why not use growroom heat, to warm your house

[Guest]

i vent a grow room,that uses a 3 bulb hood, so it uses 400 to 1200 watts depeding on the grow.I vent out the roof, and have noticed how warm the air is coming out of the roof vent.

So ,as anyone used a carbon scrubber and vented the growroom air back into their home during the winter,to save on heating costs.

Just wondering why this wouldnt work....I guess some people probly do this already ??

 

[Guest]

I don't use a carbon scrubber but I can vent In or Out ("In" being to heat my living room).

 

[bounty29]

My little cabinet, only 150w HPS, kept my bedroom warm most of winter. I had the light on from 8pm to 8am, so it heated the place up when it got chilly. I think for the few months I grew I've had the thermostat to this room off.

 

[beaner]

I have noticed that if I open everything the room will go up a few degrees, but if you werent concerned with smell at all ( I have never used a carbon filter so I dont know exactly how effective it is) i guess you could use the exhaust to heat a room, I havent ever seen a setup that is ducted to warm the house though

 

[jcsmooth]

My grow helps me heat my apartment as well. I'm not sure of the cubic footage in here, but it's about 900 square feet.
I've just got a 400 watt running, but it does help heat my place.

There's definitely no problems doing this....just watch out for the summer when it comes. Venting directly outside helps tremendously rather then letting the hot air recirculate so your ac has to deal with it.

JC

 

[Guest]

Heres why I vent inside with my 800w total room.
If I were to pull my air from inside the house and vent out side, every 11 minutes I would be exchanging all the air inside the whole house (8" fan, 1000sqf shack). So I feel that would be just as hard/harder on my central unit. With that said, If I went with cooled hoods I would use the outside for both in and out for them, but would still keep the rooms air inside for more control. If you live where you can get your fresh cool air from outside, 365 days a year, then venting outside would be ideal, it just gets way too hot where I live. My only other option would be a sealed room with co2.

But here's what happened last night, Friggin' wind started coming off the gulf and I didn't have my a\c on. so I woke this morning to a 84 degree house. This happens a few times a year for me in the "spring", too cold for a\c but too warm for heat. In the fall it isn't as bad because a little cool is better than a little hot. If it happened more, I'd put in too 'stats one for heat, one for a\c instead of that damn switch on the bottom of the one I got now.

 

[holla@yoboy]

no reason not too, save a few bucks doing so

 

[Guest]

Jackson_Slade

thats my problem now,am bringing in basement air to my grow that is about 66 degrees,the lights heat the grow room to high 80's and am blowing all that air out of a roof vent.

so any air going out of the vent must be replaced into the house from somewhere,cracks ,bad widows etc...I was sucking air into the grow box from another outside vent, sort of a closed system, but the outside temps are to low.

I need to buy an automatic damper for the fresh air intake, or use a scrubber to "reuse" the warm air.

 

[king_taco]

Great thread the mole , i just have to tag this one.

anyone used a carbon scrubber and vented the growroom air back into their home during the winter,to save on heating costs?

i do currently do have a semi closed air system of sorts. i haven't compared the numbers specifically, but it has cut down on the heating cost.

i vent the air to the basement instead of just back into the house, so i heat the (traditionally) coolest air in the house so the heater dose not have to work so hard. i also would like to believe that warming the air in the basement helps to maintain a warmer temp upstairs, helping save more $$.

the other difference is that during the winter months i have a thermostat that sucks air in from outside thru a filter via a low CFM fan. in my book that beats the pants off of any A/c unit in initial price,continued cost and space conservation.

~~Grow Free~~
king_taco

 

[Guest]

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=50949 has how I did my closet in a "loop".
I like king_taco's why too. In a basement you should be able to maybe use a window fan on a thermostat to change the air in the basement as needed. Just pull the outside air from the shaded side of your house into the basement. You'll need a dehumidifer for sure if you did this. So many whys to "skin a cat" just figure out what is the cheapest\best why for your setup. I built two DIY can filters for less then $100.00, use one and just change it out as needed. Cheaper then a window unit and haven't had too replace the carbon in two years.

Did you know that you can place your old carbon in a dehydrator to recharge it? I use my solor one outside. A few days of full sun and use it again. For aleast six times, that I know for sure.

 

[Guest]

I've been telling that to all my friends who have any green on their thumbs. If you heat your place mainly with electricity you should use that amount of energy as many times as you can. Installing a lamp heats up your room/-s and makes your lettuce grow. It doesn't matter if you don't grow cannabis or any usable plants. Your plants (Yes, I think all of you have some plants in you apartment/house, if no go get some) will love the lamp in winter and both of you enjoy the warmth released by it.
Two flies with one shot.

 

[Caligrown]

I am running a sealed room so I can't vent the air. I have thought about it before though. Ity seems that the exhaust fan would put a bit of positive pressure on your house and that would keep the cool air from coming in anywhere. Your central air would distribute the air. I wonder if 3000 watts could eliminate my need to heat in this little 2 br house????

-Cali

 

[Guest]

I think my 1200 watt grow would just about keep my furnace off ,if the wind isnt bad outside, I own a very old house,even after 20 plus years I still find a air leak somewhere.

any time I go into the crawl spaces I take some type of insulating material with me "just in case" i find a cold spot.

I dont veg 24/0 .I use 18/6, and of course 12/12, so this wouldnt eleminate my heating bills ,but it would sure save some dollars.

king_taco
that would be one of the best ways to do it, pump the warmed air into the lower area ,and let it "rise" . If I can do this am planning on blowing the air into my houses duct work,I dont have a pilot light so I dont have to worry about blowing it out.

With the correct ducting the furnace wouldnt blow air in my grow room during the off period either.

I have a homemade carbon filter, I just havent tried it yet,no charcoal bought either,it should hold about 6 gallons of charcoal, I just didnt know how "sniff proof " they were :smile:

Jackson_Slade
I thought you had to reburn charcoal at a temp around 1000 degrees for several hours to reclean it, and during this process it stinks to no end....????

 

[Guest]

the mole

Well maybe I'm just prolonging the life then. But I read somewhere thet you can just spread it out thin out in the sun to recharge it. While in my dehydrator it gets aleast twice as hot (air from the flue) then when I got food in it ('cus it's black?). And you can smell the funk coming off it, but only when your right up on it. Can't be over 500 degrees 'cus it's wood and it hasn't burst into flames, yet. I "clean" it every cycle so I think that cuts down on the overall smell. I thought that 1000 degree thing was how they actuvated it, under pressure with O or something like that. Been awhile since I was surfin' on that stuff.

I would think though the hotter you got it the faster it would recharge with more/stronger smell. In my thingy it takes two-three sunny days untill I can't smell it anymore. Anyways not for everyone, I guess, only if your able There's a nice treeline between my dehydrator and any neighbors to knock down any smells.

 

[Guest]

Jackson_Slade
am not saying your method doesnt work...just never read of it, maybe your correct in doing it befor it becomes completly saturated with the funk odor, possibly the light from the sun may be helping too..

You can tell all of this is still an idea in progress, first it would be smiple for me to put a Y connecter in my 6" exhuast duct, I could use 2 dampers to direct the air flow either out the roof vent in the summer, or indoors in the winter.

I have a unheated area,that I grow bean plants in , I could vent into that area too , heating it up during the bean plants off cycle when the temps start to drop.They would have heat from their bulbs during the on cycle, and heat from the other grow box when their lights are off.

I have alot of choices to ponder....

Heres my home made scrubber,it can be used in-line by leaving the ourter can on,or if you leave it off you can let it filter back into the room.

 

[Caligrown]

A crafty setup no doubt! It looks good Mole.


-Cali