RUI I need you now more than ever. Please Help.

ok so i built a cfl growbox and got everything ready to go and got my seeds germed. I got a thermometer the day i put the seedlings in and i was reading as high as temps in the 90s!!! I was just venting from the box to the closet so i drilled a hole in my floor and ducted my exhaust out of the room. I can now sustain an 85-86 temp, Which is not good but not horrible as it could be. The problem is its 40 degrees outside and in a few weeks it could get as high as 80. The closet is attached to my bedroom which i can control with a portable ac but im at like 65-68 in the room so i cant really do that till it starts to get hot. Im running out of time,money, and ambition for this project so i could really use some advice. Pic 1 is the inside looking at the filter compartment which i taped of so it must draw from the top of the box. Pic 2 is my girls! Pic 3 is the box from my bedroom. Pic 4 is the ventilation running from the dresser to the totes in which i have 3 12" DIY mufflers, then ducted thru the floor in the corner. Pic 5 is my girls in their comparment next to the filter compartment. Pic 6 is another ventilation shot. Pic 7 is the top of my light hood (which is 8 cfl bulbs wired together thru a sheet of tinfoil to chicken wire) which is chained to the ceiling. Usually I can rig about anything but i have tried most of what i can think of and its just not enough i think i need to be under 80 at least with outside temps cold like they are to be ready for summer. My only 2 other ideas are to add a $20 80ish cfm booster fan partway thru the ducting ( which im not sure will help im running a 170cfm centr. fan with 12in phat filter in that filter compartment, followed by about 15ft of duct and mufflers). Another thought was to rewire all the cfl bulbs into a hood made of one of those disposable lasagna pans with a duct going out the top and strait to the filter. For that i would just have to totally seal the filter compartment except for the duct that would run between the compartment and the light hood( this idea means my lights would be restricted another 4 in lower for the ducting and i already have about 34in for the plants to grow max after i figure in the pots and lights as they are).

What kind of exhaust fan are you using? And, where/how big are the intake holes? What's in those blue totes, is that a diy carbon scrubber or what?

Don't give up, plenty of folks grow in cabs about that size (and even smaller). 85-86 deg is not that bad, I'm sure with a few modifications you can get your temps in the right range.

sorry i didnt give details i was editing them in while u posted also i have one 4in intake you can see with a small fan forcing air in, also i made this thing with as little leaks as i could but its far from airtight.

First thing I would try is to remove all of the diy mufflers from the ventilation system, then see what effect that has on the temps. I'm guessing that they're seriously restricting your airflow. Depending on what you get by removing them all, you may be able to put one or two of them back and still maintain decent temps. You have too much ductwork and too many filters, imo. Since you're only at the start of your grow, this is the time when you can experiment with fewer filters (or none) and not have to worry about odor control.

I can't tell from the pics exactly what kind of fans you're using...are they pc fans, or regular centrifugal-type exhaust fans...or some other kind?

Also, I would try some weatherstripping or whatnot to make your cab as airtight as possible. You want the vast majority of your air to come in through the intake, and go out thru the exhaust.

getting the twists and turns out of your ventilation system will help improve your air flow too. maybe put the ac in the closet with its exhaust dumping into your room.

ok well i could try less mufflers but i cant really cut down on the ducting i just need what i need. And it can't be real loud so i need some muffling but i could def take one off maybe two i never realized that would slow me down so much. Also only running one filter a 4x12 phat filter, which has to stay cause i will HAVE to have it later, so if this doesnt work now it wont really work then either. Im using a 4in centrifugal 170cfm for exhaust and a 5 in personal fan for the intake, dont know cfm but its moving quite a bit of air, also another personal fan pulling air into the filter chamber from the main one. I weatherstripped the door and and caulked the big cracks I think im gonna try caulking of more of the seams tonight or tomorrow to help. Will make these changes tonight. Thanks so much for the help im really frustrated and its nice to have a helping hand... If you got other ideas or changes based on the info i gave let me know otherwise il post back tonight after I make changes.

and i cant do that with the ac its too big and i cant cut holes other than in the floor cause its a rented house and i cant have people asking questions if they come in my room and the door will be shut if all goes well. (and obviously im gonna try to keep everyone out of my room, but shit happens)

reggae234 said:

ok well i could try less mufflers but i cant really cut down on the ducting i just need what i need. And it can't be real loud so i need some muffling but i could def take one off maybe two i never realized that would slow me down so much. Also only running one filter a 4x12 phat filter, which has to stay cause i will HAVE to have it later, so if this doesnt work now it wont really work then either. Im using a 4in centrifugal 170cfm for exhaust and a 5 in personal fan for the intake, dont know cfm but its moving quite a bit of air, also another personal fan pulling air into the filter chamber from the main one. I weatherstripped the door and and caulked the big cracks I think im gonna try caulking of more of the seams tonight or tomorrow to help. Will make these changes tonight. Thanks so much for the help im really frustrated and its nice to have a helping hand... If you got other ideas or changes based on the info i gave let me know otherwise il post back tonight after I make changes.

Click to expand...

Right, I understand about the necessity of the phat filter. I wasn't suggesting to remove the filters permanently, just temporarily in order to gauge how much restriction you're experiencing from the mufflers. Putting them back in one at a time after that will give you more info that should help you decide what exactly you'll need for this particular setup. You may just have more filtering than you really need, but we can't tell until you remove some and see if it brings your temps down. Clearly, you're not getting 170 cfm from your setup the way it is now, or the temps would be much lower. Dialing in a system like this just requires some experimentation, and this is a good time to do it.

The 170 cfm fan that you already have should be more than sufficient for this sized cab...not sure if the intake fans are even necessary, and I believe many folks here would recommend just passive air intake. If you can't shorten the length of ducting, I would at least try to straighten out some of those bends as much as possible, since they will restrict airflow as well.

Also, a pic of the "insides" of the mufflers might be helpful in diagnosing the problem.

You CAN fix this problem, I have no doubt.

sounds like you know your shit ... you may just have to invest in a better fan and seal it up better . If none of the obove helps it may be last good option ...

cool gotta go to class and work il get back on rui with updates in 8 hrs or so hopefully. And as a sidenote the intake fan was just to promote cold air coming in from the floor since i know my seals are not all they could be.

ok i spent the last 3 hours tearing out all the lights.foil, and divider. I then caulked the fuck out of every seal in that thing so now the only thing that can possibly leak is the door. I got the foil, filter compartment, as well as the top light rack and the LED panels reinstalled. My partner in crime never helped cause he got called in to work so i never even got to the ventilation mods. Im beat and im gonna call that a day, at least now i know i dont have leaks in all the joints (and there were definitely plenty). Im gonna have to tackle the ventilation tomorrow night. Once I do I will get some more pics up. Now im gonna go smoke the most purply sticky dankest weed I have ever laid eyes on. Happy 420 to all and to all a good night.

Alright man, no worries, you'll get that cab squared away in no time.
Enjoy the sticky

well camera is on the fritz but the reseal seems to have dropped the temp to 82-83, i just reworked the ducting and now the temp is slowly going down. Im at 79.8. This is only with 8 cfls and the 2 led panels so hopefully it keeps going down so i can add a couple more bulbs but that lighting will do i suppose if i cant get temps down further, thanks for all the help. I will post back with pics sometime soon.

if you RAISE our exit duct to the top of the grow cap, you will get more of the heated air out. You said the Duct is at the bottom right? well heat rises...

looking like a steady 80 degrees now, and i have to duct out the bottom but if u look at the pics the filter has its own sealed compartment so the only place it can draw from is the top of the cab, so in effect I am drawing from the top, but thanks for the idea man. Anybody else got any ideas to bring the temps down further, the ducting is now as linear and unfiltered as i can have it, I also have virtually no leaks. I would like to get the temps down even more so i can play with the lighting.