Making a comeback, have a few questions

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KushmasterJ

Dont panic, its organic
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Jun 30, 2008
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I've been out for about a year now, my previous living situation did not allow for me to have any fun. I'm excited to be in a completely different location, out of deadly hot so-cal and into the emerald triangle. I'm not too far from the coast so the temps are pretty cool here, I am renting a house with a basement which stays pretty damn cold (which is awesome because I didn't even know it was there...its more a very large crawlspace under the house 8' tall).
My questions are mostly based on this change of climate, as I am used to having to run a 12,000 BTU a/c to maintain optimal temperatures.

I plan on building a 5x5 insulated grow room in the basement. I want to run a single 1000 watt light and do SOG. My main question is whether or not anyone thinks I would be able to run my 1000 watt light in the basement without using an air conditioner. I plan on using an air cooled hood with 8'' ducting, obviously the required inline fan would move quite a bit of air passed that bulb. I'd run the air cooling independently from the exhaust of the grow room, meaning the air would come from the basment, go right passed the bulb and back into the basment. The grow room would also have constant air exchange from the basement. The basment itself has vents to bring in fresh air, and also a very large exhaust fan which I plan on hooking up to a humidity controller (it currently only runs from 1am-4am on a timer).
This might be a stupid question, because logically it sounds completely do-able...as long as I keep that air moving there's no way a single 1000 watt light could heat up that entire basement...right? Really I could up it 20 degrees and still be within a desirable range. I might find myself NEEDING to warm the area up...I just dont know.
It's just that where I'm from it would be completely out of the question because its way too hot and very few houses even had basements, I am unfamiliar with this new territory. I realize humidity control will be key, and as long as fresh air from outside is constantly being pulled into the basement, expecially with fall and winter months coming..it should be fine.
I'm thinking wayy too much... this nor-cal bud is impressive..
Thanks to anyone who has any input, I really appreciate any help or suggestions. Excited to be back!!!:bong2:
 
I'm in sorta the same situation, coming from SoFla (Ft.Lauderdale), to the foothills of the Smokey's. No one had basements in Fl.

Get one of those big thermometers and start tracking your temps, it really helps. The coldest mine gets is 51-52* in the dead of winter and the hottest, 74-76* in summer. The 76 only happened after 2 weeks of upper 90's, low 100's. 6 months of the year it's more 65-70 and perfect for growing. The temps in my basement don't fluctuate much, night or day, or day to day. I'll bet yours is the same.

I use 800w of lights with an open hood and just vent into the basement. Doesn't bring the temps up enough to worry about. Basement is ~20'x30'x8'.

You should do fine once you get used to the vastly different climate. I was 59 when I saw my first snow. A little over 2 months old for my first hurricane.

Wet
 
I've lived in Fla, SC, Pa, Ma. Have experience with attics and basements (not just growing either). Biggest thing with basements is humidity and not really the good kind either as it is "still humidity" full of mold/bacteria and mildew.
The two main things is 1 you will need a de-humidifier esp. in the wet months. Fall and Spring. second is good ventilation from the outside air. The less "standing air" the better in a basement. That "old musty smell" is damp stagnant air and really not good for anything. Keep the air moving not just in the grow.
Don't bother tapping into your existing HVAC as it will just ruin your efficiency and waste elec. you can use elsewhere. It should stay a pretty manageable temp with ballast/bulb heat. In the dead winter you may need to add a small heater. But spring through fall should be your optimum months for production with the least amount of hassle. Attics are the opposite of course LOL :cool:

Mr. Green's "I grow weed" I think its called shows a perfect basement setup. It's on Marc Emeries PotTV somewhere in the archives on the site.
 
@ Wetdog, Yeah I think I should be able to adapt quickly, it seems like the temp is pretty steady down there, I expect it to get pretty cold during the winter though, hopefully it doesnt dip below 50.

@ Mutt, I was thinking I'd probably have to get a dehumidifier at some point. The basement already has a huge at least 15'' inch exhaust fan that runs on a timer at night, I'm assuming the landlord had that put there too keep it from getting too humid...also possible the last tenant was growing in there...he seemed the type and I've seen a few tell-tale signs.
I was planning on plugging that big fan into a humidity controller, but you're right about that stagnant air...maybe I should just run it 24/7...it's sort of loud and it raises what I'll describe as "rubber vent flaps" on the outside of the house...but its facing the backyard which has a greenbelt behind it so I doubt it'll attract any attention. Maybe using a humidity controller on that exhaust and using a circulating fan in the basement would also work... I'd rather not run the extra power on a dehumidifier but its probably inescapable. I'll check out that basement vid, thanks for your help!
 

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