Ventilation

COCO0419 said:

JSB99 thanks for responding; Now you said you were exhausting the air out your grow tent into your shop, so where is your fresh air coming from? Like do you have another fan, do you just have the vents at the bottom of tent open or what? Ive been doing A LOT of research and if I would of known that growing my own medical marijuana was going to entail ALL OF THIS don't think I would've started, I am TOO FAR IN NOW-financially and time spent researching to change my mind. I must admit Im starting to get scared that I may fail cause there seems to be SOOOOO MANY THINGS that could mess up your grow (ph problems, nutrient lock out, over feeding, pest control, heating problems, not enough fresh air intake, co2 like I can go on & on) and with the money Ive spent- I cant afford to mess this up. This is really frustrating and irritating me cause you go online for help and 1 person says its better to suck the heat thru the lights then somebody else will say its better to push the heat,thats just 1 example like at the end of it all im left still confused and not knowing what to do...which is why Im frustrated...this is going to be long but I need somebody to vent to (lol)! So you say to put the carbon filter in the tent from the beginning to the end...well I was under the impression that the filter was used for odor and there usually no odor till the flowering stage. Far as putting the carbon filter in I was more like wanting to keep it outside the tent due to overcrowding the tent. So does it HAVE TO BE IN THE TENT? or will it only work if its inside the tent? Don't know where youre from but I am in Pennsylvania and the weather is cold right now that's why I considered just opening the window to get fresh air into the room and just open vents or possibly putting a fan by the window, the room its in is on the second floor so I don't have to worry about intruders (lol) ok im gonna stop here although I do have more questions I will wait for my response on this...then come at you with some more questions. your response will be greatly appreciated

Click to expand...

I have some errands this morning but I'll give you a hand.

Here's the first thing...step back and take a deep breath LOL This isn't rocket science but there are some specifics that will help you get the most out of your system. Yeah, the info can be overwhelming and there are many different ways to set things up. Everyone's going to have their own opinion and if each of them states that they have great success with their setup, then that just means you have two fairly equal options to chose from, and that's pretty much going to be based on what configuration works best for your grow.

Don't panic. Be confident or you won't succeed. Know that you can do this, because so many others have...and you have to know that a few of those people are probably not as smart as the average bear. You got lots of help here and it's where I've learned (and continue to learn even after 8 years) everything I know.

BBL

JSB99---Okay so you got a few things to do cause I notice you didn't answer any of my questions so I will be waiting cause I DO NEED SOME HELP....I have all my equipment just need to know how to set it up and I would preferably want the least stuff possible in my tent.... guess I will just keep checking back im not a artist but I wanted to try and draw a picture to give you an idea of what im working with

JSB99 just tried to draw a picture NO GOOD so im just gonna see if I can upload a photo

JSB99 ---Ok I uploaded these photos from my phone that's a 4x4x6.5 theres a window in back of the tent seeing where my ports are and the one located on the top right well you can see it in the photo, or should I keep the tent facing the way it is or put it on the left side of the wall cause I was gonna exhaust out the window

COCO0419 said:

JSB99---Okay so you got a few things to do cause I notice you didn't answer any of my questions so I will be waiting cause I DO NEED SOME HELP....I have all my equipment just need to know how to set it up and I would preferably want the least stuff possible in my tent.... guess I will just keep checking back im not a artist but I wanted to try and draw a picture to give you an idea of what im working with

Click to expand...

I'm back. Yeah, I didn't answer any questions because we would have been starting you off at various places in the project when we really want to start at the beginning.

I'm going to be with you here for the afternoon. I'm going to post my stuff in chunks so that we can tackle any questions having to do with that section.

I'm trying to type while sucking down a balloon, so check back in 20 minutes and I'll have something up for you.

-Jeff

PS: Looked at your tent and it will work just fine. But I'll be going over that as well.

I'll preempt my posts my saying that I am not perfect, so if anyone notices a mistake, please chime in.

First, I need to know what equipment you've bought. I'm a firm believer in the 6 Ps (proper planning prevents piss poor performance). I've spent about 2 weeks designing my little 4x4 4-plant grow and I haven't reached for my wallet once. So when you say you have all your equipment, but you're not sure what to do...well, you get the point. Don't think I'm harpin on you, just wanted to point out that it takes a certain amount of known-how with an inside grow.

So please, list your gear for me. You may hear me tell you certain things won't work or you're missing things, so be prepared. If you want to do this right, then we have to get the proper equipment. But we all know of some great places online for deals.

I'm in the middle of planning out my system in Photoshop:




I've changed this setup tons of times, including about 6 times last night. You'll probably want to draw some basic layouts. It'll help a lot. Just draw circles and squares on some scratch paper.

The odd manifold piping from the controller is my work-around to cutting holes in my tent. I have it routed through the lower 8" port and then it drops to floor level for the buckets. Reason being is that I want to be able to drain as much as possible.

This is so incomplete so please, no critics LOL

more to come...

and this is my incomplete parts list that I'm still changing ever5y day:

BTW, I know you're not doing hydro. I just wanted to point out how much sketching things out can help, even if it's just on some scrap paper.

Okay JSB99 im gonna list the things I have purchased.....far as equipment goes! I HAVE A VIVOSUN 600 WATT HPS/MH GROW LIGHTS WITH DIGITAL DIMMIBLE BALLAST & AIR COOLED HOOD REFLECTOR SET,,,6 INCH POWERMAXX PREMIUM CHARCOAL CARBON FILTER WITH INLINE FAN COMBO AND SPEED CONTROLLER AND 32 FT OF 6INCH DUCTING

Cool, thx

You got everything you need.

Let's start with a few things and go from there:

I understand you want as much out of the tent as possible
The only thing that can sit outside the tent is the inline fan. The filter needs to be inside the tent to work. It's often recommended having your inline fan outside the tent so you don't add additional heat to the tent.

You want to keep your window open to let in fresh cool air
That's perfectly fine if you feel safe with it like that. Probably goes without saying that you should probably have a screen on the window.

In regards to the "fresh air" question, the room the tent sits in should get plenty of fresh air and co2 from the room. The powerful inline fan will be drawing from the door, vents, and anywhere else it can get it. Even if you exhaust the air into the room, you'll be fine.

How does the tent draw in air
There are a few different ways to do this. The most simple way is to use the intended air vents at the bottom of the tent. They'll have a screen to keep bugs and stuff out.
One thing to keep an eye on is if the light in the tent is off but the room has lights, close the vent flaps. You don't want light seeping into your tent when your grow light is off.

Filter placement
get some cargo straps or bungee cords and hang the filter from one of the off-center poles. This is traditionally hung from a pole off-center and behind or on the side the hood, like this:

This setup has the fan inside the tent. It's okay if you want to do it like this, but it may add some unwanted heat.

Exhaust inside the room or outside
That's up to you. If your ambient room temperature stays cool enough in the winter, then you probably won't have to open a window. In the summertime, that's a whole different story. Fighting heat is a bitch. This is when you'll have to determine your course of action. Here are some choices:

• Use your house a/c to keep the ambient temps in check in the room
• Get a window a/c just for that room (probably what I'd do)
• Get a portable a/c and vent the hot air outside. If you do this, get an insulated sleeve for the exhaust because it'll throw off a ton of heat.
• You can either vent the tent inside the room and let whichever a/c you use fight that heat (like running a portable heater in your room), or you can vent the tent air outside, which will also draw the air conditioned air outside as well. In this case, I would use a window a/c and close off any open airways into the room to keep it from drawing from the rest of your house.

You got a 600w which is perfect. When you get some experience with fighting heat and other issues, you can get a 1000w in there and really get some results. But trust me when I say that the 600w will get you plenty. The 600w is the most efficient of all the HIDs

Well, I hope that gets you on your ways. Go ahead and ask some questions if you need

Forgot to mention that the pic above is only to illustrate how to hang your fan.

The way you'll want to do yours is:


SCRUBBER-duct-HOOD-duct-TENT PORT-duct-FAN
and if you want to vent outside...
SCRUBBER-duct-HOOD-duct-TENT PORT-duct-FAN-duct-WINDOW

like this:

OK THANKS A LOT FOR RESPONDING; I like the set up you have with the filter inside the tent and the fan outside the tent!!! MY QUESTION- Is the fan PULLING everything out the tent? OR Is the fan PUSHING air thru the duct to the hood to the filter? And can that setup be reversed in the other direction?? cause I have a window to the left of the tent you have a pic of above which is the set up I would do. but I want my ending point to the left of my tent and the ending point in your setup is to the right.. I really want my fan and carbon filter outside my tent- can you explain to me WHY its not good to have fan and filter outside the tent?? I wanted to cool my air cooled hood separate from the fan and filter, if I did that would I need to get a 4inch booster fan to attach to the hood?? If I can do this, how would the set up look to do separate??? can you respond soon as possible I am trying to get my tent setup,also your information was very understandable so I THANK YOU FOR THAT..... I DONT HAVE A PROBLEM ASKING A QUESTION WHEN I DONT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING!!! LOL

JSB99- BASICALLY I HAVE A VISION OF MY SET UP : ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY TENT I WILL HAVE THE FILTER SITTING ON A TABLE THEN DUCT TO MY FAN (WHICH WILL BE MOUNTED ON THE WALL ABOVE THE FILTER IN LINE WITH THE TOP OF THE TENT) THEN DUCT THE TOP OF FAN AND PUT OTHER END OF DUCT INSIDE THE VENT ON TOP AND JUST PULL THE DRAWSTRINGS A LITTLE SO AIR WILL BE SUCKED OUT THRU THE TOP OF TENT INTO THE FILTER...THEN I WANTED TO GET A 4INCH BOOSTER FAN TO PUT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIR COOLED HOOD THEN PUT DUCTING ON LEFT SIDE OF THE HOOD AND VENT OUT THE SIDE PORT...CAN I SET IT UP LIKE THAT????

COCO0419 said:

OK THANKS A LOT FOR RESPONDING; I like the set up you have with the filter inside the tent and the fan outside the tent!!! MY QUESTION- Is the fan PULLING everything out the tent? OR Is the fan PUSHING air thru the duct to the hood to the filter? And can that setup be reversed in the other direction?? cause I have a window to the left of the tent you have a pic of above which is the set up I would do. but I want my ending point to the left of my tent and the ending point in your setup is to the right.. I really want my fan and carbon filter outside my tent- can you explain to me WHY its not good to have fan and filter outside the tent?? I wanted to cool my air cooled hood separate from the fan and filter, if I did that would I need to get a 4inch booster fan to attach to the hood?? If I can do this, how would the set up look to do separate??? can you respond soon as possible I am trying to get my tent setup,also your information was very understandable so I THANK YOU FOR THAT..... I DONT HAVE A PROBLEM ASKING A QUESTION WHEN I DONT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING!!! LOL

Click to expand...

The fan is PULLING the air from the filter and tent, not pushing (although, that is another option that we should ignore for now.

You can put your fan on any of the tent ports on the top part of the tent. They all serve the same purpose. So go ahead and go with your plan of moving the fan to the other side for your convenience.

It is a GOOD idea to have your fan OUTSIDE the tent, so you're all set there.

I would not mount your fan directly to the wall if you can avoid it. It will cause a hum in your walls from the vibration and can be pretty loud. Instead, try screwing in hooks on your ceiling to suspend the fan in air via bungee cords, rope, or straps. This will make a huge difference.


If you want to cool your hood separately from your tent, that's a whole other complex setup. It's something I would recommend looking into after you've gotten used to a setup that's a little more basic, like the one we're working on. At this point, it's not necessary and you may not ever need something like that.


And again, you want the filter/scrubber INSIDE the tent. That's where all the smelly air's going to be. Yes, there are other ways this can be done, including having it outside the tent. But this is another more complex design that wouldn't gain you anything. Your tent is perfect for suspending a scrubber, and it'll be higher than the light in the far back where it couldn't possibly interfer with anything.

Is there any reason why you're so adamant on having it outside the tent?

JSB99, THANKS AGAIN FOR RESPONDING: THE REASON I WANTED THE FAN AND FILTER OUTSIDE THE TENT WAS TO HAVE MORE SPACE INSIDE THE TENT... I DIDNT MEAN TO SAY I WANTED TO MOVE THE FAN ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY TENT, I MEANT TO SAY THAT THE FAN AND FILTER WOULD BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY TENT AND THAT WAS IN REFERENCE TO DOING THE SEPARATE SET UP..THE DIRECTION OF MY TENT IN THE PIC I SENT YOU, I CHANGED IT ..... THE FRONT OF THE TENT IS NOW FACING THE LEFT SIDE WALL ( matter of fact its facing the same way the tent is in the pic above with the filter inside and fan outside..SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, YOU SEE HOW IN THE PIC ABOVE THE DUCTING STARTS ON THE LEFT SIDE- LOOPS AROUND AND GOES OUT THE RIGHT SIDE PORT....I WANTED TO KNOW IF INSTEAD COULD THE FILTER BE TURNED AROUND SO THAT THE DUCTING WILL START ON THE RIGHT SIDE-LOOP AROUND AND GO OUT THE LEFT SIDE PORT??? SO YOUR TELLING ME THAT ALTHOUGH THE FILTER AND FAN CAN BE PUT OUTSIDE THE TENT IT INVOLVES TOO MUCH FOR A BEGINNER??? I MAY NEED TO FURTHER EDUCATE MYSELF ON CARBON FILTERS, CAUSE YOUR SAYING THE FILTER NEEDS TO BE INSIDE TO GET RID OF THE SMELLY AIR BUT IF I HAVE IT OUTSIDE THE TENT IT WILL STILL BE SUCKING THE SMELL OUT THE TENT INTO THE FILTER--RIGHT?? YOU SAID THAT THE FAN IS PULLING THE AIR FROM THE FILTER AND THE TENT, DONT UNDERSTAND--WHAT AIR IN THE FILTER? IS IT COOL AIR OR WHAT?? IM GONNA SEND A PIC OF THE FAN AND FILTER SET UP OUTSIDE THE TENT...YOUR TELLING ME NOT TO PUT THE FAN AND FILTER OUTSIDE THE TENT BUT YOU DIDNT TELL MY---WHY?? OTHER THAN ITS MORE COMPLICATING!!! THE ANSWER I WAS MORE LOOKING FOR WAS THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF NOT DOING IT AND DOING IT, SO CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT. WHAT TYPE OF HOOKS DO YOU NEED TO HANG THE FAN FROM THE CEILING??? ANOTHER REASON I WANTED TO COOL THE LIGHTS SEPARATLEY IS--- IT JUST SEEMS BETTER TO HAVE SOME FRESH COOL AIR THAN SOME STAIL AIR COMING FROM THE FILTER COOLING THE LIGHTS!! SO CAN YOU PLEASE BETTER EXPLAIN>>>IM ATTACHING A PIC OF THE FAN AND FILTER OUTSIDE THE TENT AND NEED TO KNOW WHY THIS WILL NOT WORK..... ALSO IF I DECIDED TO KEEP THE FAN AND FILTER OUTSIDE THE TENT HOW WOULD THE SET UP BE TO COOL THE LIGHTS???

This is how i have it set up but if you can convince me of WHY NOT TO DO IT THIS WAY ..I WILL DO THE SET UP WITH THE FILTER IN THE TENT AND THE FAN OUTSIDE THE TENT HANGING FROM THE CEILING....

COCO0419 said:

This is how i have it set up but if you can convince me of WHY NOT TO DO IT THIS WAY ..I WILL DO THE SET UP WITH THE FILTER IN THE TENT AND THE FAN OUTSIDE THE TENT HANGING FROM THE CEILING....

Click to expand...

You can do it the way you have it set up in the picture. However, this means you give up the ability to vent the air out of your window, and that's why I wanted you to hang it from the inside of the tent.


I'm going to try and not be insulting, and I promise you I'm not being critical when I say the following - I'm not sure you're going to have much success in doing this. Though it's not that difficult to do an indoor grow, it does require a certain amount of mechanical and problem solving skills. When I say that you should use hooks and straps or bungee cords to hang your fan from the ceiling, you should have some knowledge about hooks, what kind would work best and the size based on weight, how to use a stud sensor so that you can lag the hooks into a beam, and what strap or cord you want to use based on your hook choice. You should also be able to look at your tent and figure out that it doesn't matter which one of the top vents you use because they are all the same.

If you are absolutely determined to grow for yourself, then you must do some initial reading to understand the basics. All the information you could ever need is in these forums and that information is very easy to find. At the top of each topic there are always posts specifically for beginners. They usually say "Read this before posting any questions". You're trying to start a novel at the third chapter, my friend.

Again, not trying to be critical or anything like that. Just trying to point you in the right direction for the best success, and that means whether its even worth it to grow for yourself. Setting up your grow is just one small part of the whole process. There are so many stages between seeds/clones to curing that all require work and have their problems at one time or another, to figure out.

I imagine a lot of people who think they can grow tomatoes in their garden think it's just as easy growing cannabis via an inside grow. Then discover that there's so much work involved that it's just easier to buy it.

Try and equate this to having a chicken coup and chickens for the fresh eggs. Sure, you get fresh all-natural eggs right at home, but there's some complex planning in the beginning with researching chicken coups and chickens, and everything you have to do to maintain those chickens and keep the coup disease, mold, mildew, and critter-free.

Sometimes is just easier buying eggs at the store.

Best of luck, man.

And then imagine trying to set that chicken coup up inside your house LOL