here is a diagram of the space i intend to use, im currently starting to demo the built in ( so i am at the very beggining stages here). I want to set this up right, i do construction for a living (Electrical, HVAC, and a lil insulating and carpentry) so building and modifying things shouldnt be a problem. And i have also stashed about 1000 bucks for this project (can safely go overbudget if need be, but i would rather be under budget). I would like this to be a stealth grow so my 8 year old son doesnt find anything (he isnt very nosy with dads boring stuff so it just has to be out of sight. So i am going to build a custom door that has fake drawer fronts and cabinet door faces on it(so as to like like a normal built in unit again, from the outside anyways). Definately gonna use some sort of carbon scrubbing set-up, probably gonna use a panasonic whisper fan(damn things are quiet), and run the duct uninsulated through the attic before venting through the eave (so the air has time to reach ambient room temps before exhausting out) Planning on gutting the walls, installing insulation and vapor barrier, and installing a watertight pan on the floor So for my questions 1) in north east US how worried should i be about heat signatures, will insulating the walls stop this completely 2) How much light and of what kind would you use in this space, i am very paranoid about high temps in such a small space with children in the house. Especially since i work during the day so i cant monitor this constantly 3)on that note what safety precations would you take, should i install a heat sensor that cuts everything if temps get to high? 4)would you intake air from drafty bedroom, or try to intake directly from outside somehow basically asking if you had this space, what would be your ideal set up. Also keep in mind i can steal space from the closet shown in the picture if need be (maybe for a clone chamber or something ps. this will be a bagseed soil grow to start anyways thanx in advance every1
Heat signature won't be a problem, especially for a small closet grow. Someone more experienced can probably handle the other questions better than myself, but here's my two cents: I'd get a 600w HPS and use very good ventilation. Something to keep in mind is to have an intake lower than the exhaust so that if for some reason the fans fail; induction will keep some air moving. I'm not sure how wattage effects heat... a 400w might be safer.
only reason i worry about thermal signatures is because the space is right in an outside corner of the house, on the top floor. my plan for intake was to put that at about floor lvl (cause negative pressure and the air is cooler down there. And the exhaust will go in the ceiling Another question, how much can one expect to average on yields in a grow of this size (i know it depends on many factors, just looking for a rough estimate here) my rough calculations say i have around 55.63 cu ft to work with in there, of couse alot of space can be eaten up by lights and other equipment
i would use a 1k watt dual arc super blue hortilux bulb with air cooled hood or tube for your space, would be perfect for your grow, imo. with a 1k light i would say you could get 1.5-2+ lbs given the right conditions
How much do you want to yield? Figure .5 gram per watt starting out up to 1+ gram per watt after you've fine-tuned you op with a couple grows. Yeah, a 600 or a 1K would do well. You actually have a great foundation for a CGE (Completely sealed Grow Environment) if you get ambitious down the road (sealed room, window a/c-heat, co2 generation). For just starting out, get an air-cooled hood - usually they have 6" duct connectors. Get a nice 6" vortex/valuline style 'inline centrifugal' blower. Run duct from the fan to the hood to pull air from your space, through the hood, and up into the attic or out the window. You'll probably want a carbon fiter which you can put on the intake or blow into on the exhaust, if you have it in the attic. Put a lightproof passive intake on the entry door pulling air from within the house. You can get Block-IR film to mask the heat signature. It's pretty pricey though - you'll have to make the call on paranoia vs cost. Good luck!
so here is an update on this space. so far i have -removed old built in and sealed all holes -cut out hole and ran wire for exhaust fan and switch/outlet -cut holes for passive intake then cleaned the whole space -evened floor off with white foamboard then covered whole room in 5mil plastic -covered ceiling and walls with a reflective radiant barrier -installed my passive intake duct/grill (see picture) -also cut that hole between rooms without thinking about it much wondering what to do about cycling air in the planned veg room, could i install a similar passive intake and draw air through the smaller space wi tht the one exhaust fan in the main room?or would i have backdraft issues still unsure what size light will be safe in either space, when i fasion the door the space will be airtight except for the intake and exhaust, and will also retain heat because of the radiant barrier reflective material, but the room the intake is drawing from is cold and drafty, also air conditioned in the summer months. have any suggestions on exhaust fan control? temp controlled? im thinking some sort of time schedule because air needs to be cycled no matter what the temp is. any input will be appreciated
Sounds like you've been busy dude. Good for you! For your veg room, you'll probably have to force circulation through there, exchanging air with the main room. Even with a passive intake, the exhaust fan will not draw much through there - air takes the path of least resistance. You could put a small duct booster fan blowing into the main space that would give you good circulation through the veg area. The lights are really a personal preference. How big a crop do you want and do you want to use your entire space. Modern lighting systems are safe and reliable and while heat buildup is a concern, if it gets too hot for safety, it's way too hot for your plants. A well planned ventilation system will keep the temps down. Growers have been struggling with heat for generations and there are a lot of solutions. Some guys put their fans on a thermostat, cycling the flow on when temps get to a certain point. I'm in the camp that prefers constant ventilation for co2 replenishment and I use a cheap fan controller (The Speedster from Control Wizard) to adjust the cfm's for optimum temp and humidity. MJ likes mid-70's to low 80's so you're gonna want to make sure your ventilation system can give them that. Keep up the good work!
what do you think of this fixture? Amazon.com: HTGSupply 400 Watt Ultimate HPS & MH Grow Light: Home & Garden
That's a nice setup (which I actually own). HTG has great products and a good price and super customer service. I've since upgraded to a 600w HPS for flowering but still use the HTG 400 MH for veg.
could this tent work as a clone/veg chamber for my size space? High Tech Garden Supply thinking maybe passive intake, and use the included fan to exhaust into my flowering room. Although i dont like the position of the 4" intake and exhaust ports.they should be on opposite sides not right on top of one another turns out there is a HTG supply about 30 min from my place, sweet.
I don't personally have any experience with HTG's tents (or any other for that matter), I've heard they're a pretty good value. They also have another small tent that might fit your needs better: 20"d x 36"w x 64" h. Hey, are you going to the new store in Shrewsbury? Lemme know what you think of it - I might take a ride over there myself one of these days.
yup think i am going to go by there tommorow, and hopefully pick up what i need to finish off my ventilation. Think i'm gonna go with a higher cfm than originally planned. So how many plants do you think i could flower in a 2.5x3.75x7, and the ceiling is sloped so i really have a height of 4.5 sloping up to 7'
nothing wrong with higher cfm, imo i always go with more than you need, it guarantees that you wont need to upgrade down the road
stopped by the shrewsbury store today, looks really small from outside, but they have everything you need in there. Got pretty much everything to finish my project. set up the tent for seedlings/veg, passive intake will be fine on this because it is not air tight like my flower space. Using 80cfm inline duct fan(exhausting into flower room), 4' 4 tube T-5 fixture. and currently have 5 seeds from some incredible stuff i got a while back sitting in the dark in some moist napkins. just need to finish up the flower chamber and i will be all set.Still alot to be done though, veg room was a snap because of the tent.
Good to hear about the shrewsbury shop. Are the prices the same as online? Keep us posted on your progress. How 'bout starting a grow journal or blog? Good luck man!
