Hello all, this is my first post (obviously). My main concern at this point is ventilation. I have not setup my room but the total dimensions are 12.5ft x 9ft x 8ft. That equates to about 900 CFM if my math is correct. The room will not be using a grow box... The room itself will maintain the growth. So, my questions would be: If there are a couple HVAC vents on the ceiling, can I use those to exhaust out the hot/stale air using inline fans of some sort? I would like to use a passive intake as the door has cracks all around it even when closed (typical bedroom door). My next question sort of relies on the first: If I can use those vents on the ceiling for exhaust then how should I got about setting up ducting and the carbon filter? I would like to setup an inline carbon filter (air scrubber) through the exhaust ducting. I'm pretty confident I will be moving the exhausted air into the attic. My final question for the moment has to do with the lighting system and cooling it off. I will be using 2 600w HPS fixtures on a light mover. I would like to vent the heat from those lamps. Would I be better off running tubing from the lamp hoods and sucking air away from the bulb or pushing air across the bulb? Thank you all for any info.
Ventilation - Fan placements/Inline Fan Placements.
- Thread starter Paola
- Start date
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum. Wow, several things do come to mind. First, I wouldn't be confident about putting the exhaust in the attic just yet. I did this and had rain in my family room. MY uhh... wife was not real happy even when I tried to tell here at least I know why they warned my about that.
The exhaust from a grow room that is running properly is more humid then normal exhaust air is. This can cause other problems if you don't do something to remove that hot humid air out of your attic.
The most efficient way to do this is to get it vented directly to the outside. Roof vents can be used to accomplish this or side vents if you have an outside wall available in your attic.
Mold grows well in humid air below 80 degrees F ( about 23 C ). Not a problem because the winter killed the mold, and condensed the humidity at the coldest point, around the roof line on the bottom of roof boards, turning it to ice. uh-oh, the weather warms up a little and melts the ice, which drips into the family room, ruining the ceiling tile on the way. "They were dirty anyway honey" didn't help much.
In planning your grow room exhaust, I recommend you work backwards. One big exhaust to the outside can let you move a lot of air to it. As an example, there is as much volume in one 8" vent as there is in 4-4" lines. You could run seperate vents to different areas of your room and then tie them to the 8" vent line, placing your carbon filter at the start of the large vent, in the attic and out of sight.
You could take out the air conditioning vents and remove the ducting to them, that would probably give you two-6" lines, and probably still be alright tying to that same 8" exhaust. OF course you could also use those air conditioning vents for air conditioning the room and install as many as four, bathroom exhaust style vents. These are fairly easy to install, especially with an attic. You can get them from about $30.00 on up. They include the fan and housing and a cover. They should have the cfm ratings on them so its just a math problem. And because you already ahve a bathroom exhaust fan you will have a pattern to follow for the installation.
I would recommend that you exhaust the lights seperately. Keeping the hot air from the light going directly outside will be a lot more efficient. There are posts that will show you how others have done this. I live in Michigan and this hasn't been a problem for me yet, summer here lasts about three months. VV
The exhaust from a grow room that is running properly is more humid then normal exhaust air is. This can cause other problems if you don't do something to remove that hot humid air out of your attic.
The most efficient way to do this is to get it vented directly to the outside. Roof vents can be used to accomplish this or side vents if you have an outside wall available in your attic.
Mold grows well in humid air below 80 degrees F ( about 23 C ). Not a problem because the winter killed the mold, and condensed the humidity at the coldest point, around the roof line on the bottom of roof boards, turning it to ice. uh-oh, the weather warms up a little and melts the ice, which drips into the family room, ruining the ceiling tile on the way. "They were dirty anyway honey" didn't help much.
In planning your grow room exhaust, I recommend you work backwards. One big exhaust to the outside can let you move a lot of air to it. As an example, there is as much volume in one 8" vent as there is in 4-4" lines. You could run seperate vents to different areas of your room and then tie them to the 8" vent line, placing your carbon filter at the start of the large vent, in the attic and out of sight.
You could take out the air conditioning vents and remove the ducting to them, that would probably give you two-6" lines, and probably still be alright tying to that same 8" exhaust. OF course you could also use those air conditioning vents for air conditioning the room and install as many as four, bathroom exhaust style vents. These are fairly easy to install, especially with an attic. You can get them from about $30.00 on up. They include the fan and housing and a cover. They should have the cfm ratings on them so its just a math problem. And because you already ahve a bathroom exhaust fan you will have a pattern to follow for the installation.
I would recommend that you exhaust the lights seperately. Keeping the hot air from the light going directly outside will be a lot more efficient. There are posts that will show you how others have done this. I live in Michigan and this hasn't been a problem for me yet, summer here lasts about three months. VV
beenthere donethat
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a nice set up.
I would seperate out my room ventilation from my lights and blow through my lights. If you can suck clean air in (not from the room) and push air throughthe system you won't pick up smells from the garden and won't spend time trying to find/tape leaks...etc. I do this with 3200 watts and I use the exhaust to help heat my home in Winter.
Inline charcoal filters are a rare breed. Most dead end,, although Can Fan did recently come out with a 412 CFM unit recently. ($345 is a bit steep but you can refill it and it will keep you from getting busted so is well worth the $$)
A true inline would make your life easier...you could actually vent the entire sopace..lights and all with a "y" connection inline slpitting the lights/room and then blasting it through the filter and out.
And by my calcs..your meaurement of CFM is double what it needs to be. L X W X H / 2 was what I was always told...but rest assured...even with 900 going through there you'd be way happy. Lots of air is key for a big grow/yield...and mosty people don't have near enough ventilation to begin with. The only drawback with going BIG is that you have to spend more on filtration..etc...although a larger filter w/a small room may last you 2-3 years without having to fuck with it. (I'm on 2 years+ with a 10" 737 can fan and a probio inline filter)
good luck.
bt dt
I would seperate out my room ventilation from my lights and blow through my lights. If you can suck clean air in (not from the room) and push air throughthe system you won't pick up smells from the garden and won't spend time trying to find/tape leaks...etc. I do this with 3200 watts and I use the exhaust to help heat my home in Winter.
Inline charcoal filters are a rare breed. Most dead end,, although Can Fan did recently come out with a 412 CFM unit recently. ($345 is a bit steep but you can refill it and it will keep you from getting busted so is well worth the $$)
A true inline would make your life easier...you could actually vent the entire sopace..lights and all with a "y" connection inline slpitting the lights/room and then blasting it through the filter and out.
And by my calcs..your meaurement of CFM is double what it needs to be. L X W X H / 2 was what I was always told...but rest assured...even with 900 going through there you'd be way happy. Lots of air is key for a big grow/yield...and mosty people don't have near enough ventilation to begin with. The only drawback with going BIG is that you have to spend more on filtration..etc...although a larger filter w/a small room may last you 2-3 years without having to fuck with it. (I'm on 2 years+ with a 10" 737 can fan and a probio inline filter)
good luck.
bt dt
I have a 10" Can-Fan (exhaust). Sucker moves air like nobody's business. I also have a 6" inline Can-Fan (intake). Actually, i was thinking about cooling my lights the same way you described (using a 'y' connection to split the air flow and ducting half the intake air over my lights to cool them). Does that sound right?
Sorry for asking a question in someone elses topic (at least the question isn't off topic).
Thank you for the reply. Funny story about the rain... At least now, probably not at the time though. I would rather use the two vents already on the ceiling as opposed to installing other bathroom style vents. I am slightly unclear (in my mind's eye) as to how the exhaust will even work. Using duct tubing, we'll say 6", would I begin the tubing in the ceiling from the vents in place of the HVAC ducting and run the exhaust tubes to the attic in which the end of the exhaust tubing runs through a can fan/carbon filter? How would I run the setup to move the air out of the attic stealthily? If I had a ventilation window in the attic would I simply connect my exhaust tubing to it and force the air out? If that were the case where would the carbon filter go? I assume the inline filter would be too much of a pain in the ass. If I were to setup the can fan carbon filter in the actual grow room would that be the starting point of my exhaust? Example: Can fan filter mounted on ceiling/floor/wall, it sucks air in through the filter, and then the exhaust tubing connects to the can fan and up to the vents? Sorry I'm all over the place, I'm just very unclear as to how the setup will actually be... setup. I have the basic idea and have read up on it but my mind needs very fine details on this one for some reason. Perhaps because I want to get it right the first time and since killing the odor/moving hot and stale air out are very key elements.
So a can fan that is rated at ~450 CFM will do for a room my size? What can fan/filter combo would you recommend as well as tubing size to move the air? As far as getting cool and clean air into the room from another part of the house, how can this be accomplished? I like the passive intake idea, but if I were to start a duct tube in another room how would I manage to get that to my grow room?
Doesn't bother me. The more info on this subject I can read about, regardless of setups and different sizing, the better for me.I have a 10" Can-Fan (exhaust). Sucker moves air like nobody's business. I also have a 6" inline Can-Fan (intake). Actually, i was thinking about cooling my lights the same way you described (using a 'y' connection to split the air flow and ducting half the intake air over my lights to cool them). Does that sound right?
Sorry for asking a question in someone elses topic (at least the question isn't off topic).
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
Some one just posted a nice setup showing the charcoal filter a couple of days ago. Rollit it has a post of setting up a grow room that show this stuff also. VV
beenthere donethat
Well-Known Member
Here's the link to the thread we were discussing the other day...
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/13146-post-pic-explain-your-filter.html
check out Snow White's pic in post #6. She's sucking all the air through the filter and OUTSIDE...neatly scrubbed of odor.
panessa...if you can source "clean" air outside your grow room as your intake and you blow through your lighting system you won't pick up any odors from your room. (any leaks will blow air out..) If you suck air through the system the smell will enter every crack/enter the system and you will have to filter the exhaust. Make sense?
Chuck4bud...you can do it that way for sure. Of course, you'll have to watch the temps in the room because you'll be cutting down the intake airflow but venting the lights off like this helps get that heat away from the room.
good luck all. Move that air..it's SUMMER!
bt dt
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/13146-post-pic-explain-your-filter.html
check out Snow White's pic in post #6. She's sucking all the air through the filter and OUTSIDE...neatly scrubbed of odor.
panessa...if you can source "clean" air outside your grow room as your intake and you blow through your lighting system you won't pick up any odors from your room. (any leaks will blow air out..) If you suck air through the system the smell will enter every crack/enter the system and you will have to filter the exhaust. Make sense?
Chuck4bud...you can do it that way for sure. Of course, you'll have to watch the temps in the room because you'll be cutting down the intake airflow but venting the lights off like this helps get that heat away from the room.
good luck all. Move that air..it's SUMMER!
bt dt
Major_Nuggz
Well-Known Member
you could but your not scrubbing the air going through the light and stand a chance of stinking your nieghborhood upI have a 10" Can-Fan (exhaust). Sucker moves air like nobody's business. I also have a 6" inline Can-Fan (intake). Actually, i was thinking about cooling my lights the same way you described (using a 'y' connection to split the air flow and ducting half the intake air over my lights to cool them). Does that sound right?
Sorry for asking a question in someone elses topic (at least the question isn't off topic).
someone need to start making inline large scrubbers
I would think pushing air through your light into your room is a good idea beings your scrubbers are sucking it out
you dont need a large airflow for the air cooled to work either...ive reduced my sun system2 from 6" to 4" and ran a inline 90cfm
into the room and never had a problem with heat..just have to pull fresh air and not from your attic
Major_Nuggz
Well-Known Member
would you want to run your scrubber at the end of your lights?
Is your light going to have soot from your filter??
Might it be damaging to your light?
Is your light going to have soot from your filter??
Might it be damaging to your light?
So once the filter sucks up the skunky air and deoderizes it the air moves through the ducting to wherever you route it... Is that one fan I see in the picture enough to force the air through the remainder of the tubing and out of the room? Since I'm not using a growbox how could I effectively move the air out? Where would my tubing go? Could I attach it to where one of the ceiling vents in the room is and force air out that way? I'm just confused as to how to effectively exhaust air out of a grow ROOM... I can easily see how to do it with a grow BOX!
mogie
Well-Known Member
Temperature and odor control are a breeze with these high-output fans by Can-Fan. Inline fans are perfect for carbon filters, air cooling lighting reflectors or attaching to ducting to ventilate your grow room!
6 High Output Inline fan uses 72 watts and has a cfm of 270, flange size 6.
This sounds like your answer. HTG has this for $185
6 High Output Inline fan uses 72 watts and has a cfm of 270, flange size 6.
This sounds like your answer. HTG has this for $185