First time grow help? Please

[youngbuck119]

Hello fellow growers, I started my grow last week. Currently I have two plants going on 20hrs/4hrs cycle, one is 2 Fast 2 Vast and the other is AK49 they are both autoflowers cause I felt that's best for beginners. My setup is this.. 2x2x5 grow tent, 2 Mars Hydro Full Spectrum 300 watt lights (140 true watts), and a 4 inch inline fan connected to a 4 inch carbon filter. I also have two fans in there running on full speed one of them is 6 inches and the other is 12 inches diameter and all 3 vents open with two of them having 120mm computer fans pulling air in. My problem is that my temps still manage stay around 82-86 with one light on and with two 84-90 degrees Fahrenheit. I have the exhaust ducting leading towards the top of the closet and duct taped to where the air is forced out of the closet into my room where my door is open and allowing circulation with the AC. Any suggestions on what else I could do? Should I just run one light? I can post pictures later on.

 

[Graytail]

How warm is the room itself? If you can drop the intake temp, the temp in the tent should drop with it.

You're actually running quite a bit of light in a small space - 70 watts/sqft - so it's not terribly surprising that you're having heat issues.

 

[youngbuck119]

Thanks for replying . My house thermostat is set to 75 degrees and I even went out and bought an oscillating tower fan to move air. As for the lighting situation lol I'm going to have just one turned on for the time being. I was thinking of installing a booster fan as an intake to help reduce the temps.

 

[waknbak88]

I would get a over kill inline fan with a fan speed controller. A 8inch inline fan should do you well. You can adjust the speed to the temp you want. Like graytail was saying , u got to get temps outside your tent lower as well . I keep my tent in its own room and keep a air-conditioning unit running at all times a light is on.

 

[youngbuck119]

Didn't even think about a bigger inline, i'll have to take you up on that one. As for an air conditioning unit I may or may not be able to provide that at the moment. The temps here in December are a bit weird in the 70-80s... it should drop this coming weekend to the 50s and below and i'm hoping that will do the trick. If I could find some small AC unit that is hardly noticeable I would gladly invest that.

 

[waknbak88]

Sounds like we are in the same area based on weather lol. Have you tried running your lights at night when ambiant temps are lower?

 

[youngbuck119]

Yeah the lights do come on at night. I bought this "Kool Down Evaporative air cooler" yesterday so if all else fails I can flick that thing on. As of right now both of my plants are looking good and healthy at about 3 inches tall. I was thinking about introducing co2 but since I'm a beginner I don't really know how to get started doing that and if I really need it.

 

[waknbak88]

Well the co2 will help with heat....well not help but make the plants enjoy the heat a little better. Just make sure you ain't running fans while co2 is on. I haven't been able to afford a co2 system yet but it is on the list. It will be the last thing I get after I get my hydro thing going later this year.

 

[youngbuck119]

No fans and my temps would shoot through the roof in the confined area I have my grow in. I saw a couple of DIY Co2 generators though

 

[Major PITA]

If you can stand it, I'd lower the room temp a little - like 72 degrees.
I agree about needing a bigger exhaust fan. A lot of the little 4" "booster" fans, don't move much air at all. If yours is rated at less than 100 CFM, that's probably the problem. IMO, you don't need an 8" fan. A good 6" fan can move 400-500 CFM, turning your tent inside out.
Is your exhaust duct is as high in the tent as possible with intakes low and opposite?

 

[youngbuck119]

Was going to get a 6 inch setup but me being the new kid on the block, I thought this 4 incher would be adequate. Yes my exhaust is at the very top of the tent and my intakes are pulling cool air from the bottom.

 

[Major PITA]

Was going to get a 6 inch setup but me being the new kid on the block, I thought this 4 incher would be adequate. Yes my exhaust is at the very top of the tent and my intakes are pulling cool air from the bottom.

I would have expected a 4" fan to do the job, as well, and a good one will. There is a huge difference in 4" fans. Some of them will pull plenty of air. Look at the centrifugal style - not the propeller type. You will want a variable speed controller for it most likely. You may need a way to keep the tent from bowing in if your negative pressure gets high (maybe not with a 2' tent).

 

[OlderGrower]

I would suggest if you are planning on getting a larger fan for your exhaust system, switch your 4" fan over to your intake system. Also the cooler you can keep the ambient temperature the better. If you have the ability to pull the intake air from either a basement or crawl space under the house can be beneficial also since the ambient temperature should be lower in these area, just be sure to filter the air to keep bugs and pests out.

Also if you have any bends in your exhaust system which you can remove or lessen, this will help pull more air. It is truly amazing how much efficiency is cut by just one 90 degree bend in your duct set up.

 

[youngbuck119]

The best choice sounds like a new exhaust is a must, I got the 4 incher cause I was saving money lol. It was a real pain to get that filter and fan all in place. I did think about the bends in the ducting and have already got that done in the most efficient way.

 

[youngbuck119]

What pH meter are you guys using? I have this yellow one that I got off of eBay & I have calibrated it but I'm still scared that it might be inaccurate.

 

[Major PITA]

What pH meter are you guys using? I have this yellow one that I got off of eBay & I have calibrated it but I'm still scared that it might be inaccurate.

Mine is a cheap yellow one off the bay, as well. I have calibration solution so I am pretty confident in its readings.

 

[youngbuck119]

Lol thats great , I can just buy some solution. When calibrating it do you make sure the temp is at 25 degrees Celsius as it says? When I calibrated I didn't do that part. Also how do you store it?

 

[Major PITA]

I do not worry about temperature. I calibrate it at the temperature I will use it at. That happens to be about 24C in my room. To be accurate, you should let your water/nutrients come up to that same temperature. Also, I "swish" it around in the solution. If I just submerge it and hold it still, I get a bad reading, or it takes a longgg time.

Nothing special for storage. I just rinse it well with tap water and store it with its cap on in the same room. I've had it for 1 year and the calibration only drifted 0.1.