New Guy, New Setup, Help with Temps!

U

Untchbl

Active Member
Hi Folks! Super glad to have found this forum!

So, obviously, I will be growing at home.... My tent is sort of an oddball size, but it's what I wanted. 30"X50"X80" Most of the time I'll just have 4 or 5 plants in this tent and use some of the extra space for fans and other gadgets.... Possibly down the road I would add another light. Currently have a Nanolux 315 CMH, with 4" Hurricane fan and a nice large 4"X14" filter that is vented out a window.

Here's the issue. With the tent zipped up, fan running full blast, light at full blast my temps are easily 80-84 during the day. The room is upstairs and maintains 68 at night and 72-75 during the day. I have 2 lower vents wide open and a little 10" vornado fan pushing air in through one of the large sock openings. Tent shows a touch of positive pressure like this......

Thinking I need to move up to a 6" duct fan at minimum and possibly even move up to a large 6"X18" filter.... Thoughts? Or just roll with these temps? I'd prefer not to have the lower vents open if I can avoid it due to light.

Thanks in advance, and again, I'm glad to have found this group!
 
:welcome: to the forum!

They can live with those temperatures. To lower them, you'll need more ventilation through the tent as the light is not a cool tube design. A six inch (15cm) fan and filter is called for. I'd go for 6" X 24" (15cm X 60cm) filter if you can.
 
You should never have to use an intake fan. If you do, your exhaust fan is either too small for the job, broken, or just a piece of sh!t.

You should have a slight negative pressure in your grow space.

Is it possible you have some kind of substantial restriction in your exhaust duct? A kink (if using soft/flexible stuff, like people sometimes use on clothes dryers) where you should have a gentle curve? Some kind of object (dead pet?) If metal duct? A significant buildup of dust/dirt on your carbon filter's pre-filter (you did install the pre-filter, right?)? Speaking of pre-filters, I once read of someone being drunk or IDFK stupid, maybe, and not bothering to pull the pre-filter out of their carbon filter (where many shippers stick them) before hooking it up to his exhaust fan, LMFAO - and it got sucked into the fan.

You've only got ~69.44 cubic feet of grow space. Even the average crappy generic exhaust fan should be adequate for the task. Assuming it's a radial (aka "blower," "squirrel cage") fan, of course. If, on the other hand, it's an axial fan - like the box fans you might see mounted in the window of a '70s house trailer - then, well, there's your problem. Axial fans are okay for moving air, but NOT against any kind of pressure.

Other than that, your temperatures are fine - assuming your plants are receiving enough light-energy. In fact, they are capable of processing more light-energy at 88.4°F - about the maximum amount they can process at "normal" CO₂ levels - than at 80°F. To get them to be able to process even more light-energy than that, you'd need to add CO₂ and raise the temperature above that level. Again, this does assume a certain amount of light(-energy). As you drop below that sweet spot, you'll want to lower your "day" temperature accordingly in order to keep the efficiency up. There's a reason that people started crying about having temperatures in the low- to mid-80 at about the same time that people started using CFL bulbs for grow lighting.

If you do some web-searching, you should be able to find light / temperature / CO₂ charts for cannabis.

Under normal atmospheric CO₂ levels, if you think your plants are suffering from high temperatures, and they're at or below 87°F... Try adding more light ;) .
 
Yep, no kinks, a smooth single curve out of the tent's sock and then out the window, pre filter is on the outside of the filter (Ha!), and no other obstructions... Hell, I even took the filter off today to see if it was slowing the fan down... Nope, same temps!

So, It's time for a bigger/nicer duct fan and maybe a filter too!
 
Yeah, it appears that your fan just isn't up to the job. Unless a bird has built a nest in the end of the duct run, lol, but it seems that you've checked that and pretty much everything else.

Again, make sure whatever model of fan you get, that it's a radial fan.

I'm accessing via my cell phone, so I don't have access to the pictures on my laptop's hard drive right now, so let me find a web page...

Here's one that describes the differences between the two a bit better:
Code: 
https://enerdes.com/the-difference-between-axial-and-radial-fans/

Oh, and you might see a fan being described as a "centrifugal" fan. If so, don't worry, that's just one more name for a radial fan. And be sure that the rated capacity (CFM of air) of your carbon filter is at least as great as that of your exhaust fan.

Oops, I see I used the same term for both the good and (in a couple places) bad fan types in previous post. Apologies for that. I'll go back and edit it.
 
Where is your ballast located, inside the tent or outside the tent?

The Nanolux 315W ballast runs at around 130 degrees, that's only added heat in the tent. The temp of the ballast is very important, one of mine died and I replaced it with Xtrasun and it's ballast runs around 180 degrees.
I ran two Nanolux, the temp inside the 4x4, with a 6 inch fan and filter, is at high point 82 degrees.
I think increasing the extraction fan is a good idea. But if your ballast is in the tent get it out of there.
JMHO

edit
I have both of my ballast outside my tent, have since inception of my grows in the tent.
 
gr865 said:
Where is your ballast located, inside the tent or outside the tent?

The Nanolux 315W ballast runs at around 130 degrees, that's only added heat in the tent. The temp of the ballast is very important, one of mine died and I replaced it with Xtrasun and it's ballast runs around 180 degrees.
I ran two Nanolux, the temp inside the 4x4, with a 6 inch fan and filter, is at high point 82 degrees.
I think increasing the extraction fan is a good idea. But if your ballast is in the tent get it out of there.
JMHO

edit
I have both of my ballast outside my tent, have since inception of my grows in the tent.
Click to expand...

Here’s what the setup looks like currently.

I sprouted a few bag seeds and now have the little seedling in the cup going to just tinker with. I put 8 seeds in rapid rooters yesterday evening they are under that towel in the corner.

5FC4301A-997E-4C5C-B88C-97B3FBCC668E.jpeg
 
TorturedSoul said:
You should never have to use an intake fan. If you do, your exhaust fan is either too small for the job, broken, or just a piece of sh!t.
Click to expand...


Unless your intake openings are the problem. My 8 in hyperfan pulls more air than the intakes can flow. Fwiw. In that instance an intake fan would be beneficial. It doesn't matter how powerful the fan is, with nowhere to get air from it can't move air.

Mixed flow fans, like the hyperfan, maxfan, and vortex lines are actually your best bet for air volume and static pressure, they also perform much better at lower speeds, of course they are also more expensive than a centrifugal blower.


Untchbl said:
Here’s what the setup looks like currently.

I sprouted a few bag seeds and now have the little seedling in the cup going to just tinker with. I put 8 seeds in rapid rooters yesterday evening they are under that towel in the corner.

5FC4301A-997E-4C5C-B88C-97B3FBCC668E.jpeg
Click to expand...

On that note, how many of your intakes are open? Lol
 
You can purchase an extension, separate the ballast from the lamp holder, move it outside the tent and use the extension cord for the lamp. This should lower the temp in your tent, the ballast itself runs about 130 degree, so along with getting a bigger fan and filter you will be fine.

I just Googled this, I think it is the one I bought.

Solis Tek 15' Tinned Lamp Extension Cord direct from Growers House

SolisTek offers a full line of high quality lamp extensions. SolisTek lamp extensions are not created equally. We use completely upgraded 14 AWG Tinned wiring for the least amount of resistance possible from the ballast to lamp. Using SolisTek digital lam
growershouse.com

Here is my lamp holder separated from the Ballast.
20190926_152116.jpg
 
TurboBucket said:
Unless your intake openings are the problem. My 8 in hyperfan pulls more air than the intakes can flow. Fwiw. In that instance an intake fan would be beneficial. It doesn't matter how powerful the fan is, with nowhere to get air from it can't move air.

Mixed flow fans, like the hyperfan, maxfan, and vortex lines are actually your best bet for air volume and static pressure, they also perform much better at lower speeds, of course they are also more expensive than a centrifugal blower.




On that note, how many of your intakes are open? Lol
Click to expand...

Both side vents are fully open (I don't have the back one open cause I didn't want to squeeze back there) and the sock on the right in the picture has a 10" vornado fan blowing air in. I'm just going to get a 6" or 8" exhaust fan set up.... Now just decide which one...
 
gr865 said:
You can purchase an extension, separate the ballast from the lamp holder, move it outside the tent and use the extension cord for the lamp. This should lower the temp in your tent, the ballast itself runs about 130 degree, so along with getting a bigger fan and filter you will be fine.

I just Googled this, I think it is the one I bought.

Solis Tek 15' Tinned Lamp Extension Cord direct from Growers House

SolisTek offers a full line of high quality lamp extensions. SolisTek lamp extensions are not created equally. We use completely upgraded 14 AWG Tinned wiring for the least amount of resistance possible from the ballast to lamp. Using SolisTek digital lam
growershouse.com
Click to expand...

This is a GREAT IDEA!!!! I just don't know how much that will drop it with the lamp still not being that cool! But another cheap and easy option!
 
Untchbl said:
Both side vents are fully open (I don't have the back one open cause I didn't want to squeeze back there) and the sock on the right in the picture has a 10" vornado fan blowing air in. I'm just going to get a 6" or 8" exhaust fan set up.... Now just decide which one...
Click to expand...

Don't forget a speed controller.
 
Untchbl said:
This is a GREAT IDEA!!!! I just don't know how much that will drop it with the lamp still not being that cool! But another cheap and easy option!
Click to expand...

Not sure how much it will drop the temp, but hell dude your removing 130 degrees out of the tent. If you end up not liking the Nanolux, I will buy it from you.
 
gr865 said:
Not sure how much it will drop the temp, but hell dude your removing 130 degrees out of the tent. If you end up not liking the Nanolux, I will buy it from you.
Click to expand...

I really want the NanoLux to work! My wife would likely fall over if I said, "BTW, the light and fan stuff I bought won't work and I'm spending more money!" :) I need to find a way to get rid of this 4" stuff!
 
Untchbl said:
I really want the NanoLux to work! My wife would likely fall over if I said, "BTW, the light and fan stuff I bought won't work and I'm spending more money!" :) I need to find a way to get rid of this 4" stuff!
Click to expand...

Just remind her how much it cost for you to buying Cannabis as your med's or your recreation. One good grow pays for a lot of Cannabis you would have bought.
I figure that in my years of growing and consuming that I would have paid somewhere around $15 to $20,000 for Cannabis. That includes all the FECO I have made plus all the Cannabis I have smoked or made Rosin from. The total cost of my equipment, from the time I started grow, that means, California Light Works SS400 LES, 400W HPS system, and now two Nanolux 315W CMH. Then include fans, filters (replace every two grows), fertilizers, grow medium, supplements, power cost, and everything else is less that $4,000.
Now I don't sell but it is like i am making money from every grow because it does not cost me near what ii cost to purchase Cannabis.

Keep your old stuff you will end up using it for something.
 
If you are in Canada, check out the Atmosphere Vortex S-Line at GrowLights Canada. They are an on-line retailer for our sponsor Mars Hydro. They are good people, I've dealt with for over ten years. What? I've only been growing for three? They have a sister company dealing in other imports.
 

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