fresh air intakes

[evanb]

First off sorry if this is posted some where, I just can't find the answer.

Hi all. A simple question I hope. Should I get my fresh air intake directly from out side of the house? I live in an area that gets really cold in the winter and can get damn hot & humid in the summer. I am thinking the fresh outdoor air is the best but I would think a "dust shroom" cap needs to be on the intake so no pests, molds or other funk gets into the room.

Thank you in advance.

 

[grow_right]

there can be dangers with drafting outside air. police look for these types of things when snooping around.

if you do vent from poutside, make sure they look expected. personally, i know it is better for the plants, but i do not vent from outside air.

 

[EclipseFour20]

Stealth venting from outdoors with a filter box has helped me save some major $$$.

First the cool outside air is ducted to cool down my lamps...results: Less air conditioner usage since the room is about 7 degrees cooler. My AC seems to run about 15 minutes every hour now during lights on in flower...prior to the change it ran 100% when lights were on. (The outside air can be too cold--lol, sometimes water condensation will drip from the flex ducting--so you might need to upgrade silver flex ducting to the "insulated type".) Chilling the air before it runs through the lamps is the way to go!

Second my setup also brings in the cool outside fresh air to cool down the grow environment (closed system here). I use a 6" inline duct fan that is on 24/7 to bring the air in (nothing fancy) and the temps dropped by another 3-5 degrees.

So...bringing outside air as "fresh air" and "lamp cooling air" (I live in So Cali) seemed to help drop my flower temps by about 10 degrees or so....and my 12k btu AC usage dropped by at least 60%.

I vent the "used air" to my attic...and inside the flower environment I have my scrubber--jumbo Can150 carbon filter suspended from the ceiling with a big 14" fan that runs 24/7; I have zero odor issues.

Cheers!

 

[nickman]

what do u guys do in the summertime when the outside air is hot? Sometimes it can be as hot as ur room or even hotter...

Ive been thinking of bringing in fresh air from outside to cool off my li8ghts and my room but what do i do when the outside air is hotter then my room???
The summertime is the only time i would really need to bring in air to help cool the lights but like i sais "what do u do when its hotter outside"...???...

 

[EclipseFour20]

Hmmm...I should have clarified one biggy...my flower light cycle is 6PM - 6AM, with the coolest around 3-4AM. I draw the air from the coolest spot I found outside--a shady spot under the roof eaves and using those Home Depot white "attic vent grills", my intake looks just like normal attic vents. No noise, no smell, and no blowing air; just gotta clean the accumulated dirt and dust from the vent grill every few months or so.

I will probably add a thermostat on the intake fan this summer--the notion of drawing 100 degree outside air to my cool 70 degree indoor "nighttime" environment during the heat of the day is kinda counterproductive.

 

[supermanlives]

i draw from under house and vent out attic. had to chisel through concrete and drill through floors.

 

[TribalSeeds]

Stealth venting from outdoors with a filter box has helped me save some major $$$.

First the cool outside air is ducted to cool down my lamps...results: Less air conditioner usage since the room is about 7 degrees cooler. My AC seems to run about 15 minutes every hour now during lights on in flower...prior to the change it ran 100% when lights were on. (The outside air can be too cold--lol, sometimes water condensation will drip from the flex ducting--so you might need to upgrade silver flex ducting to the "insulated type".) Chilling the air before it runs through the lamps is the way to go!

Second my setup also brings in the cool outside fresh air to cool down the grow environment (closed system here). I use a 6" inline duct fan that is on 24/7 to bring the air in (nothing fancy) and the temps dropped by another 3-5 degrees.

So...bringing outside air as "fresh air" and "lamp cooling air" (I live in So Cali) seemed to help drop my flower temps by about 10 degrees or so....and my 12k btu AC usage dropped by at least 60%.

I vent the "used air" to my attic...and inside the flower environment I have my scrubber--jumbo Can150 carbon filter suspended from the ceiling with a big 14" fan that runs 24/7; I have zero odor issues.

Cheers!

Are you bringing in air while running the ac? So the air is being forced out?

 

[TribalSeeds]

If it gets really cold outside you might shock your plants bringing in frosty air. Id make sure it had a chance to warm up before hitting your plants.

 

[Green lung]

In winter I cool my room and lights with outside air and than in summer i just cool my lights with the outside air and use a a/c.

even 80 degree outside air helps cool my lights in the summer.

 

[AOD2012]

You can just use some nylon stockings as a filter. Been using that for a while, works perfectly. Jusy change it every once in a while to keep flow going. Hope all works out.



aod

 

[dansbuds]

sounds like your in the northeast like me & i'll tell ya .... outside temps here drastickly change to much to use fresh air from outside . your better off drawing intake air from the house where your temps are controlled by heat & A/C . I have my tent set up in an upstairs bedroom with heat & A/C & then exhaust my tent out of a diguised window box . so you can't tell from the outside that its a vent . you could easily use a 6" dryer vent through the wall , but alot of people don't want to drill holes ... rentals & etc....

but yeah , outside air for intake is not really a good idea where the weather changes alot . you want a steady temp in the grow room & its just easier to control inside air . I keep my room at 72 degrees & my tent stays at 75 with the lights on with a 6" ventilation system .

 

[EclipseFour20]

Are you bringing in air while running the ac? So the air is being forced out?

No...I have two electric dampners that work in unison with one fan in the attic. When lights are on--air is pulled through the lamps (from outside), but when lights are off the fan in the attic becomes an "exhaust fan"--pulling air from the grow environment.

But...fresh air from the outside is pulled in constantly, 24/7 (which I might add a thermostat so I don't pull hot air when summer hits).

Hope this helps.