Few last questions for basic growroom

[njayjay]

Hi, I have 12 RDWC buckets set up like you can see in the pic. The room is about twice as wide as the picture shows (dimensions roughly about 10x10x10ft). I'm gonna hang 4 lights, 400w each, over the plant area. I'm wondering if I should hang reflective material over the sides of the buckets or if I can get away without this. Will I experience a significant yield loss if I don't trap the light?

I'm also planning on keeping the window to the outside sealed and closed, and opening the room door during lights on to provide fresh air from the house. I'm wondering if adequate amounts of CO2 will be available to the plants this way, or if I need to vent the room to the outside somehow (ie darkroom venting the window).

I'm also wondering if I'll see any benefit placing a dehumidifier in the room, and what size it needs to be for my setup. I'm also planning on adding a portable AC unit eventually (smell is not an issue). I'm wondering in general what all your thoughts are on my setup and if you see any major problems with it, or things that should be improved. Thanks in advance.

 

[PuReKnOwLeDgE]

I ran with no reflective on the other side of buckets for a long time. I am sure if i had I would have had an increase in yield, but who knows how much. You will def want to get the heat exhausted from that room effciently. Smell is not an issue? Hmm...well if your so deep in the boonies and no one ever comes on to your gated driveway 50+ acres then have at her. I have smelled a grow 80 yards away before, so you better be really really sure, but for 150$ you can get a good carbon filter and be easy. Opening the door for fresh air is not advised, pest can get in and contaminate your crop. You need an intake, either passive if you go the cheap route or a fan and maybe even a filter. I run carbon filtered intake and exhaust, no pest sneaking in on me! As long as your exchanging the air in that room via exhaust/intake, your co2 levels will be fine at normal atmospheric readings.

A dehumidifier will save your ass when you get into heavy flower. To much humidity and you risk losing your crop to bud rot. they like it around 35 RH in flower, 60-70 is good in veg. Enviorment is always #1, and RH is a large part of that. You must be able to control your enviorment well, you can run all the nutes, meters, pumps you want it live up to its true potiential with just an ok enviorment.

A/C is a good thing, just make sure its exhaust is being kicked outside as well, don't expect to open the door, ambient temps dictate whats going on inside your room, and cannot be overlooked. Also, I would make smell an issue. If it wasn't an issue, you should be able to run that exhaust right out the window. If you risk soemone spotting your light leak hearing your exhaust, if they can see your window, they are going to smell your shit.

 

[njayjay]

OK maybe I wasn't clear enough. I'm interested in finding out if the CO2 supply will be inadequate if I seal off the window without venting. I'm gonna add AC later on but that will be a different story. I'm not asking about heat exchange, I didn't even remotely hint at it in my question. I'm asking about the air supply, that's what troubles me. Anyone able to shed light on this?

 

[njayjay]

If I were to do all my venting through the window using a carbon scrubber where would I have my intakes? It's the only window in the room.

 

[Grønn]

Pull air from room through carbon filter and exhaust out window. Use passive intakes from indoor to provide plants with fresh air. Indoor air is richer in co2 and has a more stable temperature.

Imho you need to have airflow moving through the room to provide a good environment for the plants.

This is how I do my passive intake - just made a huge hole in door and put ducting in a upside down u shape through the hole. A new door isn't that expensive when the time comes to take the grow down and normalize the room.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=7591&pictureid=131659

Even if smell isn't a big issue I would still deal with it as a due diligence issue. But you're the man who knows the situation on the ground.

If you were to run your ventilation as i suggest above I don't think you would have any need for a portable ac, as you should be able to control the temps & humidity running 1600w, exhausting with an 8" inline & passive intake.

And reflective materials are pretty cheap, and make sense at twice the price.

 

[ItsAllOver]

1) go ahead and get a roll of panda film. It's a bit of up front cost, but I'd bet the yield increase over time is waaaaay worth it.

2) Is there any way to vent into the attic? (or is there another floor above?) You can remove overhead light fixtures and use the holes already there (or enlarge them a bit) to vent your exhaust and do the intake through a cheap door. Check this link out
http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=135524
for a lightproof vent to use as your intake (not that it's probably an issue at your place. might be nice anyway) You definitely need a way to keep fresh CO2 flowing through that room. Opening the door won't be enough.

3) You will surely benefit from a dehumi. Keep it at the levels posted above.

Good luck!

 

[njayjay]

I'm thinking now of building a growtent for the buckets and venting that, keeping room door and/or window open. Does this sound advisable? Where would I place my dehumidifier and/or AC if i chose this method?

 

[ItsAllOver]

Yes, this is how I do it. It's very easy and adaptable.
- Roll of panda film (or your favorite reflective mat'l)
- A couple 8ft long 1x3s
- Screws
- Staplegun
- Duct tape
- Razor blade

I think you get the rest. Just do a quick and simple frame up with the 1x3s, cut the panda to fit (PITA!) and staplegun it all into place, enclosing your grow area. Now you can make your allowance for the door however you like, but currently I'm using a couple rolls of hardware store magnetic tape. I staplegunned the panda to a wall that is one of my grow area enclosure walls, then on the other three sides of that particular panda sheet, I applied the magnetic tape. Then magnet tape on the 1x3s that correspond to this particular side, and I have a wall that folds out on the staplegunned "hinge". The magnetic tape does a great job for what I used to use a tarp zipper for. Tarp zippers get fucked up, don't seal entirely for air or light, and are a little awkward to use, so I switched to the magnetic strips. I don't know if that descrip made much sense, so when I can find my camera battery charger, maybe I'll take a shot.

But you'll also need to cut a hole in the panda somewhere and duct tape an A/C register type filter in there for your passive intake. Go for a good one that filters mold spores and you'll be happy. I bet a 20x20 one would work for your size grow area.

Yea, leave the door open, but not the window. Install a window A/C unit in the window, then drop the blinds over the top half of the window, following that with a layer of panda film to lightproof. The A/C in the window will keep air supply temperatures at a reasonable level.
The Dehumi will also just sit in the greater room area as opposed to the grow area, and will feed the grow area with dehumi-ed air. This way it won't be as much of a heater to the grow room, the ac will take care of it.

Intake will be through the open door, through the passive intake in the filter, but where is the exhaust going?