Armoire Grow - Ventilation Question

[MCM8]

Hey all,

Long time lurker, first time (maybe 2nd ??) poster. Been kicking the idea of growing some of my own goods for the past 6-8 months now. I'm looking for some input on ventilation.

Here's a little bit of background. I plan to be growing in my basement over near some existing duct work that vents to my chimney. Armoire is approximately 72" tall x 40" wide x 22" deep. My plan was to run a 4" fan/filter combo (AC Infinity Cloudnine T4 & 4"x20" lo-pro Phresh) out of the armoire and duct it to the existing duct work (existing duct is currently not being used and separate from heating system etc.). I guess my question is, what type of passive intake should I run with? I'm torn between doing a louver style light proof along the back wall down near the base, or doing multiple 90* pvc bends from the floor.

I'll be using the 260W QB boards from HLG and I'm still deciding on medium, but for now will probably be soil for first grow.

Here are some progress pics of the armoire.

Any advice/input/recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[KrazyG]

I guess my question is, what type of passive intake should I run with? I'm torn between doing a louver style light proof along the back wall down near the base, or doing multiple 90* pvc bends from the floor.

2 x 4" holes in the base and cover with fly screen mesh should do the job.

 

[HookahsGarden]

I think going with the PVC 90* bends is a good idea. Use black PVC so the light doesn't reflect inside of it. Remember to use a minimum of at least two times the intake airflow that you will have for exhaust airflow....or in your case intakes equal to 2 x 4 inches.
Best of luck.
Peace

 

[MCM8]

Thanks fellas. Ended up going with (4)-multi 90* bends. Will be placing them in the bottom 4 corners of the cabinet.

 

[j.t.1986]

i find the black carbon vacuum filters do a great job, saves on floor space also..its good to filter the intake anways, two birds stoned at once i had a light baffle at first,i found the extra space was useful in my small setup.

always an option if you find yourself needing the floor space.I hope you post your cab when its all done!

 

[MCM8]

i find the black carbon vacuum filters do a great job, saves on floor space also..its good to filter the intake anways, two birds stoned at once i had a light baffle at first,i found the extra space was useful in my small setup.

always an option if you find yourself needing the floor space.I hope you post your cab when its all done!

I was only thinking the multiple pvc openings for light protection etc. I'm not against a wider carbon filter style. Trying to figure which would be easier/most effective. How are the black carbon filters as far as letting light in?

Got two coats of primer on her the other night. May or may not put some white enamel on it... Still up in the air. Planning on buying 1/4" birch ply for the back. 4" hole top left with fan --> ducting along side and front to upper right side where filter will live. Will probably mount the controller for the fan on the back high up near cabinet roof. If I go with carbon filter, it will be mounted low on the back. Any thoughts input is much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[j.t.1986]

something like this is what i was talking about, for your passive intake..... https://www.amazon.ca/VEVA-Activated-compatible-Replacement-Pre-Filter/dp/B01COVN8Q0/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1513884438&sr=8-12&keywords=carbon+hepa+filter

it does great for not letting any light out, should work even better for not letting light in. i have not had any problems or hermies..etc.. you can get away will one layer usually, some brands you need to use two. works real well.. im sure the PVC works great.. but in a cab, all your floor space is precious so any free'd up real estate is a winmore space for fans, timers, manipulating buckets and such lol

 

[j.t.1986]

i dont have a good full pic of my cab..

above the lights, the shelf they’re hanging on.. my 4” fan and carbon filter is up there.. i cut a 5” hole in the shelf on the right. to let air up.. my 5” passive intake is on the bottom left. fans above and below canopy blowing in opposite directions for good mixed air flow.

on the bottom left here you can see the black carbon filter pad.. really helps alot on limited space for keeping light from escaping.. i have 2 sheets there, fan has no probs pulling through that and the carbon filter up top..

hope this was somewhat helpful lol.

 

[MCM8]

This is great! I've always had somewhat of a plan in my head, but love the input. Love to see what others have done before me!

How tall is your cab? I've got about 68" from cabinet floor to ceiling. I left the two sides of the intermediate wall for shelves to locate the plants as needed. My main concern is going to be temps. As I said my basement stays pretty consistent between 55-60* throughout the whole day. Keeping heat in will be paramount. Worst case I get a small heater or run a heat mat to keep the roots warm. I'm hoping I can run the fan low enough to exchange the air and keep the temps normal. We will soon find out I suppose.

 

[j.t.1986]

my cab is 72" total as well.. growing space is about 56" under the shelf.. plants got a bit bigger than that last pic.. tallest is 46" with the pot. im around 8-10" from my lights now..kinda close, they are bare cobs @ 50 watts each. not having any issues though.

I dont know how close you can get with QB's but im sure height wont be too much of a concern for you.. Heat may be though , they say you want your lights on temps in the low 80's with LED. and you will probably want warmer than 60 for lights out..

you're good to run the fan on the lowest setting, your cab is approx35 cubic feet, so you will still have plenty of air exchange. mine is always on low, unless humidity is an issue.. i have no experience with heating though, so hopefully someone else chimes in.. looking good so far, cant wait to see the finished product!

 

[MCM8]

my cab is 72" total as well.. growing space is about 56" under the shelf.. plants got a bit bigger than that last pic.. tallest is 46" with the pot. im around 8-10" from my lights now..kinda close, they are bare cobs @ 50 watts each. not having any issues though.

I dont know how close you can get with QB's but im sure height wont be too much of a concern for you.. Heat may be though , they say you want your lights on temps in the low 80's with LED. and you will probably want warmer than 60 for lights out..

you're good to run the fan on the lowest setting, your cab is approx35 cubic feet, so you will still have plenty of air exchange. mine is always on low, unless humidity is an issue.. i have no experience with heating though, so hopefully someone else chimes in.. looking good so far, cant wait to see the finished product!

How did you end up solving light leak issues? I spent some time last night getting the first pass at light leak done. Ended up using some cheap molding nailed to the frame around the the sides of the doors. Then used some weather stripping on the backside of the doors. As you can see I still have a few spots to work on. I haven't gone around with caulking yet. That's the next step. Bought the clear kind by mistake

 

[j.t.1986]

i use a reflective lining, so i overlap that on all the edges of the door. i also use this foam insulating tape as well around the door and the centre split, i use weather stripping also.Black gorilla tape comes in handy too, light doesnt get through that..my first cabinet was a trick to adress all light leaks. the one i have now is a steel cabinet and this one was much easier to work with.

if you have no stealth concerns, im sure that will prevent light from getting in to the cab

 

[MCM8]

Update. Got the back wall painted and attached. Also got my HLG 260 installed along with the cloudline fan. Started drilling holes for passive intake and sheared the bit off in my impact

Next items of business will be to either make a shelf up in the top left corner for all of my plugs/timers/fan controller etc. OR make a shelf for the plugs and mount the fan controller on the back wall. Any thoughts? I think the fan controller mounted to the back wall would be super clean but I would need another hole etc for snaking cords back into the tent.

Anyways, I'm getting there.

 

[CannaSci]

Update. Got the back wall painted and attached. Also got my HLG 260 installed along with the cloudline fan. Started drilling holes for passive intake and sheared the bit off in my impact

Next items of business will be to either make a shelf up in the top left corner for all of my plugs/timers/fan controller etc. OR make a shelf for the plugs and mount the fan controller on the back wall. Any thoughts? I think the fan controller mounted to the back wall would be super clean but I would need another hole etc for snaking cords back into the tent.

Anyways, I'm getting there.

I agree, I'd mount it to the back wall if it were mine.

 

[richard rahl]

Nice man, got it looking good. Have you test ran for temps yet?

 

[MCM8]

Few times... Can keep it steady at 78-82 or so with my exhaust fan on speed 2 ... my concern is going to be over night. My basement is about 56-58* pretty much all the time, so I'm thinking about a heat mat to keep the soil up to temp.

 

[MCM8]

A couple more update pics from a few weeks back... got around to caulking the interior etc, installing passive intakes, and making a little wire/fans speed controller box etc.

Last thing I need to do is just deal with some minor light leaks.

 

[richard rahl]

Cant wait to see some ladies in there

 

[MCM8]

Cant wait to see some ladies in there

You and me both!

 

[j.t.1986]

Sweet! great job man!