What size grow tent?

OPT · Nov 27, 2009

After seeing many threads that had fellow growers using those grow tents, i've decided this is the best option for me, so I'll be looking to purchase one soon. My question is:

What size should I get if I plan on using a 400HPS? I found one that is 48x24x60 which seems about right, but i might want it to be a little deeper. I'll need to get a hood that is able to have ducting attached to it so I can vent the heat, then also a small intake fan to blow fresh air in.

What size tent, and what size fans would you guys recommend?

I will be growing AK48, in an organic soiless medium consisting of peat,perlite,EWC,kelp meal, blood meal, bone meal, greensand, and dolomite lime.

OPT · Nov 27, 2009

After looking at a few other sites, I found one that is 48x48x78, and comes with an LED panel. Though I'm not sure if I would use the LED panel or not, how big of a fans will i need to adequetly vent a 400 hps light, and for the intake fan for the fresh air to circulate?

FreezerBoy · Nov 27, 2009

4x4 is far too large for a 400. Count me as one who believes LEDs aren't ready for prime-time. They are the future and the future ain't here yet. Lamps throw little if any light forward or aft, it all goes to the sides. As such a square garden is less effective than rectangular. 2.5x3 with the lamp parallel to the short side would be near perfect. By hanging lamp parallel to the short side, it will cover the grow from a lower height meaning stronger light for your buds.

OPT · Nov 27, 2009

Wow, 4x4 seems so small too. I figured i'd need at least that much space to be able to fit something like 4 plants in there.

What size fans would be needed for a tent your talking about FreezerBoy? I've read up on it, but it's kinda hard for me to get an understanding of it fully, I dont want my gals to fry, so I wanna make sure I have a good enough exhaust for that heat.

FreezerBoy · Nov 27, 2009

Check Ventilation 101 and the The 400 Watt Club

The chart below is for cooling only. Adding a scrubber will add resistance lowering fans effectiveness

4x4 may sound small and everyone smokes their own way but, my grow is barely larger than 2x2 under a 250 and I can't begin to keep up with it's production. Hell, I've even done some jar curing lately because I can afford to lock weed in a jar for 6 months.

You only need 4 plants if you grow 4 strains. It will take longer but, with LST or ScROG, 1 plant will fill your cab.

cracker420 · Nov 27, 2009

i use a tent that size and run a 400w hps with an air cooled hood. but i usually only run 2 - 4 plants. i use an active air 165 cfm inline fan, and an elf carbon filter. my tent temps stay close to 74 degrees F. and humidity is around 45%. works great for me!

Jnugg · Nov 27, 2009

Do your research man....

What's the general minimum of watts/sq.foot.....50w/sq.foot minimum for good bud production.

400/50 = the largest one should use is an 8 sq.foot area or a 2' x 4' area.This would equate to 6,250 lumens/sq.foot.

IMO it is best to use a minimum of 62.5w/sq.foot and provide 7,000-10,000 lumens per sq.foot.

For instance a 600w HPS is usually hung over a 3' x 3' table or footprint to get 66.66w/sq.foot and 10,000 lumens/sq.foot.You could easily hang the same 600w HPS over a 3' x 3' area in a 4' x 4' or larger area...just make sure that all the walls are extremely reflective so you can reflect what light is lost back to the plants.

IMO for 400w HPS grows these are the footprints you should use...

2' x 2.5'

2' x 3'

anything more then that and you may lose a little or gain a little thanks to the extra room but the plants on the sides of the garden would not be as dense or quality as the ones in the general footprint.

Also,style/mehod of growing and container size will tell you how many plants you can run.You can run many many plants in a SOG or 1-3 plants for SCROG/LST.I could easily fill my 2' x 2.5' area with one plant scrogged...same if I were working in a 2' x 3' area.

OPT · Nov 28, 2009

Thanks for replies guys! Trying to read as much as I can but there's a lot out there!!

I've seen a 195 cfm exhaust fan, that comes with a carbon filter, so heres my question:

I understand I need to vent the lamp so it doesn't overheat in my grow room by hooking the vents up to the reflector to flow air through and around the bulb. Can I install my carbon filter on the same fan, and if so, how?

Or do i have to have 2 differnt exhaust fans, 1 for the light, 1 to suck air out of the room though the cabon filter, then and inline fan on the bottom pumping fresh air into the cab right?

When I look at all these growrooms, i see alot of ducts, so it's got me a little confused. Seeing as 2 ducts are set up on both sides of the light, i wasnt sure if this would also extract the air in the growroom also, or if I need another fan to do that also, for a total of 3 fans... 1 to exhaust the heat, pull out stall air, and 1 to pump fresh air in, or am I wrong on that?

ROOTZ · Nov 28, 2009

OPT said:
Thanks for replies guys! Trying to read as much as I can but there's a lot out there!!

I've seen a 195 cfm exhaust fan, that comes with a carbon filter, so heres my question:

I understand I need to vent the lamp so it doesn't overheat in my grow room by hooking the vents up to the reflector to flow air through and around the bulb. Can I install my carbon filter on the same fan, and if so, how?

Or do i have to have 2 differnt exhaust fans, 1 for the light, 1 to suck air out of the room though the cabon filter, then and inline fan on the bottom pumping fresh air into the cab right?

When I look at all these growrooms, i see alot of ducts, so it's got me a little confused. Seeing as 2 ducts are set up on both sides of the light, i wasnt sure if this would also extract the air in the growroom also, or if I need another fan to do that also, for a total of 3 fans... 1 to exhaust the heat, pull out stall air, and 1 to pump fresh air in, or am I wrong on that?

OPT, I have a Growlab GL80 running 425 watts. I have my 4" blower fan pulling air thru the carbon scrubber and reflector before exhausting out of the tent. Here's a pic.

OPT · Nov 28, 2009

k, hopefully you can post that pic!

OPT · Nov 28, 2009

So I hang the carbon filter in my grow room, run ducting from that to the reflector and clamp it, then put another ducting on other side of air cooled reflector and run it up out of the grow box, where the fan is pulling the air from?

Then just have an inline fan on the bottom of the tent pumping fresh air into the cab?

Does that should right? that's the way I'm seeing it.

OPT · Nov 28, 2009

Or, do I hang the carbon filter, run ducting from that to the fan, then from the fan and push it through the reflector to cool the light and out the cab?

The 420 Wookie · Nov 28, 2009

I was wondering almost the same thing. What would be best for a 600W grow tent... 3x3. or 3x4. I want to do a perpetual SOG, silently cooled and scrubbed.

OPT · Nov 28, 2009

Though I've been advised to get a 2x2 or around there, I'm goin with the 3x3 because I plan to upgrade to a 600 eventually. At least, maybe. I'm going to really fill my grow tent horizontally, to maximize the space.

Was thinking of maybe doing some supplemental lighting for underneith the canopy, but haven't read up on it to much yet.

OPT · Dec 1, 2009

Decided on a 4x4 tent that I can upgrade with lighting later. Thinking of getting a 195 cfm fan that comes with a carbon filter.

Think I might see if I can't get away without the air cooled hoods and just install a normal exhaust system. If I did it that way, all i would need to do is mount the carbon filter in the grow tent, hook ducting up to it and have the ducting go out of the tent, where my fan is sucking the air out through the ducts right?

OPT

kaskar · Dec 1, 2009

a4x4 is perfect you got it right a195 exhaust fan and filter a little over kill but good you could blow air in with a little smaller fan that way no smell gets out make your plants grow better more air bigger buds grow it

kaskar · Dec 1, 2009

you do need a fan blowing in move the hot air plus fresh air blow it across the top of your plants you can get the light closer

Walt Jabsco · Dec 1, 2009

no as you say "pumping air in" :nono:

4" exhausting out needs two 4" passive intakes in and there you have perfect negative pressure thus insuring all air is only escaping from the tent through the filter and out.
the key to intaking and exhausting from a tent within a room is ambient room temperature. remember you can only go as low as that. more than likely you will be 3-9 over ambient temps with your 400 and a 4inch fan with appropriate filter depending on how crazy you get with the ducting. a DR 80 tent is perfect for this configuration since it has two vent holes on either side for 4" ducting enabling one to light proof the tent easily.

OPT · Dec 1, 2009

Ok i think i finally figured it out now after talking with some people. That made a lot of sense Walt, thanks. The tent i have coming has several places for intakes and etc...so i should be good.

OPT

whatissixbynine · Dec 1, 2009

What size grow tent?

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