Musty Basement

[Kepp89]

hi all, first time grower here just getting my feet wet. air from outside should negate the musty smell on my dried cannabis? i worry about is the musty smell in the basement and the mold thats in a few spots here and there.

i have windows in my basement (~3" x 9") and my plan is to make a DIY flange to pull air into my (32x32x68) tent directly from outside the house through 1 of these windows. 1 fan near the window end of the duct and 1 fan near the tent entrance of the duct to keep up the CFM through the distance.
the air will pass through a (HEPA?) filter before entering the tent (up for filter recommendations, 4").
then i will have a de/humidifier and heater (winter is coming) in the tent to control temp and humidity. i'm realizing now that my de/humidifier as well as heater might require an upgrade so they can regulate, not just be "on" or "off".
also will have a carbon filter exhaust system. the fan will be inside the tent (thinking of just putting duct on the other end of the fan [IN] and putting the duct inside the tent to save floor space) and the carbon filter [OUT] will (regardless) be outside of the tent on a shelf a few feet away.

when it comes to cutting the plant down, it will be chopped then moved upstairs, trimmed where the air is healthy and mold-free. then once completed will be hung in my tent in the basement. more than likely continuing the intake from outside as well as the carbon filter exhaust.
i will be drying/hanging the branches in my tent as i am only doing 1 plant at a time from seed all the way to curing so this way i have notes from start to finish for my next attempt. rinse, then repeat.

what do you seasoned growers think? am i setting myself up for failure or does this seem like a structured plan so long as i keep a keen eye on temps/humidity?
by summer time i'll hopefully have the basement cleaned and wiped so as to remove any and all mold and the musty smell. but its a longshot as 90% of the basement stuff isnt mine.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

I have a stinky basement too. A dehumidifier is ur best friend.
I check em every other day for mold.
If ya see it, dont fear, cut out the bad and try to amend the moiature and mold as well as possible. I use box fans to circulate.
Maybe build a "lung" room for ur tent?
-Ty

 

[Kepp89]

I have a stinky basement too. A dehumidifier is ur best friend.
I check em every other day for mold.
If ya see it, dont fear, cut out the bad and try to amend the moiature and mold as well as possible. I use box fans to circulate.
Maybe build a "lung" room for ur tent?
-Ty

thanks for the tip. i have 3x 6" clip on fans that i'll have in the tent so i hope air will be moving around in combination with the exhaust / inlet line.

maybe in a few years when the money is here i'll build a lung room, lol.

do you have an inlet filter on your tent? im just concerned with the buds tasting like the air they were growing in if they kept breathing in smelly basement air. but i really dont want to pull in the freezing cold air from outside the house considering winter time. do i *need* to pull air in from outside? i have a bag of CO2 to put in my tent and a reader to check the CO2 level.

 

[MIMedGrower]

I suggest dehumidifying the whole basement before growing anything. Also scrub all surfaces with bleach or ammonia (not together please) until the black mold is all gone and be sure to keep humidity under 60% or the mold may come right back.

Also be sure the plants are not directly on a basement floor if it’s pourous or a concrete slab as the temperature of the roots may be significantly colder than the ambient air temp.

I did all these things but my open Michigan 80 year old basement was still to cold in winter to sustain plants with its rock form walls and old concrete floor. Canopy temp at night was showing 55-65 degrees but the floor was more like 40-45.

 

[JWM2]

Why not pull in preconditioned air from upstairs? That way you’re using air you’re already paying to regulate. You breath it everyday so it should be ok. Exhaust it outside the tent.

Definitely clean the area really well as mentioned. If the floor is cold build a subfloor.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

I send my exhaust into my attached garage. It heats it somewhat in winter. But when I open the garage door. KAPOWWWW!!! STINKY FEET! SKUNKY. RIGHT TO UR FACE

 

[TerpyTyrone]

thanks for the tip. i have 3x 6" clip on fans that i'll have in the tent so i hope air will be moving around in combination with the exhaust / inlet line.

maybe in a few years when the money is here i'll build a lung room, lol.

do you have an inlet filter on your tent? im just concerned with the buds tasting like the air they were growing in if they kept breathing in smelly basement air. but i really dont want to pull in the freezing cold air from outside the house considering winter time. do i *need* to pull air in from outside? i have a bag of CO2 to put in my tent and a reader to check the CO2 level.

NO Direct air on buds. Dehumidify the whole basement

 

[1diesel1]

Ide think of waterproofing those concrete walls and floor also, it will help tremendously.

 

[Erick31876]

I would definitely de humidify the whole basement and get rid of the mold before you grow anything in there. I had mold in my basement and it got my family sick. I wouldn't take any chances with mold

 

[Kepp89]

I suggest dehumidifying the whole basement before growing anything. Also scrub all surfaces with bleach or ammonia (not together please) until the black mold is all gone and be sure to keep humidity under 60% or the mold may come right back.

Also be sure the plants are not directly on a basement floor if it’s pourous or a concrete slab as the temperature of the roots may be significantly colder than the ambient air temp.

I did all these things but my open Michigan 80 year old basement was still to cold in winter to sustain plants with its rock form walls and old concrete floor. Canopy temp at night was showing 55-65 degrees but the floor was more like 40-45.

hey thats what im about to have, yay michigan. maybe ill put a (seedling) heating pad under the pot (fabric pot) to keep the tent base/pot soil warm and put a comforter over the tent if the air is too cold. i have an extra large pizza pan that i'll use as my base under the pot so i dont accidentally submerge the pad in water :o

and what if its white mold? i guess its not technically mold? but mildew? thats all i see. its white and powdery.

and thanks all, i have 2 humidifiers running right now!

NO Direct air on buds. Dehumidify the whole basement

elaborate on that for a virgin grower, please. no direct air meaning i want the fans to move air but not move the plants/leaves? or no direct air meaning i want the air movement to be powerful enough to hit the walls then deflect and "breeze" the plants ever so slightly?

Why not pull in preconditioned air from upstairs? That way you’re using air you’re already paying to regulate. You breath it everyday so it should be ok. Exhaust it outside the tent.

Definitely clean the area really well as mentioned. If the floor is cold build a subfloor.

i really like that idea about the air -- subfloor, think ill stick with a heating pad see how it goes. would i just cut a duct sized hole in the floor for the fresh upstairs air? my bedroom is directly above the grow tent location so a hole in my floor shouldnt be a problem. i vision a hepa filter just sticking up from the floor so its a covered hole.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

hey thats what im about to have, yay michigan. maybe ill put a (seedling) heating pad under the pot (fabric pot) to keep the tent base/pot soil warm and put a comforter over the tent if the air is too cold. i have an extra large pizza pan that i'll use as my base under the pot so i dont accidentally submerge the pad in water :o

and what if its white mold? i guess its not technically mold? but mildew? thats all i see. its white and powdery.

and thanks all, i have 2 humidifiers running right now!



elaborate on that for a virgin grower, please. no direct air meaning i want the fans to move air but not move the plants/leaves? or no direct air meaning i want the air movement to be powerful enough to hit the walls then deflect and "breeze" the plants ever so slightly?



i really like that idea about the air -- subfloor, think ill stick with a heating pad see how it goes. would i just cut a duct sized hole in the floor for the fresh upstairs air? my bedroom is directly above the grow tent location so a hole in my floor shouldnt be a problem. i vision a hepa filter just sticking up from the floor so its a covered hole.

Exactly, deflection. Not directly.
Low and slow bro.
It's a fine broad, or a beef stew.
Whatever gets ur GOAT,
I have rushed the curing process and I got HAY.
My .02

 

[JWM2]

hey thats what im about to have, yay michigan. maybe ill put a (seedling) heating pad under the pot (fabric pot) to keep the tent base/pot soil warm and put a comforter over the tent if the air is too cold. i have an extra large pizza pan that i'll use as my base under the pot so i dont accidentally submerge the pad in water :o

and what if its white mold? i guess its not technically mold? but mildew? thats all i see. its white and powdery.

and thanks all, i have 2 humidifiers running right now!



elaborate on that for a virgin grower, please. no direct air meaning i want the fans to move air but not move the plants/leaves? or no direct air meaning i want the air movement to be powerful enough to hit the walls then deflect and "breeze" the plants ever so slightly?



i really like that idea about the air -- subfloor, think ill stick with a heating pad see how it goes. would i just cut a duct sized hole in the floor for the fresh upstairs air? my bedroom is directly above the grow tent location so a hole in my floor shouldnt be a problem. i vision a hepa filter just sticking up from the floor so its a covered hole.

Sure you could do that. Just depends on what you want to do. When there’s a will there’s a way :-)