Im confused on how to properly set uo co2

[faintfuzzies]

I bought a co2 tank and reg , I thought i understood how to properly set this equipment up and timen everything right but i dont think i do . Im confused on do i still vent out any room air ? or can i do a complete sealed room with no exhaust air to out side ? I know i have to vent light with air that does not come from flower room so i dont loose co2 . I do have a ac to control temps and i have a humidifier if i need to raise humidity.. Im a bit confused.

Faint

 

[efnscreenames]

the formula without a meter/controller, for a co2 tank and regulator is like this. LxWxH divided by 1200 . So you get the cubic feet of your grow space, then you divide that by 1200 and the resulting number is what you'll set your flow gauge or ball at on your regulator. Why 1200? because relative co2 level are around 300 ppm, for optimized growth you want it at around 1500ppm. Now you will need a timer to run for the first two hours your lights are on and then in 15 minute increments for the next 9 hours, if your running 12/12 you only want the co2 running for 11 hours because once the lights go out plants cease to use co2. the most efficient way to go is get a meter/controller. they are pricey but you know youre exact ppms.

 

[pussOGbrah]

no venting nescesary. plants use co2 and produce o2 as byproduct of photosynthesis. enjoy your room sealedi s the way to go..

 

[ttystikk]

Good advice; get a CO2 controller. Best advice; get an environmental controller that controls temps, humidity and CO2, so that these can be controlled as a system instead of individually. The formula discussed above is good, but is necessarily inexact and as such will give inexact results.

The reasons to vent your grow room; temperature control, humidity control, and CO2 refreshment. If you have these covered without venting room air, then by all means, seal it!

As to venting your hood, it's going to save you mucho coin on AC operating costs IF it's installed properly. Here's how:

1. Make sure your hood and all your ducting is sealed up. Done properly, you should not be able to detect any smell from your bloomroom- so no more carbon filter!
2. Pull the ducted air through your hood and room by placing the fan downstream of the hood, as close to the exit as possible. Keep the ducting runs as straight as you can to minimize restriction.
3. You will notice that the air downstream of the fan is much hotter than upstream, so insulate the outflow ducting. This will also reduce the fan noise. Run the fan on a timer set to come on 15 minutes after the light does, and go off 15 miutes after it goes out, this helps the room set proper day and night temps.

This will get rid of about 2/3 of the total heat from an HID, leaving your AC to handle only the remaining 1/3. This in turn means cost savings, less stress on the AC unit, and more stable humidity in the room since AC likes to suck moisture out of the air while it runs.

On the subject of humidity, if you've done things correctly and you have a substantial amount of plants in the room doing their thing, you will not need a humidifier, you'll need a DEhumidifier. I scrounged up a barely used Frigidaire 70 pint digitally controlled unit for $125 from craigslist. Since most of these units have a good humidistat built in, they generally do not need to be tied into an environmental controller.

A good baseline to set up your sealed bloomroom is; 80-82 degrees daytime, low 70s nighttime, 55-60% humidity all the time, and 1000-1200ppm total CO2 daytime only. You may want to adjust your nute strength depending on what your environmental conditions are now. Then look out, cuz those babies are gonna BLOW!

Primer on sealed rooms, done!

 

[meg0tnutz]

Hey Faint, I rock a semi sealed room, meaning, sealed when lights on w/c02, back draft dampers, dehuy, ac and such..Night time passive intake and exhaust if needed, depending on temps and humidity..All via environmental controls..using tank/regulator every couple hr spits(daytime) and it works for my setup..
I know I know, peeps will scream out, that's not the way a seal room rocks'..Well it does for me with my setup..Don't need ~1500 ppm c02 according to studies..

 

[ttystikk]

Hey Faint, I rock a semi sealed room, meaning, sealed when lights on w/c02, back draft dampers, dehuy, ac and such..Night time passive intake and exhaust if needed, depending on temps and humidity..All via environmental controls..using tank/regulator every couple hr spits(daytime) and it works for my setup..
I know I know, peeps will scream out, that's not the way a seal room rocks'..Well it does for me with my setup..Don't need ~1500 ppm c02 according to studies..

The only people bitching about your 'semi-sealed' approach are those who don't understand the theory behind them. Looks fine to me. I do have a question though; if you have AC and a dehuey already, why vent at night?

 

[pussOGbrah]

run a recirculating carbon filter no doubt. some smell still escapes sealed rooms no matter what so scrub your room to be safe,.

 

[meg0tnutz]

The only people bitching about your 'semi-sealed' approach are those who don't understand the theory behind them. Looks fine to me. I do have a question though; if you have AC and a dehuey already, why vent at night?

In cool(er) weather, it makes sense(to me) and cheaper btw, to run exhaust fans to control humidity and temps, than running AC and dehuey..But the equip is available when needed..Having a small space heater will help with the humidity and keeping the right temps..
Course I know I don't have to 'esplane' it to you lucy..Lol..Thanks for asking!