Advice on grow room. VENTILATION

[flipd1]

I have a 6 x 6, maybe a bit more, walk in closet with lockable door.
Would I need a special, box/whatever for a small operation. Gonna try a hydro "sea of green" approach. Gonna try 6-8 plants first try. Would a room this size need extra ventilation.... or can I hang the lights, etc. and go with it. I realize I would need to seal the door a bit better during the hours of darkness needed. Thanks

 

[legalize_freedom]

yes you are going to need ventilation, which could be adding a couple fans to the door, one towards the bottom of the door bringing fresh air in, and 1 at the top of the door taking hot, stale air out. your not going to want just regular old box fans you want something with high enough cfm's to withdraw all the air in your space (cubic ft) in 5 minutes or less.

 

[leafminer]

Fresh cool air = fresh cool bud.

 

[PencilHead]

I'm running 2-600 watters in the same square footage you're dealing with--I'm in 4.5'X8'. That said, heat is a mother in the summer and I'm well ventilated. You'll never cool that much light with an under and over the door rig. Just use cooled hoods and pay attention to your CFMs. And if you don't vent out somehow, you're gonna smell up the house.

Also, I've run 8 plants in that space and there is a lot of shoving going on once the girls grow up to be ladies. You'll need to be in constant motion with rotating and re-positioning. 8 plants is closer to full-time work than I wanna get into--I get bigger and danker buds from 6 plants in that space.

If your closet's carpeted, that's going to be another issue to deal with--spills and nutes equal mold and mildew in carpet.

Luck and peace.

 

[flipd1]

Thanks for the input. I have concluded, MH and HPS lighting is the way to go. (what a confusing topic). Thusly I will need to add ventilation...I can go thru the ceiling to the attic AND can also go thru the floor to my crawl space. Air temperature may be a problem from these areas. Iowa winters are nasty. Should I "draw" air from the house and then "vent" to the attic/crawl space? Would help with any ordor concerns!

 

[Dr. Manny Bowles]

Big, hot lights can be your friend :hubba:
In my room I draw air from a crawl space under the house and vent to the attic with 1 or sometimes 2 (during the summer) 6-inch inline fans. It gets down to 10-20f during winter here and my room stays pretty constant. I flower under 2 600hps with vented hoods and have a bunch of t5's in a veg tent, all in a 10x10 room. During the winter I leave my HPS lights unvented and they take care of about 90% of the heat needed for the room, a cadet wall heater does the rest. In the summer, I vent the HPS lights and supplement super hot days with a second 6-inch inline fan that just pulls thru a carbon filter. With this setup my room stays between 68 on super cold nights and 81 on super hot (100+) days.
During the summer, the air under your house will be around 20 degrees cooler than outside, it's perfect for bringing fresh air into your growroom at high volumes. During the winter, the air under your house will be warmer than outside and perfect for fresh air as long as you can heat it. There's a balance between too much and not enough air when you are trying to keep your room constant in a harsh winter climate.
Hope that made some sense

 

[PencilHead]

I'd be scared to death drawing air from my crawl space in FL. Jeez, I don't want to even crawl under there because of all the creepy crawlies and funk fighting it out for survival down there.

Drawing air from the house gives you pre-conditioned air: heated or cooled, dehumidified some, relatively fungus free. I'm sure there are friendlier climates that would be fine to draw outside air from, but I'd still be mold nervous--had a touch of the dreaded Botrytis this grow, and it ain't fun.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I'd be scared to death drawing air from my crawl space in FL. Jeez, I don't want to even crawl under there because of all the creepy crawlies and funk fighting it out for survival down there.

Drawing air from the house gives you pre-conditioned air: heated or cooled, dehumidified some, relatively fungus free. I'm sure there are friendlier climates that would be fine to draw outside air from, but I'd still be mold nervous--had a touch of the dreaded Botrytis this grow, and it ain't fun.

LOL--if you have "nasties" in your crawl space, you have them in your house. My job puts me in crawl spaces all the time. Besides, it is always a good idea to put some kind of screening over any intake or outlet.

Drawing air from a crawl space generally works well. If you have a well insulated crawl, it stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter (well, only if you live in a climate that has a winter ). In the winter, I exhaust the heat from the light into my living space to help heat my room. Depending on where you live, ventilation needs can change with the seasons. I have a summer ventilation system and a winter ventilation system.

 

[mikeybtoken]

Awwww Yes HempGoddess......That's exactly what I have been thinking!!! One for the summer one for the winter, I have spent the past year trying to figure this all out and everthing that I thought was going to work I had to change. after much trial and error I have come to the conclusion that a two range system is the only way that I will ever be able to automate my system.
One For Summer, One For Winter.
Thanks Hemp!!!
Flipd1
I'm no pro but what I can say is that if I had to start it all over again, which I will I'm sure, I would try to keep as many options open as I could to make adjustments until you get it just right.
I am planning on trying to tie into my house AC this summer and/or adding a room AC along with another 6-8" Vortex Fan.
See what I mean.
Planning is also VERY important I spent a over a year planning my room, some parts are exactly like I planned and some aren't even close. The better idea you have of what kind of lights you are going run etc. the better idea you will have of what kind of fan you will need to cool them etc.
That's My two cents!
Hope this helps!
Good luck!
Peace MBT

 

[mikeybtoken]

PS
Flipd1
KEEP READING THE HECK OUT OF THIS SITE!!!

 

[Old_SSSC_Guy]

With you there PencilHead, but keep in mind that if you do not draw air from outside then all you are doing is circulating humidity and stink throughout your house. The newer the house/apt, the smaller the air exchange.

If you exhaust 400cfm of hot. wet air from your grow you have to have 400cfm of fresh air source. If you don't then you are slowly but surely just exchanging the grow air with your house air - and spreading the wetness and smell everywhere. Over time your whole crib smells and feels like your grow room.

I'd be scared to death drawing air from my crawl space in FL. Jeez, I don't want to even crawl under there because of all the creepy crawlies and funk fighting it out for survival down there.

Drawing air from the house gives you pre-conditioned air: heated or cooled, dehumidified some, relatively fungus free. I'm sure there are friendlier climates that would be fine to draw outside air from, but I'd still be mold nervous--had a touch of the dreaded Botrytis this grow, and it ain't fun.