Cooling situation

john q. public

Active Member
I have half my basement growing. I walled up half. Wife is in on it. Looks professional. It is where the furnace and hot water tank are. During the winter months, I will duct the hot air into the house, for heating, with a carbon drum sucking everything in. The problem i have is that its hot in ohio right now, and the system is getting up to full force. I have 4 400watt HPS lamps, and 2 400watt MH running. These are ducted. I also have a backup 400watt MH and 1000watt switchable (gonna run HPS) for the winter (keep the house warm, ya know). I have a 6inch inlet on the grow side, I was gonna pull air from there, it will be as hot as 95F during the summer - going in. BUT, (i do not want to vent back out on that side of the house, close lots, and neighbors house is vacant and for sale) I only have a 4" out (shared with the dryer) on the opposite side. I have both a 6" and a 4" Can Fan. Since I will be pulling air in, with the 6" canfan, from outside, I will NOT be filtering the air. I have 6" outlets for all of my 6 fixtures that are running.

What kind of temps will I see on my exhaust?
Will these fans pull enough air to keep my growroom cool?
Should I upgrade to insulated 6"lines?
Will I lose too much airflow when I kick it down to 4"?
Should I kick it down to 4"?

I Figured I should use the 4" to boost flow, as I think the 6" will prove to be not enough airflow for the 50' or so of ductwork that I must use to cool the lights.

Would I be better off sizing up my 4" dryer exhaust and just not using the 4"?
Should I just upgrade the size of the dryer duct and use another 6"?

This is my first "Ballz out" grow, and i am getting ready to fire up the 2nd set of HPS lights (first is in week 3 of flower, skunk#5).

I really want to hear what you guys have to say.

As for specifics.

I flower in 3gal buckets. Soil. GH nutes.

Clone in a 25site aeroponic cloner.

Veg in 2 stages, 2 different size pots.

I have a couple years experience, growing much smaller grows.
 

ow.douglas

Well-Known Member
John, what are the current temps in your basement? Can you get your fresh air from the other side of that basement in the summer? Sucking in 95 deg air to start with is going to be hard and I have been to Ohio in the summer it's really humid there as well.
 

fred flintstoned

Well-Known Member
I don't think a 6" is gonna cool that room well in any season other than winter. Particularly with a 50' run. Here's an alternative, Mount a 18000 BTU window unit in the wall. Insulate and drywall (water resistant) a box around the back of the unit. Use the 6in to blast this hot air through the roof. At 50' you'll probably need another 6in at the end of the run as a booster. You'll need to provide intake (basement, non growroom) air to the unit's sides as well. There are some good tutorials on here about this installation. Sealing the rest of the room very tightly is highly recommended, plus you'll need CO2 injection. This way you have much better control of the environment. As you already know, that's half the battle indoors.
I live a little south of you, other side of the big creek. This is very similar to my rooms' setup. Works like a charm year round.
Try it, you'll like it.
Fred
 

Smartt

Member
Wellllll fist off I wish my wife would let me go balls out >< . Whats the cfm ratings are your can fans? It sounds like your expanding so I would say go for 6inch all they way you wont regret going bigger. Got a chimmney(bathroom exhaust also works)? I duct into mine works great. Got pics? I wna see this beast in action!
 

fred flintstoned

Well-Known Member
In that case, your probably gonna need at least an 8in fan. I cool 5x600W with an 8in Vortex. Keeps the room reasonable (88 or so), the AC unit take care of the rest. How the hell you're gonna exhaust that much air velocity through a 4in hole I don't know. But I wish you luck.
Smartt's idea of a chimney sure would come in handy for you. You may also be able to tap into a plumbing vent pipe some where in the basement (laundry stack?) Might be a good spot combined with the dryer vent.
Fred
 

john q. public

Active Member
Actually the 6" inlet is from the old furnace. the new one has 2 pvc vents that run out of it. the 4" is for the dryer duct. I have been contemplating drilling 2 new 6" holes in the wall, but if i do, they will be a stretch away from the growroom, as i will have to go through 1 wall, through the crawlspace, and onto the back wall of the house (cant have too many holes on one wall, as i am sure thats suspicious). There is a chimney, and its directly above, however its not feasible, as we will be using the fireplace, and its on the 1st floor.

The 4"canfan is a HO, and its rated at about 180cfm. the 8" is rated at about 400cfm.

My local supply shop has an 8" thats rated for 600cfm, but I would have to split it at some point and exhaust through 2 6" holes, which would mean that I would have to suck in through 2 6"holes as well. for the $100 for the fan, and the other $100 in parts, my wife will be busting my balls. I wish it was winter, so i could have a harvest without another large investment, and could easily justify the money. I was just thinking about exhausting into the crawlspace till the end of this summer, i sure hope that will work, because it is becoming my only option.

I will post pics soon, most likely this weekend.

Anyone use those intercoolers i have seen? I am just worried that it could get pricey trying to cool all of these lights with intercoolers.

damn, i hate money being so tight right now, and my last harvest was cancelled because the landlord decided to sell the house, mid grow. i had to pitch everything but my mothers... on the bright side, i OWN my place now!

bah.
 

fred flintstoned

Well-Known Member
Crawlspace? Why didn't you say so holmes. That's probably the best exhaust other than a chimney. Intake air, with a hepa filter, coming from the crawlspace is also good. The temp is fairly constant most of the year.
Back when I vented, I pulled intake from under the house and exhausted to the attic. Worked well. Since you're going to exhaust into the house in winter, you won't have to worry about steam coming from under the house when it's cold.
plantlightinghydroponics.com has 8in Vortex's for about $180. More CFM, probably a better warranty too. 10 years. I had one go out due to short in my house (didn't tell them that) they replaced it, no questions asked and they paid for shipping both ways!
Hope it works out
Fred
 

john q. public

Active Member
Site is giving me problems uploading, most likely, my connection. I have pics of the girls, and the lights in my profile. didnt get to work on the setup much as i had to get a tow the other day, and was wrenching on my truck all weekend.
 

Stoneshield

Active Member
your dryer wont work with all that air rushing out of its exit. ur gonna need to make another hole in the side of the house or find somewhere else to stick ur exaust
 
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