Grow Tent Holes Too Small For Large Ducting

[BudWhyz]

I just picked up a 10" MaverickSun Wind God fan for a great price at my local grow shop. I wanted to go bigger than necessary on the CFM's to avoid any upgrades in the near future so I was looking at the 10" Max Fan before this, but Maverick's price tag beat them to it. I'm also planning on getting a fan controller this week, as funds allow.
Needing a tent and ducting, I bought the Light House 4'x4' with 25 feet of 10" ducting made by CanFilters which I think might have been over-priced (for the name,) but it was all they had. Needless to say I was stoned, so I paid more attention to marketing gimmicks then I did to the tent's port holes which were on display right in front of me.

Anyway, in this tent, I'll be temporarily running 800 total watts (400 HPS & 400 MH, both magnetic) over a 4-site dutch bucket system I'm making. I plan to soon upgrade to either two 600 watt digital cool tubes or a 1000 watt with a vented hood.

I plan to run my ventilation with a passive intake in this order:
CARBON FILTER (mounted inside tent)>DUCTING>LIGHT>DUCTING>FAN (mounted outside tent)>DUCTING>WINDOW

My problem, like I said above, is that the 10" fan obviously requires 10" ducting which is far too large for the sleeve ports on my tent. They're about 5" or 6" max.

I see my options like this:

1. Use a reducer. (If they even make anything in the size I need.)
>I've read this will limit the fans efficiency and reduce it's lifespan. It will also add to my total ambient noise velocity.

2. Cut the tent as needed to allow for unimpeded 10" airflow.
>This will reduce any resale value and would violate the return policy, so I'd probably be stuck with it.

3. Return the fan and create a new ventilation plan.
> I'd hate to return the fan because I plan to expand, but if there's a better ventilation option I'll take it. However, any new plans for a different ventilation setup would need to account for the high temperatures I'll see growing in an attic during these coming summer months. (I plan to get co2 & an AC setup in there in future, but I'll do that much sooner if it becomes necessary. But that's a topic for another thread.)

Is there anything I've missed? Any advice is appreciated.
Products mentioned are linked below.

Fan:
http://www.mavericksun.com/the-wind-god/
Ducting:
http://www.canfilters.com/Ducting.html
Tent:
http://www.lighthousehydro.com/grow-tents/grow-tent-4x4x7-lighthouse-grow-tent.html

 

[BudWhyz]

If I went with option 2 would I still need a reducer for my lights or can I get them with 10" holes?

 

[BudWhyz]

Orrrr...
Am I still just stoned, and with a fan controller, the reduction in duct size won't damage the fan because it wouldn't be operating at full power?

Thus, option number 4:
Return the (US $63.00) 10" ducting for the much cheaper 6" ducting and buy 2 reducers. One to go between my carbon filter and my lights, and one to go from the ducting back to the fan.

CARBON FILTER (mounted inside tent) REDUCER >DUCTING>LIGHT>DUCTING> REDUCER (placed backwards)> FAN (mounted outside tent)>DUCTING>WINDOW

 

[dubalchemist]

what i did with my 8" fan was just mount the fan outside tent running at half speed with the reducers directly on the fan, i say reducers cause ive only seen them step down in the 2" increments works pretty well for me, 600 watter can be about an inch above the colas no problem.

so basically return the 10 inch ducting if you can and step it down to the 6" and get that ducting not really much room to run reducers inside a 4x4 tent if your hood is vented. and the lighthouse tents only what $120 if you can open up the holes to 8 inch would be pretty nice most hydro shops have the ducting sandwich plate that mounts on each side of the material probably would have a better seal and light proofing anyway.

by the way been looking into getting a couple lighthouse tents how you like it? any major faults aside from the usual pinhole leaks?

 

[dubalchemist]

btw stoned shopping always such an adventure, never leave with anything you planned on getting and the cashier always manages to ask some awkward personal question it seems like...

 

[thinn]

You can always buy 10" flanges and creat a 10" hole to accomodate for the air passage imo. You will not need to run at full speed.... I do not know the specs on your tent but im sure running a 10" fan on full blast will more than likely create enough negative pressure to collapse the 4x4 if it isnt sturdy enough or atleast tear it at the seams if it isnt put together well enough. In my opinion you will need a fan speed controller....

Since you do not want to return the fan, mount flanges on either side of the 6 in ports, buy a speed controller and dial it down to atleast 40-50 percent. This way you keep the integrity of the tent by not having to cut it. Or, you could just go smaller. I hate those tough situations......

 

[Chillintxstlye]

Option 420:keep the fan for later upgrade and buy a fan that will fit in the current vent holes in ur tent. Good luck

 

[joe blow greenthumb]

Get a cheap $20-30 inline fan. I use one in my 4x4 tent for exhaust and to keep my cool tube cool. The inline runs on the light timer. I have a rectangular double fan on my floor slot running 24/7 as an intake.

 

[BudWhyz]

what i did with my 8" fan was just mount the fan outside tent running at half speed with the reducers directly on the fan, i say reducers cause ive only seen them step down in the 2" increments works pretty well for me, 600 watter can be about an inch above the colas no problem.

so basically return the 10 inch ducting if you can and step it down to the 6" and get that ducting not really much room to run reducers inside a 4x4 tent if your hood is vented. and the lighthouse tents only what $120 if you can open up the holes to 8 inch would be pretty nice most hydro shops have the ducting sandwich plate that mounts on each side of the material probably would have a better seal and light proofing anyway.

by the way been looking into getting a couple lighthouse tents how you like it? any major faults aside from the usual pinhole leaks?

I plan on running the fan outside of the room. If I cut the tent though, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of buying smaller ducting? Or are you suggesting a 6" fan as well? If not, how do i hook up a 10" fan to 6" ducting? 2 reducers lol?

I think the Light House is awesome so far. Very sturdy. Easy to assemble and I was in close quarters. I managed to put it up by myself. It's very thick. Shouldn't have to worry about any rips. And the pinholes aren't an issue unless you need to hide your lights. There's hardly enough light anywhere to cause hermies. My only complaint is that with sleeved port holes, they could have made the holes any size. But then again, they probably assume most people aren't running fans that large in a 4x4.

By the way, I paid about $230 (US) for it. I think the smaller models are $120

 

[BudWhyz]

btw stoned shopping always such an adventure, never leave with anything you planned on getting and the cashier always manages to ask some awkward personal question it seems like...

Story of my life lol. You should see how many half finished projects I'm working on lol.

 

[BudWhyz]

You can always buy 10" flanges and creat a 10" hole to accomodate for the air passage imo. You will not need to run at full speed.... I do not know the specs on your tent but im sure running a 10" fan on full blast will more than likely create enough negative pressure to collapse the 4x4 if it isnt sturdy enough or atleast tear it at the seams if it isnt put together well enough. In my opinion you will need a fan speed controller....

Since you do not want to return the fan, mount flanges on either side of the 6 in ports, buy a speed controller and dial it down to atleast 40-50 percent. This way you keep the integrity of the tent by not having to cut it. Or, you could just go smaller. I hate those tough situations......

I definitely plan on buying a fan controller. Hopefully by this weekend or next. My tent is 4'x4'x7". I'm sure I could run at full speed if necessary, but I won't need to. I got this fan with the intentions of being able to dial it down. But I didn't take into account the huge ducting I would need.

So with a flanger, could I run the 10" ducting without cutting any holes in the tent? Or would I still need 6" ducting? What about air-cooled hoods? Would I need flangers for them or would I just need to run 6" ducting through the hole setup?

 

[BudWhyz]

Option 420:keep the fan for later upgrade and buy a fan that will fit in the current vent holes in ur tent. Good luck

Maybe if I wasn't already in about $2000. I don't have any cash for spare parts right now lol. Thank you for the suggestion though. If I had a choice, yours would be the one lol.

 

[BudWhyz]

Get a cheap $20-30 inline fan. I use one in my 4x4 tent for exhaust and to keep my cool tube cool. The inline runs on the light timer. I have a rectangular double fan on my floor slot running 24/7 as an intake.

I would use something like that, but I need to exhaust 800 watts through a carbon filter in my attic during the summer heat. I don't think something with that sort of CFM rating would be of any help by itself.

 

[BudWhyz]

Bump
Anybody else?

 

[BudWhyz]

I'm thinking about just returning the 10" fan and working with a 6" instead. I hate to downgrade fans, but the money I'd save can probably get me the fan controller I was looking at.

What I'm wondering now is if I can mount the 6" ducting to a regular window mounted AC as my intake? Would this affect the negative pressure? Or could I just dial in the fans speed to compensate for the intake pressure from the AC?

Downgrading from 10" to 6" won't be a big deal if I can get the AC running through there.

 

[BudWhyz]

Even though it appears no one is following along I still thought I would post an update to this thread.

I returned the 10" gear and bought a 6" CanFan Max with 6" ducting and a 6" air-cooled hood for my HPS. Problem solved.