How do I handle the summer heat?

georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
I have a 250 hps in my closet along with a 9 bulb 23w cfl contraption. My closet is in a spare room, the room has a door but the closet does not. I decided to seal up the closet by putting a poly door with a zipper on it. I have a 6" 160 cfm duct fan exhausting air out the top right corner and I have a 4 inch flange poked through the bottom as an intake. In my area the outdoor temps are the highest I've ever seen them. Heat index of 115 today. I only have one air conditioner in the house and it doesn't have much of an affect on the spare room. Today the temps in the closet with it closed were 96-101, and with it open only dropped to 93. What can I do to counter the heat of the summer? My plants are already 7 weeks into flower and I don't want to loose this harvest because of this damn heatwave and drought.
 
*BUDS

*BUDS

Well-Known Member
Leave the door open for summer (except dark period). Only run the lights at night, blow a fan from the outside in, get a cooltube for the hps and put old hot air outside this should shave off 10-15 deg. As it is you will get next to nothing.
 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
*BUDS said:
Leave the door open for summer (except dark period). Only run the lights at night, blow a fan from the outside in, get a cooltube for the hps and put old hot air outside this should shave off 10-15 deg. As it is you will get next to nothing.
Click to expand...
But if you run the lights at night, that door will need to be shut 24 hours ... cn
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
georgyboy said:
I have a 250 hps in my closet along with a 9 bulb 23w cfl contraption. My closet is in a spare room, the room has a door but the closet does not. I decided to seal up the closet by putting a poly door with a zipper on it. I have a 6" 160 cfm duct fan exhausting air out the top right corner and I have a 4 inch flange poked through the bottom as an intake. In my area the outdoor temps are the highest I've ever seen them. Heat index of 115 today. I only have one air conditioner in the house and it doesn't have much of an affect on the spare room. Today the temps in the closet with it closed were 96-101, and with it open only dropped to 93. What can I do to counter the heat of the summer? My plants are already 7 weeks into flower and I don't want to loose this harvest because of this damn heatwave and drought.
Click to expand...
you need a bigger intake of cold air.
 
georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
Thanks for all the responses guys. I don't know how much a larger intake will help as the air being pulled in isn't very cool to begin with. If I get a portable a/c, should I put it in the spare room outside the closet, or right into the closet?
 
georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
nvm about the a/c, didn't realize I would need to drop at least 200 for one. What's a practical way to get cooler air into my grow space?
 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
I fear you really are best off with active cooling. But if there is a cooler part of the house, can you put your intake duct there without someone else to complain about the décor? cn
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
without an a/c, your options are pretty limited.. as you have stated, you can have all intake / exhaust in the world, but if all the air you're pulling into the grow is just about as hot as the air inside of it, it's not going to do too much for cooling things down ime..

your plants should yield ok, but the growth will be super slow.. i had a grow last summer that should have only gone about 10 weeks or so, and i pulled them at like 15 weeks or so after getting tired of looking at the damn things, and they stlll weren't done..
 
georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
What if I ditch the 250? I have two of the cfl contraptions, I could just replace the hps with the second contraption. Each contraption has 6 outlets, and theoretically each one could hold 12 bulbs if I used that many y splitters.
 
georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
cannabineer said:
I fear you really are best off with active cooling. But if there is a cooler part of the house, can you put your intake duct there without someone else to complain about the décor? cn
Click to expand...
My living room is on the other side of the back wall of the closet and it is the coldest room in the house during the summer. The problem is that in the winter the central heating fries out the grow spot. During the winter I keep the spare room closed with it's heating vent blocked and sometimes I even leave the window open, and my closet temps stay very nice.
 
A

alshli

Member
Even if you replace the HPS with a lower heat emitting light source the problem is still our outside air temp. You say you only have 1 AC in the house so it looks like you already know where it should be located if growing is a priority over your own body temp comfort. Just sleep in the spare room with the garden and the ac
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
georgyboy said:
My living room is on the other side of the back wall of the closet and it is the coldest room in the house during the summer. The problem is that in the winter the central heating fries out the grow spot. During the winter I keep the spare room closed with it's heating vent blocked and sometimes I even leave the window open, and my closet temps stay very nice.
Click to expand...
the guy above me says you stated you got 1 ac for the whole house? thats the problem right there. that ac needs to be in a room closed up making the room the tent is in cold so the tent sucks cold air in.

i got my grow in a bedroom closet. i got a ac in the bedroom i keep on all the time and i keep the door closed.. temps stay at 76 with light on, when light is off they go down to 70s during the day and 65-70 at night.
 
georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
I rent the house I live in. It's 5 bedrooms, ranch style. The ac is a high power window unit but the thing is the landlord cut a hole in the wall and the ac is in the wall of the living room. moving it isn't an option. the spare room is right off the living room. with the door open the temps in there get around 82. I just switched the hps out for the cfls. if i can get the temps back down to 85 ill be happy. the 250 can rest until temps get reasonable again.
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
georgyboy said:
I rent the house I live in. It's 5 bedrooms, ranch style. The ac is a high power unit, but still looks like a window unit. The thing is the landlord cut a hole in the wall and the ac is in the wall of the living room. moving it isn't an option. the spare room is right off the living room. with the door open the temps in there get around 82. I just switched the hps out for the cfls. if i can get the temps back down to 85 ill be happy. the 250 can rest until temps get reasonable again.
Click to expand...
you need a ac inside the room. thats the best way to do it. i got central air and i still put a ac inside the room my grow is in
 
georgyboy

georgyboy

Active Member
alshli said:
Even if you replace the HPS with a lower heat emitting light source the problem is still our outside air temp. You say you only have 1 AC in the house so it looks like you already know where it should be located if growing is a priority over your own body temp comfort. Just sleep in the spare room with the garden and the ac
Click to expand...
you were 100 percent correct. temps are still 95. plants are starting to show signs of heat stress and they just don't look happy. I'm gonna find a small window ac to put in there. it's the only way.
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
georgyboy said:
you were 100 percent correct. temps are still 95. plants are starting to show signs of heat stress and they just don't look happy. I'm gonna find a small window ac to put in there. it's the only way.
Click to expand...
a 10k btw should be good for up to 400 watts its what i use.
 
seed to flower

seed to flower

Well-Known Member
Every area to be used for a project needs "planning" best as possible
with the equipment on hand or to be purchased. Heat is a big problem
and triggers many other problems (like bacteria growth in reservoir for
hydrow).
I would suggest this, find another closet door (or use the one in place)
and put vents on it, exhaust clean hot air out in one shot if possible.
Example: Small (or slightly over sized) carbon filter, blower, motor speed
controller, ducting to & thru "sealed" hood, to vent out door port w/grill.
Optionally: If there is an Attic door above, make port hole, install flange
and vent out. Or a small box fax in place of the attic door; be creative.
Growth & Flowering slows to a crawl at 90 degrees+.. vent that heat out.
 
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