Intake ventilation help

Weed-noob

Active Member
I'm new to this forum, let alone any forum so if I'm not in the right forum room I'm sorry!
Okay here it is.
I want to use fresh air from outside to enter my sealed grow area since my basement air is stagnant! My basement isn't finish and we don't use that part of the basement at all therefore the air is just bad for growing.
I live in a part of the world where it's pretty cold during winter ehhh ;) so having an intake coming from outside might also be bad since we can have -20^C days! I also have an outtake already set up with a carbon filter and ducking going outside.
What do you guys think? Thanks
 

brimck325

Well-Known Member
pump outside air into basement and then passive into grow room. you may need a fan on a timer for in take to keep temps regulated.
edit: not a timer a temp controller.
 

Gquebed

Well-Known Member
I have same -20 probs.

So what id did was build my intake port right underneath my exhaust port. Works great.

To be more clear... i cut two holes in a piece of plywood, which was cut to fit in a basement window. One hole over top of the other. I glued in to 4" metal sleeves and taped it with insulation in a basement window. My intake draws from the bottom hole and my exhaust vents out the top hole. This way... the cold air coming is mixed a bit with the hot exhaust going out. Works perfect.

Also solves the problem of condensation building up on ducting and dripping off... as the ducting doest get cold.
 

Weed-noob

Active Member
I have same -20 probs.

So what id did was build my intake port right underneath my exhaust port. Works great.

To be more clear... i cut two holes in a piece of plywood, which was cut to fit in a basement window. One hole over top of the other. I glued in to 4" metal sleeves and taped it with insulation in a basement window. My intake draws from the bottom hole and my exhaust vents out the top hole. This way... the cold air coming is mixed a bit with the hot exhaust going out. Works perfect.

Also solves the problem of condensation building up on ducting and dripping off... as the ducting doest get cold.
Thanks for the reply! Although I don't see how having an intake port under an exhaust port making any difference.
 

Gquebed

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reply! Although I don't see how having an intake port under an exhaust port making any difference.
That should be obvious.

The intake (cold air) is mixed with a small bit of the exhaust (warm air on the way out), which is just enough to not freeze out your plants. Works great for me and a couple others i know.

It does bring back in oxygen rich/ cow depleted air, which isnt ideal. But it solves the cold air problem as well as condensation problems.

Easy solution to an otherwise difficult problem.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Just allow the air from your basement to go into your grow room. That way it gets warmed up a bit and there is less chance of getting bugs, mold spores etc in the grow room. That's what I do with mine in a similar setup. If you draw the air in from outside it's not the coldness of it that's a problem it's also the heat come summertime and the bug problem as mentioned. Cover your intakes with something like static free wiping cloths. Put window screen or something over them first to support the cloths then duct tape or any old thing to keep them on.

My basement area isn't heated and never goes above 60F/15C and can get down near freezing in the dead of winter. All the air going into the grow room comes from the basement area which is four times the area of my grow room. I can't let it freeze down there as that's where my pump and pressure tank are for my house water that comes from a dugout on my property.

As new air comes into your basement it will keep the air in there from going "stagnant". If you can breathe the air it's OK for your plants.

If your grow space has walls exposed to the outside condensation could be a problem with your electrical outlets. My basement is underground so the cement walls don't get freezing. I used to grow in a room I built in a garage at my last place and the outlets were soaked. To fix that problem take the cover plate off and put a sheet of plastic, bread bags work, over the plugs. Cut a piece to a rectangle big enough to overlap a bit, tapeit in place with masking tape or scotch tape so it stays in place then put the cover plate back on. Just push the plugs back in and the plastic will make a pretty good seal around the prongs and keep moisture from getting in. Don't vent your air into a cold attic either or it'll freeze up there and be raining indoors with the spring thaw. I found out the hard way in that garage. :)

:peace:
 

thumper60

Well-Known Member
Just allow the air from your basement to go into your grow room. That way it gets warmed up a bit and there is less chance of getting bugs, mold spores etc in the grow room. That's what I do with mine in a similar setup. If you draw the air in from outside it's not the coldness of it that's a problem it's also the heat come summertime and the bug problem as mentioned. Cover your intakes with something like static free wiping cloths. Put window screen or something over them first to support the cloths then duct tape or any old thing to keep them on.

My basement area isn't heated and never goes above 60F/15C and can get down near freezing in the dead of winter. All the air going into the grow room comes from the basement area which is four times the area of my grow room. I can't let it freeze down there as that's where my pump and pressure tank are for my house water that comes from a dugout on my property.

As new air comes into your basement it will keep the air in there from going "stagnant". If you can breathe the air it's OK for your plants.

If your grow space has walls exposed to the outside condensation could be a problem with your electrical outlets. My basement is underground so the cement walls don't get freezing. I used to grow in a room I built in a garage at my last place and the outlets were soaked. To fix that problem take the cover plate off and put a sheet of plastic, bread bags work, over the plugs. Cut a piece to a rectangle big enough to overlap a bit, tapeit in place with masking tape or scotch tape so it stays in place then put the cover plate back on. Just push the plugs back in and the plastic will make a pretty good seal around the prongs and keep moisture from getting in. Don't vent your air into a cold attic either or it'll freeze up there and be raining indoors with the spring thaw. I found out the hard way in that garage. :)

:peace:
ive seen out building here in maine rotted out in 1 yr with the wrong vent set up like u say raining:blsmoke:
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Cuz I'm in a cellar and in my mind it will blow clean are in :×
Quite restrictive to have a carbon filter on the intake. I use anti-static cloths to cover my passive intake vents. Fine enough to filter out spores and fine dust but allows really good air flow. A box of them is just a few bux.

:peace:
 

Dr. John Hopkins

Active Member
I'm new to this forum, let alone any forum so if I'm not in the right forum room I'm sorry!
Okay here it is.
I want to use fresh air from outside to enter my sealed grow area since my basement air is stagnant! My basement isn't finish and we don't use that part of the basement at all therefore the air is just bad for growing.
I live in a part of the world where it's pretty cold during winter ehhh ;) so having an intake coming from outside might also be bad since we can have -20^C days! I also have an outtake already set up with a carbon filter and ducking going outside.
What do you guys think? Thanks

I would watch for hot air leaving the grow room and melting snow. You could also passively let air in by using a hole 4x bigger than your outtake fan
 

2Ton

Well-Known Member
pump outside air into basement and then passive into grow room. you may need a fan on a timer for in take to keep temps regulated.
edit: not a timer a temp controller.
I think you should either pump cold air in and the have another intake pulling that air into ur room or pull ots directly into the tent.. you will be able to kick the lights hard with feezing air.... either way you will need the intake on a timer so you dont freeze them when its lights off. I pull air directly in from outside via a window box with a venetian blind... we are at about 0c at the mo on a night in the uk and with my intake on a timer and one of the flaps lifted up on my tent so i can pull ambient air in when the timer kicks in ....i am running 4000w and keep the temps at 27c when the lights are on and 18c when the lights are off. I have to put the heating on in the house on lights off to keep the temp up when iam drawing air in via the vent on the tent ... heres my window box..https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/20161121_152138-jpg.3836395/
 

JustCallmeMom

Well-Known Member
I'm new to this forum, let alone any forum so if I'm not in the right forum room I'm sorry!
Okay here it is.
I want to use fresh air from outside to enter my sealed grow area since my basement air is stagnant! My basement isn't finish and we don't use that part of the basement at all therefore the air is just bad for growing.
I live in a part of the world where it's pretty cold during winter ehhh ;) so having an intake coming from outside might also be bad since we can have -20^C days! I also have an outtake already set up with a carbon filter and ducking going outside.
What do you guys think? Thanks
hi. i'm just a newbie, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But....I was thinking, what about a carbon filter and fan on the INTAKE? have an intake fan to suck in the air from the basement, but put a carbon filter on it so it filters the yucky basement air before it goes into your tent. Little more expensive, but its a thought!
 

Antgotaclue

Well-Known Member
hi. i'm just a newbie, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But....I was thinking, what about a carbon filter and fan on the INTAKE? have an intake fan to suck in the air from the basement, but put a carbon filter on it so it filters the yucky basement air before it goes into your tent. Little more expensive, but its a thought!
I have this going on right now man an as u can tell that Wight frame is a tent lol my veg ten ha
 

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