Trying to Make a Start, Light Safety and Air Flow

[Monarch]

Hello all,

I have been tinkering and playing around plants for a while and I think that I want to take that big plunge in and put some real money into it. My current setup is what you would call... pathetic. And of course, so are the plants.

My question is about lights and air flow. I have a small (a little larger than 8 square feet and about 7.5 foot max height) closet and I am planning on putting a 1000W HID HPS fixture in this closet. Closet walls are wooden. With a light of this power do I need to worry about excessive heat and fire?

Also, this closet doesn't have any air flow. There is only a single hole in the closet that goes into the wall. But once I darkroom the closet this will be the only hole and I won't really be able to get decent air flow. Will a single fan work?

I don't need optimal results, I just need... results. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[dmc1984]

You need a flow of air of entry and exit and a fan on the exit or both for optimum

youl should cut some 6" dia holes in the door one top and bottom

heat rises so exhaust out of the top into a filter (if you want to mask the smell) and suck in from the bottom (giggity)

 

[dubwooze]

I'm growing with a 1000w HPS in a similar space. You will have major heat issues. The floor of your closet will get up to a 100 F and the top, around the light will be 110-115 F. Check out my grow journal, and post any questions on there. I think it will be very helpful. I'm a noob, with one grow, years ago under my belt, but I've been researching for about 10 years, but was finally able to get this up and running. I've observed grows of people I know, and feel like I have the knowledge but not the experience. Like you, safety and security were my first concerns. I don't want to get caught and certainly don't want to burn the building down. I hope this will assist you!

 

[Monarch]

I took the plunge and built my setup. The closet has a concrete floor and no doors. Right now, about two and half feet under the lamp the temperature is a little over 90 degrees and the lamp has been on for over two hours. But the closet is open right now, with four house fans and pumped AC keeping it cooler. My biggest concern is when I go to 12/12, I need to buy a high powered fan to feed in cool air and hopefully my plant can stand temperatures of up to 95 degrees.

I will definitely check our your thread, thanks for the help, and happy gardening!

 

[jondamon]

I took the plunge and built my setup. The closet has a concrete floor and no doors. Right now, about two and half feet under the lamp the temperature is a little over 90 degrees and the lamp has been on for over two hours. But the closet is open right now, with four house fans and pumped AC keeping it cooler. My biggest concern is when I go to 12/12, I need to buy a high powered fan to feed in cool air and hopefully my plant can stand temperatures of up to 95 degrees.

I will definitely check our your thread, thanks for the help, and happy gardening!

Did you not bother listening to the people that tried to help you out?

They said you would end up with heat issues. Just so you know the ideal temps for your girls to be in is between 70-80F so 95 is far too hot. Even a 250w HPS would be far too hot for a closet that size without adaquate ventilation.

Whats the point in asking for advice if you arent even going to consider it???????

MY ADVICE TO YOU IS VENTILATE THAT LIGHT WITH A COOLTUBE OR VENTED REFLECTOR HAVE FRESH AIR COMING IN AND HOT AIR GOING OUT IN 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACES. YOU WILL NEED SOME INLINE FANS DUCTING AND SOME TOOLS TO CUT HOLES IN WALLS ETC.

Whether you choose to follow this advice is entirely up to you.

Good luck with your oven.

J

 

[dubwooze]

If you grow at 95 degrees, you'll heavily stress your plants and grow bud that won't be worth a damn. Every time you smoke, you'll get frustrated at what could have been. According to a few sources, when flowering, you don't want temperatures to get much over 83 degrees, let alone 90.

You'll need this for exhaust:



BUY HERE

You will need this for intake :



This is what I use, which is hooked up directly to an AC unit. I modified it to fit my box. This fan leaves a little left to be desired, so if you can, find something better, but if you're broke, this is the way to go.

You will also need this, to move the air:


The higher CFM you go with the squirrel cage fan, the better. Without this, and the direct AC link, I wouldn't survive this summer.

I don't know what your space looks like, but from what you've said, is that it's a moderately sized closet.

This is what I would do. I would install a false door, behind the real closet door, just a piece of wood you can work with. This way, if you keep the closet door open, you still have a light barrier. Install the SC fan at the top of your closet. This is where it may get hairy. You should vent your exhaust into your wall. This requires a few cuts, but drywall is easy and inexpensive to patch up. If you run it through a carbon filter, the smell won't be a problem. Run some flexible tubing, with the carbon filter attached to the end of it next to the light, pulling as much heat from it as possible.

Now for the cooling. Do you have AC, if so, is it a window unit, room to room unit, or central? If it is a window unit, build a cardboard adapter, like the one pictured below:



This might look like shit, but it keeps my bedroom cool, along with my baby girls.

If you have central air, you can do the same thing, just apply the methodology to a square vent, instead of a rectangular one.

If you have a portable unit, you're in luck. This would be easy, put it in the closet, or right around your intake fan, with other fans supporting the exterior air flow.

I have an HPS in a tiny space and heat is not an issue. I hope this advice is beneficial.

 

[dubwooze]

I forgot, JonDamon is right, a cool tube would help.