RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
Can anyone tell me what equipment I need and how to vent thru the ceiling of my grow room and up into the attic???
Venting into attic
- Thread starter RetiredRN
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I'm assuming your room is on the top floor? I have not visited your journal but I should ask first, are you running any lights that out out a lot of heat? If not then you're fine, just don't want to vent excessive heat to your attic.
Otherwise, you may have your work "cut out" for you (pun intended) as you will need to do some cutting in the drywall. Not sure where you live, but there may also be batts of insulation on the other side, or blown in insulation. If so you'd need to clear a spot through that as well.
So first if you're going to cut a hole you need to go to a hardware store or furnace supply store and find the ducting area. You'll need an adapter that has the same size exhaust output as you're already using and the other side would be flat sheet metal. So picture a piece of flat sheet metal with say a 6" duct on the end for you to connect your exhaust hose to.
Then you'll need to find the spot you want to put it. Make sure you are in between the roof trusses, generally either 24" or 18" to center of each beam. Cut your hole same size as the round ducting adapter. Go up into your attic, clear away the insulation if there is any, and you can fit that ducting adapter right thru the hole. If you want to secure it, use some silicon or construction adhesive. Let it dry.
And voila, I hope this helps, it was a rather quick and easy post but hope it's enough.info to get you going.
Otherwise, you may have your work "cut out" for you (pun intended) as you will need to do some cutting in the drywall. Not sure where you live, but there may also be batts of insulation on the other side, or blown in insulation. If so you'd need to clear a spot through that as well.
So first if you're going to cut a hole you need to go to a hardware store or furnace supply store and find the ducting area. You'll need an adapter that has the same size exhaust output as you're already using and the other side would be flat sheet metal. So picture a piece of flat sheet metal with say a 6" duct on the end for you to connect your exhaust hose to.
Then you'll need to find the spot you want to put it. Make sure you are in between the roof trusses, generally either 24" or 18" to center of each beam. Cut your hole same size as the round ducting adapter. Go up into your attic, clear away the insulation if there is any, and you can fit that ducting adapter right thru the hole. If you want to secure it, use some silicon or construction adhesive. Let it dry.
And voila, I hope this helps, it was a rather quick and easy post but hope it's enough.info to get you going.
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- #3
RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much this helps a great deal
Glad I could be of help. This is also just how I would do it for a quick an easy. I'm sure you could fancy it up some if needed or someone may have a better idea. Take care!
Jerry Tyson
Well-Known Member
Just curious do you own the house? The last thing I would personally want to do is push a bunch of warm, humid air into my attic. Sort of a recipe for disaster when it comes to mold. To put it in perspective, think about how many gallons of water you give your plants each week and realize all that moisture is being exhausted into your attic. If you're trying to mitigate smell, I would use a carbon filter, heat I would use an A/C and humidity I would use a dehumidifier. If you want it out of the room, I would personally opt to vent out of the house completely, which can either be done by cutting a dryer style louvered vent out the side of your house (even running it out a window), or doing it into the attic and right out the roof. Obviously any roof pentation would need proper flashing as to not leak. Just my 2 cents when it comes to building structures. Best of luck!
Jerry makes some very good points and 2 other options.
I guess I should have asked you if your roof/attic has any roof vents or gable vents to vent the trapped air in your attic. Most homes do but I guess it depends on the age of the house and where you live.
Another option like Jerry said is go right thru your roof to outside, this could be set up just like a stink pipe vent for your bathroom. Wouldn't require flashing but you would.need a boot to go around the pvc pipe that goes thru your roof and tied into the shingles or metal roofing, so you'd like need a roofer to do this or someone that knows roofing, could get expensive.
The cheaper option of those 2 jerry mentioned would be to do like a dryer style vent out the wall thru the side of the house. Same thing applies as going thru the ceiling except having to cut a hole in the siding as well. And get a stud finder with an electricity reading so you know there's no power cables where you're cutting.
All 3 are viable options. Ends up coming down to how your house was built and how much money you want to sink into your idea.
I guess I should have asked you if your roof/attic has any roof vents or gable vents to vent the trapped air in your attic. Most homes do but I guess it depends on the age of the house and where you live.
Another option like Jerry said is go right thru your roof to outside, this could be set up just like a stink pipe vent for your bathroom. Wouldn't require flashing but you would.need a boot to go around the pvc pipe that goes thru your roof and tied into the shingles or metal roofing, so you'd like need a roofer to do this or someone that knows roofing, could get expensive.
The cheaper option of those 2 jerry mentioned would be to do like a dryer style vent out the wall thru the side of the house. Same thing applies as going thru the ceiling except having to cut a hole in the siding as well. And get a stud finder with an electricity reading so you know there's no power cables where you're cutting.
All 3 are viable options. Ends up coming down to how your house was built and how much money you want to sink into your idea.
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- #7
RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
Yes, we own the house and its paid for. I already vent out a window. What I’m trying to accomplish is complete stealth. The bathroom exhausts already vent up into the attic. The attic itself is vented as well. The wood-burning stove already vents out the top of the roof so we’re not interested in renting anything else out the top of the roof. Thankyou for your input.. Here Where I am from the summers are very long very hot sometimes 102° and very very humid. I’m doubting venting in the attic will be a game changer.
Jerry Tyson
Well-Known Member
Is this going to be a long term grow setup? I know houses back in the 80's would vent their bathrooms into the attic. Not a big deal if it's a 1/2 bathroom and your just looking to remove the smell, but current building codes requires venting bathrooms completely out of the house to minimize the risk of mold in attics.
If it was my house and this was a semi permanent setup, I would do a dryer vent out to side of the house with a carbon filter. Depending on structure, sometimes people will vent out the soffit (the bottom part of the overhang on the roof) so in the attic, all the way to the edge and basically drill down and dump it out there.
I'm not sure about you, but I'll put 2 gallons of water in each of my 5 gallon pots ever couple days so with 2 plants that 12 gallons of water equivalently ending up in the attic. I guess if there's really good airflow in the attic with both soffit vent and a ridge vent and you're not too worried about it then dumping into the attic is certainly an option. I've just seen the cost of mold mitigation in attic's and it's expensive.
If it was my house and this was a semi permanent setup, I would do a dryer vent out to side of the house with a carbon filter. Depending on structure, sometimes people will vent out the soffit (the bottom part of the overhang on the roof) so in the attic, all the way to the edge and basically drill down and dump it out there.
I'm not sure about you, but I'll put 2 gallons of water in each of my 5 gallon pots ever couple days so with 2 plants that 12 gallons of water equivalently ending up in the attic. I guess if there's really good airflow in the attic with both soffit vent and a ridge vent and you're not too worried about it then dumping into the attic is certainly an option. I've just seen the cost of mold mitigation in attic's and it's expensive.
With all of the info you have here you should be able to figure out which way to go.
On another note though, how close is the bathroom? Maybe you could tie into an existing vent that goes outside.
On another note though, how close is the bathroom? Maybe you could tie into an existing vent that goes outside.
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- #10
RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
I’m not going to grow year round but when I am we avoid having people at the house because of it. I’m just looking for a complete hidden option where if your on my porch or in my driveway you don’t see anything out of the ordinary or hear an exhaust coming from the window. If I could vent out the window in the back side of the house I wouldn’t be concerned. I guess I’m just not understanding the difference between this option and the terrible hot humid summers we have here. We have had the house since 1997.
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- #11
RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
The bathroom is across from my room where my tent is. My husband says the bathrooms vent into the attic. I know he’s been up there a few times thru the years. He will probably go up there and see how the bathrooms are venting.
@RetiredRN it may be best to look into venting the bathroom vents out the roof honestly, that's how it's been done for many years, at least here in Canada. Otherwise lots of moisture from the shower would be getting into your attic.
In my honest opinion, if your aren't pumping an RH% into the attic that is higher than what your house gets to inside at any given time, then you should be fine. The moisture level that is coming out of your grow room will not even be close to what your bathroom would be while having a hot shower, and it's vented to your attic already. So I'd say go for it but go up and check the attic periodically around any vent that exhausts in there and look for either dry rot or mold.
In my honest opinion, if your aren't pumping an RH% into the attic that is higher than what your house gets to inside at any given time, then you should be fine. The moisture level that is coming out of your grow room will not even be close to what your bathroom would be while having a hot shower, and it's vented to your attic already. So I'd say go for it but go up and check the attic periodically around any vent that exhausts in there and look for either dry rot or mold.
Ok about attics... the main reason we ventilate attics is to remove excess moisture from the dwelling. Regardless of building style; crawl space, full basement or built on a concrete slab their is a continuous assault of invisible moisture or water vapor that moves up out of the earth thru the house regardless of your hvac system, this water vapor used to get trapped in attics and create mold so that’s why building codes were modified to require builders to ventilate attics.
Today we have soffits under the eaves made from perforated vinyl siding, the perforations allow fresh air into the attic, we have gable end vents and also peak vents or ridge vents, some even have passive turbines and / or forced air attic fans or vent systems. In spite of a 4 mil sheet of plastic called a vapor barrier placed before the concrete was poured - this moisture still rises from the earth and passes right thru both the vapor barrier and the concrete slab then rises up thru the structure and passes thru the attic vent systems into outside air
Provided your attic has 1 or more of the vent systems mentioned above I see no problem pushing more warm air into the attic from the fan in your tent
Before you cut a hole, take your hand or the rounded end of a screwdriver handle and lightly tap on the walls or ceilings to learn to differentiate the sound of a hollow space or where the studs & rafters are located.
Today we have soffits under the eaves made from perforated vinyl siding, the perforations allow fresh air into the attic, we have gable end vents and also peak vents or ridge vents, some even have passive turbines and / or forced air attic fans or vent systems. In spite of a 4 mil sheet of plastic called a vapor barrier placed before the concrete was poured - this moisture still rises from the earth and passes right thru both the vapor barrier and the concrete slab then rises up thru the structure and passes thru the attic vent systems into outside air
Provided your attic has 1 or more of the vent systems mentioned above I see no problem pushing more warm air into the attic from the fan in your tent
Before you cut a hole, take your hand or the rounded end of a screwdriver handle and lightly tap on the walls or ceilings to learn to differentiate the sound of a hollow space or where the studs & rafters are located.
Some more great info @013
Glad you could explain a little more in depth and ensure that venting up there would be ok. Inused to be a roofer and sounds like you're in construction of some.sort yourself. Although I still question the bathroom vents being routed into the attic and not out the roof.. Unless I misunderstood @RetiredRN, sorry if I did.
Glad you could explain a little more in depth and ensure that venting up there would be ok. Inused to be a roofer and sounds like you're in construction of some.sort yourself. Although I still question the bathroom vents being routed into the attic and not out the roof.. Unless I misunderstood @RetiredRN, sorry if I did.
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- #15
RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
Awesome! Thanks for the explanation. I completely understand now.
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- #16
RetiredRN
Well-Known Member
We’re gonna crawl up there tomorrow and see what’s going where.
That shower vent into the attic used to be considered 100% kosher but obviously building codes change with time. I’m out of date perhaps with the latest in building codes but you know there are tons of homes with bathroom fart fans and / or shower vent fans that are vented into attic spaces.
Jerry Tyson
Well-Known Member
Great summation of the building system. To me it’s one of those will it probably be fine? Probably, but best practice would not advise venting into the attic. As mentioned, millions of bathrooms probably vent into the attic. Why do they not allow this anymore? Because enough people had problems to say best practice is to remove the moisture not from just the living space, but from the structure completely.
My personal added hesitation is the moisture created from a grow tent, being completely directed to the attic is the equivalent of putting 10+ gallons of water in pans in the attic every week until they evaporate. Compare that to a 15 minute shower, which on average releases 0.21 gallons of moisture (as reported in a journal “The Effect of Indoor Humidity on Water Vapor Release in Homes”), or two people showering daily being 2.94 gallons a week.
Can you vent into the attic? Sure! Do a lot of people vent bathrooms and grow tents without problems ? Yes! My house being one of my largest investments, I personally opt to not risk it. If time, money and stealth were not a factor I don’t believe anyone would advise venting into an attic but there’s always need for compromise.
My personal added hesitation is the moisture created from a grow tent, being completely directed to the attic is the equivalent of putting 10+ gallons of water in pans in the attic every week until they evaporate. Compare that to a 15 minute shower, which on average releases 0.21 gallons of moisture (as reported in a journal “The Effect of Indoor Humidity on Water Vapor Release in Homes”), or two people showering daily being 2.94 gallons a week.
Can you vent into the attic? Sure! Do a lot of people vent bathrooms and grow tents without problems ? Yes! My house being one of my largest investments, I personally opt to not risk it. If time, money and stealth were not a factor I don’t believe anyone would advise venting into an attic but there’s always need for compromise.
Stoneface Jack
Well-Known Member
Last time I was up in the attic here I noticed that the bathroom fans had ducts and vented out through the soffit. I don't know the building code where you are, but it could be an option.
Jerry Tyson
Well-Known Member
great point SJ, imho anyway to get it outside is better then being directed into the attic, but again just my opinion 
