Turn Wine Cellar into Grow Room?

Green007

New Member
I've been researching so I can start my 1st grow and have made some decisions.
1. Deep Water Culture all the way
2. CFL lighting - 6000 to 7000 lumens per sqft
3. Mylar for the wall coverings
4. Flat White Paint for everything else

Here's my question, the house I moved into has "Wine Cellar" in the semi-finished basement. The basement is cinder block and the previous owner built an "L" shaped wall in 1 corner out of 3" x 14" x 8" cinder block to form a 44" wide x 144" long x 78" tall "Wine Cellar". (Yes, my basement is only 78" from concrete floor to the floor joists above) Then hung drywall on the outside of the new Wine Cellar and on the surrounding basement room walls. The only opening into the Wine Cellar is through the door. At first this seemed like the perfect place to setup a grow room, but now I'm not so sure. I'd really like to make it work if I can so I need all of your advise.

Here are my thoughts:

Advantages:
1. Private - I could lock the door and say it's storage and no one would go in (currently it is storage)
2. Dark - the only light that penetrates it is around the door edges
3. Clean - the ceiling is drywall, walls are cinder block, floor is concrete (I just need to empy it out)
4. No bugs - I would still want to spray everything down for preventative maintenance
5. Big enough to cure in and have storage
6. Closed off from the rest of the basement - wondering oders sholdn't be too big an issue

Disadvantages:
1. Closed off - even with a fan running will air circulation be an issue? How will the plants get fresh air and CO2, from the cracks in the door?
2. Cold in Winter- the house uses radiant heat but none are in the basement, just the heat coming off the boiler. Current temp in basement is 67°F w/20% humidity and 57°F w/37% humidity in the wine cellar (granted it's only 30°F outside - and note that my digital humidity gauge only displays as low as 20%)
3. Cool in Summer - didn't measure the readings last summer but when it's 90°F outside it is noticeably cooler in the basement (probably not too cold though)
4. Everything except the ceiling is concrete so humidity is going to be high in the summer

Probably other considerations I havn't thought of yet, that's what I need all of you for. No spare rooms with closets. No attic space. My basement is really my only option with 3 rooms - laundry room, utility room (boiler, water heater, sump pump, main plumbing), and semi-finished room with "Wine Cellar" in the corner. What can I do to make this work or should I just build a box in the corner and try to disquise it?
 
I've been researching so I can start my 1st grow and have made some decisions.
1. Deep Water Culture all the way
2. CFL lighting - 6000 to 7000 lumens per sqft
3. Mylar for the wall coverings
4. Flat White Paint for everything else

Here's my question, the house I moved into has "Wine Cellar" in the semi-finished basement. The basement is cinder block and the previous owner built an "L" shaped wall in 1 corner out of 3" x 14" x 8" cinder block to form a 44" wide x 144" long x 78" tall "Wine Cellar". (Yes, my basement is only 78" from concrete floor to the floor joists above) Then hung drywall on the outside of the new Wine Cellar and on the surrounding basement room walls. The only opening into the Wine Cellar is through the door. At first this seemed like the perfect place to setup a grow room, but now I'm not so sure. I'd really like to make it work if I can so I need all of your advise.

Here are my thoughts:

Advantages:
1. Private - I could lock the door and say it's storage and no one would go in (currently it is storage)
2. Dark - the only light that penetrates it is around the door edges
3. Clean - the ceiling is drywall, walls are cinder block, floor is concrete (I just need to empy it out)
4. No bugs - I would still want to spray everything down for preventative maintenance
5. Big enough to cure in and have storage
6. Closed off from the rest of the basement - wondering oders sholdn't be too big an issue

Disadvantages:
1. Closed off - even with a fan running will air circulation be an issue? How will the plants get fresh air and CO2, from the cracks in the door?
2. Cold in Winter- the house uses radiant heat but none are in the basement, just the heat coming off the boiler. Current temp in basement is 67°F w/20% humidity and 57°F w/37% humidity in the wine cellar (granted it's only 30°F outside - and note that my digital humidity gauge only displays as low as 20%)
3. Cool in Summer - didn't measure the readings last summer but when it's 90°F outside it is noticeably cooler in the basement (probably not too cold though)
4. Everything except the ceiling is concrete so humidity is going to be high in the summer

Probably other considerations I havn't thought of yet, that's what I need all of you for. No spare rooms with closets. No attic space. My basement is really my only option with 3 rooms - laundry room, utility room (boiler, water heater, sump pump, main plumbing), and semi-finished room with "Wine Cellar" in the corner. What can I do to make this work or should I just build a box in the corner and try to disquise it?

Hey man, it sounds like an ideal spot to me. You may have a ventilation problem though. Are you renting? If you can, you could easily put a couple of holes in that block to provide the venting required. But that's the only negative I see.

Good luck!
 
Disadvantages:
1. Closed off - even with a fan running will air circulation be an issue? How will the plants get fresh air and CO2, from the cracks in the door?


They don't breathe fresh air in. They let it out. They breathe in carbon dioxide.

They will be just fine, they just need air movement.
 
CocoJoe asked me to remove your poll; so I did ;)

Are you thinking about growing directly in the room or using tents in there?

You should probably think about an odor control strategy. If you used tents you'd have a further barrier from bugs and could isolate sections of the room for different needs.

I'd think about a SOG, where you have a clone section, a veg section, a flowering section, a dry cure section, and a supplies area.

Better to be too cold than too hot (easier to heat then cool).

You'll probably want humidifier & dehumidifier since you want it high for veg and low for flowering.

I think you need to give thought to odor and air flow.
 
Thankyou all for your comments! That's exactly what I'm looking for.

Hey man, it sounds like an ideal spot to me. You may have a ventilation problem though. Are you renting? If you can, you could easily put a couple of holes in that block to provide the venting required. But that's the only negative I see.

Good luck!

Yes, currently renting but with CFL's and the the temp in the room already cool, I'm hoping too much heat won't be an issue.

Disadvantages:
1. Closed off - even with a fan running will air circulation be an issue? How will the plants get fresh air and CO2, from the cracks in the door?


They don't breathe fresh air in. They let it out. They breathe in carbon dioxide.

They will be just fine, they just need air movement.

So if I put a fan in there it's just gonna blow the same air around. Do you think just opening the door to go in and out everyday will be good enough?

CocoJoe asked me to remove your poll; so I did ;)

Are you thinking about growing directly in the room or using tents in there?

You should probably think about an odor control strategy. If you used tents you'd have a further barrier from bugs and could isolate sections of the room for different needs.

I'd think about a SOG, where you have a clone section, a veg section, a flowering section, a dry cure section, and a supplies area.

Better to be too cold than too hot (easier to heat then cool).

You'll probably want humidifier & dehumidifier since you want it high for veg and low for flowering.

I think you need to give thought to odor and air flow.

I like your idea about sectioning it up, but I'm not educated enough about everything your saying just yet. The room is just under 4ft x 12ft, long and narrow, It has 12" deep shelves along 1 wall which leaves just enough room to walk the length of the room. I'm thinking about getting rid of 1/3 the shelves and having the "grow" area in the back end lined with mylar. That should give me plenty of room for the SH Deep Water Culture, Lights, a fan, heater, humidifier and or dehumidifier, and Rosemans "Odor Control Bucket". The rest of the shelves should be good for storing supplies and curing I hope.

My biggest concern is still about air exchange. As Roseman pointed out, the plants will consume the CO2 and produce O2. I hope just going in and out everyday to check on things will be good enough to release the O2 and let more CO2 in. I can't modify the walls at this point, and actually like the idea of it being sealed up to keep it steathly - nothing visable, nothing making noticable noise, no smell. (that's my best hope of course)

Feel free to chime back in with more thoughts and ideas.
I'll be waiting. :popcorn:
 
Do you have any idea how many plants you want to grow? How much bud do you need to meet your needs.

My sectioning comment was because plants need different things at different stages of their light cycle

Clone - ultra high humidity (dome) and 24 hour light
Veg - high humidity ~60% needed and 18/6 light period
Flower - 15% or <35% target humidity 12/12 light period
Dry / Cure no light 40-50% humidty at 60-65 degrees

People might have different values they prefer and there are other considerations, I'm just trying to give you the overview about the different environments that are necessary.

Of course if you don't have need that much bud, you could always just do the cycle once and establish the conditions you need for the phase you're in at the time.

Tents are nice because they isolate and you can knock down the smell with carbon filters and get a little air exchange with an inline fan.

Not sure if you've seen our "how to grow" thread, but there's a wealth of knowledge compiled in there.
How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know
 
Thankyou soniq420, I have been reading all the tutorials about Deep Water Culture and CFL's. I really love this forum!

I plan on growing 6 and hopefully get 3 females. Don't need a lot just for personal use. The same space will be re-used phase by phase until the original plants are curred.
 
Thankyou soniq420, I have been reading all the tutorials about Deep Water Culture and CFL's. I really love this forum!

I plan on growing 6 and hopefully get 3 females. Don't need a lot just for personal use. The same space will be re-used phase by phase until the original plants are curred.


It appears you have a plan, and I think you're on the right track.

My Dad used to tell me, (a million times) Plan your work, and work your plan.
 
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