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Upgrade Time...Completely Sealed Room

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr_GreenGenes
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Upgrade Time...Completely Sealed Room

Mr_GreenGenes 119 Replies 13,613 Views
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Mr_GreenGenes

Mr_GreenGenes

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#1
Sup fellas. Like the title says I'm in the process of upgrading my rooms. Just a lil background info...I'm a licensed med grower and caregiver. I grow a multi-strain perpetual grow using FF soils and nutes along with a few other things added in here and there.

The room I'll be working with is one of the 12 x 16 bedrooms located in the finished basement. Temps and RH are relatively stable down there. Ill be running 8 1k HPS digis with 8in air cooled Blockbusters. Still not sure if I'm gonna be able to mount the ballasts outside of the room but that's what I'm shootin for. Just got a brand new 3ton AC installed last week dedicated solely to the flower room so that should take care of heat and help with any RH issues during lights on. Also went ahead and got the remote thermo/sensor so I can check temps/adjust temps w/o having to open the door.

I guess my first question has to do with the air cooled lights. Ive been growing for years but up to now any large scale operaton was always outdoors. My indoor setups have had no more than 3 lights per row and Ive always used 600w'ers. I've always just put the inline fan as close to the exhaust hole as I could and it has always worked well. In this room there will be 4 1k lights per row. I'll be using 8in air cooled Blockbusters, so my dilemna has to do with fans...what size, and where to place them. I've already come to the obvious conclusion that I'll be goin with a much larger fan than an 8in, but how much bigger? Should I get a 12in and put it at the end of the run near the exhaust hole or use 2 8in, or even 10in, one at the beginning of the light run and one at the end?

Also I have questions about RH control during lights out. I have a cple dehumids but don't really wanna use one unless I absolutely have to for several reasons. One is just more power usage, don't wanna have to use more than nec. Second is the extra heat they put of, which will mean the AC will have to kick on to control it, which of course mean even more electric usage. My idea is to have a fabricated 12in exhaust vent coming off into 2 10 or 8in Y's depending on fan size and a 10in com ing out of the bottom to attach a 10in fan/filter combo and humidistat too, at night when the RH rises above set limits the fan kicks on and clears room then kicks back off?

I've never used CO2 in any of my gardens but will be for this one...I think Ive made up my mind to go with bottled, again because of heat, but also b/c I don't wanna have to fuck with havin to get someone to hook that shit up right now. I figure I can always get one later if I change my mind. I would like to hook up the CO2 to a controller of some sort to keep it at optimal levels during lights on...any suggestions there would be nice as I have no fuckin clue.

I have no doubt I'' have more Q's as this process moves forward, thanks in advance for any and all help/info/advice. MGG
 
#3
I upsize my fans a little bit for air cooling.. I usually will use a 10" max fan and reduce it to an 8" and pull air through the hoods..

Keep in mind that a 8" fan was designed to pull through an 8" duct so i wouldn't get too crazy with upsizing. However, I have read a few different places where people have downsized fans much further with good results.

I don't have technical data to support a 10" fan will work or be your best bet..I would definitely get some other opinions.. Personally, if it gets too hot I would pull the glass out and turn up the ac;)

Really I'm just rambling to get your thread going!

I mount the fans in custom mdf boxes so its nice and quiet.. Mdf boxes work way better than the silencers if your concerned about noise.. I haven't a tried out the new 3 speed adjustable max fan yet..it comes with the silencer housing built in..not sure how it compares

If you want to clear your room and exchange with fresh air use the 14" over the 12. Moves more air and it's quieter.
 
#4
In a "sealed" setup you pull the air for your lights from outside and exhaust it back outside.( or no vented hoods at all;) ) This keeps your co2 levels more stable. You can then use your filter/ fan combo to "scrub" the air in the room
 
#5
sealed is no in or outs just mini split supplying cold air and plants emit o2. Also I personally experience a spike in rh at night and have employed a commercial sante fe dehuey for the job as well as a co2 bottle and regulator system. The plants need all they can and excessive equipment that can do the job properly. Its a huge jump and price jump going sealed. May want to do some more research before your so set on what you think is sealed so you dont have so many hiccups
 
#6
Every time I see someone buying ac and then dehueys on top of them it makes me cringe for their power bill. I got a big chiller to cool my RDWC systems, and it cools those, and the rooms- and does dehuey. Those who have not already bought ac and live in a drier climate should really consider this alternative, as it's a huge money saver!
 
#7
One Flip said:
I upsize my fans a little bit for air cooling.. I usually will use a 10" max fan and reduce it to an 8" and pull air through the hoods..

Keep in mind that a 8" fan was designed to pull through an 8" duct so i wouldn't get too crazy with upsizing. However, I have read a few different places where people have downsized fans much further with good results.

I don't have technical data to support a 10" fan will work or be your best bet..I would definitely get some other opinions.. Personally, if it gets too hot I would pull the glass out and turn up the ac;)

Really I'm just rambling to get your thread going!

I mount the fans in custom mdf boxes so its nice and quiet.. Mdf boxes work way better than the silencers if your concerned about noise.. I haven't a tried out the new 3 speed adjustable max fan yet..it comes with the silencer housing built in..not sure how it compares

If you want to clear your room and exchange with fresh air use the 14" over the 12. Moves more air and it's quieter.
Click to expand...

Downsized fans...as in a6 in fan hooked to an 8in duct line? I'm not sure I understand the thinkin there, please explain. Def. lookin at the max fans for that specific reason. Also, after seeing really good reviews, I've decided to go with the Solis Tek Matrix 1k ballasts. Any feedback on these would be great.
Thanks for gettin the ball rollin One Flip, and don't worry about rambling bro, I do plenty of that myself haha.
 
#8
sealed138 said:
In a "sealed" setup you pull the air for your lights from outside and exhaust it back outside.( or no vented hoods at all;) ) This keeps your co2 levels more stable. You can then use your filter/ fan combo to "scrub" the air in the room
Click to expand...

Right on sealed. I guess i'm more tryin to decide what way will be best to configure my fans....ie a much bigger fan than the ducting (say a 12in fan mounted close to the exhaust vent pulling through all 4 1k'ers) or 2 8 in fans, one mounted at the beginning of the light run pushing air though the first 2 lights and another near the exhaust vent to pull air the rest of the way? I'll have a 10in fan/filter combo to constantly scrub the room as well. Thanks for the input...just curious do you use a dehumid for RH control?
 
#9
midwestdensies said:
sealed is no in or outs just mini split supplying cold air and plants emit o2. Also I personally experience a spike in rh at night and have employed a commercial sante fe dehuey for the job as well as a co2 bottle and regulator system. The plants need all they can and excessive equipment that can do the job properly. Its a huge jump and price jump going sealed. May want to do some more research before your so set on what you think is sealed so you dont have so many hiccups
Click to expand...

Yeah it will be completely sealed...there will be no intake/exhaust, lights will be air cooled and completely sealed bringing in cool air from an adjoining room through the lights and out an exhaust vent. I wont be using a mini-split as I was told they wouldn't wrk well in the harsh cold ass winter where Ive decied to move...(why the fuck did I move from the warm south again?????) so I had a 3ton air handler unit installed with some shit to compensate and allow it to run regardless of the temps outside.

I'm leaning toward bottled CO2 myself, any specific reason you chose bottled CO2 over a burner? Thanks for the feedback.
 
#10
Mr_GreenGenes said:
Yeah it will be completely sealed...there will be no intake/exhaust, lights will be air cooled and completely sealed bringing in cool air from an adjoining room through the lights and out an exhaust vent. I wont be using a mini-split as I was told they wouldn't wrk well in the harsh cold ass winter where Ive decied to move...(why the fuck did I move from the warm south again?????) so I had a 3ton air handler unit installed with some shit to compensate and allow it to run regardless of the temps outside.

I'm leaning toward bottled CO2 myself, any specific reason you chose bottled CO2 over a burner? Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...
I chose bottled due to my setup and not being able to run a gas line into the space. The room is very sealed and I only go through 20lb every 3 weeks on the dot I also have a truck to use to get bottles because my 4 door is a bitch and my leathers nice lol. If you want a look at my space and the entire build in a concise format its in my harems hideout log. Sealed is the way to go but dont skimp on equipment you dont want a day of downtime.
 
#11
ttystikk said:
Every time I see someone buying ac and then dehueys on top of them it makes me cringe for their power bill. I got a big chiller to cool my RDWC systems, and it cools those, and the rooms- and does dehuey. Those who have not already bought ac and live in a drier climate should really consider this alternative, as it's a huge money saver!
Click to expand...

Exactly why I'm tyring to go w/o using a dehumid...doesn't make sense to run a big ass AC to cool the room, then heat it back up with a dehumid of ya don't absolutely have to...so I'm exploring options. That's one reason I'm leaning toward bottled CO2 over a burner... the added heat ya get with the burner.
One of the options is the fabricated exhaust vent that will allow for both runs of lights to be exhausted, but also have a 10in fan/filter combo attached to a humidistat so it kicks on when RH is over set limits....say 40%, hooked to the same exhaust vent. Considering its not that humid where I am, and the AC will help with dehumidifying the air during the lights on period, my prob with RH rising will come at night. With that in mind I'm not sure if I need to worry about hooking up any type of environmental controller (and have absolutely no experience with these) as the need for that fan to kick on during lights on while CO2 is in use won't be an issue. I know at this point it may not be "completely sealed" during lights off but as long as it works and makes sense the rest doesn't matter. Thanks for the input fellas.
 
#12
midwestdensies said:
I chose bottled due to my setup and not being able to run a gas line into the space. The room is very sealed and I only go through 20lb every 3 weeks on the dot I also have a truck to use to get bottles because my 4 door is a bitch and my leathers nice lol. If you want a look at my space and the entire build in a concise format its in my harems hideout log. Sealed is the way to go but dont skimp on equipment you dont want a day of downtime.
Click to expand...

Niiice man, thinks for the perspective. I'll def. be checking your thread out. I have acess to gas (natural gas) but am leaning toward bottles due to the extra heat for the most part, haven't bought it yet so am still open about that. Do you have your bottles in the room or outside? I'd like to be able to keep everything outside the room if possible, just makes it easier to do maintenance etc. I got a remote thermo sensor and had the thermostat mounted outside the rooms so I can ck/adjust temps w/o goin into the room.
I've never been one to buy the cheap shit, just never had much luck with the "buy it cheap and upgrade later" way of thinkin....IME always led toa malfunction and a fuckin pain in the ass at some point lol. I'll be goin with top grade gear throughout for sure. This will be the final build for me. Had a much smaller indoor garden back home with active intake/exhaust and no CO2....this is what I've had in mind for a cple years. Now with the last back surgery behind me, and hopefully the knee replacement put off indef. I can get this done and start rockin. Thanks for the input bro.
 
#13
Mr_GreenGenes said:
Downsized fans...as in a6 in fan hooked to an 8in duct line? I'm not sure I understand the thinkin there, please explain. Def. lookin at the max fans for that specific reason. Also, after seeing really good reviews, I've decided to go with the Solis Tek Matrix 1k ballasts. Any feedback on these would be great.
Thanks for gettin the ball rollin One Flip, and don't worry about rambling bro, I do plenty of that myself haha.
Click to expand...

Reducing a 12" down into an 8". Downsizing was some 4am terminology:) keep any bends down to a minimum since your duct is going to be at least 16ft. That's quite a stretch.

I use Lumatek ballasts. More important than the ballast itself is to find a good shop that is established and will swap out on the spot. Lumateks come with a 5 year warrantee and I've probably swapped out 10 with my shop in the past.. I use dual 6's so I would have two lights down if i had to wait for them to send in..or i would need an extra one or two for back up..i think once I had to pay a 100 bucks or something because it was at the 5 year mark.. But either way.. Find a good shop that will swap out on the spot and you will be a happy farmer.

What kind of medium to do use? How big are your plants? Have you considered running 9 600's bare instead of vented 1k's?
 
#14
I use hydro-gen liquid cooled co2 generators in my sealed rooms. helps alot to keep the heat down.
I also use Dri-eaz Drizair 1200's for dehumidifiers. works great, but im thinking about maybe just running them at night.
 
#15
One Flip said:
Reducing a 12" down into an 8". Downsizing was some 4am terminology:) keep any bends down to a minimum since your duct is going to be at least 16ft. That's quite a stretch.

I use Lumatek ballasts. More important than the ballast itself is to find a good shop that is established and will swap out on the spot. Lumateks come with a 5 year warrantee and I've probably swapped out 10 with my shop in the past.. I use dual 6's so I would have two lights down if i had to wait for them to send in..or i would need an extra one or two for back up..i think once I had to pay a 100 bucks or something because it was at the 5 year mark.. But either way.. Find a good shop that will swap out on the spot and you will be a happy farmer.

What kind of medium to do use? How big are your plants? Have you considered running 9 600's bare instead of vented 1k's?
Click to expand...

Ahhh got ya on the downsizing...and LMFAO @ that 4am terminology...I remember those days haha. Is basically exactly what I was thinkin...the exhaust vent will be a 12in vent...I'll have both runs of lights "Y"ed into it with a 12 x 10 x 10 Y and reduce that down to 8in to fit the hoods. Would also need to use a reducer if I went with anything bigger than 8in fans. And yeah that is gonna be a long ass run. At this point I'm thinkin an 8in Max Fan at both ends....that should be plenty of airflow.?? Don't remember the CFM on those but it was up there.

I used the Lumatek 600's back home with good results. When I moved I went with Hydrofarm Phantom 600's and have had no probs with those either. I like the features the Solis Tek has, also has some really good reviews. Def. good advice on the store...I've already been down that road a cple times both back home and since I've moved...there are some shady fuckers out there that's for sure.

I have always ran 600 W'ers...just have always thought they were the most efficient, but also haven't ever really had the setup or space to run 1Ker's or I prob would have by now. Just looking at it from a cost perspective 6 1K'ers w/hoods/bulbs etc are gonna be cheaper than 9 600's. I'm hopin the Blockbusters will help spread those 1k's out nicely. I've always used air cooled hoods, just personal preference. I've read you lose some lumens with the glass etc but I feel being able to adjust lights closer to plant canopy more than makes up for that.

I use all Fox Farm soils, both OF and HF, and nutes. I don't use their whole nute line...just the basics. I also add some lime to the soil...bout a cup per cu ft. Using RO water from a 200 GPD Hydrologic system. I might be changing over to a new soil mix once I get the new rooms up and goin. I do a 6-8 week veg from rooted clones and top/pinch/bend vigorously during veg. I like to keep my plants short and fat...theyre usually much bigger around that they are tall, strain dependant of course. Heres a link to some of my past grows/girls. Thanks for the input bro. https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/mr-greengenes-ganja-gallery-pics-from-the-farm.42569/
 
#16
sealed138 said:
I use hydro-gen liquid cooled co2 generators in my sealed rooms. helps alot to keep the heat down.
I also use Dri-eaz Drizair 1200's for dehumidifiers. works great, but im thinking about maybe just running them at night.
Click to expand...

I've seen the liquid cooled CO2 gens...good to know they help with the temps. Whats your RH in your sealed room w/o the dehumid during lights on? How much heat do those dehumids put off? In your setup do they run often during the day?
 
#17
Mr_GreenGenes said:
Ahhh got ya on the downsizing...and LMFAO @ that 4am terminology...I remember those days haha. Is basically exactly what I was thinkin...the exhaust vent will be a 12in vent...I'll have both runs of lights "Y"ed into it with a 12 x 10 x 10 Y and reduce that down to 8in to fit the hoods. Would also need to use a reducer if I went with anything bigger than 8in fans. And yeah that is gonna be a long ass run. At this point I'm thinkin an 8in Max Fan at both ends....that should be plenty of airflow.?? Don't remember the CFM on those but it was up there.

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/mr-greengenes-ganja-gallery-pics-from-the-farm.42569/
Click to expand...

I would run two separate straight rows with 10" on each line. If your set on the Y use the 14". I knew a guy that has two 14" ins and two 14"s out to exchange air and loves them...

I gotta run.. I'll reply to the rest later.
 
#18
I ran a double barreled magnum xxxl ocho setup, with an 8" Y connector that allowed one 8" fan to pull air through all 8 hoods (2 rows of 4). It worked great- even at less than half power. I think that if you feel the need to use a bigger fan, then you have issues elsewhere.
 
#19
ttystikk said:
I ran a double barreled magnum xxxl ocho setup, with an 8" Y connector that allowed one 8" fan to pull air through all 8 hoods (2 rows of 4). It worked great- even at less than half power. I think that if you feel the need to use a bigger fan, then you have issues elsewhere.
Click to expand...
A 14" would probably suck the lightbulb out the ballasts! What about a room set up where you have a scrubber.. Semi Sealed. Bare bulbs or vented.. But with massive air in and out set to temp and or humidity. You can have the AC as back up for when the outside air can't keep the temps down. How hard would it be to keep the humidity on point in this scenario? Would the savings in power be worth the swings?
 
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