Hey all, I've been doing a ton of reading as of late and decided to try my first grow. I got a couple seeds from Attitude on the way. I'm using 2 30 gal rubbermaid tubs for a stealth grow to stick in my closet and I have some concerns about the reflective material I'm using. I couldn't find mylar tape, so I went with an emergency blanket instead. I lined the inside of one of the tubs, but I find it's extremely difficult to line it without having wrinkles in the blanket. Is this a problem? I can keep it flat on the long sides, but the short sides are nearly impossible to keep wrinkle free and especially on the corners. If it IS a problem, I need some ideas on how to correct it. If I can't correct it using the emergency blanket (which is a major pain in the ass to work with) then I guess my next best option would be to use a flat white paint? I already spray painted the insides black. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'd like to avoid having to buy more materials as I've already spent a hefty amount and still have yet to purchase the soil and nutes. Thanks!
Ok so I ditched the emergency blanket and picked up a couple cans of flat white spray paint. Now my concern is light leak. I don't want a glowing box in my closet. Having 1 layer of the emergency blanket wasn't enough to block out all the light produced from just 2 bulbs (I'll be running 6). I guess I'll just paint the insides white and if it doesn't block it out then I'll have to either add more white paint or paint the outside black.
Ok now I have a question about my fan placement. I have 3 120mm fans rated at 54CFM, 2 120mm @ 64 CFM and at least 5 or so 80mm fans (don't have CFM rating on hand). I was wondering if the diagram I posted would be enough to get sufficient airflow through the box. I can fit 2 more 80mm fans on the 14 gal tub that's sitting on top. Should I attach 2 120mm fans to the top of the carbon filters or can I just have all my exhaust fans coming out the 14 gal tub on top?
Fan placement is all about moving air out. Test different setups put a small space heater in there on low if you want to test fan placement and take temp readings. I only use a couple 80mm fans for my clone cabinet to move air inside and to vent out 4 13W CFLs and a 15W water pump. It does the job. What are the bulb wattages? If I were you I would do some testing on which fan placement works the best, everyone can tell you their opinion but you can actually test it.
Good point. They are 26W CFL's. I don't have a heater atm, though I think I will get one later down the road to help keep the temperature up during the hours the bulbs are off. Ambient temps are pretty cold here at night. I suppose I could just stick the bulbs in there for the heat and test it that way. The test would be to see if the fans are strong enough to draw air through the carbon filters. I have the holes cut out for the 120mm fans, I just have to figure out how I want to mount them. I was thinking just a couple long screws and nuts to hold the fan in place and tape any cracks. Anyway, once I have the holes cut out for the carbon filters I'll go ahead and give it a test. Thanks for the input.
Reason I say use a heater is to artificially inflate the temps higher to a normalized level say 85 degrees then turn off heater vent air and time how long it takes to get down to say 75 or ambient temps. It will give you an idea of what is working best. I wouldn't buy a heater just for that and I wouldn't heat the room unless its dropping more than 15-20 degrees below morning or afternoon temps. My flowering room ranges between 70-78 during day and 55-65 at night.
Ok I got the carbon filter in place as well as the 3 120mm fans in place. I don't think they were pulling any air through the filter at all. I then installed a 120mm fan on top of the carbon filter and barely felt any air going through. I guess the PC fans just won't cut it, at least the ones I have. I was really hoping I could get the ventilation taken care of with leftover parts, but it looks like I'll have to buy a new fan. I was looking at this one Inductor 6 In. In-Line Duct Booster Fan - DB206 at The Home Depot It's rated at 160CFM and I figured even if I lose half the rated CFM, 80 would still be sufficient. I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible so if anyone has any suggestions for a better one at equal price or cheaper please chime in! Thanks Edit: Oh and I just noticed that I'm using the carbon filter that you designed Bohbo. Great design, thank you for your contribution.
You bet, check my ventilation FAQ I just put up night before last. It explains why PC fans won't pull through a filter well. I would avoid that duct booster as its just a larger PC fan essentially.