Intake (fresh air) on a sealed room options

[TrichomeChaser]

whats up guys,
I’m moving into a new place October 1st and setting up a new room. Roughly 10x10. I’m doing a sealed room with co2. Its a ground level room with a Drop ceiling (which I am going to be covering with plywood and caulking between boards) Covering everything with panda film. Inside I’ll have

4 600w hps
12k btu portable ac
Dehumidifier
Couple fans
Going to use tank and regulator no burner

First time running co2 so need to clear up a couple things.

So those are the only things bringing heat into the room


What is the best way to get fresh air into the room?
Is there some type of intake I can setup that will allow fresh air to come in but won’t let my co2 out or what would you reccomend?

Also..

What’s the best way to setup the portable ac?
Should the tube off the back be pulling air from in the house or does it need to be set up out of a window as a source for fresh air?

Thanks for tips

 

[Dryxi]

I've seen alot of people use a sealed automatic damper and use exhaust fan with filter to clear the room at night. That is how I plan on doing my room when I get my new place next month.

I'd probably pull air from the ceiling through a duct to be cooled by the ac? Not sure how the portable ac works, but if all it has is that intake, then I'm sure you want to be pulling the hot air from the ceiling and cooling that. I think most sealed rooms are run with a minisplit (preferred method)

 

[Therrion]

whats up guys,
I’m moving into a new place October 1st and setting up a new room. Roughly 10x10. I’m doing a sealed room with co2. Its a ground level room with a Drop ceiling (which I am going to be covering with plywood and caulking between boards) Covering everything with panda film. Inside I’ll have

4 600w hps
12k btu portable ac
Dehumidifier
Couple fans
Going to use tank and regulator no burner

First time running co2 so need to clear up a couple things.

So those are the only things bringing heat into the room


What is the best way to get fresh air into the room?
Is there some type of intake I can setup that will allow fresh air to come in but won’t let my co2 out or what would you reccomend?

Also..

What’s the best way to setup the portable ac?
Should the tube off the back be pulling air from in the house or does it need to be set up out of a window as a source for fresh air?

Thanks for tips

I uses a 6" dryer vent with a damper at floor level one side of the room, at the other side other is a 6" pipe with a fan and a carbon scrubber at ceiling level that causes so much negative pressure it pulls the damper open and evacs it into my garage. I use this to purge my room of co2 at lights out and to replace stale air with fresh. I would also save up the money and get a 12kbtu mini split and the smallest commercial dehumidifier, like the quest 105. Those portables dump a shit load of heat into your room and you also have to find a way to get rid of the condensation. They are very inefficient. Your electric bill will thank me later.

 

[nurrgle]

As mentioned already, use a damper for your intake.

I also big time suggest getting a mini split. You will be chasing your tail if you go with the in room. Here in Denver you can find mini-splits on Craigslist for super cheap these days. They are simple to install as well so I wouldn’t be to worried about finding a solid hvac guy.

 

[TrichomeChaser]

I've seen alot of people use a sealed automatic damper and use exhaust fan with filter to clear the room at night. That is how I plan on doing my room when I get my new place next month.

I'd probably pull air from the ceiling through a duct to be cooled by the ac? Not sure how the portable ac works, but if all it has is that intake, then I'm sure you want to be pulling the hot air from the ceiling and cooling that. I think most sealed rooms are run with a minisplit (preferred method)

Thanks for the advice. The place I’m moving I will only be for a temporary amount of time so I don’t want to put a split ac in there and have to move it in less then a year. The portable doesn’t seem to be liked by the few who chimed I’m so far so im skeptical now haha

As mentioned already, use a damper for your intake.

I also big time suggest getting a mini split. You will be chasing your tail if you go with the in room. Here in Denver you can find mini-splits on Craigslist for super cheap these days. They are simple to install as well so I wouldn’t be to worried about finding a solid hvac guy.

I uses a 6" dryer vent with a damper at floor level one side of the room, at the other side other is a 6" pipe with a fan and a carbon scrubber at ceiling level that causes so much negative pressure it pulls the damper open and evacs it into my garage. I use this to purge my room of co2 at lights out and to replace stale air with fresh. I would also save up the money and get a 12kbtu mini split and the smallest commercial dehumidifier, like the quest 105. Those portables dump a shit load of heat into your room and you also have to find a way to get rid of the condensation. They are very inefficient. Your electric bill will thank me later.

Yeah seems the split is the way to go. Looks like a lot of people use portables but split is def more eficient. Next place I’ll have to get one. My new place is only temporary or I’d do it now. So how often do you run the exhaust fan so that you don’t drain your co2?

As mentioned already, use a damper for your intake.

I also big time suggest getting a mini split. You will be chasing your tail if you go with the in room. Here in Denver you can find mini-splits on Craigslist for super cheap these days. They are simple to install as well so I wouldn’t be to worried about finding a solid hvac guy.

Yeah I would prefer going this route just can’t because I’d have to go into the wall to install it and it’s a temporary place for me while I find a new house to buy.

 

[Dryxi]

The goal is to clear the ethylene buildup which the plants and organic debris naturally produces and can buildup. I'm not sure how quickly that happens and it is variable but it doesnt hurt anything to clear the room once a night, or a couple times over the night. Could run your exhaust fan for 15 minutes at a time every couple hours.

 

[TrichomeChaser]

The goal is to clear the ethylene buildup which the plants and organic debris naturally produces and can buildup. I'm not sure how quickly that happens and it is variable but it doesnt hurt anything to clear the room once a night, or a couple times over the night. Could run your exhaust fan for 15 minutes at a time every couple hours.

Yeah that makes sense. I see some people run it as a completely sealed room with no intake or exhaust and have great results. I mean technically if there is a intake and exhaust it’s not really sealed. Just a matter of if those fans are necessary or not. Thanks for the info

 

[Dryxi]

Yeah that makes sense. I see some people run it as a completely sealed room with no intake or exhaust and have great results. I mean technically if there is a intake and exhaust it’s not really sealed. Just a matter of if those fans are necessary or not. Thanks for the info

If the room is 100% sealed, it 100% requires you to bring in fresh air and expel the ethylene. Your plants will very visibly deteriorate if it builds up

 

[Renfro]

I have intakes with dampers. Mine are in basement window wells. I use dust shroom filters, 12 inch fans and dampers. The dampers are wired to open when the blowers kick on, you need a 24vac transformer to run them, just wire the primary into the 120 volt line for the blower feed off your thermostat/controller.

I set mine up on my controller with a night temperature thats lower than the day temp so the blowers kick on for a little while when the lights go out to purge the room of ethylene gas.

 

[ttystikk]

Unless something is seriously wrong with the soil medium or the gas burner CO2 system, there will be no ethylene buildup. That's basically a myth. I've seen it once- actually I diagnosed it without ever being in the same state; dude had a gas leak on his burner and it fucked the plants up. I told him to find the leak and fix it. He didn't know he had the leak until he went looking for it.

Second, as stated above, sealed room means no venting.

Third, you can set up a minisplit and move it as long as you don't disconnect the lines. This means making sure you can pull the air handler out without disconnecting it.

I've run non vented sealed room agriculture for months with no issues. Yes, the CO2 builds up overnight- it's something plants do naturally. They'll use it within an hour of lights on, no biggie.

The main reason to vent overnight is to reduce excess humidity, as RH will climb as temperatures fall after lights out. If you have a strategy for that, use it before venting.

 

[Renfro]

Here is an interesting read I found a while back on ethylene gas. I believe in it and I have seen differences that I attribute to adding a vent cycle.

https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/bad-gas/

 

[Renfro]

They do say that little studying has been done on the subject with cannabis but I am a believer from what I have seen.

I have two rooms. I have vented one daily and not the other and I noticed a difference. I was running without CO2 and AC at first when I moved out here and I was getting stellar yields. I added Ac and sealed it up with CO2 and yields dropped. I added a vent cycle and bam yields were back. I added a second room, mirror image of the other. Didn't put a vent in it and low yields. Added a vent and yields went up. I only let it vent once a day when the lights go out but that makes a difference for me.

For me ethylene gas is a real factor. No science or even bro science, just my gut feeling and observations. Would be nice to have something to measure the presence of ethylene, may not even be present. I know there is no significant carbon monoxide as I have detectors and my co2 generator flames burn clean blue. No gas leaks.

So thats my 2 cents on the ethylene.

 

[TrichomeChaser]

I have intakes with dampers. Mine are in basement window wells. I use dust shroom filters, 12 inch fans and dampers. The dampers are wired to open when the blowers kick on, you need a 24vac transformer to run them, just wire the primary into the 120 volt line for the blower feed off your thermostat/controller.

I set mine up on my controller with a night temperature thats lower than the day temp so the blowers kick on for a little while when the lights go out to purge the room of ethylene gas.

Yeah if I end up doing any ventilation this is probably the route I will take as well. Thanks for the help

Unless something is seriously wrong with the soil medium or the gas burner CO2 system, there will be no ethylene buildup. That's basically a myth. I've seen it once- actually I diagnosed it without ever being in the same state; dude had a gas leak on his burner and it fucked the plants up. I told him to find the leak and fix it. He didn't know he had the leak until he went looking for it.

Second, as stated above, sealed room means no venting.

Third, you can set up a minisplit and move it as long as you don't disconnect the lines. This means making sure you can pull the air handler out without disconnecting it.

I've run non vented sealed room agriculture for months with no issues. Yes, the CO2 builds up overnight- it's something plants do naturally. They'll use it within an hour of lights on, no biggie.

The main reason to vent overnight is to reduce excess humidity, as RH will climb as temperatures fall after lights out. If you have a strategy for that, use it before venting.

Thanks for the tips. I thought it was supposed to be completely sealed as well. So with a mini split ac there is a peice outside and then the unit inside correct? I am renting this place out while I look for a new house to buy so I was staying away from the mini split because I didnt want to have a unit outside window of the apt that I had to pipe to the inside. So I figured my next best thing would be the portable ac?

 

[ttystikk]

They do say that little studying has been done on the subject with cannabis but I am a believer from what I have seen.

I have two rooms. I have vented one daily and not the other and I noticed a difference. I was running without CO2 and AC at first when I moved out here and I was getting stellar yields. I added Ac and sealed it up with CO2 and yields dropped. I added a vent cycle and bam yields were back. I added a second room, mirror image of the other. Didn't put a vent in it and low yields. Added a vent and yields went up. I only let it vent once a day when the lights go out but that makes a difference for me.

For me ethylene gas is a real factor. No science or even bro science, just my gut feeling and observations. Would be nice to have something to measure the presence of ethylene, may not even be present. I know there is no significant carbon monoxide as I have detectors and my co2 generator flames burn clean blue. No gas leaks.

So thats my 2 cents on the ethylene.

Since you don't know that it was ethylene that caused the difference in performance, maybe it was another factor? I'm not doubting your observations at all- I find them intriguing- I'm just wondering if the diagnosis fits all the facts.

 

[Renfro]

Since you don't know that it was ethylene that caused the difference in performance, maybe it was another factor? I'm not doubting your observations at all- I find them intriguing- I'm just wondering if the diagnosis fits all the facts.

Well I have tried to figure out another possibility but the only thing I can come to is the ethylene gas. I would love to have some sort of meter I could hang and see how many PPM of ethylene gas is present. Meanwhile I will just keep those vent cycles going once a day.

 

[ttystikk]

Well I have tried to figure out another possibility but the only thing I can come to is the ethylene gas. I would love to have some sort of meter I could hang and see how many PPM of ethylene gas is present. Meanwhile I will just keep those vent cycles going once a day.

Yeah, if it works don't fuck with it!

But I'm wondering if you had high RH or if temperature has something to do with it. How long do you run your vent after lights out and do you only run it once overnight?

 

[Dryxi]

I was just reading nd it looks like most of the time ethylene buildup only really occurs if your using a combustion generator as it puts off slight amounts of ethylene and other gases along with the co2 your wanting

 

[Renfro]

Yeah, if it works don't fuck with it!

But I'm wondering if you had high RH or if temperature has something to do with it. How long do you run your vent after lights out and do you only run it once overnight?

Dont you think I checked that? smh I have the autopilot dataloggers in all my rooms logging RH%, temp and CO2.

 

[ttystikk]

Dont you think I checked that? smh I have the autopilot dataloggers in all my rooms logging RH%, temp and CO2.

I didn't say that- I'm just wondering if any differences might have been more significant than they appeared.

You ran tanks or burners?

I'm happy to be proven wrong- as long as it's conclusive. It turns out that being wrong has usually been more instructive!

 

[Renfro]

Burners. They are cleaned regularly and they burn blue flame, proper high altitude versions, I have carbon monoxide detectors.