Tents to heat, just build a single room?

burnbluntz12312

burnbluntz12312

Well-Known Member
I've recently moved and had to place three 4x4 tents into an unfinished basement. The basement has one room, 30' x 30', and it stays 58 - 62 F. I've never had to run a heater in a tent before, not sure why it just seems a little sketchy to me, but during my testing I've found it very difficult to get temps above 66 F with lights on. I run one SF4000 in each tent. I'm curious if anyone has built a small "sub grow room". I'm considering building a 8' x 16' room elevated off the floor a few inches, due to the floor being concrete. It seems it would be easier, and for whatever reason a little more comfortable to me to heat one room, rather than each tent individually. This should also eliminate light leaks, except the ones on my electrical components that need to be covered.

Has anyone tried this? Can you see any troubles or issues I may run into? Anyone have a better, simpler or more cost efficient solution? Heaters are an option in the tents, like I said, it just makes me a little uneasy.
 
Beehive

Beehive

Well-Known Member
You can keep them all at the same temp. With LEDs, High of 84° for sprouts. 82°-83 early veg. 81°-82°...then 78-80 the rest of the way.

I'm sure you can find a sweet spot in there that'll promote the best growth. Keep track of the leaf surface temperature of all them. Log it. Maybe adjust.
 
burnbluntz12312

burnbluntz12312

Well-Known Member
@Beehive Thanks for the quick reply! If I have canopy temps appropriate (late veg and flower), do you think I will have issues with root zone temps being 15 degrees or so lower with the surrounding environmental temps being so cool?
 
Beehive

Beehive

Well-Known Member
burnbluntz12312 said:
@Beehive Thanks for the quick reply! If I have canopy temps appropriate (late veg and flower), do you think I will have issues with root zone temps being 15 degrees or so lower with the surrounding environmental temps being so cool?
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65°-68° pot temp. It's tricky to accomplish but not impossible. I set fabric pots on a metal screen covered 2x4 board built shelf. Water drain ~and air flow. Most of the heat rises fairly quick. So you circulate it. Somewhere in there is a balance of temp and humidity. While keeping the pots cool.
 
Cookie Rider

Cookie Rider

Well-Known Member
I put 2" foam board insulation on the floors of my tents and put the tent liner on top of that.
Keeps everything off the cold concrete floor.
 
Beehive

Beehive

Well-Known Member
burnbluntz12312 said:
Is that with lights off as well?
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When the leds are off. There's no heat source besides the heater. You want a leaf surface temperature of 66-68° at "night". That's a goal. The pots will cool but everything gets to the same temp during lights off.

Lights On temps deal with the foliage.


*Seedlings take 24hours of warmth. After the 2nd node. Then start swinging the temps. Gently.
 
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NewGrassCity

Well-Known Member
burnbluntz12312 said:
I've recently moved and had to place three 4x4 tents into an unfinished basement. The basement has one room, 30' x 30', and it stays 58 - 62 F. I've never had to run a heater in a tent before, not sure why it just seems a little sketchy to me, but during my testing I've found it very difficult to get temps above 66 F with lights on. I run one SF4000 in each tent. I'm curious if anyone has built a small "sub grow room". I'm considering building a 8' x 16' room elevated off the floor a few inches, due to the floor being concrete. It seems it would be easier, and for whatever reason a little more comfortable to me to heat one room, rather than each tent individually. This should also eliminate light leaks, except the ones on my electrical components that need to be covered.

Has anyone tried this? Can you see any troubles or issues I may run into? Anyone have a better, simpler or more cost efficient solution? Heaters are an option in the tents, like I said, it just makes me a little uneasy.
Click to expand...
I used this during our winter months and it was a lifesaver. So much in fact, I ordered another for my other tent.

 
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1212ham

Well-Known Member
Cold basements are tough with LED. What's your climate winter and summer? Could you run a heat duct to that "sub grow room" ?
 
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burnbluntz12312

burnbluntz12312

Well-Known Member
1212ham said:
Cold basements are tough with LED. What's your climate winter and summer? Could you run a heat duct to that "sub grow room" ?
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Winter is cold... Temps are 48-50 F, humidity is steady 60%. Summertime temps come up to 60 F, little easier to control, still need to get things up off the floor however. Heat for the residence goes through that room, in the summer months it is used for AC however.
 
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NewGrassCity

Well-Known Member
burnbluntz12312 said:
Winter is cold... Temps are 48-50 F, humidity is steady 60%. Summertime temps come up to 60 F, little easier to control, still need to get things up off the floor however. Heat for the residence goes through that room, in the summer months it is used for AC however.
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I promise you will not be disappointed with that link I mentioned above. Heats up a tent in no time.
 
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PizzaMan5000

Well-Known Member
Keeping it off the floor is probably all you need.

the *cheapest* cube heaters have a thermostat as well as multiple power levels. My box gets to about 60f at lights off. So I just put the heater on a t-stat temp around what I need, and I set the heater on its lowest setting. The air coming out of the heater only has about 250w behind it. Just enough to pump out 70+° air, and not 90f.
I just point the heater at my grow box, and it does the job.

my box draws air off the wall behind the box in my basement, it's cold concrete. The concrete also puts young clones in jeopardy. I have to keep things off the floor or I get weird symptoms. 2" is all it needs.
 
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