can use some heay duty duct tape to adhere it to the existing door frame. Then use the double sided velcro or just tape it( but you will be going in and out so the velcro works better) to attach the plastic around the door (on the inside)..then cut the zipper right in the middle of your door. When you open the door you see the zipper. This makes it air tight if you tape all the seems real good.

It would be real easy and you could do it in a few hours.


I built my whole room out of therma board on a 2x4 frame and taped all the seems..and my room is air tight..I also use the passive intake with a 6" vortec exhaust through my reflectors.
 
RedKasper

RedKasper

Member
#1Raiderfan420 said:
Oh yeah... you have a huge opening. You could actually take those doors off and replace with Therma Board(light wieght insulation board) and cut out a door..You actually just literally with a carpenters knife can cut this stuff. So you cut three sides of the door and then just score the last side to use as hinge..duct tape that side. It is very light weight and you can use some heay duty duct tape to adhere it to the existing door frame. Then use the double sided velcro or just tape it( but you will be going in and out so the velcro works better) to attach the plastic around the door (on the inside)..then cut the zipper right in the middle of your door. When you open the door you see the zipper. This makes it air tight if you tape all the seems real good.

It would be real easy and you could do it in a few hours.


I built my whole room out of therma board on a 2x4 frame and taped all the seems..and my room is air tight..I also use the passive intake with a 6" vortec exhaust through my reflectors.
Click to expand...
Great Idea! I really appreciate the help!
 
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