Tent question. Help me decide on fan/filter for 400w cmh grow!

Hey guys,

I've been growing in cabs for a while now with cfls, and I've had great results. Next year I'm gonna have a little bigger closet to work with, so I'd like to use my cfl cab for vegging and use a 400w tent for flowering.

Based on my space, I'm going with the GrowLab 60 (Darkroom 60). It is 2' x 2' x 5' tall. It will be inside a closet. I'll probably start with 4 plants in it grown tree style, but along the way I'm sure I'll do both SCROG and SOG methods eventually.

After reading about CMH, I've made my mind up and that's what I want to do. 400w should give me 100/ft^2 for some dense nugs! I will be using an aircooled hood as well. Although I've read they are not the best for CMH (the glass filtering out light), with that much watts in such a small space I'm not worried about a little loss. I'd rather make sure the temps are perfect.

So, now to my real question. I've searched a TON of threads, and I'm stumped on what fan/filter combo to go with. I plan on pulling through a filter, through the light, and out the cab. Stealth (noise) is an issue, so I want to do everything I can to minimize it. This means buying the right size, and not going overboard, but at the same time I need to kill the smell and have good ventilation.

I was thinking of this:

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=52531

I've ordered from HTG before, and I like them, and would like to get everything I can from them, IF this fan is good quality compared to other 4" fans on the market? I've read a lot about elicent, panasonic, and vortex fans...I'm assuming they are all relatively similar when it comes to noise. Anyone have experience?

Obviously, I'll be hanging the fan on bungees, using insulated duct silencing, and possibly even a duct silencer if I need it. It doesn't need to be completely quiet, but quiet enough that I can "cover up" the noise with a well placed fan or hepa filter in the room or something...

Also, do you think that 4" carbon filter is big enough to kill smells from a small grow (less than 6 ounces per run)? Are there any other 4" filters on the market that hold more carbon?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

I'm in the same boat as you, but I think that 4" inline fan would be perfect for your tent. I was planning on buying this tent from htg supply with the fan and filter that you linked.

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=51920

I have the same size tent that I use as a veg tent. Running a 100w 4 bulb t5 lighting setup. Running a eco rainforest with 18 clones/seeds. My fan setup is the inexpensive 80cfm 100mm fans. Temps are perfect . I tried a 400w MH when I first got the tent but the temps where way to high. You might be better off with T5s you could even get the 2' 8 bulb setup that would be fine.

roughnice420 said:

I've read a lot about elicent, panasonic, and vortex fans...I'm assuming they are all relatively similar when it comes to noise. Anyone have experience?

Click to expand...

I would skip the Panasonic WhisperLine fans if you will be running an air cooled hood as it will be more difficult to properly connect the two. Don't get me wrong, I have an 80 CFM WhisperLine and it works great with a DIY carbon scrubber for my needs, but the lack of a standardized intake fitting will mean additional time and cost in fabricating a solution for you. Such a solution would also waste a lot of space if you have to leave the fan in the tent for stealth reasons.

I recommend a Soler and Palau TD Mixvent fan. They are compact, quiet, and offer flexibility in system placement. The smaller 135 CFM model will exchange the air in your tent about 5 times a minute in your tent after factoring in losses from ducting and the carbon scrubber. If you have money to spare, a larger Mixvent model and a speed controller will offer more options in balancing noise and temperature in the tent.

Go with a 4" inline fan( i.e Vortex, CanFan, and any other similar styled fan). It will ensure that the air gets evacuated from the tent before it even has a chance to get hot. And if you ever decide to move to a bigger tent most 4" fans will move around 140-150cfm so you wont have to buy a whole new fan. Just remember you get what ya pay for though. Best of luck.

Nugz

I really appreciate all the advice guys, just what I was looking for! I'm gonna look into the mixvent fan, and I'll also try to decide on a potential inline fan. Do you think the 4" inline from htg is gonna be any worse than a vortex? Or are you just paying for branding?

thanks,

Peace

I'm not too sure as I've never used HTG's gear. You're also paying for a great warranty to back up a product with vortex. I'm not to sure if HTG's is the same but if it is then it comes down to quality. Also IF it ever needs servicing who is easiest to deal with? Other than that man just try to do best with what your budget allows or save up some cash if you have something in mind.

Nugz

Gottagrow said:

I have the same size tent that I use as a veg tent. Running a 100w 4 bulb t5 lighting setup. Running a eco rainforest with 18 clones/seeds. My fan setup is the inexpensive 80cfm 100mm fans. Temps are perfect . I tried a 400w MH when I first got the tent but the temps where way to high. You might be better off with T5s you could even get the 2' 8 bulb setup that would be fine.

Click to expand...

Was your 400w in a cooltube? Because I plan on using a 400w cooltube in that tent, but I don't want the temps to get too high.