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Moving and worried about smell

  • Thread starter Buddhafamily456
  • Start date
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Buddhafamily456

I’m currently thinking of moving into an apartment building that just opened up availability, my main deterrent from moving where I am now into the building is I’m worried my grow area within the apartment would stink and cause problems and I’m not willing to stop growing..

I have been growing in a 5x5x7 area I built in my current apartment out of 2x4’s and plywood using a carbon filter to exhaust smells. I did not have enough negative pressure in the room I had and there was a faint smell from time to time because of it.

I was wondering if anyone has had any similar experience in a building with many other apartments around and masking their grow smells completely and can give me advice on how to do it.

I was thinking of maybe getting a 4x4 tent if I moved into the new space and flowering under a new LED I am currently building. Thanks in advance for any help.:tiphat:
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
well it's not really a problem you just have to go over capacity with your filter and ventilation, then running the whole thing on a controler to slow it down to what you want, this way you have reserve filtering power for trimming and smelly hot days. the other vital aspect is to have under pressure in the actual grow area. i'd make a framed box in the room you are growing in and ventilate the box directly to the window. you might have to create a window box so it looks normal from outside, r just leave your blinds down in that room. but a box with a curtain and led lamp inside can make the window look quite normal. specially if you put some mosquito net infront or something. the room you are growing should alo have a bit of underpressure from the grow being in there, so together that will contain the smell to that room at worst. ie when you open the door and or are working in the grow going in and out.
 
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Buddhafamily456

Hey thanks for the help.

So by under pressure do you mean negative pressure?
And I’m not fully understanding what you mean about the framed box?


well it's not really a problem you just have to go over capacity with your filter and ventilation, then running the whole thing on a controler to slow it down to what you want, this way you have reserve filtering power for trimming and smelly hot days. the other vital aspect is to have under pressure in the actual grow area. i'd make a framed box in the room you are growing in and ventilate the box directly to the window. you might have to create a window box so it looks normal from outside, r just leave your blinds down in that room. but a box with a curtain and led lamp inside can make the window look quite normal. specially if you put some mosquito net infront or something. the room you are growing should alo have a bit of underpressure from the grow being in there, so together that will contain the smell to that room at worst. ie when you open the door and or are working in the grow going in and out.
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
tents are not so good for climate, so put some posts in and make a box to grow in.

yes negative pressure is the only way to contain the smell.
 

starke

Well-known member
What gaiusmarius said. I just moved from a 5x5 gorilla tent into a 12.5' x 5.5' homemade drywall grow area. Much easier to control the grow parameters in a room. Light tightness is also much easier to achieve. You would also have the opportunity to design the intake and discharge to meet your odor control needs. Good luck.
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
anyone can build a room, just use wood, with acoustic rockwool slabs sandwiched in the wooden wall

the dry wall room is cool, but it's a bit hard to get rid of when you move or if you have to clear out for some emergency. so in a rental i'd go with wood. even if the dry wall will be even better.
 

Dropped Cat

Six Gummi Bears and Some Scotch
Veteran
You could build a grow box pre fab style,
each wall is framed and skinned, then
assembled on site.

Include holes and outlets pigtailed for relatively quick
build up/tear down.

Requires moderate skills and tools.

5 x 5 x 7, easy peasy.
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
anyone can build a room, just use wood, with acoustic rockwool slabs sandwiched in the wooden wall

the dry wall room is cool, but it's a bit hard to get rid of when you move or if you have to clear out for some emergency. so in a rental i'd go with wood. even if the dry wall will be even better.
Can we swap houses a.. h.. :tiphat:
 
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Buddhafamily456

You could build a grow box pre fab style,
each wall is framed and skinned, then
assembled on site.

Include holes and outlets pigtailed for relatively quick
build up/tear down.

Requires moderate skills and tools.

5 x 5 x 7, easy peasy.

Yeah I’ve always flowered in a room I built out of plywood and 2x4’s.. it was 5x5x7.. but I’m moving into a new apartment and it’s in a building and I’m more concerned about smell there because there is more people.. which means more tendency to run into nosy people..
 

madalasatori

Well-known member
Veteran
Sorry if this is a stupid question but I’ve always wondered how the 2x4s attach to the floor when building a frame indoors? Is it all free standing and do you build a frame all the way up to the ceiling?
 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club
Veteran
The main thing is the neighbors....if your flowering room is that big it's gonna be hard to entirely cover up all the smell. I ran indoor grows over 15yrs and used the best carbon filters, inline fans, exhausting ways to money could buy and if you got a large flowering area I believe it's impossible to eliminate all the smell. And everybody that's grew indoors knows the smell.

Do you live in a legal state ??? People would be easier to deal with than non legal. I lived in illegal states but had older/elderly neighbors. I also lived in a small house with a 10x10 grow room. Man I can't imagine growing in a apartment complex in a no legal state. If things are so good in your current location friend you may wanna really really consider the more. Like you said your not willing to stop growing. And it's a busy complex with new neighbors and who's to say how they'll be. I promise there's no amount of money you can spend to entirely get rid of the smell in a what 5x5x7 flowering room ??? Sorry this might not be what you wanna here but maybe you could run a small flowering room with 1-2 decent size plants and keep the smell down until you see how your new neighbors and everything is gonna work out. Good luck friend and be safe.....it's not worth jail time
 
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Buddhafamily456

Yeah my current situation sucks for living but isn’t bad for growing. I have the same thing.. elderly neighbors who are senile. I’ve been able to have my 5x5x7 room here which has been great and maybe spoiled me. But I have to get out of here because the living enviornment sucks and this new place is the best option for my family. It’s just a bummer to have to downgrade, I appreciate the honesty because the truth is what’s most important.
I wonder if maybe building a 4’w x 6’h x 3’d area and disguising it if I would be able to disguise it...
Other than a really good carbon filter I don’t really know of any other full proof way to deal with smell.. so idk what else to implement on top of it.


The main thing is the neighbors....if your flowering room is that big it's gonna be hard to entirely cover up all the smell. I ran indoor grows over 15yrs and used the best carbon filters, inline fans, exhausting ways to money could buy and if you got a large flowering area I believe it's impossible to eliminate all the smell. And everybody that's grew indoors knows the smell.

Do you live in a legal state ??? People would be easier to deal with than non legal. I lived in illegal states but had older/elderly neighbors. I also lived in a small house with a 10x10 grow room. Man I can't imagine growing in a apartment complex in a no legal state. If things are so good in your current location friend you may wanna really really consider the more. Like you said your not willing to stop growing. And it's a busy complex with new neighbors and who's to say how they'll be. I promise there's no amount of money you can spend to entirely get rid of the smell in a what 5x5x7 flowering room ??? Sorry this might not be what you wanna here but maybe you could run a small flowering room with 1-2 decent size plants and keep the smell down until you see how your new neighbors and everything is gonna work out. Good luck friend and be safe.....it's not worth jail time
 
B

Buddhafamily456

Sorry if this is a stupid question but I’ve always wondered how the 2x4s attach to the floor when building a frame indoors? Is it all free standing and do you build a frame all the way up to the ceiling?


Build the floor first and screw the 2x4s into the sides of the floor platform
 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club
Veteran
Really if it's a option maybe grow fewer plants. I know that sucks too but would maybe keep the smell down. You could also try to find a strain that doesn't stink as bad. Your gonna have to use your best judgement with your new situation friend. Please be careful and safe....grow on
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
what do you consider big? not sure whats going on when you say you can't hide the smell when it's that big? if you are talking over 10 lamps i guess it could be said that you need a front room also exhausted with a filter, but grows with a few lamps 4 to 10 i never have problems keeping the smell contained to the grow. you just need to have under pressure, with enough under pressure and a over sized filter no smell will escape as long as you set the ventilation up the right way. there are hoses that have micro holes in them, if used incorrectly the unfiltered air can get exhausted, this will cause smell to go where it shouldn't. but if you stick your ventilation right on your carbon filter then even imperfect hose connections or hose won't allow smell to escape.
 
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Buddhafamily456

No not at all that big, one LED Lamp I built, in a 4’w x 6’h x 3’d room i’d build to be disguised as furniture.
So you’re saying as long as I build it right I will have no concern with smell? It would be in an apartment building..
When you say “under pressure” is that the same as “negative pressure” ? That being said could you explain how to make sure my ventilation would be set up the right way? The only way I’ve set up ventilation, and the only way I know how is carbon filter and fan inside the room to ducting going out the window... and either another fan or holes for passive intake


what do you consider big? not sure whats going on when you say you can't hide the smell when it's that big? if you are talking over 10 lamps i guess it could be said that you need a front room also exhausted with a filter, but grows with a few lamps 4 to 10 i never have problems keeping the smell contained to the grow. you just need to have under pressure, with enough under pressure and a over sized filter no smell will escape as long as you set the ventilation up the right way. there are hoses that have micro holes in them, if used incorrectly the unfiltered air can get exhausted, this will cause smell to go where it shouldn't. but if you stick your ventilation right on your carbon filter then even imperfect hose connections or hose won't allow smell to escape.
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
negative pressure is what i mean. and enough of it to stop any air escaping through any cracks.

depending on your ducting work, there might be leaks in it, so your ventilator shouldn't be separated by ducting from the filter, thats a potential place for unfiltered air to get sucked into the duct. if the ventilator is sitting directly on the filter air tightly attached, no un filtered air will get out side. you don't just buy the filter your room is sized at, you go dbl the size and run the air through it slower then the fans max power. this makes the filtering process 100% efficient. you can stick your head at the end of the duct and smell as much as you want, no smell will get through. it's when people get the minimum size ventilation and filter that they get in trouble with smell as everything is running at full capacity all the time, any temp changes or weather can decrease filtering efficiency, so if you are running at max capacity, your filter has no reserve filtering power for bad atmospheric conditions for filtering air. this together with negative pressure and having the ventilator directly on the filter is full proof. i speak from many years f experience doing this in all kinds of situations, even apartments where the grow is 1 thin door away from the public stair well. negative pressure is your friend. to give an example i have 1 k q/m capacity carbon filter for a 2 x 600 wat flowering space. but the ventilation only ever runs at from 20% power to 40% and 60% when i do trimming. a good controller that reduces air flow at lower temps and increases at hoter temps is the way to go. modern electric ventilations are easy to control and even come with climate controllers.
 
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