carbon filter vs heat & humidity

[PlutonicChronic]

I'm helping a friend build a grow room in his crawl space.

Water fills the lowest part of his crawl space when it rains hard, however this is the best room location for height issues.

My solution is to install a sump pump and divert the water before it reaches the grow room.

I recently became aware that humidity ruins carbon filters. My solution is to run the passive intake ducting to indoors and the filter will be hooked to the exhaust so the blower only sucks dry indoor air. (I'm assuming a drywall/frame structure will repel most of the humid crawl space air?)

#1-Will this work? (or will the humid crawl space air seap through the drywall of the grow room?)

Should the exauhst fan/filter be inside the grow room or would it be alright to have the filter in the humid crawl space as long as its sucking dry indoor air?

#2 I read somewhere that high temps also effect filters. Does that mean hooking the exhaust/filter up to a 1k light for heat removal is no good?
I can always buy a separate fan for the light but money is hard to come by these days.

thx for reading and all opinions

 

[thesurface]

I'm helping a friend build a grow room in his crawl space.

Water fills the lowest part of his crawl space when it rains hard, however this is the best room location for height issues.

My solution is to install a sump pump and divert the water before it reaches the grow room.

I recently became aware that humidity ruins carbon filters. My solution is to run the passive intake ducting to indoors and the filter will be hooked to the exhaust so the blower only sucks dry indoor air. (I'm assuming a drywall/frame structure will repel most of the humid crawl space air?)

#1-Will this work? (or will the humid crawl space air seap through the drywall of the grow room?)

Should the exauhst fan/filter be inside the grow room or would it be alright to have the filter in the humid crawl space as long as its sucking dry indoor air?

#2 I read somewhere that high temps also effect filters. Does that mean hooking the exhaust/filter up to a 1k light for heat removal is no good?
I can always buy a separate fan for the light but money is hard to come by these days.

thx for reading and all opinions

Sounds like a wet situation for soil I hope he's doing dwc or something

(Anyway, I'm assuming a drywall/frame structure will repel most of the humid crawl space air?)

It should.
#1 Yes and maybe no, but it's hard to visualize it. pictures would help greatly.


#2 Not totally sure to be quite honest, maybe someone else can help with that. I think a decent filter shouldn't cause you problems unless the grow space gets 110 often. But then again...


carbon filter hooks up to the light and the ducting is attached to the 450cfm+ (you said 1k). Both the fan and the filter can be in the grow space with sufficient room.

They have those humidity absorbing pads at wal-mart too in case of emergencies but you shouldn't have to worry if it's sucking air constantly out it shouldn't get too humid unless it floods constantly, in which light plus big pool of water = yuck.

 

[PlutonicChronic]

Thanks for the reply. FYI yes it's a 450cfm fan hooked to a filter. I know I've seen people exhaust hot lights through filters so it should be fine. I read somewhere heat effected carbon filters like humidity and it freaked me out but they must be full of it.

Sry no digi camera but if the sump pump works correctly the room should never flood- it was just the ambient humidity around the room I was concerned about but you've made me alot more confident now, thx again.

 

[Bob Smith]

Thanks for the reply. FYI yes it's a 450cfm fan hooked to a filter. I know I've seen people exhaust hot lights through filters so it should be fine. I read somewhere heat effected carbon filters like humidity and it freaked me out but they must be full of it.

Sry no digi camera but if the sump pump works correctly the room should never flood- it was just the ambient humidity around the room I was concerned about but you've made me alot more confident now, thx again.

A carbon filter is the last thing I'd be worried about with high humidity.

How high are we talking? Because if there's standing water in the grow room, that humidity is going to be ridiculous, and unfortunately that growspace just won't work.

You'll put months of effort in only to have your crop ruined by mold - sorry to tell ya, but I think you need to find a new space.

 

[thesurface]

A carbon filter is the last thing I'd be worried about with high humidity.

How high are we talking? Because if there's standing water in the grow room, that humidity is going to be ridiculous, and unfortunately that growspace just won't work.

You'll put months of effort in only to have your crop ruined by mold - sorry to tell ya, but I think you need to find a new space.

Waiiit a minute, He clearly stated he was going to get a pump going. IF that works, why relocate a perfectly *dank* room.

It sounds like a little ingenuity could resolve the issue. Don't be discouraged lad.

On the other hand. It would be easier to just select another grow location. And peace of mind is a beautiful thing.

 

[MoN3yb4Gs]

I hate to be a downer, but this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. flooding, dampness, mold issues. Plan on spending more than you think... I did, and I didn't have to worry about so many issues. Sry...
Pictures of the planned area my change some minds...

 

[PlutonicChronic]

I'm dedicated as I have already ran power to the crawlspace. If all goes to plan there shouldn't ever be a puddle of water in the grow space. I have to see exactly how the water is running for my sump pump positioning so I'm waiting for a hard rain. Hopefully I can stop it before it reaches the lower flood zone where the room will be located. I figure if I can keep a dry floor and constantly circulate indoors air to the crawl space room humidity should be defeated.

Yes it would be much easier to grow indoors but for security reasons I must go under ground.
Up yours FLIR / house guests!

There are many issues to solve. I wasn't even aware of the crawl space flooding until I ran a line down there while it was raining- not to mention the danger of digging around foundation walls. I am dedicated tho and believe for 2 pounds every 3 months I can solve any problem for my buddy lol

FYI there are other dry locations in the crawl space but only about 3 foot height. I would be forced to dig at least 3 foot by a foundation wall which I'm not going to do for obvious reasons lol.

 

[Bob Smith]

I hate to be a downer, but this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. flooding, dampness, mold issues. Plan on spending more than you think... I did, and I didn't have to worry about so many issues. Sry...
Pictures of the planned area my change some minds...

Exactly.

No offense to the poster trying to tell him to go for it, but there's enough to worry about in a "regular" grow room that doesn't turn into a swimming pool once a week.

Adding in more variables (and disastrous, crop ruining variables, at that) is not something any experienced grower would recommend.

Also, the OP said that the crawlspace made the most sense for "height reasons" - I'd rather figure out how to grow something in a four foot high space then a 20 foot high space that has 95% humidity.

Sounds like he has other options, and if he does, I'd highly recommend that he use those.

 

[Bob Smith]

I'm dedicated as I have already ran power to the crawlspace. If all goes to plan there shouldn't ever be a puddle of water in the grow space. I have to see exactly how the water is running for my sump pump positioning so I'm waiting for a hard rain. Hopefully I can stop it before it reaches the lower flood zone where the room will be located. I figure if I can keep a dry floor and constantly circulate indoors air to the crawl space room humidity should be defeated.

Yes it would be much easier to grow indoors but for security reasons I must go under ground.
Up yours FLIR / house guests!

Good luck, but even without standing water in there, the humidity still sounds like it's gonna be overwhelming.

I hope I'm wrong and everything works out for you, but I'd be quite surprised if this was the case.

Regardless, best of luck.

 

[PlutonicChronic]

Good luck, but even without standing water in there, the humidity still sounds like it's gonna be overwhelming.

I hope I'm wrong and everything works out for you, but I'd be quite surprised if this was the case.

Regardless, best of luck.

That was my main question. I think I can keep the floor dry and divert flood waters with sump pump, but even with the ambient humidity down there I'm not sure a drywall/frame structure will repel it. Even with indoor air circulated in the area.

 

[Bob Smith]

That was my main question. I think I can keep the floor dry and divert flood waters with sump pump, but even with the ambient humidity down there I'm not sure a drywall/frame structure will repel it. Even with indoor air circulated in the area.

Without seeing pictures and actually checking it out for myself it's impossible to be sure, but 99.9% of the time, the humidity will be too high.

 

[PlutonicChronic]

Without seeing pictures and actually checking it out for myself it's impossible to be sure, but 99.9% of the time, the humidity will be too high.

Thanks, I'm seriously considering any other options available to me now. A pot bunker sounded so cool tho lol.

I might go for it- all I would be out of is some sheet rock/ wood/ hard digging labor if it didn't work. I guess insulation would help too. Already have a 10awg wire ran for a soon to be installed sump pump like I said. My buddy can't have water down there grow or not. Ill let yall know how it goes thx

 

[thesurface]

Thanks, I'm seriously considering any other options available to me now. A pot bunker sounded so cool tho lol.

I might go for it- all I would be out of is some sheet rock/ wood/ hard digging labor if it didn't work. I guess insulation would help too. Already have a 10awg wire ran for a soon to be installed sump pump like I said. My buddy can't have water down there grow or not. Ill let yall know how it goes thx

Take a week average of humidity readings with a light in the grow room and if it's higher than 75 on average I would caution it will certainly make life more difficult for ya.
Everyone knows of the horrors that high humidity can pose and nobody wants to see 8 weeks or more of work be wasted with unsmokeable moldy bud. Cheers