Shower Grow Room Ventilation Question

[WeedReefer]

Hello. I am putting the finishing touches on my shower grow room set up and am down to my last (hopefully) challenge, which is the fresh air intake.

The set up is as follows: 40"x27"x74" concrete shower in the basement of my house, 400 watt air cooled HPS, carbon scrubber tied to 125 cfm fan with 6" ducting which is piped to my chimney. The walls of the shower are approximately 5" thick. The opening into the shower is covered with a curtain made from car window sun reflectors and backed with black towels that my lovely wife sewed together for me.

My question is what can I do for a fresh air intake? I was thinking about drilling some holes in a pattern in two opposite walls and then covering them with window screen or something similar to prevent bugs etc from getting in. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[coldcanna]

Funny you ask this, right now I'm trying to help a friend with a very similar situation. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but the shower walls are 5" thick concrete? If you have a hammer drill you could drill out 2 6" holes by doing tons of smaller ones and chiseling it out.... that seems like a lot of shit work though haha. I dunno if you've ever seen a grow tent, but they have holes in the sides with extra fabric and strings to tie that fabric around your ducting. I'd say have your wife make sew a couple intake holes into the bottom of your door, you might have a little 7 inch flap to step over to get in the tent but its the easier way

 

[anon0988]

It sounds like the curtain is probably not air tight, meaning the room can breathe through the gaps there. I'd guess you'll be alright without a dedicated intake port, it can just pull what it needs passively from the surrounding area.

 

[WeedReefer]

cc: Yeah, the walls are 5" thick concrete, and I agree that does sound like a lot of shit work!

anon: I have Velcro glued around the entrance and sewn onto the curtain, but no, it probably isn't air tight, so that may be a viable option.

I am also thinking of setting a screen on the bottom of the entrance and then sealing around that.

Thanks for the replies, greatly appreciated!

 

[Jhhnn]

If you want to go all out, frame the entrance for a prehung door that swings out, weatherstrip it to prevent light leaks, install one of these in the door-

http://www.adorama.com/DKL1212.html

The great thing about your concrete walls is that they absorb heat, transfer it into the ground, reducing the need for ventilation.

 

[Jhhnn]

Just a word of caution wrt the chimney- be sure to test it all with the furnace & hot water heater fired up- make sure that your fan doesn't push the furnace exhaust backwards into your living space. Carbon monoxide detectors are extremely inexpensive insurance, always a valuable addition to the household.

 

[frankenstein2]

I would cut a six inch hole at the bottom of your makeshift door. Put some ductwork in it and have the ductwork make a couple slight bends to make a light trap and your all set. Big box stores sell furnace filters that catch all the airborn nasties, cut a piece to fit inside the end of the ductwork and that's it.

 

[coldcanna]

Just a heads up, ventilation isn't just about keeping temps proper its more about making sure your plants have plenty of fresh co2 to breathe. Just because there's some air leaking through the cracks doesnt mean the room is getting fresh air, if your running a ventilated room you should try to exchange the air every 5 mins or so pick a fan that pushes the correct cfm for your space. Another option would be to run a sealed room and add co2, Im guessin with the concrete and it being in the basement high temps wont be such an issue.

 

[Jhhnn]

Ventilation makes humidity control easy, too, reducing opportunities for mold & fungus.