Growing in cold basement.. will panda film trap heat or do I need something heavier?

[AltarNation]

In honor of cornport's point, I will modify my edit and say I didn't so much "figure it out" as figured out what to do with my situation (I figured out a way to get out of the cold basement, basically.)

--but, for what it's worth, what I came up with is that the plastic alone will hold heat but I would have to run a space heater a lot during lights off in order to keep it effective, which doesn't really work for me in this situation as I'm trying to conserve heat in the house rather than waste it.

So what I did was move the whole thing into a living space area instead so that the heat can be effectively 'shared'... during dark I will live in the space near it so as to provide warm air (I'd be heating the area anyway to live in it) and during lights on it will keep itself warm and provide a little residual heat to the rest of the living space and keep us a little warmer at night. :0]

Hope that's useful to someone!

 

[admiralcornport]

at least you figured it out. Care to let everyone in on the discovery? That is what this place is about.

Not just asking questions, but to give the info you've learned. Someday someone is going to have this same question, even though common sense tells us that plastic sheeting isn't a great insulator, and they come to this thread and go... oh well alternation figured it out, shut the site down. DELETE EVERYTHING~!~~!!!!

 

[AltarNation]

at least you figured it out. Care to let everyone in on the discovery? That is what this place is about.

Not just asking questions, but to give the info you've learned. Someday someone is going to have this same question, even though common sense tells us that plastic sheeting isn't a great insulator, and they come to this thread and go... oh well alternation figured it out, shut the site down. DELETE EVERYTHING~!~~!!!!

Your tone not withstanding, your point is taken.

I agree that plastic is not a great insulator. I guess you could say that is what I figured out. That is a question that could have been answered through a simple google search, had I been of more sound mind at the time when I asked it. In this sense, it was my error to create a thread that was completely unnecessary. And it was due to the limitations of the board's design that I was unable to simply delete it myself.

So now, those who have this question will witness this exchange instead. Hooray.

I still say it can be deleted, but whatever floats the hive-mind boat.

 

[Mikell]

That is a question that could have been answered through a simple google search, had I been of more sound mind at the time when I asked it.

BOOM! I can't believe you just said that. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. If half the people here did likewise, there would be a lot less fluff posting.

 

[InGhostgrower]

Staying on topic... I grow in a cold basement... The key is to use insulation. Just staple it to the rafters around the area you are using. Another trick I found is using that foam they use underneath siding on the cold ass basement floor. A basement in the winter can be a pain in the ass but it pays off in the end. I always get my best buds in the winter TONS OF TRICHS. The stress of the cold nights can make for some perty plants........ come on kids keep it clean

 

[InGhostgrower]

O ya and always have lights on during night time. On 7pm off 7am... something like that

 

[queequeg152]

what do you know about the foundation construction? do you have a perimeter drain?
basement retrofits are tricky sometimes. especially when you are going to be dumping moisture into the air.

off the bat i would recommend furring out like an inch, leaving a gap and drainage channel for condensing moisture, level out these furring pieces with shims, then foam board insulation, then 2x4 wall construction and then insulate this wall structure with cellulose or fiberglass, or rockwool, then put up the cheapest 1/2 inch drywall you can buy, since im guessing this wont be a permenant install. its not ideal, but it should be warm and cozy.

if you dont have a proper perimiter drain you will have to add drainage fabric under this 2x4 wall. you can put down something like cork flooring tiles to keep the cold slab a bay. hopefully you could pull up this floor if you have a big rainfall event.

 

[DONAJTHEIII]

One word


Reflectix



AJAE

 

[stoned-trout]

even better tek foil from farmtek....choose your thickness

 

[Granger2]

Or best, Prodex. -granger

 

[RonSmooth]

Reflectix does s good job keeping my rooms temp stable but B&W poly is much better for light reflection.

I grow in a hidden room in an unfinished basement. I love the fall/winter. It is easy for me to control temps using the exhaust from the lamps.

My space is only 6x6x8. One 4x4 and one 2x4 rooms with a shared wall. When the lights go off in one room, they go on in another. The "on" room dumps the heat into the "off" room.

I am considering getting one of those "exhale" co2 bags and partially sealing the room for the winter. I don't need to remove hot air this time of year. In fact, its wasteful.

If you get a heater, get an oiled filled one with a thermostat. Set it for 65 and leave it. It will only kick on when the temps fall below your threshold.

 

[EcoNepenthe]

Nice idea

Nice idea

Greetings:
I just finished my newest basement setup. Visited the design forum for basement ideas and came across your thread. Wow. Interesting.
So, here's my newest approach to my basement setup.
Stay safe.
Success w/ya grow
Eco

 

[nukklehead]

Staying on topic... I grow in a cold basement... The key is to use insulation. Just staple it to the rafters around the area you are using. Another trick I found is using that foam they use underneath siding on the cold ass basement floor. A basement in the winter can be a pain in the ass but it pays off in the end. I always get my best buds in the winter TONS OF TRICHS. The stress of the cold nights can make for some perty plants........ come on kids keep it clean

Tu shay ghost.. feel your pain and pleasure... for those who know in the midwest and east I wish we could have a forum for Coal rooms converted to Grow rooms united... lol..

Think it would be interesting to see what others have come up with for that "useless room in the basement".....

 

[queequeg152]

that foam sheathing is a fire propagation hazard... imo you should move fasten it to the back of the wall construction and treat it as an air barrier. tape up the seams with the appropriate seaming tape, and fill the 2x4 voids with 24 inch bats of cellulose rockwool or fiberglass insulation... then layup some cheap drywall. would be far safer imo.
foam all the gaps with dow energfoam. its a great air sealer and its rated appropriately for fires.

two insulation layers with varying densities will also give you better control of noise.

 

[DemonTrich]

R Tek foam insulation boards. mold and mildew resistant, and 92% reflective. 14.00 for a 3/4"x4x8 sheet. I believe it does have some fire resistant properties as wel. im currently building an 8x12x6.8' flower room with 3x600hps in big kahuna hoods. framed with 2x4, r-tek foam board insulation on walls, door assembly, 2x layers of white panda film on the ceiling, 1/2 plywood painted flat white and 3x white panda film for floor. using glue adhesive to mount the r-tek boards to studs, and finishing it with 3m 2" hvac tape. then wrapping the exterior shell (after all my wiring, duct work ect is ran) with 6ml black contractors plastic.

im also growing underground, but still run my portable a/c 12/12 in my flower room

 

[InGhostgrower]

Some good info in this thread... guess the reason I used the foam is I had it laying around. Didnt know it was a fire hazard. Thats why i really like this site there's a lot of smart people growing cannabis

 

[InGhostgrower]

Tu shay ghost.. feel your pain and pleasure... for those who know in the midwest and east I wish we could have a forum for Coal rooms converted to Grow rooms united... lol..

Think it would be interesting to see what others have come up with for that "useless room in the basement".....

Ya Im so hooked on basement grows. Been house hunting and dont even consider houses that dont have a basement. Before I had a basement, I grew in a spare bedroom. Had all kinds of excuses to keep people out of the room.... Eventually someone walked in there and it was a glorious moment for them but a horrible moment for me... It wasnt so bad because it was my brother but it let the cat out of the bag and pretty soon his friends knew... and thats when i shut it down. Fast forward... no one asks to go in a basement I always mention the "spider problem" I have lmao

 

[queequeg152]

Some good info in this thread... guess the reason I used the foam is I had it laying around. Didnt know it was a fire hazard. Thats why i really like this site there's a lot of smart people growing cannabis

the foam is not as flammable as you might think, but it will spread fire... if that makes sense. i would atleast cover your walls with drywall, to head the remote possibility.

a fire does not have to burn anything down to ruin your home. the smoke evolved from even a small fire can cost you a fortune in duct cleaning, carpet remediation, steam cleaning, and time and stress.

while i dont grow cannabis, i do enjoy and appreciate some of the things i find on this site as well. however some of the stuff i see makes my asshole get cold, the biggest one is all the plastic LDPE films and mylar PET foils folks use. all that shit burns, readily and evolves intolerably acrid smoke.
that being said, your average carpet underlay from the 1900's is way worse.