Fresh air into grow room?

nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
I don't have a hepa filter or a strong enough fan yet to pull fresh air directly from outside. Growing in upper Michigan basement. Its about to get cold and be winter so I can't pull freezing cold air into my basement all winter either. I need to upgrade my cheap fans and get 2 better fans and a carbon scrubber and hepa intake filter for when it's not winter but I'll worry about that tax season when I have the extra cash too. For now I have cheap fans with no filters. But I need fresher air going in my basement. Can I drill a hole in my floor and pull air from upstairs downstairs I'm my basement? Will that be considered fresher air for my plants? Temps and humidity are in check for now but worried about them not getting any fresh air down in a basement? Help please
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
I don't have a hepa filter or a strong enough fan yet to pull fresh air directly from outside. Growing in upper Michigan basement. Its about to get cold and be winter so I can't pull freezing cold air into my basement all winter either. I need to upgrade my cheap fans and get 2 better fans and a carbon scrubber and hepa intake filter for when it's not winter but I'll worry about that tax season when I have the extra cash too. For now I have cheap fans with no filters. But I need fresher air going in my basement. Can I drill a hole in my floor and pull air from upstairs downstairs I'm my basement? Will that be considered fresher air for my plants? Temps and humidity are in check for now but worried about them not getting any fresh air down in a basement? Help please
Click to expand...
Do you have hot water / boiler heat or forced air or GWHP or other ?
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
I have a hot water natural gas heater and natural gas furnace
Click to expand...
OK almost all Michigan basements have fresh air coming in ...most it's unless grandfathered in over 25 plus years my best guess
but if yours has no such intake it shouldn't be too difficult , but in mine I have an older block home and incoming air is the least of my problems LOL
Dogs, family, friends I need a swinging door
So I doubt you are lacking fresh air
Did you know every time your water heater ignites you are inducing CO2 into your home for the first 4o to 50 seconds ?
It is a nice thing to include in a non-sealed grow
 
meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
hello fellow northerners! I am growing in a northern WI basement so will be going through the same issues.. I have been thinking about NOT venting to the outside... also I heat with propane... doesnt that give off CO2 as a by product? anyway to SAFELY harvest that lol? just seems like something that could be harnessed.
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
hello fellow northerners! I am growing in a northern WI basement so will be going through the same issues.. I have been thinking about NOT venting to the outside... also I heat with propane... doesnt that give off CO2 as a by product? anyway to SAFELY harvest that lol? just seems like something that could be harnessed.
Click to expand...
It is the same natural or propane most non-high efficiency water heaters produce co2 until the chimney warms , so I don't upgrade to high efficiency as the fan eliminates this aspect
Not a particularly safe method but common for decades
 
nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
I do feel like I'm lacking fresh air though. Windows boarded up so no-one can break in. i feel the basement is sealed pretty darn good and I don't feel any draft at all down there, I don't know how fresh air is coming in without an intake? I have a portable heater also for winter. I might need to get a humidifier too this winter cuz humidity drops like crazy in my basement once winter hits.
 
nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
I figure if I pull air from upstairs in the house it could bring heat down to the basement and maybe save on my heater running this winter also
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
I do feel like I'm lacking fresh air though. Windows boarded up so no-one can break in. i feel the basement is sealed pretty darn good and I don't feel any draft at all down there, I don't know how fresh air is coming in without an intake? I have a portable heater also for winter. I might need to get a humidifier too this winter cuz humidity drops like crazy in my basement once winter hits.
Click to expand...
LOL
If your house is that airtight you will need a CO2 detector in every room ...in other words you would be dead J/K
but seriously all new heating codes require fresh air intakes , they usually are nothing more than 8 inch static intakes into the cold air return
 
nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
And buy a carbon filter and scrub the smell and vent to the outside and pull air from the outside in with a hepa filter and some better new fans tax time so when spring comes I'll be ready to make better ventilation down there and just pull fresher air from the house in the winter
 
nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
Herb & Suds said:
LOL
If your house is that airtight you will need a CO2 detector in every room ...in other words you would be dead J/K
but seriously all new heating codes require fresh air intakes , they usually are nothing more than 8 inch static intakes into the cold air return
Click to expand...
Oh so my furnace and or water heater brings fresh air inside my basement somehow?
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
Oh so my furnace and or water heater brings fresh air inside my basement somehow?
Click to expand...
Your furnace will if you cut a fresh air opening into the return air
In my case I have sealed my return air thru a massive activated charcoal filter and a 12 inch fan
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
Oh so my furnace and or water heater brings fresh air inside my basement somehow?
Click to expand...
I’m in a northern mi basement for my rooms, however I had geothermal installed for my house and grow rooms. There should be some sort of fresh air intake on you furnace. They have to have them on any furnace of any style for as long as I can remember.
 
nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
Lordhooha said:
I’m in a northern mi basement for my rooms, however I had geothermal installed for my house and grow rooms. There should be some sort of fresh air intake on you furnace. They have to have them on any furnace of any style for as long as I can remember.
Click to expand...
Do I have to do anything or it does it do it itself on its own?
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
Do I have to do anything or it does it do it itself on its own?
Click to expand...
If you look from your furnace there should be a smaller (about 4” ) ducting going from your furnace to outside. Or you can look outside of your house and there should be a square coming off the side of the house maybe a few inches. It should look something like the pic. When the furnace kicks on it sucks air from outside or like mine I keep my fan on my geo on continuous so it’s always bringing in fresh air. There’s a picture of my upstairs thermostat fan is simply on.
 

Attachments

nicksol86

nicksol86

Well-Known Member
Lordhooha said:
If you look from your furnace there should be a smaller (about 4” ) ducting going from your furnace to outside. Or you can look outside of your house and there should be a square coming off the side of the house maybe a few inches. It should look something like the pic. When the furnace kicks on it sucks air from outside or like mine I keep my fan on my geo on continuous so it’s always bringing in fresh air. There’s a picture of my upstairs thermostat fan is simply on.
Click to expand...
Don't have anything on the outside of my house like that at all. Maybe it uses the chimney? IDK. It's a old ass house built in the copper mining days in the u.p.
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
nicksol86 said:
Don't have anything on the outside of my house like that at all. Maybe it uses the chimney? IDK. It's a old ass house built in the copper mining days in the u.p.
Click to expand...
Got yah. Even with your windows boarded and such you will still have a good bit of fresh air from somewhere. My father in law has an old wood burning stove an gets fresh air in the house via the blower setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top