can I get some help on my growroom design?

[ganjfather27]

I have recently converted my basement into a grow room and am setting up lights. This is my first grow and I decided that I want to start out vertical because this is ultimately the main style I will be growing.


I have a cool tube and a 600watt interchangeable MH/HPS ballast, along with the lights and I am trying to figure out how I should set up exhaust and cooling of the tube.

My basement has 6 inch pipes that lead to the sewer and can easily be fitted with ducting. Also, the landlord is fine with medical grows so I really have no big issue with controlling smell, however I am still going to run my exhaust into the sewer.


Because of this, I don't plan on buying a carbon filter, I don't see it as necessary with my situation.

Should I be planning to place the fan before the light so it is blowing air over the bulb or should I place the fan after the light so it is pulling air?

Also will I be fine without a carbon filter? Like I said, smell isn't the issue I am worried about, I am only trying to cool the tube. I plan on making a cheap DIY dust filter so that dust cannot enter the cool tube.


Sorry for all the text, in short I want to know if the fan should be blowing air over the bulb or pulling air over the bulb and also I want to know if I can skip out on the carbon filter if smell is not an issue?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[oscarthegrouch]

If your venting to the sewer a carbon filter wouldn't be needed. Be aware that if your fan fails you could get sewer gas backing up into your house. This can be dangerous, and your house will smell like ass if it happens. Also are you sure the sewer pipe is 6"? usually the cleanout is much smaller then that.

 

[the gnome]

if smell is no issue you don't need a filter, but thieves will smell where the money is.

I'd stay away from the sewer,
along with sewer gas every pestilence and pathogen know to man is down there.
sewer flies, roaches etc all have a clear path into your gro when/if the fan is off.
residential house sewer pipes are usually 4" anyways.

I would just vent out the window or if its cold in your area,
pipe heat into the house
you should pull the air out to exhaust

 

[qupee]

If you aren't filtering, it shouldn't matter much if the fan is before or after the hood. If you were filtering, I'd say before so that the fan didn't suck up smelly air through cracks in the hood (assuming the filter is in the room at the start of the run rather than outside the room at the end of the run). I would guess that placing the fan after the hood might give better air flow. My thought is that pushing into the hood would create a lot of turbulence and disrupt the airflow, where pulling through it wouldn't as much, but that's really just a guess.

 

[ganjfather27]

Ok cool, thanks for the replies.


I was thinking about exhausting and decided that I probably won't need it. It gets so cold out here during the winter as is, that I am going to need the heat from the 600watt.


So my new idea is to just hang the cooltube vertically and place a honeywell fan under it, blowing the hot air up through the cool tube. Does anybody think this is a bad idea? My cool tube says that it needs to be air cooled, I'm just not sure if the honeywell fan I have will be blowing enough air, it is rated at 180CFM.

Thanks again for the replies

 

[oscarthegrouch]

you will still need fresh air coming in unless you plan to seal the room and run co2. Your best bet is to use an inline fan and vent to another room or outside your house. just blowing air over the bulb with a normal fan wont accomplish much as you need to have air exchange. have you thought of using a batwing reflector or running bare bulb vertical and just mounting an inline fan on the ceiling for exhaust? using a cool tube the way your talking about seems inefficient.

 

[ganjfather27]

I've thought about bare bulb, I just don't want to take my cool tube apart so that I can run bare bulb.

And the room has an intake bringing fresh air from the outside as well an exhaust, I'm just wondering if a honeywell fan can move enough air to cool the cool tube?

I guess I'll just have to try it.

 

[drsmoke69]

i don't think your fan is enough. you should have a 6" exhaust fan mounted vertically (hanging from ceiling) above your cool tube, so to pull cold air threw the tube and onto the bulb. that will create enough circulation to keep things cool. then use your house fan to circulate air at plant height. good luck on your first grow man.

 

[Sativa Dragon]

Important info would be what size is your room and how many plants, and the sewer is a bad idea.

Peace

 

[ganjfather27]

The room is 10'x20' width & length, 10' high.

There is a t5 vegging 3 plants, this setup will be one 600w MH which I plan to veg 6 plants vertically with and there will also be another 600w mh in a magnum xxl hood, 3 more plants. Total of 12 plants, 3 lights.

When flower time comes there will be a 600w hps mangum xxl, my 600w hps vert cooltube and another 1000w hps in place of the flouros. The other lights/plants are owned by another person who is sharing the space.

 

[Sativa Dragon]

Edit, Failed to read the above in entirety I thought it was one light my apologies.

Carry on

Peace

 

[DamnUglyDogE]

Ok cool, thanks for the replies.


I was thinking about exhausting and decided that I probably won't need it. It gets so cold out here during the winter as is, that I am going to need the heat from the 600watt.


So my new idea is to just hang the cooltube vertically and place a honeywell fan under it, blowing the hot air up through the cool tube. Does anybody think this is a bad idea? My cool tube says that it needs to be air cooled, I'm just not sure if the honeywell fan I have will be blowing enough air, it is rated at 180CFM.

Thanks again for the replies

Sup ganjfather27...
Couple thoughts for ya....
IMO...
The down side to the cool-tube is the glass....
At its cleanest you will lose lumens due to the glass
and then they collect dust like crazy and
your light reaching the plants will decrees accordingly.

As for the Bun fan below...
Rule of thumb that ive heard time and time again is
to set it on the lowest setting so as to
simple help the hot air rise naturally.

Of course this is with a exhast above sucking said heat out and an intake down low adding cool air in....

Air exchange x2 and bam....
Beautiful,well developed ladies you could see...


Just a couple opinions I thought Id share...

Have fun and get her done...

Peace...AD....

 

[ganjfather27]

Thanks for the advice.


Another question, how easy is it to go bare bulb?

Would I have to take apart my cool tube, or can I buy a fixture without a glass tube?

 

[the gnome]

to cool a bare bulb or unvented hood you need 5000btu per 1000w
you said this is in a basement,
if the room is big enough and you already have central heat and air you may be able to get away with running a 1000w
you said you have a 600w bulb,
give it a test run for a day and see what the temps are like.
I'd say your probably good if the room is big.
what are the dimensions of the room?


i have cooltubes and it takes less than 10 minutes, and a screwdriver to take out the base for the bulb
OR
a buy this.... $12.95

 

[Hammerhead]

That cord does not work with HID bulbs. It for Compact Fluorescents 120V.. For vertical hid you need some of these with the proper cordset to ballast. I ran Vertical for years. I controlled the rooms environment not the bulbs. You will need ac. After running Vertical for over a decade I upgraded to Gavita.

 

[the gnome]

your right outcast,
that what i meant to show
i have 6 of em, they run around $15.... i thought the price was cheaper than what i paid
sorry, clicked on the wrong item...

i also reread where there are more than 1 600w...
time to call it a day...

 

[ganjfather27]

That cord does not work with HID bulbs. It for Compact Fluorescents 120V.. For vertical hid you need some of these with the proper cordset to ballast. I ran Vertical for years. I controlled the rooms environment not the bulbs. You will need ac. After running Vertical for over a decade I upgraded to Gavita.

View Image

Thanks for that

I think I will go and buy a couple of those tomorrow. So, if I keep the room temperature optimum, will I still need to blow air at the bulb?

 

[mojave green]

So, if I keep the room temperature optimum, will I still need to blow air at the bulb?

i don't.

 

[ganjfather27]

Cool, thanks to everybody for your help.