This is a question for everyone but most of all for mogie because he is a badass and answered all of my questions last night.

my grow box is 5 by 3 feet and is lined with tin foil. I have one small circulation fan that is pulling in air from outside the box and one bigger fan on top pushing heat and air out through a Filtrete air cleaning filter. I just installed the filter so it might get hotter do to the fact that less heat is able to escape with a filter on top but I need it for the smell!! it gets about 86 tops with four CFL's and two tube flourescents on the bottom.

NOW heres the question. If I buy the.... http://www.htgsupply.com/productdeta...ID=518.....Hps light system, how much more of ventilation will I have to worry about. I am really becoming more and more concerned about proper ventilation because of high temperatures and the smell of my apartment currently that my roomates not happy about.

I wonder if a 400watt HPS lighting system is too much for a 3 by 5 foot box with four other CFL's! Sounds like hazardouse stuff you know!

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"for the record everything i say under this account and or on these forums, is false and or fictional, and in no way shape or form represent me and or real life.".... ~me

that light will have to be able to stay at least 12 incjes from top of plants at all times

You have to keep that in mind. Can you keep the distance from your plants inside your box?

Your fan should be big enough to move the volume of your area 2 to 3 times every minute.

I have to sing the praises of fluorescent UV ionisers again.



They'll kill both scents and stray pathogens like bacteria and fungi. They're so effective at killing scent that you should limit exposure of buds to ozone. It'll remove scent from them as well, if the ioniser is run constantly in the flowering area. I run mine 10min on/30min off.

Don't breathe much of the stuff... overexposure to ozone will give you headaches in the short term and possibly worse down the track.

1. 400w HPS is just fine for that area
2. tin foil is not good. mylar or even flat white paint are better reflectors and safer for the plants.
3. you didn't mention height of the box, and that will be a big factor in the heat
4. you didn't mention specifics on the fans - cfm (cubic feet per minute).
5. depending on the fans in question, the smaller intake fan may inhibit the amount of air the larger exhaust fan can move.
6. 86F is not too hot, although it is about the upper limit
7. mogie is a she

lol fnord. mogie a she is she? hmm, . lol. as for the box, its 26inches in length, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet tall. I did however convert two feet of the bottom of the box to another level so instead of five feet the plants are in like 3 1/2 feet of height. Maybe if I bring the plants to the bottom and let them take the full five feet it wouldnt be so hot because of more space?????? The pic of the fan is the intake. Its small about 5inches diameter. the second pic shows the two fans. the third pic is my setup. the last pic is that of my digital thermometer. Its cooler cause the doors open to take the pic.

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"for the record everything i say under this account and or on these forums, is false and or fictional, and in no way shape or form represent me and or real life.".... ~me

If you get the 400w, think about a hood exhaust system. No extra smell scrubbing is needed since the cooling air does not originate from inside.

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Our vibrations were getting nasty. But why? Was there no communication in this car? Had we deteriorated to the level of dumb beasts?

thanks for the additional info and pics.

I am far from an expert on this forum, but here's my opinions:

your plants look good! given the heights, you will be needing more head room by the end of the grow, even if you are starting to flower right now (they double or more in size).

the grow space is nice (except for the foil), and if you switch to warmer CFLs (soft white or 2700K) for flowering you should be OK. 86 degrees is not too hot, imo. if you switch to HPS, (either 250w or 400w) your heat will be much higher. I was going to go with 250w given my similar original room size, but the 400w was such a bargain I couldn't resist so I constructed a bigger grow room to handle it. not everyone has that option I know.

since your lights and fans seem OK for your space, your best bet is to lower the temperature in the outside room if you can. I had a similar heat problem in my cabinet during the winter. I had to leave the door cracked until I turned on the AC, which lowered the ambient air to a cooler level.

good luck.

You need to sort out your ventilation, that fan isn't big enough to move enough air to keep your current temperatures under control let alone with a 400w HPS in there.

Get a bigger fan, whatever you decide to buy, it's rediculous to be considering a bigger, hotter more powerful lighting system when your current ventilation isn't even up to keeping your current lighting and area under control temperature wise.

Ventilation is always the area people don't pay any attention to and is probably THE most important aspect of your grow.