First box... ventilation?

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by Pineapple369, Mar 22, 2012.

  1. Howdy folk

    I'm a long time lurker, first time poster - looking for a little feedback/advice if possible.

    Although I have done a lot of research, there are still a few things that have me stumped as I'm planning/building my first grow.
    My box is made, Mylar should be here tomorrow and lights coming next week, but before I put all that in, I was wondering about the ventilation.
    The dimensions are 32" wide, 36" high and 19" deep (pic included). But finding correct ventilation while keeping costs down is troubling me..is it necessary for this size growbox? :confused: Is there anything you lovely folk could suggest for a guy in the UK ?

    Many thanks :smoke:

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  2. You always need ventilation, what size light are you going to use?
     
  3. First of all scrap that mylar, white walls are better.

    Find the cubic feet of your grow box (l*w*h), I'd use that as an estimate for how many CFM's your exhaust fans will need to be. Also, you'll need an intake hole with a light trap, you won't need a fan for the intake hole though.

    You'll need an oscillating fan, or another type of fan that can adequately circulate the air. I'm a fan of using the ones with built in air filters (as seen in my grow journal).
     
  4. Knew I forgot something lol - I'm planning on using 2x 85w CFL's - probably adding more down the line.

    so, my CFM would be just over 13 and I have a small oscillating fan ready for starting.
    The walls are gloss white, not flat...should I still scrap the mylar?
     
  5. You will definitely need more lights, trust me! My first was under CFL's. My buddy has a $15 LED from pad from Ebay that is growing his mother plant quite nicely, I was quite surprised at that.

    Why not just paint them flat white? Neither gloss or mylar are very good. Flat white is like 20% more reflective than glossy, idk how much it beats mylar by.
     
  6. I've read good things about mylar and CFL's - thought it was a safe place to start! lol
    Was going to look into LEDs for my next set-up, this was just going to be for experimentation/learning and from what I've read, 170w should be ample for 1 plant?
    Your advice has been noted and will definitely look deeper into it, thank you. Still curious about the exhaust fans?
     
  7. I think there is a thread called "all about ventilation" which will have you covered on exhaust fans. There is also a CFl guide and a lighting guide you should look up, they're all stickies I'm just not 100% what each section they're in.

    P.S. Are you referring to the actual wattage, or the equivalent? Make sure to always use the actual wattage when it comes to using them as grow lights.

    P.P.S. In my grow journal, that plant in flower, was brought that far on CFL's. I'd recommend 4 to 8 of them, I had 6. Also, remember to get the correct spectrum's! (Lighting and CFL guide will cover that)
     
  8. The "getting the most from your lights" sticky says that mylar is more reflective than flat white paint.
    have read the ventilation faq's but still unsure what fan I should get/the set up of it. Will be spending the day researching.
    The 85w refers to actual wattage, not equivalent, but will still be getting more.

    had a look through your grow journal - Impressed and given you rep :)
     
  9. With mylar you'll run into heat issues I believe, especially with heat spots. Also, if not applied correctly and cleaned it will lose its reflectivity. You could try it first, and if it causes a heat problem scrap it. But personally, if I could get my money back thats what I'd do. (Spend the money on a PH meter, more soil, nutes, etc.)

    The fan and filter should work, you could probably do it yourself and get it cheaper if you wanted though.
     

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