Heating grow room

hi. First time posting on a forum. I have a 7x20 bud room that is in a lean-to off of my garage. My question is what would be the best option for heat in the winter (Michigan). It is insulated with concrete floor. Just have 1 1/2" foam insulation because it is built like a pole barn. Veg is in basement so heat is not much of a problem there. The last 2 winters I have been heating with electronic heat and gets pricey not to mention that I am running 4-1000w lights. Currently I am running a soleus heater/Ac/humidifier but not convinced it is working that great. I run my exhaust thru the lights and have it turned on 12 hrs to cool the lights and it kicks on for 15 min every hour when lights are off. I Have gas ran to garage was considering a wall mount ventless heater but concerned about the co2 from the heater when the lights are off. Any positive input would be greatly appreciated

Doing rooms on a flip flop schedule can help with this. You use the heat from the room that is on to heat the room that is off. This can be done by exchanging air between the to rooms or diverting some air from your air colder hoods to the other room.

The problem with that is that it is one big room. Nothing to flip flop or pull heat from. I could consider making it 2 rooms and flip flop the light schedule

A gas heater will cut the need for a humidifier down a lot. The CO2 is a bonus. CO would not be. First get the grow on pallets and off that floor.

Thanks hotrod Will do! Do you by chance know if those newer wall mount ventless heaters create CO? I haven't found a definitive answer for that

Cmc574 said:

The problem with that is that it is one big room. Nothing to flip flop or pull heat from. I could consider making it 2 rooms and flip flop the light schedule

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You'd be suprised at how much more output you would get in the winter without that much of a higher power bill. Throw another 4K in there and use them to keep the other room warm. It could be as simply as a temporary wall for the cold months.

Was going to mention propane heaters, but the first thought was build a sub-floor and insulate it + the walls/ceiling better, will pay back in first season if you're planning to use it long-term.

If you're not using all the space in the room you might consider using mass as a heat sink. Basically you would build a pile of tightly stacked brick in a corner, out of the way and use a small duct booster fan to pull warm air from your light through the mass while the lights are on. During lights out the mass releases the heat slowly into your room. The process is easy to do and you'll be amazed at the amount of heat energy you can store for later use. Google mass furnaces or rocket stove and you will get a better idea of what i'm talking about. I built a mass furnace for my shop and it's surprising what a little fire wood can do over the long haul. I don't have the room to try this with my set up but I'm sure from what my furnace will do that it would be an interesting project for this purpose.

I've used just a 70pint Chinese dehumidifier in a decently insulated garage that was sealed. No other heater, down to -30 temps.

Are you using duct dampers?

- Jiji

No I am not. It has a damper on the vent going outside but that's it. The heater/Ac/humidifier has auto mode but doesn't seem like it kicks on the heat when needed. That's why I'm trying to rule it out of the equation it's not dependable. My guess would be that it would be better if I ran a separate heater and Ac than depending on this thing to do it all. From what I can gather it sounds like I need to insulate better as well. As we speak it is 46f out and I have the heater set at 74f. My temp at the tops of the plants is only 70f with the lights on 55 % humidity. I guess I could be pulling more air (heat) out of the room than needed I just worry about burning the leaves

Well actually my room was a bit smaller now that I think about it, with 4k.

I've come to the conclusion if you want to grow in MI year round, and do it right get prepared to spend serious money.

I used to run a 4k setup in a garage sealed, but my mini split would only operate down until around -10 F. So I installed a thermostatically operated fan, but that fan would blow -20 air into the room and whatever was near it (drywall) .......it would cool under the dew point, and cause a bunch of condensation and mold. A lot of local growers do the same. Mold pisses me off and is unacceptable in my opinion. To them its a way of life.

After that I tried this complex passive water cooled grow with a mini split. So many issues with it. I felt like I was a slave to the room. Always maintaining it.

Oh and I setup a two room garage grow, 6k each room. Yeah that was shit. Flip flops sound good and all, but there's a reason why almost no one does it. I've ran flips in different places and over the years the only reason I would recommend it if your absolutely maxed out on power.

Cmc574 said:

My temp at the tops of the plants is only 70f with the lights on 55 % humidity. I guess I could be pulling more air (heat) out of the room than needed I just worry about burning the leaves

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70f is too cold with lights on. Bleaching can be an issue, but burning is hard to do with air cooled lights.

- Jiji

Carolina Dream'n said:

Doing rooms on a flip flop schedule can help with this. You use the heat from the room that is on to heat the room that is off. This can be done by exchanging air between the to rooms or diverting some air from your air colder hoods to the other room.

Click to expand...

I agree, and have done this! Works well. I'm in northern maine and winters are cold in the basement. Making 1 big room two and alternating the 12-12, was the fix for me, and believe me, there's -40* some nights. Bbrrrr

Not to mention, to redistribute the use of power throughout the day. ...who knows who's watching you. Lol

Throw 2 more lights in there lol

But seriously the flip flop will be your best bet.