Advice on dialing in temps and humidity in tent .

Imcamping86

Well-Known Member
Not sure if you're asking about the 6" desktop fan or the 4" inline fan, but you don't need either fan to push fresh air into the tent.

The 4" inline fan setup to exhaust air out of the tent is sufficient to passively pull fresh air into the tent, that is your negative pressure.

However, you need to allow for air to be passively pulled into the tent without the flaps open during flower while the lights are off, unless the room is 100% dark the flaps will let light into the tent. I use 4" and 6" ducting in the unused port holes in the tent, make them long enough and the light cannot get up the duct into the tent.

I am using two inline fans, one 4" and one 6", because I have them. In the summer, I use the 6" to exhaust the tent out the window, and the 4" fan is an intake fan bringing fresh air from directly outside into the tent. I run the lights on over night during the summer to take advantage of lower night temps outside, I use that air to cool the tent. The AC Infinity controllers allow each fan to run independently and keep the perfect temperature.

The problem with inline fans is none of the inline fans on the market allow the user to set a constant low speed and then a much higher speed that only kicks on if the temp or humidity goes over a certain maximum. But even if they did work that way, I would still need two fans - one to recirculate air from the tent into the room, and the second fan to exhaust air from the tent out the window. One fan cannot do both, but one fan needs to be running 24/7 to maintain air exchange in the tent. To do this in the winter and not lose all your heat, that fan has to exhaust into the room. Therefore, a second fan to exhaust only excess heat out the window.

In the winter, I don't want fresh air directly from outside, it's too cold and there would be ridiculous condensation. The house I live in is a renovated 100 year old farmhouse so it's still pretty leaky, and I get plenty of fresh air drawn into the room from the rest of the house.
the room the tent is in , is pretty dark for the most part. So I leave the flaps open , I have a six inch fan on the floor next to it pulling air in . That is the ONLY air flow I have right now. There’s no smell so I don’tuse the 4 inch vent system. Is there enough airflow ?
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
This might seem like overkill but it’s extremely nice for you and your living space as well. I use a stand alone whole house humidifier. It’s SO much easier to control the humidity from outside the tent. I found that when the plants think it’s dry so we. Adding this to the house was a nice upgrade. Humidifies two floors just placing it in the basement. If you had the room in your grow space these provide excellent cooling too since it’s evaporative. Those mist ones don’t even come close.

It’s pricy right now I found this one for under $100.



Whole house humidifier
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
Yeah...

Mini Hydro fogger. Only problem is it requires a stand alone tank. I'd have to drill a hole. Run the hose to a tub outside the grow room. Gravity fed. I only use RO water in my humidifiers. $$$

Its $300 bucks for the Hydro fogger...
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
Also it could probably keep it close to 70 but that’s super high to me. I maintain 55-60 year round no trouble.
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
Yeah...

Mini Hydro fogger. Only problem is it requires a stand alone tank. I'd have to drill a hole. Run the hose to tub. Gravity fed. I only use RO water in my humidifiers.

Its $300 bucks for the Hydro fogger...
Agree on RO only in the humidifier for sure
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
Agree on RO only in the humidifier for sure
If you use tap. The humidifier spits out a fine mineral dust. It'll coat the inside of carbon filters. Dust on the walls, plants. It has to be RO if you want the air clean. Looks like sticky baby powder but finer.
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
I’m on a well and have a softener. I can’t run any of that in the humidifier or I’ll have caking so fast. With RO water I can run it for months before changing the filter. I’m with ya.
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
After a grow, I take the exhaust hose down. Wondering why hell everything had a coat of fine white dust. Especially inside the filter.

It was from using a 250ppm tap. The humidifier was pumping all the trash into the air. There was dust on everything. Driver, lights, walls, fan blades. The dust is also something mold likes to attach to.

I bleach my humidifiers every three days. To help keep the water fresh. I bubble the RO water before pouring it the humidifiers. It'll extend the fresh for an extra day or two.
 

Driver733

Well-Known Member
After a grow, I take the exhaust hose down. Wondering why hell everything had a coat of fine white dust. Especially inside the filter.

It was from using a 250ppm tap. The humidifier was pumping all the trash into the air. There was dust on everything. Driver, lights, walls, fan blades. The dust is also something mold likes to attach to.

I bleach my humidifiers every three days. To help keep the water fresh. I bubble the RO water before pouring it the humidifiers. It'll extend the fresh for an extra day or two.
That white dust doesn't happen with an evaporative humidifier.
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
That white dust doesn't happen with an evaporative humidifier.
And....those suck. Ultrasonic is the only way to go.

The wife has one of those evap humidifiers. Its such a pos. Makes her feel good so it hasn't disappeared...yet.


A Vicks runs $40-$50. Mine is over 4 years old. It runs like the day I bought it. I have another brand but it's getting replaced with a Vicks.
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
I keep my humidifier in a room that almost never has the light on and also happens to have my intake. That makes a huge difference - how much light gets to the water.
I might be a bit lazy, I bleach mine maybe one a month. I change the filter out every 3 at least. If plants are NOT flowering I’ll run a bacteriostatic treatment in the reservoir at very small dose. That stuff is straight up gnarly so I don’t risk running it during flower at all. Just in case. I couldn’t find info on it so just to be safe I clean it more manually during flower.

If it runs out of water my wife even notices though because of how nice it makes the air in the house. It’s awesome as long as you keep it clean and stay well below mold levels. I’d bet the mini fogger is nicer but I really like my evaporative honestly.
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
I keep a small section of copper wire in the tank. Another piece of copper wire around the post that opens the tank valve. Both humidifiers have some copper wire in the tank.

If ever the copper wire starts turning color. I clean the wire and stick it back in the tank.

Does it help keep the water clean? No idea but its a feel good measure.


The metal combination is supposed to be silver and copper. But I don't want silver ions herming my plants. So I only use copper. (.925 silver, Sterling)
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
I’ll say this if you run the evaporative on its highest setting you won’t want to hang in the room. Fucker is just so loud on high. Otherwise you don’t hear it. It definitely gets it done though. My 6” fan and 715 watts of HID lowers the humidity maybe 10 points in a 3x3 at most. Not the best but works well.
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
They are loud. I had to hear one all last night. On top of the dresser. My side of the bed. Sounds like a mini 4" inline blower churning away.
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
I can understand your ire then! I wouldn’t want my beast in the room at all. I think on high it’ll hold humidity even with all the fans and lights going but then I hear it and it runs out of water faster. Just don’t seem worth the extra hassle.

My ladies did suffer the dry until I got this thing and now it’s no worry. Biggest difference is my dry and cure is just no worries now.
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
The humidity in this area was a 7% yesterday. Today its a smooth 56%. When the humidity hits the 10's. Its a fist fight to maintain 55% in the grow room. Using two ultrasonic.

I really need a third for the outside room. Two in the grow room. One in the bedroom.
 

M.O.

Well-Known Member
Goddamn! 7%!!! Not sure I’ve seen it that low. Ever. I’m in Michigan. It gets dry but, wow. I think two winters ago I saw 12% but that was in the tent under all the fan and light punishment. Started my hunt to fix it.

When I decide to upgrade I’ll look that way.
 
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