Basement or Upstairs Room?

[trick2grows]

So here's my plan:

One 4x4 tent for vegging, one 5x5 for flowering, and a 2x4 for drying.

The only question I have left at this moment is where to put them--I can use my gaming den upstairs (and move my stuff elsewhere) or put them in the basement. They both have pros and cons.

Basement--the ambient temperature is usually about ten degrees lower than the rest of my house. I'm using DIY LED lighting so heat isn't as much of an issue as it may be to some folks, but all lights produce heat. I'm worried about fresh air for my ladies. We have central air that's circulated somewhat decently, but the area of the basement where I planned on setting up my tents may not be well circulated. I'm also a little worried about possible mold or pests. It's not disgusting down there but the washer, dryer, water heater, tank, and all that jazz are in the same area so it does get regularly wet.

As for upstairs--the temperature of the third floor is typically 5-10 degrees higher than the main level. I live in a condo, and there's the possibility that someone will hear the fans/filters/pumps and complain about noise. There is a window in that room, so I'd be able to open it occasionally to get fresh air. The window is high enough up that it's unlikely anyone will see inside.

I guess my main issues are with the risks of the basement. Is central air enough fresh air exchange? How real is the possibility that mold or fungus may attack my plants if I put them in the maintenance room?

All advice appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Cx2H]

Greetings, answer is based on title only.

Basement will be easier to control environment.
#IME

 

[Cx2H]

So here's my plan:

One 4x4 tent for vegging, one 5x5 for flowering, and a 2x4 for drying.

The only question I have left at this moment is where to put them--I can use my gaming den upstairs (and move my stuff elsewhere) or put them in the basement. They both have pros and cons.

Basement--the ambient temperature is usually about ten degrees lower than the rest of my house. I'm using DIY LED lighting so heat isn't as much of an issue as it may be to some folks, but all lights produce heat. I'm worried about fresh air for my ladies. We have central air that's circulated somewhat decently, but the area of the basement where I planned on setting up my tents may not be well circulated. I'm also a little worried about possible mold or pests. It's not disgusting down there but the washer, dryer, water heater, tank, and all that jazz are in the same area so it does get regularly wet.

As for upstairs--the temperature of the third floor is typically 5-10 degrees higher than the main level. I live in a condo, and there's the possibility that someone will hear the fans/filters/pumps and complain about noise. There is a window in that room, so I'd be able to open it occasionally to get fresh air. The window is high enough up that it's unlikely anyone will see inside.

I guess my main issues are with the risks of the basement. Is central air enough fresh air exchange? How real is the possibility that mold or fungus may attack my plants if I put them in the maintenance room?

All advice appreciated! Thanks.

Elaborated. Basement will need fresh air supply i.e. intake pipe next to most hot water heater's, an outside exhaust I.e. dryer pipe out.

Mold and fungus sheet. I live in low humidity place, the basement is never above 45%. If it was an issue I would get a dehumi or pipe it out.

 

[trick2grows]

I'll take a look at intake/exhaust pipes and see what's available down there. If it has direct air to outside it'll be perfect then .: )

 

[Anon Emaus]

I have a basement similiar to yours. No intaking air, have been growing down there for 1.5 years now with no issue. The cold helps keep temps down, unfortuantley the cold concrete floor requires me to use a water heater in the winter tho for my dwc system but thats no big deal they make cheap reliable water heaters.
I never even thought twice about fresh air, obviously not an issue, i have a pretty big basement, 950 square foot, there is a room down there thats like idk 150square foot and keep door closed all winter but leave it open in the summer, i'm sure the windows(dont open) leak some fresh air. I do have a dehumidifer down there cuz it flooded out before but humidity generally stays pretty average at like 50% so its no big deal. Yeah there are pests, but i grow hydro so they generally are just passerbys. I hear soil can be pesty but if you keep your tent sealed i doubt you'll have any problem at all. I would however worry that if your basement is small you could be constantly recycling hot air and it would heat up too much. As i mentioned my basement is very large so lots of air to go around in the hot summer months anyway, i close the door to use heat to my advantage in the winter.

Put a hygrometer down there and see what humidity it is.

However I would probably vote for the upstairs room with an outake connected to the window. It's easier than going down to the basement, or at least I'd assume.. Just keep maintenance on the carbon filters
As for sound, i sleep above my carbon filter running at full speed and never hear a thing. You'll have higher powered and an extra filter but still I wouldn't worry about sound. Here's some ways to quiet things: http://hightimes.com/grow/grow-hack-7-ways-of-silencing-your-growroom/

 

[trick2grows]

Thanks so much for your advice.

My basement all-around is quite large too, so I don't think heat would be an issue--although cold in the winter probably will be.

I'll just toss some prefilter on my tent intake port and hope that keeps out anything small and pesky. Where to erect my tents is a serious question--they wont fit in hallways and will have to be completely dismantled if I need to move anything out. D;

It's nice to see someone else growing in hydro! There's so much stigma about how its lesser quality. Personally I just like the idea of being able to control 100% of the environmental variables.

 

[Jellypowered]

Fresh air shouldn't be a problem as plants produce oxygen through photosynthesis, f you find it necessary you could always build a co2 generator. Keep the air moving with a small oscillating fan and you should be fine. Just my opinion

 

[Anon Emaus]

Thanks so much for your advice.

My basement all-around is quite large too, so I don't think heat would be an issue--although cold in the winter probably will be.

I'll just toss some prefilter on my tent intake port and hope that keeps out anything small and pesky. Where to erect my tents is a serious question--they wont fit in hallways and will have to be completely dismantled if I need to move anything out. D;

It's nice to see someone else growing in hydro! There's so much stigma about how its lesser quality. Personally I just like the idea of being able to control 100% of the environmental variables.

Here's a great heater: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003U82YEY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492516309&sr=8-1&keywords=jager+water+heater&th=1&psc=1

Jager Aquarium Heaters, only $20 for the 50w i use in my 10gal res.

Yeah you'll get some spiders, silver fish and other lil things but they've never bothered my plants. They make plenty of sprays and stuff to keep pests away anyway so there's always something to fight if need be.

Yeah you'll have to put the tent up down there, thats always fun by yourself lol

I hear ya, I bet you'll get way better results than if you did your first grow in soil vs hydro too. What kind of system do you have?

 

[toaster struedel]

Basement hands down, especially if you plan on doing hydro. Only drawback for me anyways is, all my utilities are also in the basement. Just something to consider, like water and or gas meters needing changed by their providers. That can be a real pain in the ass, midway thru flowering.

 

[trick2grows]

What kind of system do you have?

My mechanical skills are pretty nonexistant, haha. The DIY lighting project was the first time I've ever even held a drill. So--as simple as possible.

I planned on doing a simple dwc in 3 gallon buckets. No ebb and flow, no large reservoir hooked up to anything. Unless I use one for working solution or simply to prepare larger batches of nutrient. I'd just been mixing by the tedious gallon with veggie experiments so far. Now that I'm thinking about it as I type, mixing by the gallon for this whole project would be a nightmare. What temp do you keep your res at?

 

[trick2grows]

Fresh air shouldn't be a problem as plants produce oxygen through photosynthesis, f you find it necessary you could always build a co2 generator. Keep the air moving with a small oscillating fan and you should be fine. Just my opinion

CO2 is something that definitely piques my interest, but I think for my first grow I'm going to focus on trying to keep my little ladies alive.

 

[Bowtieguy77]

Your plants don't need "fresh air" they need co2 don't worry about bringing in fresh air take the old air out when the humidity rises otherwise just run co2 and a dehumidifier and you will be fine

 

[Anon Emaus]

My mechanical skills are pretty nonexistant, haha. The DIY lighting project was the first time I've ever even held a drill. So--as simple as possible.

I planned on doing a simple dwc in 3 gallon buckets. No ebb and flow, no large reservoir hooked up to anything. Unless I use one for working solution or simply to prepare larger batches of nutrient. I'd just been mixing by the tedious gallon with veggie experiments so far. Now that I'm thinking about it as I type, mixing by the gallon for this whole project would be a nightmare. What temp do you keep your res at?

Haha i hear ya, thats why i've stayed away from the diy lights so far lol

I'd suggest at least 5 gallon or even 10 gallon res's with 2 plants or more in them due to the size of your tents. Smaller res, smaller plants. And more maintance, in full flower they drink a lot. Yeah 1 gal at a time would be a bitch, i use 5 gal buckets(fits 3.25 gallons at a level you can comfortably carry without spilling) to mix my nutes for my 10 gal res. I started with a 5 gal bucket res and that worked great, i upgraded to a 10 gal just so i could do multiple plants tho. Just my two cents tho, 3 gal are fine if u already bought the stuff.

I keep my res at 68F, i also use hydroguard for roots and highly suggest it.