carbon filter - must vent out??

damnbigbudz said:

gotcha, so When you seal it you cant even have a window air conditioner pumping air in?

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If you "pump" air in I believe this would cause a positive air flow and would push the smell out instead of being passive and pull air in. Its better to force the air out than force the air in. someone may explain in more detail, I am just starting my morning buzz after calling out today so Im a bit hazy

damnbigbudz said:

gotcha, so When you seal it you cant even have a window air conditioner pumping air in?

Click to expand...

the window ac units dont bring outside air in, they just recirculate the air in the room. The only remove heat from the room.

If you go sealed, you'll most likely need a window ac to keep things cool since there is no cool fresh air being allowed in the environment

damnbigbudz said:

gotcha, so When you seal it you cant even have a window air conditioner pumping air in?

Click to expand...

OK... a few things to consider here:

The purpose of using CO2 with your inside grow is to elevate the CO2 level ABOVE that of normal atmospheric levels- which is approx 387ppm. ( IF you start pumping in more OUTSIDE air you are only diluting the CO2 level you were trying to build up.
And yes, with CO2 you def need a very tightly sealed room with NO exhaust running or you just waste your money. What you need for a selaed CO2 fed room is cooled light hoods that either have really cold air from outside or your A/C source. You can then exhaust that air out thru a separate vent so you don't pull any air out of your sealed grow room area.

Also, if you go the CO2 route, you REALLY need the room sealed. Were talking Silicone caulk along all wall joints, cracks, etc. CO2 is heavier than O2 and it will sink to the floor (more on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide)

If you have selaed your room correctly, you will need a CO2 controller to maintain and purge the room as well. If you were to walk into a highly CO2 enriched room (think 10-20,000ppm) the O2 level has dropped enough to possibly render you unconscious and kill you.

Also, with a CO2 enriched room the plants can endure a higher ambient temperature for longer periods of time.

Summary:

1. Room has to be SEALED correctly
2. You have to have CO2 Gas, NOT liquid!
3. You need a good quality CO2 controller
4. CO2 controller controls the CO2 level (enrich)and then controls the exhaust (purge) cycle.

Unless you follow rules 1-4 don't bother with CO2 as you're only wasting money.

Hope this clarified a few things for you, Good luck on your grow!

I would go to your local grow store and consult with the staff there. Chop it up; you'll find what you need. If you order online for these grow room supplies, you get ripped off, straight up. At least 50-100 dollars more than my connect...

The best option I've found for cooling a sealed room is using a Split AC.
Think of your big house AC, but instead you have a 1.5 ton compressor, 2 tubes from the compressor to the fan unit inside, and the blower on the inside of the room. This way all heat from the compressor stays outside the house or outside the garage. Also, once you have it set up, any regular air conditioning guy can service it without going anywhere near your grow.

Heat from lights is handled by having your air intake coming from outside the room, seal the ducting at the wall or roof, then your can fan which is pulling air through all your sealed reflector enclosures and vented again through the duct that exits through the roof. This way the light's environment is separate from your plants' environment and you can maintain 1100-1300ppm CO2.

I go through about 1 20lbs bottle of CO2 per month. It saves a ton of money to spend the time and energy from the get go making sure your room is essentially a sealed clean-room.