Help with grow room

Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
Hi, im turning the cupboard under my stairs into a grow room and need some advice on how to ventilate it and set up the lighting, i have included a drawing of my lighting plans im mounting the light fittings on the wall and feeding the cables through an eyelet above the plant growing area so i can adjust the height as they grow, just not sure on the ventilation side of things but it does have an airgrate in it so im sure this will make things easier, Thinking about buying an extractor fan but not sure, any help is apreciated

Baz
 

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desertrat

desertrat

Well-Known Member
you need to find out if the grate is a return line or if it feeds air to the room. if its a return then you can vent thru it by ducting airflow as follows: carbon filter - inline fan - light fixture - exit
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
Desertrat is right, but keep in mind if it is return, you will pumping smells into your house(if you dont use a carbon filter) via the a/c.. Can you take some pics of the room inside and out.. help us thinktank on your setup.
 
Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
The grate leads to my gable end wall as i can see light coming through it but what im a bit confused on is do i fit a fan to the vent to draw air in through ducting or vent the air out of it, dorry im a complete newb
Baz
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
well really you want to be able to draw air in,preferable from closer to ground level. and pull air out from above. so a fan with a filter on it and a lil duct work to that grate will be good.. but you need to make sure you get that grate light proof.. you want to be able to go in that room close the door and not be able to see ANY light leaking through from anywhere! when you are in the dark cycles of grow it needs to be completely dark!

HHM~~TLB
 
Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
So fan fitted to the grate with a filter then ducting down to a lower level? i heared putting dark speaker meterial over the vent to block light works well, also where does the air go out of the room?
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
actually you want filter first then fan pulling through filter and all that going OUT the grate.. I have heard that speaker material works also, actually I think I saw it in some video.. so you need to have two point of air. one coming in.. down below bringing cool air in.. doesn't have to be below but the air will be cooler.. and up top which is actually a exhaust... pulling the hot air and smells out through (in your case) the grate.. if ya can post some pics and I can try to come up with a more specific design for you.
 
Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
Hothousemary, could you copy my picture to your paint and draw the ventiilation system so i have got a better idea, also i can put some pictures of the room tomorrow once i have cleared it out
Baz
 
Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
is that pulling the air out of the room, and does the carbon filter have to be near the light surce?
 
desertrat

desertrat

Well-Known Member
before you go further, both hothouse mary and i have been giving suggestions that work only if that register is a return line for your heating/ac. you need to turn one of those on then test the register with your hand. if it is blowing out at you, our suggestions will not work.

if it is sucking air out of the room (you won't feel anything) then our plan works. the system we're suggestimg works with or without an intake but requires an exhaust. since your room is not airtight, you can usually suck enough air into a room without an intake and that also causes negative pressure that helps contain smells.

re hothousemay's design - if you have hps or mh lighting you would benefit from using an aircooled hood and running your air through that after the exhaust fan and before the grate.
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
yea it is pulling the air out, and you can have the filter anywhere.. I just put it like that to give ya a idea..
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
desertrat said:
before you go further, both hothouse mary and i have been giving suggestions that work only if that register is a return line for your heating/ac. you need to turn one of those on then test the register with your hand. if it is blowing out at you, our suggestions will not work.

if it is sucking air out of the room (you won't feel anything) then our plan works. the system we're suggestimg works with or without an intake but requires an exhaust. since your room is not airtight, you can usually suck enough air into a room without an intake and that also causes negative pressure that helps contain smells.

will also try quick diagram
Click to expand...
he determined its not a return or vent.. it goes outside....
 
Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
Hi desertrat, im in the uk so most of us dont have ac yet its basicaly just an air grate / vent that leads directly to the outside of my house, i think i get what you are saying now, with the room not being airtight whatever air is pulled in will push the hot air out? is that right? and thanks hothousemary for your help, i was just a bit confused to how you vent the air in and out :)
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
ah yea I didnt give that thought... baz maybe you can take a lighter and hold it up the grate and let us know what the flame does..
 
Baz

Baz

Well-Known Member
Ok i was expecting the flame to pull inwards but it didnt do either but i could see daylight through it today
 
hothousemary

hothousemary

Well-Known Member
You are sure it is daylight?? really need to determine for sure what that grate is.. check and make sure your a/c is on before ya check the grate.. is the grate on a outside wall of the house?
 
desertrat

desertrat

Well-Known Member
you've got it now - you have to have an exhaust but the intake is optional and lots of people have different opinions. wih the vent to the outside you are good to go with hothouse mary's design. good luck growing
 
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