New Guy: Grow Room Help-Great reply Thew1sest!

[kkdog77]

I'm also a new grower & newbie to this site. Could you elaborate or offer some more of your kean insight? My space will be similar at 2.5" x 6' x 8'h with about a ~40% veg area & ~60% flowering room. I get the math-thanks for that! I plan on using a 600w HPS in the flowering area & 300+w CFL's in the veg. area.

A couple questions if I could impose on more of your knowledge?:
1) Veg. area lighting: I'm thinking 2' tube type CFL's over the plants-would/should I also add any bulb type lower to the sides?
2) I got a Continental Fan Mfg. AXC200B inline fan from a friend-not sure of the CFM rating. Your example suggests a separate exhaust fan for each area-could I get by with just the one I already have to exhaust both areas? I'll also be using a can filter. I was thinking I could put the filter in the veg. area and pull it thru the HPS light & out; or have 1/2 the filter in the veg. area & 1/2 in the flower area.
3) I'd like to try the LST method too, as well as add a cloning area under/over the veg. area. Any design suggestions are welcome.

This is my first attempt at building a grow area-I'd like to get it right the first time.

Many thanks and this is a geat site with lot's of knowledgeable folks!

 

[Trunk5]

hey buddy i can help a little bit. ok first the veg room since it sounds as if its going to be about 2x2.5x8 you could do the 2 foot t5 panel lights if you wanted, or to save you some money get a few clamp lights and grab bulb splitters so you can attach two bulbs to each clamp light. this way you can move them up and down depending on plant height. this will also be helpful if you decide to have a mother plant and take clones from her as her clones and cloner will be lower to the ground then your mother. as for side lighting in veg i dont think youll need it unless you plan on growing monsters and if thats the case bloom your mother after 4 months of cutting clones.. lol.

as for exhaust pulling air thru that light hood is your best bet to keep temps down in a small area, a few small oscillating fans in veg will work fine to keep thoes plants happy. my veg tent only has 2 clip fans one pulls air out of it thru the top the other circulates air inside. and i keep 2 mothers and up to 15 clones at one time in a 2x2x6 veg tent. my bloom tent is 60 inches high 60 inches wide and 20 inches deep it has 2 400's with a 6 inch inline fan y'ed off pulling air thru the hoods and pushing it into a carbon filter. my temp right now is 81.8f lights on, i have it divided into two bloom chambers each only 30x20 inches.

 

[kkdog77]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Thew1sest]

Hey kkdog Thanks for the love!! But I must give everyone else on this site the reps, everyone is extremely friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

Alright let me see if I can answer a few of your questions.

1) Veg. area lighting: I'm thinking 2' tube type CFL's over the plants-would/should I also add any bulb type lower to the sides?

A lot of people use the tubes with great results, in my opinion however, if you look in my journal, I rigged up the CFL's in on a power strip to fully encase the plant in light. It's cheap and in my opinion way more effective when vegging. Check in out in my journal.

2) I got a Continental Fan Mfg. AXC200B inline fan from a friend-not sure of the CFM rating. Your example suggests a separate exhaust fan for each area-could I get by with just the one I already have to exhaust both areas? I'll also be using a can filter. I was thinking I could put the filter in the veg. area and pull it thru the HPS light & out; or have 1/2 the filter in the veg. area & 1/2 in the flower area.

That design does sound quite innovative, so you're saying youd exhaust through your veg cab, to your flower cab, through the HPS and out the top? That sounds good it would pull the heat away from your light, but you wouldn't be venting your flower cab. If you did do that I would suggest setting up a simple exhaust and intake system for you flower cab. They're are some really cheap ways to wire some 120mm computer fans, I could help you with that if you'd like. It's easier than it looks.

3) I'd like to try the LST method too, as well as add a cloning area under/over the veg. area. Any design suggestions are welcome.

For cloning, you can make a small simple bubble cloner, there are numerous designs around here. It would be perfect to fit under/ over your veg cab. Stick with an indica based strained, they've been favored by indoor and closet grows due to their short and stocky qualities. The LST method works great, my GDP is taking off when I tie her down.

 

[kkdog77]

That design does sound quite innovative, so you're saying youd exhaust through your veg cab, to your flower cab, through the HPS and out the top? That sounds good it would pull the heat away from your light, but you wouldn't be venting your flower cab. If you did do that I would suggest setting up a simple exhaust and intake system for you flower cab. They're are some really cheap ways to wire some 120mm computer fans, I could help you with that if you'd like. It's easier than it looks.

I was thinking something more like the included sketch-do you think that has legs or would it be better to disregard the veg room altogether? It's a 636 cfm fan. Thanks much!

 

[TJGrow]

Howdy KKDog. I love a diagram. I'd think you'd be better off with one space vegging then flowering in series. But the 2 tier design as Thew1sest recommends would be the best use of split space. I'd recommend the filter on the exhaust and an intake for both veg and flower. Remember you have room to dry the plants where you can filter the air as well. You didn't put a door in the diagram but you need to get to the plants and will need fans inside to keep the air moving. It could look something like this:

 

[kkdog77]

Thanks TJG, I'm a visual person too. I had thought also about putting the filter on the exhaust side & then to the outdoors, but wasn't sure if a can filter can be setup like that, with airflow thru it & then ducted to the outside. I was under the impression that one of the ends is sealed & you pull thru the filter only?

 

[TJGrow]

Yea, to pull the air from the HPS light you'd need to put that filter outside the room. You can put the filter in the room and pull the air thought it but no way to duct it to the light. You can run a duct to to exterior filter and save space in the grow room.

 

[TJGrow]

I've been working on a config for a more vertical style grow for myself. Depending on where your door is, it might work for you. This would be three sided with shelves on the back wall. The rig would hold 18 plants. They'd have room to grow up to 2 1/2' maybe 3' depending on how low they are groomed. You'd veg in place maybe swapping out the CFLs for bluer light.

 

[kkdog77]

"You'd veg in place maybe swapping out the CFLs for bluer light."
I'll have to learn more on here-when you say in series, do you mean first veg under cfl's , then switch to hps for flowering & all in the same room? I see how you envision setting up the exaust fan/filter. I intend to exaust thru a wall to the outdoors, so couldn't have the filter showing. I may have to do a redesign and incorporate a inline fan thru the wall between my veg & flower rooms-that way I could keep the filter in the flower room & still pull thru the hps...you got my wheels turning now. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Stilletto]

Hey guys... good threat so far.
I figured I would jump in but I don't have cool drawings like you guys so I hope you can follow me.

First off I use the system that you are trying to describe. You can see it on my grow journal. I use passive/forced air to vent veg into bloom room then filter the air and pass it through lights then out exaust.

VEG ROOM---(passive vent)---BLOOM ROOM---FILTER(hanging above lights)---1st LIGHT-----2nd LIGHT----EXAUST FAN---OUT

Here is a pic-

So as you can see in pic 1 The black duct is venting my lower veg chamber and can be used for my dry box, the negative air pressure in my sealed bloom room pulls the air in (I also use pc fans to help force and regulate it)
Also you can see the large duct above venting to attic.
Pic 2 shows the black duct going into bloom room and final pic shows the fan sitting above both 400 air shades. Hope this helps.

Jonny

 

[Stilletto]

Oh right... forgot to mention... you want the filter before the lights so your glass doesn't get dirty

Jonny

 

[kkdog77]

Thanks Stilletto-you're either onto something or on something Nice pics!