Ventilation design help...need some pro advice! Diagram included...

furrycnorm

furrycnorm

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, I am ready to buy the components of my vent system. My Vanilla Kush plants are starting to stink and I haven't even started to flower them yet. I will be running one 600w hps with a cooled reflector (6" I believe) and the veg room is running a bunch of t5 and t8 fluorescents. I need it to be quiet and to scrub the air as much as possible so my house doesn't smell. Anyone have any ideas? I can vent to the outside by drilling a 6" hole in the brick wall in the diagram, but would I be able to vent through my ac system as well? Any advice would be much appreciated, I want to do this right. Thanks!
room diagram.jpg
 
I wouldn't think venting through your ac would be a good idea. It'll then be pumped through your house, no?

Drilling a hole in your cement wall is do-able with the right bit. Where's your air intake going to be coming from?
 
The air intake could come from outside (would have to drill through brick) or from the rest of the basement through one of the adjacent walls. What would be the downside to venting through the ac? I plan on using a carbon filter so I don't think it would smell. What do you guys think?
 
Kinda looking for the same answers myself. But I would be afraid to vent thru ac/heat duct when ac is on, Hot air + cold air = condensation. And also will greatly affect the efficiency of your a/c. But then in the winter may help lower heat bill. :)
 
Thats what I was thinking! We have 5 cold months ahead of us so I wouldn't mind venting the warm air through the heat ducts and could switch it to a different setup in the spring
 
How about running the air flow from the outside room through the lamps then venting that into the hot air ducts? You would need a one-way valve before you enter the duct so the air doesn't blow back through the lights when the hot air blower in on. Then put in a 6 inch fan with a carbon filter that pulls air through the grow room, filters it then expels clean air back into the outside room. This may keep the grow room cooled off so that you don't need to vent outside until spring.

I agree that it is a big risk sending smelly warm air out a vent hole.
 
So I shouldn't vent from the grow room through a carbon filter to outside? I do live on a busy street so I can't have any smells at all, but I was going to get a mountain air carbon filter to take care of that.
 
Carbon filters help but I dont feel they get 100% of the smell out. If you have some real smelly bud then you will smell it through your whole house if vented through your HVAC. The best way to vent a smelly room is to use a carbon filter to vent into another room, like the one next to your grow space, then have another fan and filter clean the air again before it goes outside. You can also get fresh air from outside and vent to under your house. Than put a small fan somewhere to help move air under then house and that will act like the second room. You never want to vent right to the outside. If it were me I wouldnt mess around with the HVAC unless your using a closed loop to vent your lights.
 
So I should get 2 carbon filters and 4 inline fans? (2 for venting and 2 for air intake?) That's gonna cost a ton, plus thats not even taking care of the heat problem or having anything hooked up to the hood and bulb.
 
This is what I would do in your situation.

Outside the room intake (basement air) >6" duct>hoods> tjurlund 6" inline fand from e-bay> exit into your hvac system for winter time heat. This air will not stink as it is coming from outside the room.

So now that your lights are cool you have to get rid of the stink.
Another tjrulund 6" fan mounted directly to carbon filter and mounted to the ceiling. You can use aluminum flex duct on the filter fan to direct air where you want it.

Scrubbing the air like this is more effective at eliminating all odors. This set up also has the benefit of neutral air pressure. However, your going to need an AC unit to control temps but it's a superior way to control temps anyways. Temperatures are very very important!

Cannaboids are VOC's so much like the smell of gasoline or paint, it will pass through any semipermeable surface (drywall) quite easily.
 
Why do you need 2 fans per line? you need 2 fans if you do one for the light and one for room but that should keep the temp down. Also Im not saying thats what you have to do I just just saying if you want no smell then that would be the best way from what I have found. You can do it how ever you want. Also search for DIY carbon filter. This will save you a ton of $. I will see if I can find the one I read about and will be doing next round.
 
I would pull air in from outside for the intake, and vent the scrubbed air straight into the HVAC, personally. Thats what i've done and it heats my house in the winter. You should not have any problem with smell from a 146 cubic foot flower room, if you're using the correct size fan and carbon filter. Honestly, I would consider venting the heat outside, IF your carbon filter is working properly. If you get a lot of snow in your area then don't vent it to the roof or anywhere that it will melt the snow. It might look a little suspect, if you're the only house on the block without snow on your roof, or yard, etc.. If you don't want to vent the heat through the HVAC, or outdoors, then simply vent the heat out to the "empty space" you have designated. You definitely shouldn't pull air in from the same place you're exhausting it. That just doesn't make any sense.

As long as you have constant fresh air, it doesn't really matter where you vent the heat. assuming it doesnt smell like boom-bastic!
 
Are you saying I stated 2 fans for each line?

One fan and line for cooling your lights

And
One fan to run you carbon filter. There are significant advantages tO this kind of set up.

FYI. DIY carbon filters are designed for itty bitty closet grows. You will never be able to cheaply make a big room sized filter.
 
Scrogreen said:
Carbon filters help but I dont feel they get 100% of the smell out. If you have some real smelly bud then you will smell it through your whole house if vented through your HVAC. The best way to vent a smelly room is to use a carbon filter to vent into another room, like the one next to your grow space, then have another fan and filter clean the air again before it goes outside. You can also get fresh air from outside and vent to under your house. Than put a small fan somewhere to help move air under then house and that will act like the second room. You never want to vent right to the outside. If it were me I wouldnt mess around with the HVAC unless your using a closed loop to vent your lights.
Click to expand...

they work but how much money do you got for a real big one
 
Word to the wise, if you pull in air from outside it's going to rain in your grow room.

I would love to know how you can pull 40degree air and not make your ducts drip like hell in your room
 
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