Newbie cold weather question

[akhockey]

Hey folks!
I could use a little insight on a set up I am planning. I live way up north where its gets pretty cold and dry. I am planning to partition off a portion of my crawlspace under my home to do a winter grow. It is relatively cold in my crawlspace, being just over freezing by a few degrees. I figure 40 degrees f. I am wondering if anyone thinks that I may have a heat problem running a 600w hps in an 8' by 8' or so visqueened off section? I plan on running an oscilating fan to circulate air and running a supplemental heater on a thermostat during dark periods. I am concerned about venting too much out of the enclosure as this will draw in cold air which cant be good. Any ideas or experiences in similiar siuations would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

 

[akhockey]

I had another question. I have been looking at the many ads for seedbanks out there and have heard both good and bad things about quite a few. I'm pretty broke so I can't afford to be ripped off by some unscrupulous internet site. Any recommendations on seedbanks shippind to the US? I am wanting to try out some autos like AK-47 and lowberry and some feminized short height indicas. Thanks again.

 

[Mauwie Wauwie]

well if you want good price seeds then check out the nirvana link at the top of the page.about the first thing you asked what kind of light setup do you have.do you have a ballast and light in one or do you have a ballast outside the box?

 

[akhockey]

Well I havent as of yet purchased my lights. I was going to go with a separate ballast vs. an all in one unit.

 

[4u2sm0ke]

okay ya have to have air exchange we need to bring in fresh air..maybe from above furnace..so would be warm...but they need co2..and venting and proper air exchange..(not just movement)..will do just this...your issues are here...IMO...good luck..take care and be safe:ciao:

 

[akhockey]

okay ya have to have air exchange we need to bring in fresh air..maybe from above furnace..so would be warm...but they need co2..and venting and proper air exchange..(not just movement)..will do just this...your issues are here...IMO...good luck..take care and be safe:ciao:

I will be entering the enclosure on a daily basis. I figured this would be sufficient as far as air exchange. Am I incorrect? I am a home-brewer as well and the plants will occasionally get quite a bit of supplemental CO2 when I am fermenting. I have an idea for piping the gases from my fermentation lock into my area. Does anyone suppose that fluctuations in CO2 levels from normal ambient air to enriched would cause harm? I just figured if theres and abundance of co2 around put it to good use.
In case people arent familiar with the amounts of CO2 produced whiole fermenting, its alot. In a 5 gallon batch of beer it sounds almosst like a continuous bong hit coming out of the fermentation lock for at least 2-3 days then tapers off. Thanks again.

 

[the chef]

regulation is the key to co2 and try the attitude for good autos decently priced, take a little time and search around not all autos are listed under the autoflowering sect.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

You need regular exchange of air while the lights are on. I exchange the air in my space 3-4 times a minute.

A 600W is not nearly enough light for a 8 x 8 space. A 600W is good for a space about 4 x 4, s you would need about 4 600Ws for that space.

There is a lot that goes along with using supplemental CO2. You will benefit little by just adding unknown concentrations in a space that is not air tight.

How much height do you have? Most crawl spaces that I am in are short.

Be aware that bugs can be hard to control in a crawl space.

You may also want to consider another strain. AK47 is quite smelly. I do not think that you will be able to keep the smell from coming through the floor unless your room is completely sealed--which entails far more than just sectioning off a space with visqueen.

 

[TexasMonster]

I am a home-brewer as well and the plants will occasionally get quite a bit of supplemental CO2 when I am fermenting. I have an idea for piping the gases from my fermentation lock into my area. Does anyone suppose that fluctuations in CO2 levels from normal ambient air to enriched would cause harm? I just figured if theres and abundance of co2 around put it to good use.
In case people arent familiar with the amounts of CO2 produced whiole fermenting, its alot. In a 5 gallon batch of beer it sounds almosst like a continuous bong hit coming out of the fermentation lock for at least 2-3 days then tapers off. Thanks again.

I hadnt thought of that. I am a homebrewer too. Mostly wine but I keep at least three 6 gallon carboys (5 of them right now) going at all times. I am new here as well though and just soaking up information. I am constructing my grow room though. I have the oppisite issues as you, heat. Good luck to ya.


Edited to add, these guys here like it if you do a lot of reading before you jump into alot of questions. I dont know how they know if you are reading their old post or not but somehow they do. I'm just sayin.......................

 

[kasgrow]

Hemp Goddess is right about the light. If you are only using 600 watt you should make the grow area smaller to reflect light and make it easier to keep warm. Put an intake vent coming from the house down to your grow room. You should have enough warmth and co2 that way. You can also regulate the speed of your fan to very the heat.

 

[4u2sm0ke]

You need regular exchange of air while the lights are on. I exchange the air in my space 3-4 times a minute.

A 600W is not nearly enough light for a 8 x 8 space. A 600W is good for a space about 4 x 4, s you would need about 4 600Ws for that space.

There is a lot that goes along with using supplemental CO2. You will benefit little by just adding unknown concentrations in a space that is not air tight.

How much height do you have? Most crawl spaces that I am in are short.

Be aware that bugs can be hard to control in a crawl space.

You may also want to consider another strain. AK47 is quite smelly. I do not think that you will be able to keep the smell from coming through the floor unless your room is completely sealed--which entails far more than just sectioning off a space with visqueen.

oh yes ...My Ladie HempGodess..has braught up some more variables to consider...


HempGodess....ive seen some crawl spaces bigger then my House..lol..Daylight basements come to mind..as haveing man doors to go under..lol..But agree most are 18-24 inches..

 

[akhockey]

Thanks for the info folks. I wasnt planning on trying to illuminate an 8x8 area with a 600w light I was just guessing ball park on space needed to work around a 4x4 ish area. I have roughly 4 feet of height to work with in my crawlspace. Im not so worried about bugs, as its below zero outside much of the winter and there arent too many that are flying around then. Thanks for the idea of pulling air from inside the house. I could probably get away without running a heater so much and run a bigger light and not have such a jump in electricity usage. I know bigger is better as far as lighting goes. I would eventually like to have rooms for vegging and flowering.

On a side note...I have been reading quite a few posts on here and reading alot of grow journals and appreciate the wealth of knowledge everyone shares on here.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

LOL--daylight basements are not crawl spaces--they are basements. However, I have been in crawl spaces that I have to access with a ladder.

When it is zero outside, the 40 degrees in a crawl space seems especially nice for bugs.

You will need to section off a 4 x 4 space to make the most of your light. With only 4' of height, you should get an air cooled hood and consider training techniques like lst or scrog.

 

[sundancer245]

i just received 5 fem auto ak-47 seeds from dope-seeds.com .....took 2 wks from order to mailbox

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

AK47 is a very smelly strain. I anticipate a lot of smell problem unless you make a pretty much air tight box and use a good carbon filter. It is generally a good idea to go with a low odor strian when growing someplace like a crawl space.