Advice on exhausting out window

[bananabud]

This is my second grow in a 5x5x6.6 tent. I have two inline 440cfm fans a hepa intake filter and a charcoal filter. Last grow my intake and exhaust both came directly from and to the indoor room I share with the tent, with both filters being outside the tent. I purchased a window AC vent kit and want to put the charcoal filter inside the tent and exhaust out the window everything I have is 6". Do I need a backdraft damper? How do I make sure nothing, like bugs get in? Is there anything else to be worried about?Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[freezeland2]

This is my second grow in a 5x5x6.6 tent. I have two inline 440cfm fans a hepa intake filter and a charcoal filter. Last grow my intake and exhaust both came directly from and to the indoor room I share with the tent, with both filters being outside the tent. I purchased a window AC vent kit and want to put the charcoal filter inside the tent and exhaust out the window everything I have is 6". Do I need a backdraft damper? How do I make sure nothing, like bugs get in? Is there anything else to be worried about?Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

It should have a damper of some kind, much like a laundry exhaust outlet.

 

[MIGrampaUSA]

+1 on the back draft damper.

 

[pilto]

I did this as well. I figured out pretty quick that it is impossible to keep a tent cool if you are constantly sucking the recently cooled air directly out of your house. I ended up just going back to venting into the room and air conditioning the room the tent is in to cool the whole thing.

 

[bananabud]

I did this as well. I figured out pretty quick that it is impossible to keep a tent cool if you are constantly sucking the recently cooled air directly out of your house. I ended up just going back to venting into the room and air conditioning the room the tent is in to cool the whole thing.

So did you get a portable AC unit for the room then? I sleep in the same room and it was the humidity that made it unbearable towards the end of my last grow that was started in January. Maybe adding a small portable AC would help. Venting outside seems easy but there's a lot to consider there as well.

 

[Smokey0418]

I exhaust outside also , 24-7 as once I stop you will surely smell it inside.

 

[pilto]

So did you get a portable AC unit for the room then? I sleep in the same room and it was the humidity that made it unbearable towards the end of my last grow that was started in January. Maybe adding a small portable AC would help. Venting outside seems easy but there's a lot to consider there as well.

I had a small room with a window and I put an air conditioner in the window. I originally had a 6" exhaust going from my tent to the top of the window, and an airconditioner keeping the room cool. But what ended up happening is that the air moved through the tent fast enough that the room never really got cooled down enough. I never put it on a timer or anything so that might work better for you. Didn't for me and I ended up just adding a second carbon filter to the other end of the 6" vent hose from the tents so that there is a carbon filter both inside and outside the tent. That takes care of the smell. And the air conditioner fights with the dehumidifier to keep the room at the right RH/Temp.

 

[Moe.Red]

HVAC guys cringe when they hear about people actively pushing air outside of an otherwise central air conditioned space. It really plays havoc with the AC design. You will have a negative pressure on the whole house and will be sucking in make up air on every window, every crevice in the house. You will then force the central air to cool that make up air - which can be significant with a 6" blower working against it.

Better to make the lung room it's own unit and use AC and Dehumidifier to get the lung room air where you want it and exchange air that way. It might seem counter intuitive, but the the electricity use will be less in this scenario.

 

[bananabud]

I exhaust outside also , 24-7 as once I stop you will surely smell it inside.

I had carbon filter inside before when I exhausted directly into the room,bthe filter was the exit point so also outside of the tent and we didn't have issues with smell at all just extra heat and humidity in the room and that is what I was trying to get away from by venting outside, but the more I read the more there seems to be to consider.

 

[bananabud]

I had a small room with a window and I put an air conditioner in the window. I originally had a 6" exhaust going from my tent to the top of the window, and an airconditioner keeping the room cool. But what ended up happening is that the air moved through the tent fast enough that the room never really got cooled down enough. I never put it on a timer or anything so that might work better for you. Didn't for me and I ended up just adding a second carbon filter to the other end of the 6" vent hose from the tents so that there is a carbon filter both inside and outside the tent. That takes care of the smell. And the air conditioner fights with the dehumidifier to keep the room at the right RH/Temp.

Thanks for the info, I think I'm going to nix the venting outside issues and get a portable AC for the room. It might take some time to dial in but sounds doable.

 

[bananabud]

HVAC guys cringe when they hear about people actively pushing air outside of an otherwise central air conditioned space. It really plays havoc with the AC design. You will have a negative pressure on the whole house and will be sucking in make up air on every window, every crevice in the house. You will then force the central air to cool that make up air - which can be significant with a 6" blower working against it.

Better to make the lung room it's own unit and use AC and Dehumidifier to get the lung room air where you want it and exchange air that way. It might seem counter intuitive, but the the electricity use will be less in this scenario.

So do you recommend both a dehumidifier and portable AC or are you referring to the dehumidification the portable AC will be doing naturally? I won't be able to mount the AC in a window it will have to literally be a portable one, but I can exhaust it out the window still correct?

 

[Smokey0418]

Me too.

The mold wasn’t very appealing either so it was kill 2 birds with one stone thing.

 

[Smokey0418]

So do you recommend both a dehumidifier and portable AC or are you referring to the dehumidification the portable AC will be doing naturally? I won't be able to mount the AC in a window it will have to literally be a portable one, but I can exhaust it out the window still correct?

He is referring you to build an additional room . I think you draw air in using a portable through your window to achieve the perfect temp to then blow back and forth with.

Sounds cool. I never put any thought into the negative pressure I created in my house over those 20 years. Me bad.
Got kicked to the garage.

 

[IamN2pot]

...and speaking of garage's, I'm gonna chime in here with some more simple advice and along side what Moe said. I learned long ago that it's cheaper, and better for the plants in almost all cases, to move air rather than to condition it. If you can, pull your fresh air from outside AND vent your exaust air outside. I know, easier said than done, but when you get it right, it works fabulously. I'm in my garage with 2 tents. I crack open the garage door at night to cool it to around 70* (outside air is 65*), close up the garage when the outside temp get's up over 75 and am able to maintain a max temp of around 82-83* in the tents with afternoon outside temps around 100* here in Pueblo, CO. Everything vents into the attic and no, I don't have any sort of back blow dampener, but probably should add them.
Hope that helps, N2

 

[bananabud]

Me too.

The mold wasn’t very appealing either so it was kill 2 birds with one stone

...and speaking of garage's, I'm gonna chime in here with some more simple advice and along side what Moe said. I learned long ago that it's cheaper, and better for the plants in almost all cases, to move air rather than to condition it. If you can, pull your fresh air from outside AND vent your exaust air outside. I know, easier said than done, but when you get it right, it works fabulously. I'm in my garage with 2 tents. I crack open the garage door at night to cool it to around 70* (outside air is 65*), close up the garage when the outside temp get's up over 75 and am able to maintain a max temp of around 82-83* in the tents with afternoon outside temps around 100* here in Pueblo, CO. Everything vents into the attic and no, I don't have any sort of back blow dampener, but probably should add them.
Hope that helps, N2
View attachment 1280041

Nice set up! I'm limited in making any structural changes but seems that could be achieved through a window as well.

 

[bananabud]

So much to consider. The tent has to stay in the room it's in and I have to sleep in that room as well. The house does have central air, and also plenty of places it's going to be sucking are in (probably every window and door) trying to correct the negative pressure of me pushing air out. My plants did beautiful last time, just pulling and pushing air from the room, I was just miserable and now thinking about mold too . Seems like the best options include keeping both the intake and exhaust either inside or out but not split. Should have known it would be too good to be viable for getting rid of the warm moist air outside but keeping the AC cooled are for the intake and have it be that simple lol.

 

[Moe.Red]

A lot of what is available to you is based on climate. Where I live only about 2 months would be appropriate to consider direct air exchange with outdoors. Lemme get to desktop and I’ll draw a picture it will be much easier to explain that way.

 

[Moe.Red]

...and speaking of garage's, I'm gonna chime in here with some more simple advice and along side what Moe said. I learned long ago that it's cheaper, and better for the plants in almost all cases, to move air rather than to condition it. If you can, pull your fresh air from outside AND vent your exaust air outside. I know, easier said than done, but when you get it right, it works fabulously. I'm in my garage with 2 tents. I crack open the garage door at night to cool it to around 70* (outside air is 65*), close up the garage when the outside temp get's up over 75 and am able to maintain a max temp of around 82-83* in the tents with afternoon outside temps around 100* here in Pueblo, CO. Everything vents into the attic and no, I don't have any sort of back blow dampener, but probably should add them.
Hope that helps, N2
View attachment 1280041

Nice clean setup. Love it.

 

[Anthem]

HVAC guys cringe when they hear about people actively pushing air outside of an otherwise central air conditioned space. It really plays havoc with the AC design. You will have a negative pressure on the whole house and will be sucking in make up air on every window, every crevice in the house. You will then force the central air to cool that make up air - which can be significant with a 6" blower working against it.

Better to make the lung room it's own unit and use AC and Dehumidifier to get the lung room air where you want it and exchange air that way. It might seem counter intuitive, but the the electricity use will be less in this scenario.

Moe is right hear. Considering a 6 inch fan can pretty easily pull 400 CFM. CFM=cubic feet a minute. A 10’x10’x8 room is 800 CFM. An average home is around 1600 square. 1600 x 8=12,800 cubic feet. You would be changing out the air in the whole house almost twice in an hout

 

[Peat_Phreak]

You can exhaust into the grow room. Most filters do a good enough job to keep your grow room stank under control. Then occasionally vent outside with a fan and filter combo #2 on a timer. Don't have to vent outside 24/7. A couple hours a day is fine. Or let it run more often at night to evacuate humidity.