Planning a new box: two chambers, vent questions

[micromike25]

Hi!

I´m planning a new micro box. You can see the dimensions on the pictures below.

I´ll go with 70-100W CFL/PLL in total and I´m not sure about the ventilation.

I would like to combine vent for the mother- and the floweringchamber, as you can see on the second picture. I´ll put tubes in both chambers and connect them with an angle.

I guess a fan to put into the tube would be best?
Otherwise PC-fans in each chamber, pushing the air trough the tube may also work?

What Do you think? Any suggestions for a DIY carbon scrubber?

I´m not a native speaker - hope you can understand me well.

Thanks
micromike25

 

[micromike25]

sorry - forgot the pictures

 

[SmokinErb22]

I've done something similar on a larger scale.

I had two 4x4 flower chambers and a 2x4 veg. Veg was in the middle with flower cabs on either side and directly above veg was my "utility" area that house fans/filters/ ballast/flip boxes.

The utility chamber was sealed thus creating a vacuum allowing me to vent all 3 cabs at once. Just ran lengths of duct from each grow area to the utility chamber with enough bends to contain light.

Hope that makes sense. My duct didn't run to my fans, only from compartment to compartment. Exhausting the tiny utility chamber creates a vacuum....with ducting to direct airflow.

 

[StrangeVisitor]

Hi, micromike!

Is your picture showing a top-view or a side view?
Anyway, your flowering chamber volume should be about 8 times your veg chamber volume. Thus, you need at least 8 times more air going through it. I’d even say 16 times more. If you use a single fan to pump/suck air from both chambers + utility room you’ll have either a hurricane in your veg chamber or a small air change rate in your flowering chamber. Moreover, if you want to scrub air with the same fan you might have problems with noise and/or high temperature. If you want to minimize the quantity of fans I’d suggest you to cool your lights separately from your plants (have a glass that will separate the lights from the plants). You may use a single fan to cool both lights and no scrubber – just a massive airflow.

IMO it’s not obligatory to scrub air from the veg chamber. So you can scrub only your flower chamber exhaust. Remember the cornerstones: keep the intakes passive & make the pressure in your flowering chamber negative to prevent odor leaks.
Calculate the volume of each chamber and google for the recommended airchange ratio. Doing that you will understand how much airflow you need and select a right fan.

BTW, here’s a great topic on the fans, filters and ventilation (https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=131842)
Also, search for the NGB design – it might help you too.

Hope that helped.

English isn’t my native language either, hope we understand each other ))).

 

[jaytoker]

This is how I've always seed the ventilation done fors these NGB type cabinets.

1 extraction fan pulling air from the ventilation/utility room which is above the veg cab 1 vent connecting veg and flower room and passive intake via lower to mid section of flower cab.

 

[jaytoker]

Actually passive intake should be located in the upper-mid section rather than lower/bottom.

 

[Kaskadian]

Here's how I would do it. You will need to make some minor adjustments to avoid light penetration from the veg/mom section. Run ducting from the top of the flower section into the ventilation area; then run ducting from veg/mom area into the ventilation area; connect the ducting (after it's inside the ventilation area) with a T (or Y) adapter; and directly vent out of the cabinet. Personally I use a squirrel cage fan, but you may be able to get by using a 6" 240CFM duct fan.

As far as a scrubber goes, we have a DIY link here for a nice homemade rig. I'll post the link below.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=29402

 

[grouchy]

I layed my NGB box out to have air come in from the bottom of the veg chamber and flow through the flower chamber. This created some heating issues in the summer months but I just reduce the veg lighting during that time. Mine is not in a temp controlled environment so it was necessary in order to keep it warm in the winter months. Hot air from the 24/0 section maintains the temps during lights out times in the 12/12. Another passive intake in the floor of the flower section can also be opened up when temps get to high. The light traps are built into the walls.