DR100 Ventilation questions

but, so you don't have to wait: DO NOT USE THE HOSES THAT COME WITH A PORTABLE A/C - especially the exhaust - go to home depot and buy insulated 6" ducting - the amount of radiant heat coming from the hose is greater than the ability of the a/c to cool.

desertrat said:

that's a pretty creative idea. i might have to give that a try myself. as for making it work, depends on how handy you are. you can get a sheet metal rectangular to circular adapter at home depot that is used to connect a heating register to the household hvac and then use copious amounts of duct tape to seal it.

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This is what I did to a window unit, I bought cheap sheet metal adapters and attached them to my window A/C unit, and ran it into my grow room, here are some pics:

View attachment 977077View attachment 977078


Edit: I do have a 300 cfm fan pushing hot air into the A/C unit, I don't think it needs it, the fan on the A/c unit is pretty strong. I do have about 10 feet of ducting in and out of the A/C, so it's just piece of mind really...JR

Nice JR, I was about a hair away from making a Frankenstein of a monster today at home depot. I had probly 50 bucks worth of ducting attachments in my hand ready to make this happen and I wasn't happy with my selection of available poeces to work with, I thought that if I was goingt o do it I might as well get it right. I couldn't find a Y attachment for one, only T's... and nothing that went 6'' to 8'', and no 8'' ducting either! I'll just have to find a place with all the stuff and order it, anyone know a good supplier, I use, htgsupply, 4hydroponics, and globalgrow.com


Edit #1:Bingo
But i would still have to buy a flange to go up to 8'', this is what I need though, I think I'll have to go up to 8'' from the two hoses, one from the ac is pumping out air and is 5'' going to a 6'' duct now, the one coming from the light is 6'' so if I'm blowing from two 6'' I think I need to make the direction I want the air to go the path of least resistance... holding out for the correct equipment is hard to do when you want it all done yesterday, but I'll be damned if doing it right the first time isn't always the way to go.
I'd be having a conniption fit if things weren't nominal as they are now anyway, I think I hit 85 once today (when I wasn't goofing around and leaving the tent open to long) The temps are ranging from 74 degrees with the lights off to 85 with them on. I can totaly understand why you would just hang it up in the summer time in a warm climate, I might just try to do the same and only grow in the winter when I can leave the big fans off and just let my light be the heater... dang temp is a bitch...
Edit #2: Dang, double bingo, 4hydroponics comes through again! They even have the 8" to two 6"!!!

jrinlv said:

This is what I did to a window unit

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great job.

and theRuiner -think about using backdraft preventers at your y junctions to keep a strong fan from overcoming the design and pushing air the wrong way. you can probably even use a t junction if you have backdraft protection.

Dang, don't tell me that! That's even more money I have to spend now!
Thanks man, and.... skadouche this place is the shit man, I'm tellin' you guys, good quality and nice prices!

So, in the end, is the optimal filtration happening when the carbon filter is IN the tent (sucking tent air in through carbon filter, passing it over the bulb, and out of the tent?)

My only concern with this setup is that the warm air in the tent passing over the bulb won't cool the bulb enough...

Harorld said:

So, in the end, is the optimal filtration happening when the carbon filter is IN the tent (sucking tent air in through carbon filter, passing it over the bulb, and out of the tent?)

My only concern with this setup is that the warm air in the tent passing over the bulb won't cool the bulb enough...

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Currently, I have the filter inside the tent, connected directly to the 170cfm fan and the ducting running directly to the light hood (through a 180 degree bend) and then out the light hood and out of the tent. It is working quite well cooling the bulb and removing any smell. I don't smell anything standing outside the tent. Keep in mind that I am venting in a air conditioner to help with temps, so that is the main reason my temps are staying where I want them, when the door is opened the temps shoot up to the low-mid 80's. Ambient outside the tent is usually 85-90 f

Someone pointed out that I should try to position the filter so that I only have a 90 degree bend in the duct and that I should put the fan on the other side of the light hood to get even better results. This is what I will do after this grow is finished, I'm not going too bother doing it now because this current setup is doing the job, I even installed a fan speed controller and dialed it down about 25% to prevent creating a vacuum in the tent, and it's still cooling and filtering smell well enough to be ok in my book.

So to shorten that answer, yes.

Here is how I vent my DR120W with 600w hps

[video=youtube;O9GSOi7eFmE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9GSOi7eFmE[/video]

It pulls air through a carbon filter into a cool tube, through a 6" inline fan rated at 435cfm and out of the tent. You will need way more than 170cfm to pull the heat out of that tent.

Good luck, I worked for weeks to get the tent dialed in but once you do it's just water and wait

there is some good stuff on here. im having issues with my temps and exhaust and think this might be the thread to ask dont wanna high jack the thread so if you would like to help please check out my thread " Heat Issues- Gl80 " thanks alot I really like the ac uint mods. and am sub'd