Venting in an apartment?

[gunnaknow]

I would like to know whether any of you grow in a high rise apartment block and how you vent your growroom. You can't put a hole in the wall to the outside can you because it is so high off the ground and maybe there are legal restrictions for going through an external wall of a high rise apartment block. You can't put a hole in the ceiling because neighbours live above.

So how have you put extraction and intake into your high rise apartment? Window extractor fan perhaps? Wouldn't the window cleaner get suspicious if he saw the extractor fan pumping air out frantically though? And how would you disguise the ducting attached to the vent hole? What if you wanted to vent hoods aswel? You would need more than one vent in the same window, which would look suspicious. Any other solutions that you have used or know of? Thanks.


Gunna

 

[Pimpslapped]

How big a setup are you looking to run, that'll be a major factor I think.

I'm using a 150w (very small, but it's a start) and I just vent it from the closet into the attached room.

 

[Guest]

Yea... I have thought of numerous ways... but you have to be on the top floor for any of it to work, if you aren't on the top or there ain't no one above you it is going to be real tough, I suggest odorless/fruity strains such as Bubalicious, C99. If you are on the top a fire place will work, a hole into the roof (in a closet) will work (long as it isn't too hot)... and you have to know how to patch that shit up or do it yourself...My suggestion is to clear out a closet seal off the room and vent through carbon back into the larger room...or even the bathroom make sure your air pressure is in check also.... a commercial de-odorizor in the larger room would work real well too, or vent the air into a smaller sealed room, and within that room you can put the de-odorizer.

Don't use a bathroom vent or fireplace if you aren't on the top floor, your just going to spread the smell upwards. Like I said its risky and hard but any kind of venting you will try is going to have to be. I would never vent that outside or even think of putting it out there in a high rise... try and control it 'in the building' instead of trying to move it everywhere.

 

[THCzr]

http://www.hydrohuts.com/products.html

these are awesome. check it out... can mount a carbon filter right in there with the attachments provided, or just get a vaportek unit to kill the odor.... either way you gonna need a vent fan tho, but i use one currently for my situation and it is kick ass.


THC

 

[Guest]

If you are going to have to vent into same room as your grow, you'll have to use 400W or less IMO maybe a 600. Just too much heat to get rid of with anything bigger.

I don't live in a high rise, just 2 story apt complex. im on bottom. I can't vent directly out a window for security reasons. I vented into same room with my last grow(2x4 with panda plastic) and this current one I am doing in a HydroHut "mini" Stop by my grow diary. I have pics of my fans and if you read it you'll see how I handled some of the heat issues. e.g. 20inch box fan pumpin cooler air into the room with the hut.

Bottom line is you CAN do a grow with your HydroHut.

Good luck
Obli

 

[gunnaknow]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. I'm not sure I understand why you say that it is okay to grow in a tent/hut but not open in a room. Is it because a tent/hut is sealed and let's no smell out? Or because venting into the room or to another part of the apartment is better than venting to outside when in an apartment? I can't see how venting into the room from the tent could control temps when it's too hot.

Venting to another room sounds better for that but where does the intake come from? Won't the apartment air start to become very low in CO2. Perhaps keep a window open? How would you vent to another room? Smash through a wall? Or cut a hole in the door and pass ducting through the door into the rest of the apartment, with some extra slack for when opening and closing the door?

Two of you said that growroom size should be restricted if in an apartment. Does this still apply if you use a large tent/hut for smell and extract into the rest of the apartment? This is my friend's apartment and he has asked for my help in return for some regular smoke because I studied horticulture and grow my own vegetables. Last time he brought it up it never amounted to anything, so it might never happen. Sorry for all of the questions. Thanks.

Gunna

 

[Guest]

1. buy old used window airconditioner
2. gut A/C of internal parts (be careful with chems depending on the a/c you have
3. insert ducting into inside end of a/c unit
4. place fan inside a/c unit to pull air through ducts and push it out window
5. make sure you use carbon scrubber in your cab/tent/closet/enclosure or else your neighbors are just going to gradually start smelling it through the walls
6. make sure window cleaner cannot see too clearly into window to see ducting out of back of a/c unit (use blinds, don't black it out)
7. install gutted a/c into window

 

[gunnaknow]

Thanks for the idea SoCo but window AC is extremely uncommon in my area and they stick out like a sore thumb. Infact, I haven't seen one once. It would look too suspicious. Hopefully I'll get some more replies to my previous post.

 

[crftymofo]

1. buy old used window airconditioner
2. gut A/C of internal parts (be careful with chems depending on the a/c you have
3. insert ducting into inside end of a/c unit
4. place fan inside a/c unit to pull air through ducts and push it out window
5. make sure you use carbon scrubber in your cab/tent/closet/enclosure or else your neighbors are just going to gradually start smelling it through the walls
6. make sure window cleaner cannot see too clearly into window to see ducting out of back of a/c unit (use blinds, don't black it out)
7. install gutted a/c into window

Never even thought of that. slick move.

 

[U.G.U]

I would leave the window open get a bamboo type window shade that covers the whole window. Build a box around the window with 2 x 4's, cover it with ply wood cut a couples holes in the plywood paint the inside either black or white and your window just appears to be open you can't see in cause the bamboo but it still lets air pass freely. even right up close looking directly in it would be very hard to tell. get all insulated vent hoses to help reduce fan noise also mount the fan a distance from the window maybe 5' that should help muffle the sound as well.

 

[gunnaknow]

Thanks U.G.U, I have seen a video of a dutch grower who built a similar box around the window. He left the window slighty ajar and screwed it down from the inside with a bracket. It does sound like a good idea, I'll suggest it to my friend.

I'm still unsure of why tents/huts are needed for growing in apartments. Is it because they are air tight and stop smell leaking out? Or some other reason? Are there any security reasons why the size of grow should be restricted in an apartment, if you use a large tent/hut? Would smell still leak out? The window box suggested by U.G.U would take care of the problem of extraction to outside in an apartment wouldn't it?

 

[Guest]

Are there any security reasons why the size of grow should be restricted in an apartment, if you use a large tent/hut? Would smell still leak out?

Yes, I would keep the size of your grow in a 1bdrm to a 600 light... more preferably a 400. The tent and venting will take care of most of it but if your looking for zero smell its going to be hella hard unless you take into consideration the strains your growing. The bigger the light/grow the more the smell will be harder to control.

 

[Guest]

The reason I use Hydrohut in my apartment is I can take it down in an hour or less if I have to. It also helps contain the smell since air leaving the hut is filtered. I think it is good advice to stay with a single light grow. Much easier to take down a single light system. I vent into the same room on my grow. It can be done if circumstances are right....Having fresh air is always more preferable though.

Obli

 

[gunnaknow]

Yes, I would keep the size of your grow in a 1bdrm to a 600 light... more preferably a 400. The tent and venting will take care of most of it but if your looking for zero smell its going to be hella hard unless you take into consideration the strains your growing. The bigger the light/grow the more the smell will be harder to control.

What about if it was a two bedroom apartment, using a very low odor strain, in a tent and growing perpetually so that only one third of the plants are in late bloom at any one time?

Also, is Chronic a very low odour strain? If not, what besides NL is very low odour and big yielding?

 

[Guest]

I just finished growing Ice and Aurora Indica in the pic below(b4 I had my hut), neither strain smelled much.

Obli

Ice and Ai

 

[badgr]

GunnaKnow, I'm still unsure of why tents/huts are needed for growing in apartments. Is it because they are air tight and stop smell leaking out? Or some other reason? Are there any security reasons why the size of grow should be restricted in an apartment, if you use a large tent/hut? Would smell still leak out? The window box suggested by U.G.U would take care of the problem of extraction to outside in an apartment wouldn't it?

Those are pretty common sense questions. They have so many generic answers. Grow right, If your growing in a room I would think you would still have some sort of a plastic/ poly shield hanging for light and dark reasons. You need to figure out how you are going to cool the grow. IF you say you can' use an A/C unit then you need to scale accordingly. I/E no more then 400w's. Otherwise heat will kill you. DO you have any experience. If your new to growing make life easy and grow in a cab/ or tent. You will thank me later. Be smart and think everything through. You don't need to vent outside in many cases. It all depends on if you are running or can run a HVAC system to balance out the room temp. Keep things under 74*F in your room and your tent/ cab should be OK. I really wish you would figure some of this common stuff out i have no idea how to help you. Good Luck.

 

[Guest]

^^ This is so true. Heat is hard to deal with.

What about if it was a two bedroom apartment, using a very low odor strain, in a tent and growing perpetually so that only one third of the plants are in late bloom at any one time?

Also, is Chronic a very low odour strain? If not, what besides NL is very low odour and big yielding?

Don't know about any of those. No odor strains to me are c99, Bubalicious, grapefruit... and probably a few others. A two bedroom? It is hard to say, just how big do you want to go? I mean are we talking multiple 1000 watters? Cause I would never chance that shit... it just isn't worth it. I suggest you think hard on what your about to do, it isn't easy growing in an apartment. You think it is, until you realize you've got 3/4 of a pound (400-600 light) + and multiple pounds wet (which they weigh if charged) all budded up on some live plants reeking the ****ing hell out of everything...

When I grew in my apt I had a 600W light and goodies all running in a 5x5 closet heat was my biggest obstacle. But you need to realize that you can vent into the walls and ceilings, if you punch a hole in your wall you dont go next door to your neighbors, there is an empty cavity there between the studs or structure of the wall, then another layer of sheetrock that is your neighbors wall. You can vent into this area if the air isnt too loud, in my case it was a 2 foot thick firewall next to me so venting into it was no problem and got rid of the hot air from my aircooled light. Then I ran my carbon filter 24/7 and vented it into the main living room area, it made my whole apt smell fresh for the 18 months I grew there, was actually really nice.


HTH

Bignugget

Also this I sure as hell wouldn't recommend, your telling him to cut the wall separating a cavity that is in between in and his neighbor?...and vent his heat and smell in their?? lol...the ceiling is acceptable if there is no one above you, but please don't vent right in a small area with only sheet rock guarding it from your neighbors lol...

 

[F0iL]

I have the same concern with exhausting out into the same room as my grow. I plan on doing a 4-6 plant 400watt wardrobe grow with a 200-250cfm fan with a carbon scrubber. Will the smell be a problem if I vent it in the same room as my wardrobe is in? Should i go with a bigger carbon scrubber or will that be enough? By the way i am going to be growing in a studio apartment.

-Thanks

 

[Guest]

I have the same concern with exhausting out into the same room as my grow. I plan on doing a 4-6 plant 400watt wardrobe grow with a 200-250cfm fan with a carbon scrubber. Will the smell be a problem if I vent it in the same room as my wardrobe is in? Should i go with a bigger carbon scrubber or will that be enough? By the way i am going to be growing in a studio apartment.

-Thanks

Depends on the strain if smell will be a problem. I just finished a grow in my apartment and vented into the same room. I'm venting into the same room on my current grow. Keep your entire apartment aired out well. Unless you have stinky strains, you'll be OK IMO. I also used those plug-in air freshener things. You MUST keep your apartment ventilated well to keep both smell and heat to accecptable levels when you vent grow into same space.

Check my current grow

Obli

 

[gunnaknow]

I think my friend had 2 600w lights in mind but it sounds like this is pushing it, even with low odour strains, a tent and perpetual growing. I'm not sure if he will be too interested in doing this after I tell him that one light is the max because it wasn't for just him, it was going to be for 3 or 4 medical users, including myself. Maybe we'll look into it again if he moves in the future. Thanks for your help.

Gunna