I think I know part of the answer but I'll ask, just to be sure. I've been trying to find some information on which is better for a grow room. Walls that are painted ceiling white, or walls with foil back insulation. And how much of a difference will it make going with one vs the other. I'm currently building my grow room and plan to insulate it, so I can go with either. Anyone have a link to some comparison data?
Difference between ceiling white and mylar for grow room
- Thread starter JMichael
- Start date
kermit2692
Well-Known Member
Mylar is 99% reflective and white flat is 95%.. Or maybe it's 75%.. Damn... Anyway go with mylar
xmatox
Well-Known Member
Scroll down in the link. there is a small chart.
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/home-depot-paint-is-90-reflective-paint.4901/
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
I concur. Flat titanium White.
Jimmyjonestoo
Well-Known Member
Paint is also probably cheaper than mylar. I'd go with paint myself.
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
Yea its cheaper. You can get flat interior white for less than $10 at Walmart. Ask for them to add titanium.
I've never heard of this titanium oxide count (which is understandable if you knew how much I hate and have avoided painting). LoL Is it listed on the can and what would you consider a high count for the oxide?
RichRoots
Well-Known Member
I recently went through this exact predicament. I went with the white paint, paint will be reflective enough, mylar would be for a very small grow or a tent. also with mylar i was told i might run into moisture problems in between the wall & mylar. This is just the advice i was given. Hope it helps!
Jimmyjonestoo
Well-Known Member
Never purchased mylar so wasn't sure what it costs. Just assumed paint was cheaper.
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
I don't remember the price but it was high enough for me to buy paint instead.
vostok
Well-Known Member
Titanium oxide is used in paint, in the usa etc, its called 'pigment white' the sales guys like the titanium oxide,
it sounds cooler..lol also in sunscreen,
as it dries, it out gases hydrogen hence it encourages the paint to dry quick, and is little trouble to growing plants ...
the amount used in quality white matt/flat paint ..for me anyway directly affects the price,
the more T-oxide the more you pay, ...and its worth it(imo)
as theres just so many shit paints out there(citation needed lol)
Recently I was asked to visit a newbies grow room 10x8ft,
he had spent a small fortune cladding Mylar on the 4 walls floor and ceiling,
tho with no plants in the room ..I freaked out, any more than 15 minutes I was gonna pass out ..
.it was like an old acid trip ..lol ..I can now see why some stoner's have had some 'fit' in these mylar rooms
...no shit
good luck
Well the last thing I want to do is end up fighting mold/mildew/fungus so I'll go the paint route, even if it is less reflective. Something else that has come to mind and that is what do you guys do about your circulation fan/s. Do you run them 24/7 or do you turn them off during lights out?
vostok
Well-Known Member
For air circulation in the dark room I use 2 pc type fans to a phone charger
plus the extract fan that runs 15 on 45? min off
the pc type fans are to remove any excess 02 from around the stomata of the leaves
the extract fan removes that air and is replaced passively, to keep smell down
plus the extract fan that runs 15 on 45? min off
the pc type fans are to remove any excess 02 from around the stomata of the leaves
the extract fan removes that air and is replaced passively, to keep smell down
Interesting. You wouldn't happen to have a sketch/drawing of your cooling and ventilation setup would you?
Skunk Baxter
Well-Known Member
- I leave the fan on during the dark period to control humidity, but at a lower setting. You've got a lot of plants in a sealed space, aspirating water, and it's cooler with the lights off... I'm not comfortable with the RH levels you get sometimes. I like to keep the air exchange constant.
Well while silence isn't a huge concern, I'm still trying to keep it to a minimum. When Vostok mentioned that he ran his fan 15 min out of each hr, that gave me an idea. I plan to have my cooling and circulation fans run full time with lights on. But when the lights go out the fans will be switched over to run 3 minutes on 15 minutes off, or something like that to control odor and/or humidity. The run/off times will be adjustable and I'm sure that's going to take some trial and error to get it set right.
Skunk Baxter
Well-Known Member
Fortunately, I don't have to worry about sound or odor. Absolutely nobody from outside the house is ever allowed in here, ever. You couldn't smell it or hear it unless you were practically in the room anyway, but still. We take no chances.
But at any rate, yeah - all I have to worry about with my air exchange system is temperature and humidity control. That allows me a lot of latitude in how I adjust the fan setting. In winter, I often dial it back to 2/3 speed or even half, which still allows plenty of air exchange but helps the growing area to retain some of the heat from the lights. If the temps get above the low 70s, I crank it up a bit, if it gets cooler I dial it back. Summertime, I crank it to "11," and it sounds like there's a space shuttle taking off in there. But it's cheaper than running the air conditioner (try to keep the electric bill down, so we make an effort to synchronize the grow room temperature with the ambient temperature of the house using fans and ventilation as much as possible.) Small circulation fans are on 24/7 no matter what.
Vostok's method is interesting, though. I'd be tempted to try it, except with several 1k HID lights, I'd be concerned about extreme temperature fluctuations between "fan on" and "fan off" periods when the lights are on. Vostok, how do you get around that, or is it just not a problem?
Speaking of paint, though, part of me has always wanted to give this a shot and see what happens - but at about $200 a gallon, I'm not sure it's worth the experiment...
http://www.amazon.com/Acrylic-Paint-White-Reflective-Index/dp/B00GR5VS58
It's what they use to paint the stripes on roads and that sort of thing. I would imagine that if you put that in a small room with a 1000 watt light, you'd go blind without your grow room glasses.
Good luck getting your system dialed in, though. I'd be curious to see how it turns out.
But at any rate, yeah - all I have to worry about with my air exchange system is temperature and humidity control. That allows me a lot of latitude in how I adjust the fan setting. In winter, I often dial it back to 2/3 speed or even half, which still allows plenty of air exchange but helps the growing area to retain some of the heat from the lights. If the temps get above the low 70s, I crank it up a bit, if it gets cooler I dial it back. Summertime, I crank it to "11," and it sounds like there's a space shuttle taking off in there. But it's cheaper than running the air conditioner (try to keep the electric bill down, so we make an effort to synchronize the grow room temperature with the ambient temperature of the house using fans and ventilation as much as possible.) Small circulation fans are on 24/7 no matter what.
Vostok's method is interesting, though. I'd be tempted to try it, except with several 1k HID lights, I'd be concerned about extreme temperature fluctuations between "fan on" and "fan off" periods when the lights are on. Vostok, how do you get around that, or is it just not a problem?
Speaking of paint, though, part of me has always wanted to give this a shot and see what happens - but at about $200 a gallon, I'm not sure it's worth the experiment...
http://www.amazon.com/Acrylic-Paint-White-Reflective-Index/dp/B00GR5VS58
It's what they use to paint the stripes on roads and that sort of thing. I would imagine that if you put that in a small room with a 1000 watt light, you'd go blind without your grow room glasses.
Good luck getting your system dialed in, though. I'd be curious to see how it turns out.
vostok
Well-Known Member
I noticed last night, a cheese with less than a month out from harvest
has bud rot(pythium) starting on a top most cola, only half inch
so I'll be checking them timers and be thinking
of including that small oil heater(500w) on the timer too
everything is in balance, adding heat is OK, but adding heat increases humidity
so be careful, or risk making it worst ..so I check the weather for the next few days ....Grrr!
When lights are on, extract fan is on constantly or if cooler weather, on the temp controller.. stc1000
good luck
has bud rot(pythium) starting on a top most cola, only half inch
so I'll be checking them timers and be thinking
of including that small oil heater(500w) on the timer too
everything is in balance, adding heat is OK, but adding heat increases humidity
so be careful, or risk making it worst ..so I check the weather for the next few days ....Grrr!
When lights are on, extract fan is on constantly or if cooler weather, on the temp controller.. stc1000
good luck