Keepin It Cool

[vta]

Hello Friends! Construction has started on my new project and I am looking for some IC insight on cooling and ventilation. What we have here is 1 structure with 4 rooms built in a garage. The structure has its own lid. Framed with 2x4's, R13 insulation, 5/8 drywall and expanded polystyrene insulated sheathing around the grow rooms. Smell outside the rooms would be very bad. Inside the garage the temps will easily go over 100 in the summer. The garage has 2 passive vents leading outside, they are aprox 6"x12" and are located near the floor. To make sure smell does not leak I want to run with negative pressure 24/7.

So this is what I came up with...

Room 1 has passive intake from garage. I am going to frame/drywall a box(aprox 20"x20"x2') on the room's lid. Top of the box will have a furnace filter as would the bottom. The lid would be cut out 20"x20" and a standard grill will be installed. Room 1 will be used as my "home office". I'm installing a window A/C in Room1....temp sensor in flower room.

Utility Room will get air from 2 passive vents (14"x8" ea). From this room there will be a duct running to an Active Air 8" fan blowing into a Growzilla hood with 2 bulbs(2k) then duct to outside the room. The Veg Room will have a passive intake, 14"x8" from the Utility Room. Then another passive intake going into the Flower Room. The Flower Room will have a carbon filter hooked up to another 8" fan ducted outside the room.

So..the million dollar question, will it work?

I was thinking of 12k btu for the AC.

Also...Since I will have two outputs, 8" each. I feel I may need to force that air directly outside via one of the garage vents?? I have more thoughts but I am stoned and better wait till I get some responses before I ramble on and on

Gotta love mspaint

 

[vta]

 

[joe fresh]

i seee you didnt get much help, lol...

your question seems abit vague with all the writing...are you asking if the passive intakes will work properly to get the fresh air to your grow?

if so, the, technically as long as you have a big enough exhaust then theoreticaly it should...but from experience i would have to say that from all the variable in the equation(cracks/leaks...ect) i would say that to get this to work properly your going to either need some intake fans between room 1 and work room, or have ducting flowing from room 1 passive intakes all the way to the grow rooms to have a direct conection to the fresh air...


edit: to do the passive intake like you want, your going to need a filter/fan combo big enough to flush the whole garage (16 x 9 x height) and to do this in less than 5 min...so were talking a 12-14" filter/fan combo if thats enough(dont got the spec in front of me)....


im get extended ducting from the intake fans of the grow rooms and extent the ducting through the work room and connect directly to the room 1 passive intakes

 

[MIway]

only thing that popped out to me was the aircooled ducting... would personally put the 8" fan directly on top of a filter & place both of those into the util room. just for extra assurance that you aren't venting anything unseemly. ;-)

 

[vta]

edit: to do the passive intake like you want, your going to need a filter/fan combo big enough to flush the whole garage (16 x 9 x height) and to do this in less than 5 min...so were talking a 12-14" filter/fan combo if thats enough(dont got the spec in front of me)....


im get extended ducting from the intake fans of the grow rooms and extent the ducting through the work room and connect directly to the room 1 passive intakes

only thing that popped out to me was the aircooled ducting... would personally put the 8" fan directly on top of a filter & place both of those into the util room. just for extra assurance that you aren't venting anything unseemly. ;-)

Thanks for the replies guys...To play it safe I am going to get a 12x48 filter, I already have a 12" active air fan and speed controller so that will work out just fine and take care of the main exhaust. I'll pick up another speed controller for the 8" fan that will be used for the lights. This way I should have no issues dialing it in. I have a couple crates of duct fans, boosters, etc if I need them but according to my math it should work just fine.

I failed to mention that I will be running duct mufflers and a Can Inline 66 filter for the light exhaust...just in case. Both exhausts will be directed towards the garage roof where I will install a wind turbine.

 

[Guest 18340]

From your design it looks like you'll be sucking out all the AC cooled air from room#1. If thats the case your AC will never shut off. Or am I missing something? Could be, I'm stoned right now...

 

[headband 707]

Well if you can perhaps turn it on at night ? Don't have everything flowering at once try to push the air into a vent then use a no zone cleaner to clean the air/scubber, you can get it from the stores.You can't have the temps too high there is no way around this the plants will show sighs of stress and hermie . I'm sure you will figure this one out bro good luck. headband 707

 

[vta]

From your design it looks like you'll be sucking out all the AC cooled air from room#1. If thats the case your AC will never shut off. Or am I missing something? Could be, I'm stoned right now...

Yes...Sucking AC cooled air from Room 1. I realize that the AC will be running during lights on..at least. I am ok with that as its going to get real hot here soon. In a few more months I plan on getting a duel zone mini split, when funds permit. If I had that money now I would be set but looks like I will make use of what I already have and just pick up a window banger for $300.

On a side note...Today I picked up a powered exhaust fan for the roof...comes with thermostat and does 1600CFM.