seaking420
Member
Im setting up my room...Im going to have a 400w light (i've heard they get very hot) in a 4x2 room. I have a fan but am wondering if that is enough to keep the room at ideal temp
What is the best way to keep a closet grow from getting too hot
- Thread starter seaking420
- Start date
What is your air-flow plan?
Z
Ziggaro
I'm assuming you mean an oscillating fan?
You're gonna be at 95+ temps in a hurry.
You'll need a vent fan, but you can get away with a passive intake.
I've used the Stanley blower fan for the last 3 years, and its still going strong. I'm using 600-watt in a 3x4 room and it keeps the temps under 80 degrees. Not too bad for a 40 dollar investment..
Once you go over 85 you can get into a bit of trouble with heat stress.
You're gonna need fresh air anyhow, unless you're using CO2.
You're gonna be at 95+ temps in a hurry.
You'll need a vent fan, but you can get away with a passive intake.
I've used the Stanley blower fan for the last 3 years, and its still going strong. I'm using 600-watt in a 3x4 room and it keeps the temps under 80 degrees. Not too bad for a 40 dollar investment..
Once you go over 85 you can get into a bit of trouble with heat stress.
You're gonna need fresh air anyhow, unless you're using CO2.
T
tokinafaty420
Hook an exhaust fan up to the hood and dispose of the heat somewhere else. I had a 600w in a closet at one time with a 265 CFM dayton blower attached to it. Kept my temps around 80-84F during middle of summer and around 75-78 during fall/winter/spring.
seaking420
Member
I dont really have anywhere to for an exhaust fan...any other options....please bare with the rookie here
Then your garden can only get as cool as the temp in the room and you'll be forced to either keep the door on during lights on, or built yourself a inner-door with a intake on the bottom and an out-take on top and point your fan at the in-take, it will run a little hotter than the room.
I made one out of plastic cardboard sheets, double upped. black for the outside white for the inside. covered the edges with duck-tape and have used it for years in my closet. Doubled up it blocks the light too.
I made one out of plastic cardboard sheets, double upped. black for the outside white for the inside. covered the edges with duck-tape and have used it for years in my closet. Doubled up it blocks the light too.
You basically have two choices. Both involve an exhaust fan that exchanges the warm, closet air with cooler temps from the adjacent room. If the adjacent room is large enough, heated exhaust air can be recycled from the closet w/o having to exhaust into the attic or underneath the floor, etc. You can save on ac costs this way. If you prefer, you can vent the heat from the controlled interior but the ac will prolly run more.
echo_chamber
Active member
Yeah airflow is no joke, its important. anything over 95F can kill your plants, and lack of fresh air can introduce all kinds of problems, high humidity, slow growth, plant disease like powder mildew, etc.. I cut a hole in the back corner of my closet ceiling, its only drywall, and saved the circle piece of drywall to screw back in later. then i ran ducting into my attic and out a hole in my rooftop for those spinning fans. works great, right now its 102F outside, and with AC & 600W light & dehumidifier, i'm at around 80F..
T
tARMAC
What is the best way to keep a closet grow from getting too hot
>>>>>> proper ventilation ! donedeal
>>>>>> proper ventilation ! donedeal
Good point on the odor control, B.C. A closet isn't that much harder to vent than a cab or tent. It just pits visible stealth compromises against higher energy costs. One can't vent into walls so above, below or within is the range of options. Whether you've got enough boot to cover the added cost of sucking air conditioning out of a big-ass hole in yer crib is your decision.
Exterior venting most often requires a hole in the ceiling or the floor, (assuming sufficient sub-floor space to vent.) An exhaust fan can be mounted in the closet, attic or under the floor. It can be mounted directly and/or you can add collars and ducting to the system. IMO, this option gives you better stealth.
You could mount a fan between the door frame and the closet ceiling, pushing heat into the room (up high) and allow cooler air to flow at the floor. Light traps and light leaks are a bitch with this option, not to mention a big vent above the door that sounds like it's hooked to the south end of a vacuum cleaner.
If you're lucky enough to have back-to-back closets, you can make holes in the wall and vent to and from the adjacent closet. This would avoid the visible vent should you choose not to exhaust inside. Any down side to this might involve clothes, etc. smelling like weed, lol.
Exterior venting most often requires a hole in the ceiling or the floor, (assuming sufficient sub-floor space to vent.) An exhaust fan can be mounted in the closet, attic or under the floor. It can be mounted directly and/or you can add collars and ducting to the system. IMO, this option gives you better stealth.
You could mount a fan between the door frame and the closet ceiling, pushing heat into the room (up high) and allow cooler air to flow at the floor. Light traps and light leaks are a bitch with this option, not to mention a big vent above the door that sounds like it's hooked to the south end of a vacuum cleaner.
If you're lucky enough to have back-to-back closets, you can make holes in the wall and vent to and from the adjacent closet. This would avoid the visible vent should you choose not to exhaust inside. Any down side to this might involve clothes, etc. smelling like weed, lol.
elgwedoloco
Member
Hey seaking, I am using a 14" by 24" closet and 1 150W HPS. I had the exact same problem you are having and I am in a state of little money. I cut a 8" by 8" hole in the ground( there is about 2' under my floor of cool space) and I just put a fine screen on it and set a fan on it to lower temp. It worked really good considering I dont have exhaust fans or anything. Before this modification I was burning leaves with the light being 3 feet away. now I am about 2 feet away and still cooler and the girls are responding wonderfully.
fishing time
Member
I've seen people freeze two liter bottles full of water an put them in their tent/closet in a pinch. I'm not sure how effective that is and getting airflow worked out should be a priority. But if you do I think it would work best if you put the ice containers up high because that's where it gets hottest. Anything you do that makes it melt faster means it's absorbing more heat.
if ur using a 400w light your gonna have to exhaust the air with a blower/inline fan and if you want the temps to be ambient then you want to get a cooltube (pre-made or DIY)
with no exhaust, the air is gonna get hot and stagnet, the plants are gonna hate it, dont underestimate proper air flow
IMO just shell out the $150 for a fan and cooltube, the money you save with a huge increase in yield will make up for it by your first harvest,,, trust me on thus one, inline fan and cooltube is your best bet,,,
p.s. hook up a carbon filter at the end of your cooltube and you wont have to worry bout heat or smell ever agian!!!! its that easy...
with no exhaust, the air is gonna get hot and stagnet, the plants are gonna hate it, dont underestimate proper air flow
IMO just shell out the $150 for a fan and cooltube, the money you save with a huge increase in yield will make up for it by your first harvest,,, trust me on thus one, inline fan and cooltube is your best bet,,,
p.s. hook up a carbon filter at the end of your cooltube and you wont have to worry bout heat or smell ever agian!!!! its that easy...
seaking420
Member
Thanks everyone for your help. So the way i look at it right now is i have 2 choices
a) open the closet door when the light is on and keep the room the closet is in cool with AC...the downfall to this is high energy costs with the ac running often
or
B) cut a hole in the ceiling and exhaust it into the attic. if I do this(if i possibly can) then would a fan work to cool it or should i go with a cooltube
a) open the closet door when the light is on and keep the room the closet is in cool with AC...the downfall to this is high energy costs with the ac running often
or
B) cut a hole in the ceiling and exhaust it into the attic. if I do this(if i possibly can) then would a fan work to cool it or should i go with a cooltube
echo_chamber
Active member
definitely cut the hole in the ceiling if its an option, way better option. All you need is a hood with 6" or 4" vent holes. and some ducting. Go with insulated ducting if you want to cut down on fan noise. 
definitely cut the hole in the ceiling if its an option, way better option. All you need is a hood with 6" or 4" vent holes. and some ducting. Go with insulated ducting if you want to cut down on fan noise.
i agree,,,
cut the hole!!!, get an exhaust fan and some ducting, o and make sure to get a decent fan thou dont get the cheapo Home DePot ones, there cheaper but dont work for shit... if you want to a link for GOOD cheap fans let e know and ill point u in the right direction,,,
and if you need to make it even cooler than yea pick up a cooltube ($60 or DIY would be cheaper)
keep it up thou, ur on your way to growing some dank ass buds, u can do it!!!! (<--- in my best rob schnider voice)
not much, without proper intake/exhaustable air cooled hood. even then the heat is going to be nuts.
B
B. Self Reliant
I wouldn't waste my time with a closet grow if I didn't have proper ventilation. Seriously. There are certain conditions that need to be met for a plant to survive (let alone THRIVE and produce good product) indoors under the heat of a HPS bulb. Ventilation is one of those conditions. If you ignore it your grow will be a frustrating waste of time.
The problem with leaving your closet door open and letting the AC cool it off is smell. Smell is a fixed cost, meaning that if you have one flowering plant or 100 flowering trees, and your AC is blowing the smell all through your house, you're gonna have one smelly ass house! Doesn't seem to make much sense in terms of security, efficiency or common sense. . . if I have a whole house that stinks I better have a whole house full of plants, not just a closet full.
Get a good fan, such as a vortex or something comparable, and hook it up to an appropriately matched carbon scrubber. Don't skimp on that either!!!! Even if you have to vent to somewhere within your home, at least the stink has been passed through a carbon scrubber already.
The problem with leaving your closet door open and letting the AC cool it off is smell. Smell is a fixed cost, meaning that if you have one flowering plant or 100 flowering trees, and your AC is blowing the smell all through your house, you're gonna have one smelly ass house! Doesn't seem to make much sense in terms of security, efficiency or common sense. . . if I have a whole house that stinks I better have a whole house full of plants, not just a closet full.
Get a good fan, such as a vortex or something comparable, and hook it up to an appropriately matched carbon scrubber. Don't skimp on that either!!!! Even if you have to vent to somewhere within your home, at least the stink has been passed through a carbon scrubber already.
