Home Depot Ducting VS. Thermoflo Ducting. Worth the extra $$$? Carbon Filter Q too

[Cronnoisseur]

For the many of you using/have used the ducting from Home Depot or similar stores how has it held up and how loud is it?

For those of that have used Thermoflo SR 2000, is it worth the extra money? Is it quieter than the cheap stuff?

Also if anyone has used the insulated ducting from Home Depot is it safe to use if your grow is in your room and is it really flimsy? I know it keeps things cooler and quieter but I dont wanna be inhaling that fiberglass shit.



I just got a Eco-Plus 6" inline fan 340 CFM with a 6" x 16" Phresh filter for $70 off craigslist thats barely used, pretty good deal I think right? There is a small dent in the filter, does this hurt its effectiveness?

I need a pre-filter for the Phresh filter too which my local Hydro shop sells for $10. Should I just get it from there or is there something I can buy of the same material for next to nothing?


Sorry for all the questions lol

 

[jrainman]

Thermoflo Makes very good products , but you want M-KE this has a much better sound reduction and insulating factor,inside not clear plastic,solid gray material , and FYI the % of fiberglass Shit in ther flex duct is very low or maybe none at all they took that shit out of production yrs ago .and FYI big box stores charge almost double you would pay at a HVAC supply house.

And its only worth the extra money if you do a proper installation , So now you have a 340 cfm fan and a 6'' can filter , So I guess you will be using 6'' ducting.

 

[Cronnoisseur]

So your saying the M-KE is better than Thermoflo? Its definitely cheaper...and yes I will be using 6" ducting. What do you mean by proper installation? Ill only have 1 or 2 real bends in the ducting if thats what you mean.

 

[jrainman]

No thermoflo makes M-KE they make lots of diff flex for dif apps. M-KE is the type you are really looking for if you want good r-value and noise reduction. dont forget to rubber issolate your fan when you mount it ( dont mount is to a solid surface ) use some sort of issolation for vibration (noise travels)

each bend min is like running another 40 ft of duct per bend,you have to account for that in the velocity of FPM ( feet per min),witch is calculated by your cfm (cubic feet per min) witch will establish your friction and in turn you will find the proper size round flex duct to install and end up with good static pressure,

 

[Cronnoisseur]

Oh I see what you mean, haha that makes sense since I saw some M-KE stuff at home depot for pretty cheap.

I may just get some of the cheap flex ducting for now since I found some for around $15 and I still have a grow tent to buy so funds are a little tight. Or does this shit really not last long at all? The Thermoflo SR 2000 is $35 at my hydro shop should I just sack up and shell out the extra $20 for it?

Im not sure If ill really need the insulation and yes I will be hanging my fan by bungee cords or some kind of rubber strap.

Thanks for the help

 

[Cronnoisseur]

Bump for any thoughts on ducting....some people say it doesnt matter other say it makes a huge difference. its about an extra $15-$20. Thinking about buying today

 

[Pureblood89]

Ducting is ducting, as long as it can allow air to pass through it, I don't see the difference.

 

[Rancho Cucamonga]

I wouldn't say ducting is ducting, but I would say insulated ducting is insulated ducting. I use no-name 6 and 8" insulted ducting from one of the big stores(Menards/Home Depot) and it works great in a detailed and professionally built set-up. Thermoflo is just a brand name and brand names tend to be about 10-20% more expensive but almost zero percent better however one would calculate that. Now if we were talking about lights or ballasts or maybe testing equipment I would say go with the brand names but ducting, more specifically, insulated ducting is all about the same overall. I think the cheaper stuff like I got is maybe more thicker overall meaning the actual insulation is thicker but not more insulating. I think with the higher quality insulated ducting it's just not as "puffy" the diameter is smaller therefore maybe easier to work with.
$50+ for 25' is too expensive, most Thermoflo types are a good 60+ per 25'.
Now Thermoflo is a Hydrofarm product, and I love Hydrofarm and have many of their products, but again, insulated ducting is insulated ducting.

 

[Cronnoisseur]

Ducting is ducting, as long as it can allow air to pass through it, I don't see the difference.

Thats what Im starting to think as well...plus I found some for $13 at home depot I just have to order it....the Thermoflo stuff is $35. And the fact I need to get a tent still makes me think the cheap ducting will be fine at least for the time being

 

[Cronnoisseur]

I wouldn't say ducting is ducting, but I would say insulated ducting is insulated ducting. I use no-name 6 and 8" insulted ducting from one of the big stores(Menards/Home Depot) and it works great in a detailed and professionally built set-up. Thermoflo is just a brand name and brand names tend to be about 10-20% more expensive but almost zero percent better however one would calculate that. Now if we were talking about lights or ballasts or maybe testing equipment I would say go with the brand names but ducting, more specifically, insulated ducting is all about the same overall. I think the cheaper stuff like I got is maybe more thicker overall meaning the actual insulation is thicker but not more insulating. I think with the higher quality insulated ducting it's just not as "puffy" the diameter is smaller therefore maybe easier to work with.
$50+ for 25' is too expensive, most Thermoflo types are a good 60+ per 25'.
Now Thermoflo is a Hydrofarm product, and I love Hydrofarm and have many of their products, but again, insulated ducting is insulated ducting.

Thanks for the detailed answer, Im probably just going with non-insulated ducting for now. So your saying you think the non-insulated Thermoflo is worth it over the cheap no-name stuff? Its about $20 more.

Also since you have experience with the Home Depot insulated ducting would you think it would be safe to use if your grow tent is in your bedroom?

 

[jrainman]

Nope sorry but there are diff ratings when it comes to flex ,just like the fan you but there are CFM ratings and heat ratings, some of the cheeper flex is for A/C only and after a couple of years it will get extremly brittle ,crack and basicly fall a part, this is why I was recommending the flex duct with a grey material like inner core , will out last and perform much better the then clear. , Hvac supply house $11.00 per 25 ft box, but really you never get more the 22' ft.

 

[thecoolman]

If light leeks are a problem the top of the line vinyl coated can ducting is by far the best. The insulated leaks light also but works fine and is quiet.
therma flow is the second best after the can and leaks less light than most
all of them will hold up

 

[kinddiesel]

I see the cheap shit all the time , never see a problem with it, I would buy the cheap shit my self, and movel ights up and down bump my head into it lol, still no problems, if your just starting up buy the cheap shit. trust me youll need every penny for outher things you never thought you would need

 

[Cronnoisseur]

Ya i ended up just buying the cheaper stuff from a local hydro store for about $16...figure since I still need a grow tent I shouldnt be too worried about getting the best ducting lol.

 

[Opm]

I started my grow by isolating which components would give the most bang for the buck. This gave me a good investment strategy to maximize my return.The lights were primary for me and buying nicer lights yielded the best return. Environment was next. Invest the most in what gives the best return.

You can always go back later with the money recouped and upgrade to increase margins.