Greets,
I would like to build a decent low cost grow room (hydro Bato-Bucket) from scratch. I am a noob to growing, so I though it would be advantageous to post about what I have to work with and get thoughts and ideas as to what directions to take. First and foremost (the room):
Ok, I will be working with an unfinished basement room with the following dimensions (5'x8'x6.5' WxLxH) with a lockable door and small (2'x3' HxW) window. I have installed multiple electrical receptacles both in walls and ceiling. Water and drain are both accessible.
welcome to the forum and congrats for the planning you are doing. If you are in the States then that window could be the ingress, egress window in case of a fire. Do not cover it if it is. A Major source of busts. Your 'work area' should be by the window. You can cover it with a 'mini blind' for about $4.00 and on the outside all they would see is a light on in the basement. Panda plastic between your work area and hid lights.
My first questions involve the finishing of the room.
1. I will obviously need to vent the room both for intake and outtake. what are my options (before finishing the room)?
Many, two that come to mind are, your furnace exhaust, or your sewer line. FAQ upper left hand corner of this page. Mogie has posted some excellent directions, she has included pictures. Check those out.
2. How should I finish the room (insulate, drywall) (paint, tinfoil, mylar....)
What are the outside walls made of? Doesn't matter much. If they are poured walls or blocks you would attach furring strips to the outside walls and attach Styrofaom insulation to the furring strip. Use batts or rolls of insulation for inside walls and ceiling. Pay special attention to insulating the 'band board' (where the wood meets the concrete) and caulk that joint to stop air leaks. If it were me setting that room up, I would order a roll of Panda film. Its 100' long and 10' wide, about $85.00 at my hydro shop. Attach it all the way around the inside of the room, incuding the ceiling. Its not as good as the mylar for reflection by about 5%. It is cheaper, easier to work with and will stop the moisture from the room from causing you mold problems some where else. If you have someone to help you you could probaly staple it in place in about an hour.
3. Anything else I should be aware of at this stage of room development?
There is one thing I wish I woulda thunk of when I set up the electric for my room. I would have put switches for the individual circuits where they would be accessible. I would want to be able to turn off the hid lights without entering the room and any pumps or fans as soon as I entered the room. Not necessary, it would have been smart. I would have bought wall mounted ocsillating fans, not floor stand or table models. They are better quality and not in the f.... way all the time. An 8" duct will carry four times the air of a 4" duct. Stop me any time here. An ro system is worth the investment. I think thats enough.
TIA.
Nag.
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