Help

[forget]

Just started my first indoor venture and have a few questions.

I bought 400W HPS and metallide (combo). Im using a closet which is intended for washerdryer unit and has a hole for ventilation but have yet to find a small enough fan that will fit in the hole... suggestions? (hole vent approx 4 inches diameter).

I lined the whole closet with tin foil, the base is tile but it has some woodwork around the door so i tin foiled as im dead worried about setting my place ablaze... Any suggestions here? The good thing is that there is a door infront of the grow room which leads outside (im in a cold climate).

Im planting one seed for now but im dead worried about cathcing fire. Yesterday was the first day and checked the room every 2 hrs or so and everything seemed fine...

How do people grow in a closet without air ventialtion?

 

[Hick]

try clicking on the "RESOURCES" link in the toolbar immediatly above your post.
It should get you going in the correct direction.
You "need" ventilation.. and the tin foil is next to worthless as a reflectant.
READ the grow guides provided in that link.. then if you don't understand or need further clarification, there are plenty of seasoned, knowledgable members that will help you out.

 

[Stoney Bud]

Hey there, forget, the first thing you want to do is get that foil out of your grow room. It doesn't reflect well and flat white paint will do a lot more for you.

Here's a link to the result on a search for a 4 inch, in-line duct fan:

CLICK HERE

If you can put a passive air inlet into your grow area, the in-line fan can be hooked to your dryer vent to expel the warm air while the passive inlet will provide fresh air. You should run this inlet to the outside if possible so that you're getting nice fresh air and not drawing the heat or cool out of your house.

I would suggest that you read, read, read a lot of the threads in the "Indoor Growing" area. I'm pretty sure that everything you'll run into has been covered there.

As long as you provide fresh air, exhaust warm air and make sure to have enough distance between your light and any other surfaces, you'll be fine in regards to any fire risks. It's good to hear that you're paying attention to that risk.

Good luck to you!

 

[timdog4]

I would get a squirrel cage blower or a good inline fan, not the in-line fans thats a piece duct with a fan in it. I use a 400 watt too and had a 8" duct fan and it was terrible. I took it back, gotta love lowes, and got a squirrel cage blower. Search ebay for 4" blower and you will see what im talkin bout. There about 90 bucks for squirrel cage, or 130.00 for vortex inline blower, but if you plan on growing for a long time, its a good investment. Then you need an intake, a spot preferably towards the bottom to pull air in to the closet. Hope this helps.

 

[4u2sm0ke]

I use the 6" in-line duct and the 4" thats 4 my intake and use the Vortex for exaust. along with a rotating fan. I run 1000HID...2@ 400 HID...and 1000HPS in the FOWER room.. My plant are liking it ...my room is 8x8x9 seperated into diffrent rooms....but I have learned the air in/out is vital and have designed an air control handler on flower room..oh well enough about me..Good luck to you and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!



Smoke:tokie:

 

[forget]

Hey there, forget, the first thing you want to do is get that foil out of your grow room. It doesn't reflect well and flat white paint will do a lot more for you.

Here's a link to the result on a search for a 4 inch, in-line duct fan:

CLICK HERE

If you can put a passive air inlet into your grow area, the in-line fan can be hooked to your dryer vent to expel the warm air while the passive inlet will provide fresh air. You should run this inlet to the outside if possible so that you're getting nice fresh air and not drawing the heat or cool out of your house.

I would suggest that you read, read, read a lot of the threads in the "Indoor Growing" area. I'm pretty sure that everything you'll run into has been covered there.

As long as you provide fresh air, exhaust warm air and make sure to have enough distance between your light and any other surfaces, you'll be fine in regards to any fire risks. It's good to hear that you're paying attention to that risk.

Good luck to you!

Great advice, Thanks.

Question:

I went to double check size of dryer vent and its approx 4inch by 3.5 inches... so i guess i shoud get a 3 inch one... do you reccomend any?

As far as the air inlet, that sounds great. How about this one?
http://www.everyspaceheater.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=PNS1028&refid=FR263-PNS1028

However I only have one "hole" (dryer vent) so how could I use both? Which one is more critical?

As far as the tin foil... im such an idiot! I painstakingly foiled that sucker up and down.!!! Im just really concerned about fire (my wife is getting me nuts about it). But thanks to you guys im much more relaxed now.

 

[Dubbaman]

Hey man :welcome: to the forum like everyone has said man ditch the tin foil the dull side reflects but only like 40% not go and it creates hot spots unless its totally flat. get it out and get some mylar for them walls or just flat white paint. as for the fans id go with which ever one will fit the provided space the right way. and for an intake is the door that you have into this area vented because if so you wont need an intake becuase the slats in these kinds of doors let air through already, but at the same time this will cause a light leak in and out.

 

[forget]

Hey man :welcome: to the forum like everyone has said man ditch the tin foil the dull side reflects but only like 40% not go and it creates hot spots unless its totally flat. get it out and get some mylar for them walls or just flat white paint. as for the fans id go with which ever one will fit the provided space the right way. and for an intake is the door that you have into this area vented because if so you wont need an intake becuase the slats in these kinds of doors let air through already, but at the same time this will cause a light leak in and out.

Thanks

Im not sure about the door. This place is brand new construction and the door is a white standard wood door. At night when the lights are on in the room and its dark, it does leak light out considerably (looks like there is a mad scientist cooking something...) So Im guessing it does get some decent "intake"...

since I got only one hole (not me, the grow room ) would you reccomend the fan that vents out air or one that airs in?

Lastly, the temp gets to about 100F... is this a killer?

 

[Stoney Bud]

Thanks

Im not sure about the door. This place is brand new construction and the door is a white standard wood door. At night when the lights are on in the room and its dark, it does leak light out considerably (looks like there is a mad scientist cooking something...) So Im guessing it does get some decent "intake"...

since I got only one hole (not me, the grow room ) would you reccomend the fan that vents out air or one that airs in?

Lastly, the temp gets to about 100F... is this a killer?

Using an exhaust fan to take heat out of the room at it's highest level would be the best.

Later, when you try to flower your plants, the light leaks will mess up your grow. In the "dark" cycle, there can be no light at all.

100 degrees is too hot.

 

[Dubbaman]

with temps that high youll want that fan to take air out and get it in fast thats way too hot for MJ to grow in. ideal is 73-78 (IMO),then that plant will fel comfprtable in there. the door leaking light is a problem but not really a huge one in this case ( if im following right it sounds like the edges and center are where it comes out) its not allot of light but it is some lost, and at the same time its allowing air to get in but not much as well. its not going to be bad or great for the plant to live like that but you can grow in there with the out take fan and if you will be opening the doors a few times a day to exchange the air out of the closet. as for the light id not worry about how much gets out in the lights on hours, but i be mindfull of how much gets in when you plan to flower as light leaks will have an effect more then on your plant. as for now unless its so much that you can read the fine print on a contract in the closet off of lights that are on outside of it you have no concerns as of yet.

 

[forget]

how about the cables of the lights itself? i wrapped them in tin foil and got them as far as I could from the source

 

[Stoney Bud]

how about the cables of the lights itself? i wrapped them in tin foil and got them as far as I could from the source

Foil is conductive. Wrapping an electrical cord in it isn't a good idea.

You need to get all of that foil out of your grow area.

 

[forget]

i know this might sound stupid but here it does:

Do cops pay attention on folks that say buy 4inch fans?? Or HPs lights?

 

[Stoney Bud]

i know this might sound stupid but here it does:

Do cops pay attention on folks that say buy 4inch fans?? Or HPs lights?

No. Those lights and fans are used by the millions by all types of businesses and people.

Half the car garages in the USA have a HPS or MH light over the door and tens of thousands of fans are used in houses and businesses.

If your electric bill jumped by twice or triple, the power company may contact you to ask if it's normal given your application, but the cops wouldn't get involved unless the power company thought you were stealing their power.

I've heard that in Canada, the cops worry about power bills, but I've never heard of it being a concern in the USA unless the theft of power was a possibility.

 

[forget]

Thanks for your suggestions all.

since then I got myself a Vortex 4in and i just jammed it in the dryer vent and that things works like a charm... ***** some serious air!

Question:

Ive planted my plant 3 days ago and nothing sprouted yet... how long before something shows up? Ive been giving 12hrs of light min. the lights are approx 2 ft from vase...

 

[Stoney Bud]

Thanks for your suggestions all.

since then I got myself a Vortex 4in and i just jammed it in the dryer vent and that things works like a charm... ***** some serious air!

Question:

Ive planted my plant 3 days ago and nothing sprouted yet... how long before something shows up? Ive been giving 12hrs of light min. the lights are approx 2 ft from vase...

Ha! Hey forget, that's great that your fan is working so well! I'm glad to hear it!

If I follow what you've said correctly, you planted your seeds in some soil.

When they sprout depends on many factors. Did you germinate them first until they "cracked", or sprouted tiny starter roots?

How far under the soil did you put them?

Did you tamp the soil just a tiny bit and make it moist but not wet?

What temp is it right where your soil is?

There's a section of this forum that is called "Germination techniques". Reading a bunch of posts in it would be a real good idea if you haven't already.

Good luck to you!!!!

 

[forget]

Ha! Hey forget, that's great that your fan is working so well! I'm glad to hear it!

If I follow what you've said correctly, you planted your seeds in some soil.

When they sprout depends on many factors. Did you germinate them first until they "cracked", or sprouted tiny starter roots?

How far under the soil did you put them?

Did you tamp the soil just a tiny bit and make it moist but not wet?

What temp is it right where your soil is?

There's a section of this forum that is called "Germination techniques". Reading a bunch of posts in it would be a real good idea if you haven't already.

Good luck to you!!!!

didnt germinate them, just put them in under .5 inches of soil and lightly wetted the soil. Temp is between 78-85C

Thanks again.

 

[timdog4]

Glad the fan works, its nice to have something do what its supposed to when you spend some cash. !/2 inch is a little deep, but give it some time. They dont need light(it doesnt hurt) until they sprout but moisture and temp is very important. Your temp is good, humidity should be pretty high. I keep it at 70% until sprout then reduce it slowly. Ive planted seeds twice now and its amazing how much the humidity helps. Also you want to give them at least 18 hours of light per day when they sprout, not 12.

 

[forget]

Glad the fan works, its nice to have something do what its supposed to when you spend some cash. !/2 inch is a little deep, but give it some time. They dont need light(it doesnt hurt) until they sprout but moisture and temp is very important. Your temp is good, humidity should be pretty high. I keep it at 70% until sprout then reduce it slowly. Ive planted seeds twice now and its amazing how much the humidity helps. Also you want to give them at least 18 hours of light per day when they sprout, not 12.

awesome info, thanks.

As far as moisture, I take it I should by a humidifier? Is that the source for this kind of probs? Also, how would I know the humidity level its at now?

 

[timdog4]

I just use a humidity dome, they are really cheap, like 6 or 8 bucks. You can get it a hydro shop or on ebay, just search humidity dome. You can also use it for clones when you get to that point. You need to get a thermometer/hygrometer for temperature and humidity readings, you can get a cheap one at walmart,7 bucks.