How much is too much heat in a grow tent.

[DazedNconfused78]

LEDs generate allegedly the least heat from research but with the wattage you are working with heat is inevitable. Maybe consider more air changes or turning your ventilation fan up a bit and running some smaller fans inside the tent to circulate air. Since the air outside the tent is cool and the air inside the tent is not, you set the system up to pull that cool air into the tent. This could be as simple as using one of the lower ventilation openings on the tent and putting a fan next to it to pull air in the bottom and use the vent system to exhaust hot air out of the top.

I have tried it all. Lol. Im doing flood and drain. It maybe has something to do with the water res under the flood table? Not sure. Im getting ready to buy a tripp lite 12,000 btu air conditioner(anybody use this or something similar? ) so i can crank my lights up and keep it at about 74° or less so that my res stays cool. I don't want to have to buy anything else.

 

[workngrow]

I have tried it all. Lol. Im doing flood and drain. It maybe has something to do with the water res under the flood table? Not sure. Im getting ready to buy a tripp lite 12,000 btu air conditioner(anybody use this or something similar? ) so i can crank my lights up and keep it at about 74° or less so that my res stays cool. I don't want to have to buy anything else.

I considered a flood and drain type setup but the room I am in isn't tall enough for me to be comfortable with a setup like that and have it be efficient. I just wouldnt flood and drain inside a tent due to limited space because all of the heating elements having to be in a confined space with your res. I figure its not completely impossible to do but its just inviting wild variable swings and increased heat everywhere not to mention humidity. Especially for an inexperienced grower.

So your lights, pumps, fans, anything that generates heat being confined to that space.

I was just gifted a portable LG AC unit for my grow room but it wont be going inside the tent. Nothing but the buckets, lights, and some basic grow accessories inside the tent. (Fans, carbon filter, etc.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

I considered a flood and drain type setup but the room I am in isn't tall enough for me to be comfortable with a setup like that and have it be efficient. I just wouldnt flood and drain inside a tent due to limited space because all of the heating elements having to be in a confined space with your res. I figure its not completely impossible to do but its just inviting wild variable swings and increased heat everywhere not to mention humidity. Especially for an inexperienced grower.

So your lights, pumps, fans, anything that generates heat being confined to that space.

I was just gifted a portable LG AC unit for my grow room but it wont be going inside the tent. Nothing but the buckets, lights, and some basic grow accessories inside the tent. (Fans, carbon filter, etc.

Your right on all of that. I am hoping with the tripp light air conditioner i can keep it cooler in there. If not. Since i am growing where i am. Maybe soil is the way to go. Or a different hydro setup.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

LEDs generate allegedly the least heat from research but with the wattage you are working with heat is inevitable. Maybe consider more air changes or turning your ventilation fan up a bit and running some smaller fans inside the tent to circulate air. Since the air outside the tent is cool and the air inside the tent is not, you set the system up to pull that cool air into the tent. This could be as simple as using one of the lower ventilation openings on the tent and putting a fan next to it to pull air in the bottom and use the vent system to exhaust hot air out of the top.

So i have my 4 inch fan pulling air in faster now than the 6 inch is pulling out. Should i have those fans switched around? 6 inch pulling more cool air in? While the 4 inch will have to work more to get the air out? Or am i fine the way it is?

 

[workngrow]

Your right on all of that. I am hoping with the tripp light air conditioner i can keep it cooler in there. If not. Since i am growing where i am. Maybe soil is the way to go. Or a different hydro setup.

So i have my 4 inch fan pulling air in faster now than the 6 inch is pulling out. Should i have those fans switched around? 6 inch pulling more cool air in? While the 4 inch will have to work more to get the air out? Or am i fine the way it is?

I would think they need to be set the same, you want air in and air out at the same rate.

 

[MIMedGrower]

The most volatile terpenes start evaporating at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why you smell the plants in the first place.

by 85 degrees ambient many terpenes are long gone already.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

The most volatile terpenes start evaporating at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why you smell the plants in the first place.

by 85 degrees ambient many terpenes are long gone already.

So do i want to grow my plants at 70?

 

[MIMedGrower]

So do i want to grow my plants at 70?

No but only because it would be too cold for good fast growth. I keep my room under 77 to protect flavor smell and potency. When I let it drift to 80 I notice the smell and potency start to be affected. That’s under hps. Led has no ir to burn the trichomes.

 

[workngrow]

Expected temp should probably be different for certain times of day. Like MI said, 77 or less for him. I have been running 75ish pretty steady though at night the temps do drop a bit. Have been reading lately that letting the temps drop a bit at night is good. This is more or less how it would work outdoors so it seems the natural progression.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

No but only because it would be too cold for good fast growth. I keep my room under 77 to protect flavor smell and potency. When I let it drift to 80 I notice the smell and potency start to be affected. That’s under hps. Led has no ir to burn the trichomes.

But good still for me with LEDs to keep it at 75-77?

 

[DazedNconfused78]

Expected temp should probably be different for certain times of day. Like MI said, 77 or less for him. I have been running 75ish pretty steady though at night the temps do drop a bit. Have been reading lately that letting the temps drop a bit at night is good. This is more or less how it would work outdoors so it seems the natural progression.

Thats what mine does pretty naturally. When i get my air conditioner can keep it at 77 and it will drop to around 72 for lights off. And i usually go up on humidity about 2-3%. Should be perfect for my leaf temps too. The air conditioner is really the last thing i need to control everything.

 

[MIMedGrower]

But good still for me with LEDs to keep it at 75-77?

I know growers doing very well with led at those temps but the forum guys here will tell you you need to be in the low 80’s to make up for the missing ambient heat.

I will try both when I switch.

 

[workngrow]

Thats what mine does pretty naturally. When i get my air conditioner can keep it at 77 and it will drop to around 72 for lights off. And i usually go up on humidity about 2-3%. Should be perfect for my leaf temps too. The air conditioner is really the last thing i need to control everything.

Yea the tough part for canvassing for information at times is everyone here does some things differently from what I have seen so far. So if you at least take the majority of examples and draw comparisons between them and omit some of the outliers you'll be able to hone in on a reliable formula for you.

I think the main point the majority of different answers is that you can pretty much grow solid weed in any environment that either isnt as hot as the surface of the sun or a frozen tundra. So don't stress minor temp or humidity fluctuations or overconcern yourself with minor things. Once you go through a couple grows you can refine those details later on to what your experience and environment says they should be.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

I know growers doing very well with led at those temps but the forum guys here will tell you you need to be in the low 80’s to make up for the missing ambient heat.

I will try both when I switch.

Hmmmm. I will have to try both too. For the time being i just have to keep them living until i get the air conditioner. Right now my light is only at 40%. I am on the downhill side of veg. And they need their flowering light.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

Yea the tough part for canvassing for information at times is everyone here does some things differently from what I have seen so far. So if you at least take the majority of examples and draw comparisons between them and omit some of the outliers you'll be able to hone in on a reliable formula for you.

I think the main point the majority of different answers is that you can pretty much grow solid weed in any environment that either isnt as hot as the surface of the sun or a frozen tundra. So don't stress minor temp or humidity fluctuations or overconcern yourself with minor things. Once you go through a couple grows you can refine those details later on to what your experience and environment says they should be.

Cool. That makes me feel better. Like i said.....I think to once i get this air conditioner i will be way better off. Question about air conditioning. Sinc i will be ducting it into the tent. Will it matter where it is? Or should i duct it on the inside where that cool air falls over my plants?

 

[DazedNconfused78]

I know growers doing very well with led at those temps but the forum guys here will tell you you need to be in the low 80’s to make up for the missing ambient heat.

I will try both when I switch.

The only bad thing about temps in the low 80's for me is my nutrient reservoir getting warm.

 

[workngrow]

Cool. That makes me feel better. Like i said.....I think to once i get this air conditioner i will be way better off. Question about air conditioning. Sinc i will be ducting it into the tent. Will it matter where it is? Or should i duct it on the inside where that cool air falls over my plants?

I've seen it go either way in online tent examples. My plan is to just control the temp in the room in its entirety and use the fans inside the tent to pull that cooler air in underneath while exhausting hot air from the upper part with vent fan.

I dont know if I would just pump cold air straight from the ac into the tent but someone with more experience is probably better to answer that one.

 

[DazedNconfused78]

I've seen it go either way in online tent examples. My plan is to just control the temp in the room in its entirety and use the fans inside the tent to pull that cooler air in underneath while exhausting hot air from the upper part with vent fan.

I dont know if I would just pump cold air straight from the ac into the tent but someone with more experience is probably better to answer that one.

Ill have it on a controller. Im going to buy a seperate inkbird temp/humidity controller. So it will only get to my desired temp. No biggie i don't think

 

[DazedNconfused78]

Sounds like I'll be ok though. I sure appreciate everyone's time. Thanks. Ill post some pics later on for sure. I trimmed a little too much and they look like they got a bad haircut. They are doing fine. But the fan leaves were just shading to much of everything underneath so i trimmed them off.

 

[MIMedGrower]

Sounds like I'll be ok though. I sure appreciate everyone's time. Thanks. Ill post some pics later on for sure. I trimmed a little too much and they look like they got a bad haircut. They are doing fine. But the fan leaves were just shading to much of everything underneath so i trimmed them off.

the leaves are what gathers the light to grow the flowers. You only cut leaves off if they overlap and can trap moisture. The leaves are cut for airflow not light to hit the bud sites. That’s bro science. The flowers photosynthesize very little compared to the big leaves.