Proper ventilation for tent

Gents,

Just picked up this grow tent on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Worth-Hydro-Shanty-Hydroponics/dp/B005EG3FFM/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313771384&sr=1-10

I plan to grow vegetables in it. I'm not kidding. I figured medicinal and recreational growers would have the most experience of any demographic in discrete, practical ventilation, so I figured I'd ask whether anyone had any suggestions.

I already have this — http://www.amazon.com/LED-Wholesalers-GYO2402-Hydroponic-Booster/dp/B003YFADW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313771549&sr=8-1 — in this 1000w hood — http://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Sun-VS1000DS-Digital-Ballast/dp/B004DDX9B2/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313771597&sr=1-4 — just spasmodically blowing air throughout the tent. I'm currently keeping the flaps wide open because obviously I've got venting issues. I'd like to keep it around 65-80 degrees if possible; it sits in my living room, and obviously I'm not dealing with a lot of the smells that you guys often encounter, so I won't have to worry about filtering the air. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance; out and about right now, but I'll check back later.

that should be fine if you do decide to keeps the flaps open, but you should add some ventilation just in case, plus its better for the plants, stronger stems

Sir.SmokeAl0t said:

that should be fine if you do decide to keeps the flaps open, but you should add some ventilation just in case, plus its better for the plants, stronger stems

Click to expand...

Thanks; yeah, I'm growing bhut jolokias outside right now after having moved them out from under flourescents a couple months ago, and the stems quadrupled in diameter after just a few days in strong winds. I live in a northern climate, so I have a short growing season. I'd probably be doing exactly what ya'll are doing, but I'm locked into a career arc that is rather unfriendly to slip ups with the law .

I just moved the light to the corner of the tent and set up the booster fan so that it pulls the air out, but (1) it's brutally loud; and (2) it's ugly . This is all a hobby, so it'll be a work in progress, but I want to maximize the yield from my winter crop; I've got 3 dwarf citrus trees that won't punch out fruit for a year, at least, but I've also got a bunch of pepper seedlings and a banana plant. The goal is to vine sugar pumpkins out of the tent itself along the rafters in my living room, but I'm not sure if they'll fruit without light on the leaves that are actually proximate to the fruit.

you want a fan with atleast 192 cfm but i would go with a 6 inch inline (ruck or RVK are good) with about 450 cfm to cool that 1000 hps down, also buying a cool shade for your light will help alot! try without the coolshade first to see your temps.

also if your worried about noise use acoustic ducting

just noticed youve already got the hood so the fan above will do the job

another good idea, perhaps turn the fan around n make it an exhaust and, the intake will become passive, and the exhaust will lower the pressure inside the tent a little if theres enough intake resistance it will lower temps from the pressure drop alone

Thanks for the prompt responses, and sorry for the belated nature of my own. The 240 cfm booster fan from Amazon I linked above is just too loud. It's going to have to continue roaring away for now, as I'm broke until early September, but sooner or later (preferably sooner) i'm going to replace it with something more reasonable, as this is right in my living room. The way I have it set up kind of resembles what you suggested, Hank; I have the light at the center of the tent with the fan venting the cool tube out the front flaps (I'll pick up some ducting and run it out the vent soon). The pressure drop idea is interesting; I took a couple undergrad physics courses, and that makes total sense from the paucity of thermo i learned. Presumably I'd have to minimize the passive intake without doing so *too* much, right? That is, if I sealed the tent too tightly, it would just put way too much stress on the exhaust fan, correct?

I need to learn the difference between these fans, as well as a lot of other stuff; when I picked it up, I didn't realize it was simply meant to augment already moving air. Anyways, thanks again! I'll keep checking this, and am gonna google around RIU for similar threads.

Edit: Thanks for the suggestion regarding acoustic ducting, Rob. I'll check that out.

Editx2: As long as I'm here, I should probably point out that the tent is 96x48x78, and has plenty of intake/exhaust flaps. Really seemed like a decent deal for $200.

Editx3: A thought: immediately behind where the tent currently sits, there's a kitchen fan that goes into the household ducting (I'm in an apartment). Presumably, I could use that for exhaust (not the fan itself, which is probably too weak, but the vent).

yes if you really are only growing vegetables! if your growing the herb then its a high risk move if you've got no carbon filter, even with a filter its high risk if the filter should fail in the future, you will stink the hole apartment block out. good luck