Cold climate indoor grow room - new build questions.

[Duneblaze]

Hey, folks!
I'm not new to growing but I'm brand new to this forum and building a grow room! Got lots of ideas but I don't know enough to know what I don't know. You know? LOL.
Hope you can help me with a few basic questions...

I'm in SW Ontario, Canada. Long cold winters, hot summers. I grow exclusively outdoors May-Oct and have also done a few runs in a 3x3 tent in my basement during the winter. Planning to expand into a 5x10 ft indoor room that I want to divide into separate veg/flower spaces, each a little under 5x5. The veg space will also function as germination room, cloning station, and allow me to grow a handful of vegetables over the winter months. The flower room will double as my drying area after harvest. I have ample gear from past grows (lights, fans, climate/odour controls) to get me going in this space. What I'd like to know from you experts is:

1) VENTILATION: Are there any issues with venting the grow space into the adjacent room - or, better still, into my cold air return for the furnace? Will the humidity be problematic? Keep in mind that winters are DRY here and I always have to run a humidifier to keep the house at a comfortable RH. I'd like to conserve as much heat and humidity as possible in the winter, rather than venting the grow space to the great outdoors. (If I ever run a summer indoor grow, I will install a vent to outside. So I guess I'm asking if I should install this outdoor vent from the start... thoughts?)

2) INSULATION: This room is in the basement with the kitchen above. Should I insulate the ceiling of the space for heat retention (we keep the house cold at night) and for sound proofing? Since I use LED lighting, overheating has never been an issue in my tent; there were a few cold nights that I had to run a small ceramic heater with the lights on.

3) ISOLATION: What's the best way to isolate the grow/flower rooms? Thinking of building a pocket door between the rooms but if someone has a better idea, I'm not above stealing it. ;)

4) PLUMBING: I need to install both a water supply to the room and a floor drain. That's easy-peasy. But can anyone see a reason why I'd need a sink in there? I don't want to take up valuable real estate if I don't have to - but once again, I'm trying to plan ahead (for clean-up of unexpected spills, hand washing, etc). Whatch'a think? Add a sink?

5) WISH I WOULD'A... This is the part where you tell me what I better do now or I'll regret it later. If you could do it over again, what would you add to/change about your grow room? Install a web cam so you can check on your girls from afar? Put your climate control read-outs/controls outside the door? Add SCROG anchor points around the perimeter? What else? Bring your best! I'm only doing this once so I wanna get it right.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!
Peace, people.

 

[yosip1115]

5x5 is really tight to do anything other than strictly growing. I wouldn't expect to have room to work in either of those areas.

Would you consider a veg tent in the basement and using the 5x10 as your flower/dry area?

Here's what I would do, if I wasn't building any walls to lay it out proper that is.

I'd grab a tent and put it in the basement outside of this 5x10 area. Pretty big one. Use a mini split or whatever HVAC you have on that 5x10 room. Dehumidifier in there too. Co2 too, totally seal it off. Get a trolmaster controller for it all... Do it right.

Plumb venting to the veg tent from that 5x10 area so you're pumping air constantly from that 5x10 conditioned area into your veg area and then back into the conditioned room- slight sacrifice here but it would be expensive to set up two separate zones. Keep that tent air tight and it'll be the same temp/humidity, and with co2 from the 5x10 area, maybe a bit warmer, which is perfect for veg.

This way you have more real estate without breaking the budget, and you have a nice properly conditioned area that can produce a lot. I'd keep the watering system, and everything you can in the basement as opposed to in that 5x10 room to save on space.

Decision between open and closed system dictates insulation but I'd lean towards closed system for greater climate control. I'd have to be there to assess insulation but I recommend rockwool if you have temperature differences great enough to warrant insulation.

I'd run some RO water in there, with a DTW system or whatever fits your fancy. Couple flood trays to avoid having to do a floor drain. No sink needed, put one in the basement instead :)

 

[mysticepipedon]

I think you can get away with venting directly into your "lung room." If humidity gets high, deal with it then, but I think it would be a slight problem, at worst, in winter.

I'd install a utility sink. I'm in love with my utility sink. I'm thinking of popping the question.

 

[Happyreefing]

I think you can get away with venting directly into your "lung room." If humidity gets high, deal with it then, but I think it would be a slight problem, at worst, in winter.

I'd install a utility sink. I'm in love with my utility sink. I'm thinking of popping the question.

she could still say no be carful man

 

[Duneblaze]

5x5 is really tight to do anything other than strictly growing. I wouldn't expect to have room to work in either of those areas.

Would you consider a veg tent in the basement and using the 5x10 as your flower/dry area?

Here's what I would do, if I wasn't building any walls to lay it out proper that is.

I'd grab a tent and put it in the basement outside of this 5x10 area. Pretty big one. Use a mini split or whatever HVAC you have on that 5x10 room. Dehumidifier in there too. Co2 too, totally seal it off. Get a trolmaster controller for it all... Do it right.

Plumb venting to the veg tent from that 5x10 area so you're pumping air constantly from that 5x10 conditioned area into your veg area and then back into the conditioned room- slight sacrifice here but it would be expensive to set up two separate zones. Keep that tent air tight and it'll be the same temp/humidity, and with co2 from the 5x10 area, maybe a bit warmer, which is perfect for veg.

This way you have more real estate without breaking the budget, and you have a nice properly conditioned area that can produce a lot. I'd keep the watering system, and everything you can in the basement as opposed to in that 5x10 room to save on space.

Decision between open and closed system dictates insulation but I'd lean towards closed system for greater climate control. I'd have to be there to assess insulation but I recommend rockwool if you have temperature differences great enough to warrant insulation.

I'd run some RO water in there, with a DTW system or whatever fits your fancy. Couple flood trays to avoid having to do a floor drain. No sink needed, put one in the basement i

5x5 is really tight to do anything other than strictly growing. I wouldn't expect to have room to work in either of those areas.

Would you consider a veg tent in the basement and using the 5x10 as your flower/dry area?

Here's what I would do, if I wasn't building any walls to lay it out proper that is.

I'd grab a tent and put it in the basement outside of this 5x10 area. Pretty big one. Use a mini split or whatever HVAC you have on that 5x10 room. Dehumidifier in there too. Co2 too, totally seal it off. Get a trolmaster controller for it all... Do it right.

Plumb venting to the veg tent from that 5x10 area so you're pumping air constantly from that 5x10 conditioned area into your veg area and then back into the conditioned room- slight sacrifice here but it would be expensive to set up two separate zones. Keep that tent air tight and it'll be the same temp/humidity, and with co2 from the 5x10 area, maybe a bit warmer, which is perfect for veg.

This way you have more real estate without breaking the budget, and you have a nice properly conditioned area that can produce a lot. I'd keep the watering system, and everything you can in the basement as opposed to in that 5x10 room to save on space.

Decision between open and closed system dictates insulation but I'd lean towards closed system for greater climate control. I'd have to be there to assess insulation but I recommend rockwool if you have temperature differences great enough to warrant insulation.

I'd run some RO water in there, with a DTW system or whatever fits your fancy. Couple flood trays to avoid having to do a floor drain. No sink needed, put one in the basement instead :)

K, this is EXACTLY what I hoped to hear! Thank you! I truly appreciate the thought process behind this answer. You rock.

I know that I'm trying to fit a square peg in a round hole but this space is what I have to work with. Actually, I'm kinda spoiled already. The current 3x3 has served me well for a handful of indoor runs. And I have TONS of space around the tent in the basement when I'm not dodging the wife's laundry (oh, who am I kidding, that always hangs in front of the work bench anyway). I have a laundry sink at hand to fill my DWC totes, a floor drain just outside the tent... and a work surface to mix nutes, etc. It's sweet. And I thought of just adding a second tent... but that wouldn't eliminate the climate control issues that I currently have, plus it would cannibalize all that glorious space. As I mentioned, it's cold down there in the winter and humidity control is a battle all the time.

So, the room I have at my disposal is essentially a closet. We're in a split level so it's up 3 stairs from the "basement" but still under the living space. I can wire, plumb, vent, and drain the room but I'm limited to the overall dimensions of the perimeter. Hauling water up those few steps would be a pain - as would jumping between work spaces... but I hadn't considered just leaving the existing tent in the basement. SO SIMPLE!!

Back to the drawing board to see what sticks now.
Huge thanks!

 

[Duneblaze]

I think you can get away with venting directly into your "lung room." If humidity gets high, deal with it then, but I think it would be a slight problem, at worst, in winter.

I'd install a utility sink. I'm in love with my utility sink. I'm thinking of popping the question.

Good to know about the humidity! "Lung room" - stealing that. :)

Thanks for your input about the sink too. All about the convenience. If I decide not to divide the space *keeping the tent in the basement for veg* I'll have LOADS of room for it and my other goodies.

 

[yosip1115]

There's a lot to be said about having a conditioned space that holds temp, humidity, and co2 regardless of mother nature. I wouldn't aim for anything short of that so you can just set it and forget it and not have a bad morning one day etc. I'm all about the closed system grows so I'm a bit biased.