Can't settle on flower chamber design. Long post...

[Guest]

Ok I swear I've gone over about a dozen different room designs and can't settle on which would be the safest, most efficient and easiest the maintain.

Here is what I'm working with. I have 2 3x3 e&f tables that I want to do a perpetual sog with 25 clones per table set 4 weeks apart. I haven't purchased lights yet but thinking about doing a 1kw HPS over each table as I have a set goal of 2lbs per table per harvest and I don't think I can achieve this with a 600digi. All this will be in a 5'x12' closet. The closet has no windows but luckily enough does have a vent coming off the main duct line. This is helpful because I think battling high temps are going to be my biggest problem especially in the summer when it can be 90+ degrees everyday for a couple months.

I can't use the entire closet so I am going wall off a 7'x5' section and have a stealth flower chamber behind this wall. I plant to keep the ballasts in the attic above the room for heat reduction. Also the I will be using air-cooled sealed reflectors attached to an inline fan and this fan will be in the attic as well for noise reduction.

Now mainly what I'm struggling with is how to build this thing in a way that will keep it cool. The ac vent that I talked about that is in the closet will be outside the flower chamber I build within the closet. Of course I think that I can relocate that vent over a couple of feet to with in the flower chamber if I have to. I have a portable AC but don't want to use it because its loud as fuck, so I need to control temps exclusively with ventilation. Also I was thinking about separating the tables so I can run the lights on opposing 12hr shifts as this might help out with heat buildup as well. Also I can't really seal the grow chamber for now because I can't really afford a $1000+ propane burning co2 setup and a tank & regulator setup is too much of a security risk for me because of the frequency I would have to be getting the 20# tanks refilled. There is only so much paintball u can play LOL.

Anyways I'm open to any and all ideas someone can offer as I really need to order equipment and construct this thing asap. I've about 8 LUI plants and 20 clones that I'm sexing right now so I'll be ready to start filling up that flower chamber soon. Thanks IC!

 

[Guest]

Ok here is a little graphic of the closet to give u an idea of what I'm talking about. The gray square on top is the central heat/air vent that wouldn't be too hard to relocate over a few feet to feed cool/warm air in the chamber. Also I can put like a fake vent above the chamber door that can be used to create a negative pressure environment with.

So anyways like I said I'm open to all ideas at this point. Just need some specifics on what I'm going to need as far as # of fans, fan sizes, odor control, and above all stealthiness and safety. Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Ok, not everybody at once. One at time here guys.

 

[Joe Hawkins]

I have a similar setup as the one you are about to undertake.
I have a mother/ clone room with a 250 watt MH for mothers and a four foot twin flouro for clones, in a 4' x 4' walk in wardrobe. only half this space is actually taken up by the mothers in a flood and drain table (2' x 4') with a clone shelf sitting on top., the clone shelf s ply wood with a layer of styrofoam and another layer of plywood on top for insulation in summer as the surface can get quite heated by the 250 watter underneath.

under the 4' flouro goes 4 x clone humidy cribs.

my flower room is 2 x 600watt air cooled over 2 x 4'x4' F&D tables inside a homebox grow tent 1400mm x 2600mm x 2100mm (sorry to go from imperial to metric here but 1200=4' and 2600= 8'8")

My rez's sit outside the tent as well as the ballasts.
I have two x 6" vortex's, 1 for the aircooled lights 1 for the exhaust, that sit in the roof space (attic for americans) so the tent sits inside my 2nd bedroom with holes cut in the ceiling for ducting.

The window is always open and has vertical blinds that are stealthily safety pinned together. Inside I have the heavy gauge Panda Film velcroed to the architraves, I can roll it up and down as desired for airflow, but only ever put it up about a foot and a half max. The tent allows minimal light leaking, and as I have light on only at night when its cooler, the panda only gets anymore than 6 inches at night, no light leaks, no worries. The door to the room is open when lights on so more intake is available from inside where air is cooled nicely.

My intake is passive, the tent has air windows that are stealthily covered.

I have never needed air conditioning or CO2 and where I live we constantly get temperatures of 40+ in summer + humidity and this summer has been a bitch. If extreme heat hits, just turn everything off for the spell, but not fans, if its humid mould and mildew will set in quickly, keep fans on just turn off lights and continue watering.

I have about 16 mothers, this i could reduce but not yet, 8 mothers on , 8 mothers off, ie i rotate.

I get 32 choice cuttings every two weeks ( I make at least 40, but only ever lose two or three if any) My tables hold 64 lollypops each. I dont Veg at all, when roots strike I put them straight in the flower room.

I get over a pound a table, usually more in winter as its ideal temps here then for no air con passive intake rooms.

sORRY MANG, IM TIRED AND ABOUT TO CRASH, I'LL CATCH UP LATER, OPPS CAPS, SOZ, K , BAI.
BBS, NICE TO SEE A SIMILAR SETUP.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Hawk, your setup sound very similar to mine. I'm just going to have bigger lights and fewer clones cause I'll probably veg them about 5-7 days just to get some root mass on them. I figure I'm just going start building and make adjustment on the fly. Really the ventilation is the only thing I'm unsure of but I guess I'll just buy bigger fans than I think I'll need and put them on speed controller if I have to. Thanks again

 

[Joe Hawkins]

Beware vegging with less plants in this space, especially if you have standard ceiling heights. I dunno how your going about it bro, but if you do SOG with lollypops you want at least 150mmx 150mm square for each , you could reduce this to 100x100 if the strain allows

Know your strain and its stretch capabilities.

I dont veg at all for this reason.

This is where a lot of people come unstuck, they think a small clone needs veg time and do it until they see good growth and then flower and wonder why they have to pull 50% of the crop because of overgrowth, ie if they dont know their strain etc

Anyway, its strain dependant and it sounds like you know whats growin on!

Good luck

 

[Guest]

They will be in 6x6 (150x150) pots. I'm growing LUI and I've seen a few SOG's done with this strain and most say that the clones like a few days of veg and only add about an inch in height, plus I've got pretty much unlimited vertical room (10' or so). But yea I'll be careful with it for sure. Thanks again for the advice man.

 

[2buds]

All I can add is if you have a vent blowing in the closet from your central heat/air system, you need not worry about the trouble or expense of Co2 but do consider this is gonna pull the smell from the closet as the air tries to recirculate through the house. If your house has a crawl space try to pull cool air from under the house for your sealed light system and exhaust in the attic as you have already planned to do. Good luck with your build.