Inline Fan Set-Up Advice

I have a 6 pot system set up in my closet and my 400 watt apollo grow light is kicking out some heat. I ordered a HYDROFARM 8in Inline Fan to help keep the temp down. Never used or set up a fan like this, any advice would be very helpfull.

Should i vent into the attic or out a window?

Is cutting a hole in my ceiling gonna be a pain in the ass?

How safe are these inline fans and do they use alot of electricity?

Any other alternatives to keeping temp down instead of this fan?

My current setup in pictured below

View attachment 2673788

If you blow into attic you will be detectable via thermal imaging device and infrared thermometer gun. Go out the window and figure out how to do it stealth. There is only one way in the world to do that in a super stealthy way. I figured it out and I'm sure others have as well but if you do figure it out you must never tell because Leo will put that on their checklist. The super stealthy and secure way of doing it is not the window box/ Venetian blind method from the 1800 watt European grow video( the one where they grow the strain K2). Some think this is the most stealth way but I know from experience it isn't.

that is a big fan you ordered , do you realize you will need to bring fresh air in also, No fresh air no = no temp drop and also slow growth. and also I assume you have a door to keep light out .have you checked for light leakage.

as far as ducting the fan , I can help you but would need to no more ,the picture does help like actual size lenth,width and height of closet ,also do you know if you have a gable vented roof in attic or ridge vented roof. the last thing is what is on either sides of the closet walls and also back wall of closet.

gtran said:

Is cutting a hole in my ceiling gonna be a pain in the ass?
How safe are these inline fans and do they use alot of electricity?

Click to expand...

My 8 inch centrifugal fan pulls about 250 watts wide open. I run it at about half speed and it pulls just over 140 watts.
If you are in an internal closet I would go into the ceiling attic personally. If you have an external wall in your closet going outside w/a hood would be best. IMO

I do construction though so cutting holes in walls and ceilings are old hat for me. Sounds like you are pretty limited in your construction skills. So Going through the wall maybe a bit trickier for you esp. if you have vinyl siding or something similar. It is not really that hard but If you go hacking through vinyl w/a sawzall you may not like the outcome.

The ceiling should be much easier and more stealthy for sure. Go into your attic and find where your closet is pull back all the insulation around the area. The more room you clear the less will fall into your closet when you start cutting. Do you have a light fixture or something on the ceiling in your closet? This would give you a great starting point to find out where exactly you want to cut.

Make sure there are no wires where you intend on running your duct.

If you have drywall you can get one of these at loweshttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenlee-6-Keyhole-Saw-Drywall-Ceiling-Tile-Wood-Plastic-Jab-Saw-301A-/170983573363?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cf6a4773


If you are in a turn of the century home w/ plaster and lathe I would use a circular saw. Sawzalls tend to shake too much.

Anyways cart before the horse. Go check it out. Take some pictures and we can walk ya through this.

As far as the infra red and thermoimaging thing goes. You have a 6 site system with a 400 watt bulb. I highly doubt they'll be kicking your doors in anytime soon.
Good luck brother. report back when you have some more info.

Great info man and thanks again for the advice. As someone mentioned up top, if there is now fresh air going in, plants cant grow. With the inline fan i have sucking the heat from the lamp, what is the best way to get fresh air in. All i do now is leave the door open when i can and it never really goes above 80, even with the ran running 100 percent power. Also, am i better off for noise and power consumption purposes, getting a speed controller for the fan? Im pretty sure it doesnt have one and i dont want to be able to hear the fan throughout the house. Any noise reduction info

You will hear an 8 inch centrifugal fan if you run it wide open. You can use a light dimmer switch to slow it down. It is not really recommended unless your fan is made for multiple wattage's and then the speed controllers that come with the multiple wattage fans slow it down to set levels but it can be done with a light dimmer.
I have one of these It is not rated for speed controllers but It has been operating now for close to three years with no problems. Huh after looking at the specs it only pulls 195 watts not 250.



Either way it is a cheap fan the more expensive fans run quieter I am sure but slowing it down to around half speed meets my desired decibel level.

As far as getting fresh air into your closet. You have two routes as I see it.

One you could cut a hole in your floor if you have a crawlspace.(best route imo) Or you can put a return air grille on your door. something like

These also have specific cfm ratings. I do not know right off hand what size you would need to sufficiently draw enough fresh air for 750 cfm fan. If jrain, or contrap. doesn't pipe in I will go look it up on my duct calc.

Either way you decide to draw your fresh air you will have to put a light trap on it. I suppose you could also draw from outdoors but this would require you hacking into the side of your house which I presume you don't want to do.