Hi advice

Good Day!
I started an improvisation growbox and would like to aquire some advice on further growing/box setup. Thank you in advance.
The plant is two weeks young, a seedling, beeing runned under 1x 42w=190w, 2x 23w=99w (CFL) lights
with a total of 5610 lumen output and 6500k.
Also there is a small pc fan for aircirculation inside the box, very gentle though so the seedling doesnt get too shaken up.

I am experiencing overheating when running all the lights - room temperature gets up to 33 degrees celsius. Would like to know if a fan (intake) on the bottom of the box and another fan (exhaust) on the top of the box would fix my problems or if I should leave it like that?

For now I am running the one 42w=190 w cfl, have a room temperature of 28-29 degrees celsius.

Also adding CO², does that even have a point when running a total of 5600 lumen and about 400w?

Please tell me also more about how do you think the plant is doing in there judging by the picture

First point, is you are not running around 400w, equivalent wattage is worthless, if the bulb is 23w it is 23w.

If your room temp is 33, then while you can create a wind chill factor to a degree, your grow box will be a similar temp. By all means add more fans and see if it helps, but you may require some kind of air chilling device. consider some kind of DIY cooltube for your lights.

U need a fan blowing out up top to get rid of rising heat. The intake should be down near the bottom.
Get a small stand up or clip on fan and blow it across the plant tops and up toward the lights.

Good luck

Like Torontoke said

Yes,

you set up a growbox with no ventilation = no access to cool fresh air

Exhaust fan on top to take out hot stale air
Intake hole to bring in cool fresh air, no need for a separate intake fan

adding CO2...really?

I would spend the money on better lights and fans

I rigged up one of those CO2 lines when I started. There is a jug with sugar yeast water or vinegar and baking soda somewhere. You don't need to fuck with it at all.

Fan for exhaust as said will get rid of heat. An opening at the bottom for passive intake is fine.

once she gets going, how ya gonna handle odor and height?

torontoke said:

U need a fan blowing out up top to get rid of rising heat. The intake should be down near the bottom.
Get a small stand up or clip on fan and blow it across the plant tops and up toward the lights.

Good luck

Click to expand...

That's the worst advice ive seen here in a long time! Your Carbon filter should be up high above your plant canopy. Your intake should kick on with your exhaust fan, equal to your canopy. I keep everything up high so it disperses evenly

Cpappa27 said:

That's the worst advice ive seen here in a long time! Your Carbon filter should be up high above your plant canopy. Your intake should kick on with your exhaust fan, equal to your canopy. I keep everything up high so it disperses evenly

Click to expand...

Wrong bro. You want your intake as low as possible, as heat rises, it forces cool air downwards toward the floor. Since cool air is consistently along the floor of both grow rooms and rooms external to the grow, you want passive (or active) intakes as low as you can get them.

You are right about exhaust though... it should be as high as possible.

-spek

spek9 said:

Wrong bro. You want your intake as low as possible, as heat rises, it forces cool air downwards toward the floor. Since cool air is consistently along the floor of both grow rooms and rooms external to the grow, you want passive (or active) intakes as low as you can get them.

You are right about exhaust though... it should be as high as possible.

-spek

Click to expand...

Depending on climate is what determines where the intake should be. If its freezing cold out then you intake should be somewhere away from your plants. I keep my exhaust up high but the intake is against the wall to keep cold air from directly hitting my roots and plants. Your room may be 80 deg F at the canopy but if your blowing -10degree F air on the bottom of the pots, the p;lnats will shock and hermie from that alone from my experience

Cpappa27 said:

Depending on climate is what determines where the intake should be. If its freezing cold out then you intake should be somewhere away from your plants. I keep my exhaust up high but the intake is against the wall to keep cold air from directly hitting my roots and plants. Your room may be 80 deg F at the canopy but if your blowing -10degree F air on the bottom of the pots, the p;lnats will shock and hermie from that alone from my experience

Click to expand...

Agreed, climate permitting. However, typically, you want intake near the floor or bottom of your grow room

-spek

Intake near the bottom I feel cools the pots up too much. Put the intake along side of the tent taped up on the side of it blowing straight up, so not to shock the plants or the roots in the pot.

If there is enough fans blowing in the room the air should stay pretty consistent with what I said to do.

I say you are both right, I have a 6" inline exhausting air thru my light and out of my tent. The 6" runs with the lights.
At the bottom of my tent I have a 4" that exahusts 24/7 from just below the light, an accordion type 4" duct and an elbow. I have a passive 6" air inlet.
Tent is small, 3x3x6 400 watt HPS and 2 95 watt T 5 sidelights.
Then there are 2 fans inside the tent, one blowing up and one blowing down.
Temps bottom to top are the same, 79 lights on, 74 lights off.
I use two hygrometers to measure the tents RH& temp.
So you are both correct.
Bless,
DZ

Cpappa27 said:

That's the worst advice ive seen here in a long time! Your Carbon filter should be up high above your plant canopy. Your intake should kick on with your exhaust fan, equal to your canopy. I keep everything up high so it disperses evenly

Click to expand...

Where did i say anything about carbon filter? Where did he?
Ur one of those people that loves to argue and debate.
He asked a question and i was the one of the few to try to help

Installed an exhaust fan and made an intake hole.
Have all 3 lights running (will get 2 more) and temp. is about 25-27 degrees celsius,
Is that ok? The plant seems to be doing just fine

The plants will show u how they feel.
If they seem happy ur good.
Now as much as i hate to agree with cpapa u will need to look into some kind of carbon filter or odour control.

I would add(clarify). In addition to the exhaust fan, you should consider a fan in the box that blows across the canopy. This will help dissipate the light from the bulbs through the space and let you get those CFL bulbs within inches of the leaves. In early veg, I can keep the leaves nearly touching the bulbs without buying just by having a fan blowing directly at the bulbs.

Any ideas on how to make a improvised home carbon filter? Would some design with charcoal in the exhaust tube do the trick?

I have a DIY filter that works pretty good. I used a furnace filter and then put a bag filled with active carbon inside.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/ultimate-diy-carbon-filter.649682/

Works for me, blocks all of the smell.

I have made a few.
The one that worked the best was a mesh pencil holder can thing from the dollarstore.
I put the mesh thing in a pantyhose leg then filled it with aquarium carbon.
Then put it inside the other pantyhose leg and attached it to a piece duct with a couple screws and some duct tape.
Zero smell coming out of my cabinet now.