Okay so I am making a new garden space and the problem is the temperature is all over the place, right now the average temperature is about 10-15 celsius and it is - 5 outside. The other problem is in the summer the space becomes really humid and hot.Now the room is 7.5x2.7x6. The room is kind of a walk in closet and the top part of the roof is on a slope, i need to probably use some sort of insulation on the walls but i do not want to use anything that will make the room much smaller then it already is. -I figure if the room is air and light tight i will be able to maintain a fairly consistent temparature although i may need some sort of dehumidifier/heater/cooler combo. -I need to know how to set up the thermostatic outlets/timers or whatever i need for the exhaust fan and any heating cooling devices i will need. -another thing i was wondering is the approximate temp. raise with a 250CFM exhaust fan and inlet holes if im running a 600w hps and an 8 bulb t5(not much heat given from T5)keep in mind the current temp. is around 55 fahrenheit and in 2 or 3 week will probably be 60. -I think I will be able to get a good temperature now but I am afraid when summer comes around it will get real hot. -so basically i need to know-good insulation for a room with fluctuating temp. that isnt too beefy and wont take up much room,proper cfm for that room size,simple carbon filter setups,best exhaust fans,600 w hps heat signature,thermostatic outlets,and a good type of temp controller(dehumidifer/heater/ac) -I would really appreciate help from some experts out there, hopeully Don Piano or Oldkskoolgrower or some of you gurus out there get to this. I really need to get this setup to keep the medicine coming and I am stumped on these issues. Thanks in advance
In order of appearance in your post: To answer humidity for cheap - Get some peat moss. They sell it in garden sections in a little tub that looks like a Cool-Whip container. Place a few of them in each corner of your garden and they will absorb a lot of the moisture in the air and help prevent all kinds of mold problems. - If the room is light tight it should be air tight. But you are going to need inlet holes and that's where your heat will enter if any does come in through there. You just want to make sure that your intake hole is as big as your exhaust hole or your room will have a wierd pressure lock either on opening or closing the door. Or you could do multiple inlet holes to equal the same exhaust size. A good exhaust fan should do fine and you should be able to keep temps down without having to invest in an a/c unit but if one must be purchased I would recommend wal-mart or something along those lines and look for one with a humidity control on it. You definitely won't need a heater, once you turn that 600w hps on you'll notice that you have all the heat you'll want to deal with. - Get a power strip, maybe 2, and plug individual timers into as many slots as you need for your lights/fans. You will need one for the exhaust fan, one for the hps light, (unless you're putting up a wall between the t5 and the hps) one for the t5. That should do it. As far as thermostat, grab a Thermometer that reads 2 temps (one on each side of the room) and humidty levels. - Approximate raise of 15-25 degrees depending on how well you're ventilated. - Ventilate. - Styrofoam (1"-2" thick). I'm not privy on the cfm measures but I would say an 8 inch fan instead of the 6. Always better to blow more heat out and have it be a little cooler (turn your buds purple) than to have it be too hot and have your buds die. Simple Carbon filter would be some Shammie cloths folded with some Fish Tank Carbon pellets and stuffed into a coffee can to be fitted where the air exits your fan. Dunno, whatever one doesn't break. Depends on what style of hood you get to have an accurate heat sig. You shouldn't need a thermo outlet if you ventilate properly. Again, whichever one doesn't break and you can afford (you don't need a heater and shouldn't need an a/c). - I am niether but everything I have just told you is from trial and error and first-hand experience. You either use the info I've bestowed or you don't. Hope I can help. Have a great weekend!
first off,thanks alot for all the great info, the most valuable tips ive received so far. I wiill be putting a wall in between the t5 and HPS, so hopefully the temperatures will be close to the same in both rooms.Do i need a certain type of styrofoam, or just any 1 or 2 inch thick will do??,good to hear i wont need a heater, as that would take up valuable space, i will try with the peat moss,and hopefully that will work.I was hoping to get a light that is just the cooltube with a simple shade , but then I will probably have to buy another exhaust fan to run the cooltube on wont I, what would the best light hood be for this situation(final flowering room size will be about 3.5x3x6 with the reservoirs in another room so the tray will be sitting on the floor. I also read somewhere to set up your lamp with the longest end parallel to the shortest wall, this might cause some space issues, can i run it parallel to longest instead??
It really sounds like you're going to want a heater and AC, but without actually doing it and montoring the temperature that's hard to say. Setting up fans on a timer is as easy as plugging it into a timer; I've never bothered with temperature actuated fans but most grow stores sell temp sensors with triggers. Peat moss will work for minor humidity problems, but if it gets REALLY humid you're going to want a dehumidifier. Mylar is actually very good insulation so if you cover the walls with it you'll be ok; heat will be the big problem. You can run the light any way you want, but the best light distribution is to the sides of the long side of the bulb. Here are some examples of environmental control sensors: http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=12&subcategoryID=34
wow i am really liking that independent control temp/humidity controller, what happens with those atmosphere controllers if the exhaust fan is not capable of bringing the temp down enough, to stay under say 78 degrees. do these just plug into any normal wall outlet or what??Thanks for the great info good to hear i can just use mylar and not have to put in new insulation as the walls in the room are good and solid as they are, is there any fungicide primer or something i should coat the room with before i put the mylar up???Thanks alot, and hopefully i will not have to install any expensive electrical boxes to run the 2 lamps, atmosphere controller, and maybe a fan or two and dehumidifier.I have 2-normal wall outlets i can use.
Just clean everything thoroughly. A very weak bleach solution is good for disinfecting but make sure you follow up with a plain water wipedown then dry very thoroughly before putting the mylar up.
thank you very much for the great info and quick responses, Hopefully the exhaust fan and dehumidifier will be enough to keep the room at a constant temp.I will likely install dehumidifier on flowering side because of the hotter light and that air will hopefully circulate into veg side. through inlet holes.I will post up some pics once i go pick up the light and have all the mylar up...I am going to have to get some sort of splitter for the exhaust fan and leave one end open and run ducting from the other end to the top of the divider wall in between veg/flower to exhaust flower side..
hey I just picked up the 600Whps and i have to splice the ballast wire to the light socket in the cooltube, what do i connect the green ground wire to??