grow room issues

I might be ditching my plans to use CFLs before I even start. I can get double the lumens and use the same amount of juice with a 400w HPS/MH set up. I planned on using a 4" inline fan anyhow that pulls 160cfm in my 44 cu ft room. Now that im using a cool tube should I bump my fan up to a 6"? 380cfm is kinda overkill for 44 cu ft but ill be pulling through a carbon scrubber and i might be running the duct from the basement up the chimney so maybe i need the extra cfm. Also.....ive only got roughly 4.5' of height to work with. Is that going to be a problem with HID? My hydro tub is 12" tall so im down to 3.5" of grow room.

Kinda torn on ballast too. Mag or digital? what brand? dimmable? I want something quiet and doesnt mess with RF. Same with my fan....I want it quiet! Any brands to stay away from?

Your tub is 12" tall.. you will loose another 8" for pots and you need to keep your lights 10-12" from the top of the canopy.. Leaves you 22", that is not a lot of room at all for HID. Plan on doing a lot of training/SCROG. A bigger fan will be better for noise and since you are pulling a long distance through a carbon filter. Spend a little more on the fan and also get a speed controller, a Variac Autotransformer is best since it works well with fans and wont shorten their life.

I like digital ballasts, but do not have enough experience to recommend a brand.

My net pots are cut into the top of the tub so the total height is 12". I'm leaning towards a can max fan with speed control. I've read good things about them and I also need to read up on scrog cause I'm gonna have to turn these plants into pretzels!

It seems like I have heard not to vent in a chimney not sure so don't quote me but it is definitely worth looking into any problems that might occur because of it.

I'm piping it inside the chimney all the way up so its ok. It's a dead chimney. It's only got a 3inch gas vent in it and nothing else so plenty of room for a 6" pipe

Don't vent into a furnace..

chimney will be fine.

Your not giving your self much height. I would def top your plants a few times. Not just once. Or look into scrog.

What is your width and size of the rest of the area?

its roughly 3x3. Ive got a few feet off to the side im going to use for my fans/timers/ducting. I might look into finding a lower profile tub. I wish I had a better space but this one is the stealthiest spot in the house. Its got it all, water within 2 feet, drain within 2 feet completely hidden from view. Once the mag locks are installed ill be the only one able to open it.......that is to say if they can find the opening.

3x3 is decent.

Like you said. I Would def look into scrog to get the most out of your area.

get a digital dim able ballast. Just in case you need to drop it down. Extra hot day ect. Or can jack it up on cooler days.

they are so cheap now and so many offer 5 year warranties. Htg is really good about backing their stuff And prices are right.

brighter / cooler / quiet



A quality bulb really helps too.

Even the cheap eBay digitalis are dim able. 5 year warranty and only 80$ for a 600w.


Bleed

here is a pic of my tub set up. I sure hope this is doable with the space i have otherwise ill scrap it and look into a more "lower profile" method. If my current tub will work with scrog ill just roll with it.

Let me ask you this. Are you stuck on hydro?

I guess I'm open to suggestions. I'm kind of a gadget guy and like technical stuff that's why I want to do hydro

Soil is way easier to start, also not as much noise

I am the same way but still stuck with soil to get started, it also might be a better use of your limited height.

Good points.


I was aiming more towards heat.
Gonna have to keep the water cool.
keeping cool is gonna be you enemy a bit.


Plus ph monitoring and all that comes with it.


Most ppl choose hydro for speed of growth and size.
I don't see you needing that. A lot of stress/hassle for what?


If you went soiless-or even soil there would be a lot of benefits for your setup.


less stress if your just starting. Make it easy. You will get just as much/strong/taste as hydro


A big one is heat. Soil handles warmer spaces a lot better. Much Cheaper.

easier to work with in confined spaces.




if you want my opinion. I say ditch the hydro go with some soil- soiless mix.


i have done many different setups with both.


If I was doing your space I would run- soiless with your choice of nutrients organic/synthetic.


i would get a 400w hps/cheap air cooled hood. Digital ballast. 400 cfm fan sucking the grow room air through the hood and out.

Have a nice sized hole somewhere for your intake. As long as the air your sucking in is 70 degrees or lower you will be fine.

Then just scrog your setup out corner to corner. Hand water.

my two cents

Also you could plant them bed style and add a lot of needed height

100% agree with Bleeze on warm water, big no no. Will cause all kinds of things to grow in your res.

You could do an auto watering hempy grow like this guy.. Still got techy stuff, more forgiving but you will still need to keep an eye on your res.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/703969-7th-grow-hempy-bucket-w.html

Thanks guys. As I want to be successful I will take your advice. At least for awhile until I get my feet wet and get a better grasp on my hydro setup. I'll have to read up on soiless. That's one I'm not familiar with

It's basically an artificial soil made up of peat moss and perlite. I like that because it comes with nothing it. Sterile. No bugs or eggs waiting to ruin your grow. Normal soils/potting soils are known for this.

Then there is control. Seeings it's sterile i decide when/what/and how much my plants get as far as food/water.

It is hand watered hydro in a sense.

Look into air pots. You want the most amount of oxygen posable (to an extent) available to the roots.

For soil (not really soil)- Promix hp or bx-or sunshine #4. I always prep my soil with more perlite. 1 large bag of perlite per 3.8 cubic feet of soil.

This is a good middle man between straight soil / hydro grows. I have tried many different systems. Aeroponics/rdwc ect..

This is always what i come back to. Simple and stress free. They grow super fast. i can leave my house for 4 days and not need to have gizmos hooked up waiting to fail. To me its all about simple and clean.

I can walk you through everything. Answer any Q's you need. Or just check out my grow and follow if you so choose.

Good Luck


just my two cents

What size of pots should I get for my size room? What type of nutrients/brands do you recommend?

I've found a few different economy light set ups on eBay. In my little 3x3 space should I just use a cool tube with the little wing reflector or get one with the large reflector that would damn near cover the whole space?

I power and Apollo are two brands I've found on the cheap. They both get mixed reviews. Apollo comes with 2 mh and 2 hps bulbs, cool tube, hangers and ballast for like $150

I've also got a few books on the way.

How many plants are you gonna scrog?


You will be ok with just the cool tube.

Plus it will help with height..


just make sure the ballast has a warranty