Sealed rooms.....

[Nawshis]

I was reading on sealed rooms and commercial production...

Alot of people swear by sealed rooms when using co2 enrichment... However, I have noticed that most commercial (non-marijuana) farmers do not grow indoors sealed and they use greenhouses. And they

I was wondering how much a sealed room would benefit towards marijuana growing. And is it really worth it?

any thoughts?

 

[Wayzer]

hey there , welcome to the mag

IMO A sealed room is super important when using CO2. The best way to supplement co2 in an indoor grow, is by letting the co2 surround the plants to allow them to absorb the co2. when using a sealed room, u will have temps controlled by ac, heater, humidifier and dehumidifier for optimal temps, allowing for optimal absorption of co2. u don't want ur exhaust fans sucking the co2 out of the room, so when co2 is being injected into the room ur fans shouldn't be on. There are co2 controllers that will take care odf that. But from what i've read, there is no real point of using co2 if ur room isnt sealed, it may help, but for optimal absorption a sealed room is key.

 

[Nawshis]

Hey Wayzer, thanks for the invite... I am aware of the mechanisms in which a sealed room works in regards to co2.

What I was really getting at, was if they are so much more effective at physiologically pushing a plant to its maximum potential and at a much faster rate.

Why don't commercial farmers use a sealed approach??

Most commercial farmers will operate a greenhouse where air is exchanged.

And a commercial farmer has a much bigger demand to supply to.

 

[Guest]

It is simply more cost effective to move air through rather than sealing and using co2 for food comercial crops. It is very hard to run sealed rooms and some times it would have been better off to just exchange the air once every 1-5 min.

 

[PurplePotion]

Please use the search function at the top of the page

 

[Guest]

well if we could all grow in a green house WE WOULD!

the sun is the ultimate HID! the law and rippers would have other ideas. Not to many people getting killed over a green house full of lettuce!

As for the CO2 and non cannabis farmers. If a gram basil cost upwards of 20$ people might be using CO2 to pump everything they could out of it.

 

[ThereIsHope]

CO2 is the shit. I use the CAP PPM-3 CO2 monitor/controller and a CAP regulator on a 50 pound CO2 tank. Lasts me 5 weeks (15x10x7) room and costs $20.00 to re-fill.

Plants and nugs are easily 25% larger....easily.

 

[Stone]

BajaSauce hit it on the nose...

It just isn't cost effective to seal a greenhouse (not to mention near impossible) so it isn't even done by mj growers.

Most commercial farmers also don't find it feasible to make a profit growing indoor, and even if there was some high-end crop that could pull it off, going to a sealed room would spell the death of profitability.

Also, another aspect that hasn't been mentioned, is sealed rooms are one of the cheapest ways to conceal the smell of a large commercial grow op. So you get the two birds of properly utilizing CO2, and the stealth of nothing escaping that room.

 

[BonsaiBud]

But what about oxygen buildup? Will it rise to toxic levels? You must have to vent once in a while. Put a giant carbon filter in there and once the dose of CO2 is used up, just blast your house full of oxygen-rich air and get an oxygen high Personally, My grow boxes are in my bedroom and the air is better in there than anywhere else in the apartment. One time, back with my LR2s, I taped up the vents and put my camera in there with the video running. I cracked an 8 gram bicycle CO2 cartige so it hissed out pretty slowly. I tossed it in and slamed the cabinet door shut. It made for a nice video, for real results I would need a tank, regulator, solenoid valve, fan shutoff...Never mind, the lights would cook the plants before they got a chance to use all the CO2.
Anyway, I just use myself as the CO2 enrichment.

 

[Guest]

I doubt plants will generate enough oxygen to kill themselves. I've never used CO2 but i think it is only used at certain times and maybe not at all during lights off? When ever CO2 is not being utilized i'm sure most people vent the shit out of the grow space.

I really want to create a sealed room for another reason not mentioned. CONTROL. you can limit all access of pests if your room is sealed completely and proper safety practices are followed to avoid pests being introduced to your area as well as fungus and other unwanted problems in the grow. Filter all incoming and outgoing air and make a controlled sealed entrance. Kind of like the lab the CDC has to play with Ebola but filled with pot!

side note, anyone got like $10,000 i can have to make this happen

 

[green_tea]

with regards to Co2, if you were to break a room to be used for a flip flop, and had them interconnected, would the 1200-1500PPM your keeping the grow at do dmg to the plants during their night cycle?

think about getting a vaportek too for the sealed room, they are a m a z i n g at removing odor (since it neutralizes odor, instead of masking it)

 

[Cannabinofil]

cool thread ...

since there is no fresh air in a sealed room, does the air going through the carbon filter sufice not to have stale air ... and if the airconditioner is in the room, isn't the cool air it makes in front, warmed up by the heated air in the back? what if it's in the wall of the room, pouring cool air in and exausting warm air out, isn't the warm air "contaminated" with the sweet sent of herb? or does the suction in the carbon filter keeps the air that comes out of said wall mounted aircond "uncontaminated"?

looking forward to yur replys...cuz I'd love to understand ...

 

[Nawshis]

Hermetically sealed grow rooms don't exist. All this speculation about losses and oxygen this and that is pointless.

Run 1500ppm, 75w per sq ft of hid (at least), get the humidity to about 60-70% = massive growth. The humidity can cause bud rot, but much of this can be prevented by using potassium silicate ("baracade" or "silica blast").

Normal, fresh, outside air is around 300ppm-350ppm, if you are running 50w per sq ft of HID or less and/or have low humidity, then this ppm of Co2 will suffice.

I really wouldn't attempt a sealed room unless you have the proper equipment. In other words, at least 4000k btu of AC per 1000w of HID lighting, a good source for Co2 (burner or regulator that can handle your room), a GOOD dehumidifier (Co2 releases a lot of humidity) and a carbon scrubber to recirculate (smell). I highly suggest using effective cooling methods with your lights.

Minisplit AC units are optimal, but can be difficult to DIY install.

Here is an example of efficient cooling methods:

So, you are saying forget about co2 loss... exhausted or sealed, as long as you can supply 1500ppm co2 AND can supply 75w per sq ft.. Run it?

 

[Nawshis]

I'm talking about little losses and plants generating to much air and this and that.

I listed what you need to do a sealed room:
1) GOOD A/c unit that is properly match to space and heat (I.E 4000k btu per 1k of HID lighting).
2) GOOD dehumidifier.
3) Carbon scrubber to deal with the smell... since you wont have negative pressure and constant scrubbing by exhausting heat, you'll need something to deal with the smell. Not ozone, i'll stop that one there.

At least 75w per sq ft.

One of the first things I learned about gardening a looong time ago was: A plant can only grow as fast as its limiting factor. Once you understand that, and what ratios of what you need, you'll know your answers... which I just gave you.

Use the good hood ventilation system I showed above.

Edit: You will never be able to keep the PPM's at 1500 while exhausting heat out. Don't even bother trying that,.... you'd be going threw a propane take every 6 hours.

Thanks alot for the input...

One thing on that ventilation diagram. I only have one hood... and I am in a 4.5 x 4.5 x 6 ft room w/ 1600 watts (dual bulb hood)..

I was just going to have the scrubber on one side of the hood. and an inline or blower on the other pulling the hot room air thru the hood and out the room. Like this

X - Scrubber
H - Hood
> - Ducting
O - fan

Wall <-------- (Fan pulling the air) >>>O>>-H->>-X

 

[Kilbud]

CO2

CO2

Nice thread guys,

I'm completeing my room in the next 5 days. I'm 5 weeks into my 1st flower and tried to use CO2 with a PPM3. I have onlt 2 600 watt lights running now but will be adding 2 more. The CO2 running in a non sealed room is a total waste. I have a 20 pound tank which was drained in 5 days maintaining 1500 PPM.

I'm sealing my room now and just got my 12,000 btu mini split. I will be installing a Gen1e propane burner. here's a breakdown on my ventilation I might need to modify it but I'm going to give it a shot.

Room Drawing



The entry door is under the mini split.

The rooms not to scale but you get the idea. I will be siliconing and duct taping all walls and seams.

 

[Mr Celsius]

Thanks alot for the input...

One thing on that ventilation diagram. I only have one hood... and I am in a 4.5 x 4.5 x 6 ft room w/ 1600 watts (dual bulb hood)..

I was just going to have the scrubber on one side of the hood. and an inline or blower on the other pulling the hot room air thru the hood and out the room. Like this

X - Scrubber
H - Hood
> - Ducting
O - fan

Wall <-------- (Fan pulling the air) >>>O>>-H->>-X

That design is just going to remove all the Co2 out the room. Basically you have to pull air from outside the room into your hood and then back outside.

Sort of like the diagram above.

 

[Nawshis]

Nice thread guys,

I'm completeing my room in the next 5 days. I'm 5 weeks into my 1st flower and tried to use CO2 with a PPM3. I have onlt 2 600 watt lights running now but will be adding 2 more. The CO2 running in a non sealed room is a total waste. I have a 20 pound tank which was drained in 5 days maintaining 1500 PPM.

I'm sealing my room now and just got my 12,000 btu mini split. I will be installing a Gen1e propane burner. here's a breakdown on my ventilation I might need to modify it but I'm going to give it a shot.

Room Drawing



The entry door is under the mini split.

The rooms not to scale but you get the idea. I will be siliconing and duct taping all walls and seams.

Real Nice setup... take pics once its done dude

 

[pineappaloupe]

Wont the A/C work as a dehumidifier?

Im planing on going for a sealed room next run and am running though these same questions. Luckily it isnt very hot where I am, at night the ambient temps in the room the box is in does not go above 70.

The box is 4x8, maybe expanding to 4x10 or 5x8.

I am hoping that temps will be OK with a window AC unit and 2 aircooled 1ks.


Nawshis: I would re think the ducting on your aircooled hoods. 90 degree bends create alot of friction. I found this one awesome spreadsheet on the net to calculate static pressure, but lost the link. 1 90 bend is equal to 8ft of ducting or so...

Consider the plenum design that mr celcius posted. You will have to use another fan, but it is worth it.

designing a sealed room is quite a project...

 

[Mr Celsius]

Wont the A/C work as a dehumidifier?

Sure, when its on. What happens when its <72 degrees in your room and the A/C isn't pumping? Hmmm

 

[gdawg]

naw the a/c aint gonna cut it if you got more than a couple of lights. this was my first run with a sealed setup and i'll never go back. just gotta get the controller now. but thats a given!