OK, I'm in the basement in the Midwest and we are getting some very nipply days and nights. When my girls are in the dark the flower room is dropping down to the 55 to 60 degree mark. Lights on is 73 to 77. The question I have is, can I shut down my exhaust fan that draws in the basement air during lights out? I will still have a circulation fan blowing but there won't be any air exchange going on for 12 hours. I can use a small electric heater to increase temps but I feel it will all be a waste due to the exhaust drawing the heat out and pulling in colder air? Please advise! Yields are being severely affected!!
Sounds like you're in a tough spot... there's no easy solution. You're moving in the right direction by trying to control temperatures though - I would recommend trying to shut off the exhaust, and checking on them as often as possible while the heater is on. Is there any way you can heat the air being drawn into the room?
Funny you should mention that. I thought about putting the space heater outside my intake port and putting it on a 12/12 timer but opposite the lights. Thanks. Let you know.
Be careful of humidity changes. I don't know what your grow setup looks like, but you should keep an eye on humidity levels. You may be able to set the heater at a particular distance away from the intake fan, so that the temperature of the air coming in is more diffused and doesn't affect humidity too much. Something like this will come in handy: Amazon.com: Acu Rite Indoor Humidity Monitor: Home & Kitchen Not endorsing this product, just the functions it can offer you for your circumstances.
Well it sounds kind of normal temps for an indoor grow room but keep in mind that plants usually when thwre outdoors usually fluxuate between the temps u mentioned but if ur doing hydro then yes i would be concerned because its the water that is chilling and that is a major poblems in hydro but if ur using soil i wouldnt worrie as much exept for humidity! Hope this helps
I have some wiggle room in regards to RH. It fluctuates from 25%-38%, based on if I watered of not that day.
Well I'm doing an organic SOG. 4 plants out every week. I am using 6"x8" nursery pots. I had this issue come up in early December last year. Except it was a soil temp issue due to the pots being to close to the basement floor. I raised them using milk crates and voila, issue solved. Now the air coming in thru the passive vent is chilling the root zone to the point of growth being stunted and causing some nutrients to become unavailable.