I am new to growing, and I've decided to grow in my closet. I have everything figured out, except for ventilation. Is there any way to keep my 1-2 plants ventilated without putting holes in anything? And I'll be using a 400w light. I'm trying to get started asap so any help is very much appreciated!
Closet Ventilation
- Thread starter ianhoward
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dgaf88
New Member
If you want your closet properly ventilated, you will want an air cooled reflector/hood that is pulling fresh air in thru one side and pushing the old air out thru the other. You will also need to install a fan or two to keep the air circulating. Using a 400w lite, you are for sure going to want to ventilate the area cus they can definitely produce a lot of heat...How big is you closet?
- Thread starter
- #3
My closet is 2x4x8, and I've decided I'm going to go with the whole ventilation setup instead. I'm going to attemt to install this HTG Supply - GrowBright 4" High Velocity Inline Fan in the ceiling of my closet and cut a hole for passive intake. I'm planning on cutting through to my attic since it's right above my closet, and depositing all the hot air there. But I really have no idea how to install an inline fan in the ceiling. If anyone has done it before and knows how i would MUCH appreciate some advice
PrairiePoet
Well-Known Member
You should be able to google how to install a fan like that. Maybe even find some video's that go through the process.
Prairie
Creeper
Well-Known Member
My grow room is a closet about 4x4x8 (only 2x4x8 usable for plants). Like yours, it had zero ventilation. I purchased a 180 CFM inline fan from Grainger:
Booster, Duct, 6 In, 30 W - Inline Duct Fans - Fans - HVACR : Grainger Industrial Supply
I cut a 6" hole in the ceiling next to a stud, where I wanted to vent. I ran 6" ducting from the room up into the attic. There's probably about 3 feet of ducting from the room to the inline fan. I have my fan suspended on bungee cords in the attic - it really cut down on vibration and noise being conducted by the structure of the house.
It's important to note that CFM's drop off pretty quick the further you get from the fan; any ducting, or bends in that ducting, quickly reduce effective air flow. My inline fan is 180 CFM only at 0" from the unit. Add 3 feet of ducting, and my CFM's are probably below 100. No big deal really - we only need about 30 CFM to effectively exchange all the air in our size rooms in 5 min. More air flow is always better though.
I grow with CFL's, so I'm really just venting a small amount of heat and a large amount of smell. Although I've done several grows in this room, I never really invested in a way to scrub the odor. ONA only works so well for me, and it is super easy to forget just how much pot stinks when it's flowering. Eventually you just get used to the stink and need a reality check - like having a friend ask if there's a dead skunk in your yard or something. I originally thought the odor would be no problem if it was pumped in to the attic; not even close. The smell fills up the attic and then starts coming out your soffits... anyone walking up to your house or around it (like a meter checker) might get a whiff. I just ordered a carbon filter that I will attach to the inline fan directly, I think. I'll have to slightly modify the way the fan is situated in the attic - probably attach it to the stud after all. It may produce a few more dB, but it beats going to the pokey, right?!
Hope this helps or gives you some ideas.
- Thread starter
- #6
Yeah this helps a lot, thanks. So you have the fan in the attic? I thought the fan would be in the ceiling right above the plants and the ducting would be going to the attic? Wooww it really smells that bad? Yeah I'm planning on getting a carbon filter also. And how do I know where the stud is? If I'm going to be using a hood do bends in the ducting matter so much?
Creeper
Well-Known Member
Yes, the fan is above the ceiling in the attic. There is ducting attached from the fan down into the grow room. About 3' worth. I actually cut the hole in the ceiling while I was in the attic - that's how I knew where a stud was. I used a paint can lid, I think, as a template for a 6" hole. I marked it and carefully cut through the drywall using a utility knife.
I wouldn't worry about the bends or the length of the ducting. Unless you get an HVAC guy over to do some consulting about airflow, you'll just have to guess. Trial and error! I'm sure you'll have more than enough air flow if you use that fan you linked to before.
And yeah, the smell can be that bad. I'm sure it depends on a lot of things like genetics, temperature, humidity, etc., but, overall, pot reeks! Don't underestimate it!
Good luck!
HeadMed
New Member
Yeah it does.... if you are in an apartment don't dump air in the attic.
Grew in a 3'x5' closet for 4 years. Had 1- 400w hps, 1- 150 Compact florescent, and 8 f40t12's, lights came on at 6pm and I opened the door about 4", i had a fan at the top of the door.. ($10 home depot desktop fan) blowing out. 6am lights went out... I shut the door and went to work.
Worked great.
was like adding a heater to the house....
- Thread starter
- #9
Will the carbon filter completely get rid of the smell, or how bad will it smell if I do have one? How did you know exactly where you wanted the hole if you were cutting it from the attic?
Creeper
Well-Known Member
As long as it's set up correctly, the carbon filter will eliminate all the odor.
Concerning the hole I cut in my ceiling... I just decided to put it in the corner of the room. From below, I drilled a small hole where I thought I wanted the center of the hole to be. When I got up in the attic, I could see light coming up through the pin hole so I knew exactly where I was. I ended up moving the hole over a bit, next to a stud, just in case I needed to use that stud to attach anything.
- Thread starter
- #11
Yeah that makes sense, thanks.
sensimillia
New Member
I'm growing in a finished attic in a closet that has about 4*4*8 of growing space. I'm thinking about using a 400w hps but i'm not sure how i'm going to ventilate. I have a fan for the plants but I dont know how or where i can ventilate... I'm not really comfortable cutting any wholes in any structures because i'm leasing the property but I know i'll be here for a while. I guess what i'm trying to ask is how can i ventilate this small space without doing any structural damage
Lots of fans, The heat is going to go up the ceiling and out the doors by itself. Keep that air moving. You could open that window during warmer days, or have a fan blowing out the window, with or without a filter. I've never worried about odour because of my location, but I deal with heat and humidity all the time. My space is smaller than yours, I have 8 plants growing in it, and my ventilation is all manipulated by fans and windows. I always have fans blowing in and out of the space. The odour is definately noticeable in the whole house, just finished veg. I have a grow journal in progress, have a look if you like. Hope this helps.
