The 4" opening is where I removed a light fixture from the top of the closet. There's nothing completely concrete saying I couldn't make it into a 6" hole and then cover it up with a big light fixture when the lease is up...but that requires tools I don't have, as well as, the return of my current fan/filter and purchase of another...

In light of this wonderful information I think I might try the following:

1) Purchase the SS2 (not fond of the wiring location on the Maverick)
2) Use a 4" to 6" to attach my filter into one side of the SS2
3) Use another 6" to 4" to bring back to the fan
4) Exhaust fan to the attic



Then again, as you suggested, the small cfm of the 4" fan just might not do it for me. Also, by the time I receive the SS2 and test temperatures my ability to return the 4" might have passed. I guess I can just assume that I'll need the 6" and return the 4" now...

Hmmmmmm...

Seems like it always costs more than you planned. One thing I read that stuck with me is "proper" ventilation typically costs more than the actual lighting (low wattage grows notwithstanding). In my case that's held true. HID lamps and ballast actually don't cost much. But fans, scrubbers, air cooled hoods, ducting, and the rest add up fast and don't always receive the initial attention needed.

4" vs 6"? The 4" could be fine. Unless it's not. I don't have the experience to say. My philosophy has been: when in doubt, oversize anything that removes heat (and odor) and undersize anything that creates heat. That choice might initially cost more $$ but the flip side is an assurance the plan will actually work. The alternative is a risk. It might cost less time/money to setup using equipment that just gets by. Or it might cost MORE by requiring the purchase of equipment you could have bought on the first go around.

One way to look at it is it's only an extra $66 + shipping to have HTG's 6" fan and filter combo vs. the 4" version. It will cost a tad more in power consumption and WILL be louder (barring steps to quiet it--insulated flex duct goes a long way towards quiet), but those are downsides I would accept. YMMV.


About making a 6" hole: I guess that's a choice only you can make. But if it matters, I made my pair of 6" holes with one of these...



...purchased at the hardware store. It cuts through the paper of the drywall and then you punch out the circle. I scored both sides but I think they work with just scoring one side too (but the risk of a "blowout" probably goes up). I'd suggest taking your time and going slow when punching out the hole or just use a knife to cut all the way through. It produces a "plug" that might be useful to keep for patching the hole later. Alternatively, I bet even a utility knife alone could accomplish the same thing. Techniques For Cutting Opening In Drywall

Just ideas.



In keeping with my "you can't have too much air handling capacity" philosophy, I've got an extra 6" exhaust duct all plumbed up that I'm not even using (yet).




You may notice I'm pushing the 6" choice. Understand that's the way I lean but it doesn't mean that's the way you need to go. Maybe someone else can offer an alternative opinion. I just don't want to push anyone into doing things they don't really need to do just because I don't know what the potential of your 4" fan actually is.

$0.02

rep for all of you thank you for the advice. i don't have any questions. i bid you good day.

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HAWK. . . .!!!! why does it say that i cannot give you rep. . .it says i have to spread it around. have i recently rep'd you?

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oh really???: yes you did, thanks.



GardensGrow: I dunno. Maybe your 4" fan will be fine. Then I'll you'd need is the SS2 and your set. Easy. I think that thought is why I suggested just getting the hood first and going from there. Maybe check with HTG on how long you can wait before exchanging up to a 6".

The fan > 400w hood > scrubber and typical duct lengths combo is so common it seems there must be someone around here who's either doing it or tried it with a 170cfm 4" fan.

What is rep and how do you give it?

Hawk,

The SS2, and some Mylar, have been purchased! I know it had to be done so I just did it and got it over with.

As for the fan....I think I will try giving HTG a call and seeing what I can work out with them. They seem really nice and if I explain to them my time constraints I have a feeling they'll work with me.

Assuming I do cut out a 6" hole, what do you use to seal and hold your ducting that is going through the opening? I'm thinking some sort of flange that I can tape to the duct and screw the flange edges to the ceiling (that might be really hard to envision; I'll draw it up if need be).

On another positive note: my seed order has been processed and was sent in the mail today! I think the timing will work out perfectly.

Thanks again for the help and rep (I think).

~GG

After reading this FAQ I realized that I have probably been taking "radiant temperatures" instead of strictly "air temperatures".

In light of this article I decided to cover my thermometer with a piece of cardboard and check the results. After an hour in the exact same setup as before, my temps are showing up to be at 80 degrees! Although the actual air temps might take a while longer to rise up than radiant temps. I will run the system overnight and see what I get in the morning; I will post the results.

I think when I get my air cooled hood in, and a few more oscillating fans in there, I should be able to drop my temps to ambient.

Still debating on getting a 6" fan to really help with air flow...anyone know if it's possible to drop below ambient temperatures (the temps outside the closet)?

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that. Makes me wonder if my temps are actually lower than I think they are?? As soon as my lights turn on in about 20 minutes I'm gonna check some things and see what I get.

You may have investigated this already but I needed an adapter plug to connect my Lumatek ballast to my SS2. I think there are two kinds of connections.

Here's some temps I just took. First number is temp just outside of the closet. Second number is the probe temp. Third number is the spread. The probe "shield" is a cardboard disk painted white on one side. My humidifier was off for these measurements.

78.2, 84.7 (6.5)


78.4, 81.3 (2.9)


77.9, 81.9 (4)


78.6, 81.7 (3.1)



Temps at the floor are about 1 deg above the outside temp. Temps at the ceiling are about 2 deg above the outside. I did not take any measurements near the walls. I took one set of measurements with the humidifier on (low setting, wicking element is near the end of it's life) and the probe slightly higher than in the third picture with no shield. I got 79.3, 81.7 (2.4) after a few minutes. EDIT: a few minutes later--after I noticed the AC blowing on my shoulder--I'm reading 79, 79.5 (0.5), then seconds later, 78.6, 79.2 (0.6); 78.4, 79.3 (0.9); 78.4, 79.5 (1.1).....you get the gist.

My room temps are usually a degree or two (three when I'm not in there at night) cooler than what I had for these tests.

Update: After running all night I came out with 83 degrees. The cardboard was not painted white (good idea Hawk) so it might have absorbed some radiant heat. Regardless, that's about 3 degrees less than my lowest measurement previous to this.

Hawk,

So when you say "My room temps are usually a degree or two cooler" are you talking about your outside air? I'm having a hard time telling if the cardboard piece worked for you or not. A .8 degree average spread (from your last measurements) is pretty damn good but I'm not sure what you were getting before.

As for the adapter: Does the SS2 come with a socket already installed? If so, does the plug at the input end of the cord look like those adapters? If not, what kind of socket would it take? I was under the impression that sockets were almost a universal design.

Assuming I may need to purchase the adapter, is it available online?