My problem is I live in montana, and it is winter outside. I am using a spare bedroom, and the only intake outtake i can do is the same window with a piece of plywood to block air, and two fans set inside the thing. Now should I put two fans in, inlet on bottom and outlet on top? I am going to vent the outlet up top sideways so it isnt just sucked back inside the room. Since I am growing where it is cold, should I just have a passive inlet because that much cold air is not going to do well? Or should I stick to two fans, the room is 7.5x7.5x8It will be frigid air, so I am unsure of how to do this. This is my first grow too. I am using just one t-5 light. I would have better, but cost. Using flat white paint on the whole room, and am using a mixture of ocean forest soil, from fox farm, and miracle grow peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. I plan on a 1 to 1 ratio of all of it. Now nutrients I am planning on using fox farm growing nutrients. I am starting with clones from my medical care provider so i am confident there are no diseases, or mites. His plants are beautiful. . Any fan suggestions would be great too. Thanks.
Ventilation Problem/ first grow
- Thread starter claytonj
- Start date
congrats on growing your own!
without knowing the actual temperatures you're dealing with, it's hard to give advice.
Do you have a thermometer you can use to measure the highest and lowest temps that your plants would be exposed to?
I have some experience in dealing with cold temps, although not as cold as where you're at. The best way increase heat is to add more light (not a heater) and to run your lights at night, when temps are coldest.
without knowing the actual temperatures you're dealing with, it's hard to give advice.
Do you have a thermometer you can use to measure the highest and lowest temps that your plants would be exposed to?
I have some experience in dealing with cold temps, although not as cold as where you're at. The best way increase heat is to add more light (not a heater) and to run your lights at night, when temps are coldest.
- Thread starter
- #3
The temperature stays around the low twenties to 0 for most of the winter, sometimes getting up to 35. I did an experiment and cracked a window right by my thermometer, and it stayed around 68 degrees. The rest of the house was 80 though I didnt have a light in the room. I have a single t5 light to start with a few clones. I will have to save up to get the large set of t5 lights.(6 bulb ballast). For right now though, it should be okay. It never gets too hot in that room, it is the coldest in the house. The room itself should be okay, but as its a fairly large room, i need a more powerful fan to actively circulate air. I am hoping somebody has experienced this, if not, trial and error it is.
So the coldest it gets in the grow room is 68?
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- #5
Roundabouts there ya. I figure that should be as low as it gets. With a fan blowing cold air in, and having the lights working during the colder parts of the night, it should stay pretty warm, but I have no idea, because I have yet to find how big of a fan I need, and whether or not I should use two fans, inlet and outlet. My only way of ventilating is to put two different fans in a piece of plywood in a window. or just one and a passive outlet, not sure which.
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- #6
MeanBean
New Member
Dude if you have a whole room for 1 t5 light I doubt you need to intake any air. just run one exust out the window, with the fan mounted to the plywood...
Keep this in mind, it's 4 times easier for a fan to suck air out of a room/tube than it is to blow air into it, got it?
Keep this in mind, it's 4 times easier for a fan to suck air out of a room/tube than it is to blow air into it, got it?
If you only using a t5 ventilating your grow room passively is not going to be required, as there will not be loads of heat to deal with and you'll probably get by with just good air circulation in the room it self.
Atm i am running a setup with an 8 tube t5 system that sits in my open plan kitchen with just a oscillating fan blowing on them. if i turn off my central heating it gets to cold within the room
i normally use an oil filled radiator in my grow room if its to cold also.
Atm i am running a setup with an 8 tube t5 system that sits in my open plan kitchen with just a oscillating fan blowing on them. if i turn off my central heating it gets to cold within the room
i normally use an oil filled radiator in my grow room if its to cold also.
What size and wattage of T-5 light do you have and how many plants is a "few"?
Sorry to ask so many questions, but the more info we know the easier it is to make suggestions.
For instance, if you were just going to grow one or two plants under a T-5 in a good-sized space, like you have, you might only need a circulation fan. Just opening the door a couple times a day would exchange the air enough for a couple plants under modest lighting.
I once grew in a 4' X 4' closet with two 48" fluorescent shoplights and only a circulation fan. No active exhaust or intake. I just made sure that I opened the door every day, which I did anyways.
You can do stuff like that when you're not battling heat.
Sorry to ask so many questions, but the more info we know the easier it is to make suggestions.
For instance, if you were just going to grow one or two plants under a T-5 in a good-sized space, like you have, you might only need a circulation fan. Just opening the door a couple times a day would exchange the air enough for a couple plants under modest lighting.
I once grew in a 4' X 4' closet with two 48" fluorescent shoplights and only a circulation fan. No active exhaust or intake. I just made sure that I opened the door every day, which I did anyways.
You can do stuff like that when you're not battling heat.
- Thread starter
- #10
I am hoping to grow up to six plants under a one-light setup. it is 54 watts and four feet long. Now i am poor as heck, so will I be able to grow a decent crop using just t-5?
MeanBean
New Member
don't matter how poor you are man, that aint enough for 6 big plants.
If you just can't get more lighting I would grow 4 really short plants directly under the light in a row.
I would start them off and cut the head cola off right away "topping" , then in a week or so do it to the next few colas that come up from the sides.
You will have to grow 4 short lil 10 - 12 inch bushes to get the mx from your light.....
If you just can't get more lighting I would grow 4 really short plants directly under the light in a row.
I would start them off and cut the head cola off right away "topping" , then in a week or so do it to the next few colas that come up from the sides.
You will have to grow 4 short lil 10 - 12 inch bushes to get the mx from your light.....
Screwnuts33
Member of the Month 3rd Place Winner (Dec 09')
A single 4ft T5 is not enough for 6 plants. You can sprout your seedlings and begin to veg with it but you won't make it much beyond that without additional lighting.
- Thread starter
- #13
section off the room so you at least have 50 watts Per square foot
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- #15
I have no idea how i would section off a portion of the room. Are there any alternative to the HPS or MH lights that would be okay?
MeanBean
New Member
LED my friend...
I don't think LED is the best solution for these particular circumstances.
One of the main benefits of LED is low heat, but that isn't an issue for this grower. In a colder climate, I think it would be better to run an HID at night to help keep temps at an acceptable range.
I'd be looking for a 250 or 400w HID. Would cost much less too.
Not knockin' LED's at all, but sometimes heat can be a good thing, depending on what climate you're growing in.
Even having the ballast inside the grow space can be helpful when you live somewhere colder than a penguin's nads.
One of the main benefits of LED is low heat, but that isn't an issue for this grower. In a colder climate, I think it would be better to run an HID at night to help keep temps at an acceptable range.
I'd be looking for a 250 or 400w HID. Would cost much less too.
Not knockin' LED's at all, but sometimes heat can be a good thing, depending on what climate you're growing in.
Even having the ballast inside the grow space can be helpful when you live somewhere colder than a penguin's nads.
- Thread starter
- #18
