Hidden attic space 4x4 cooling advise.

[IgrowUgrow]

I have a awsome little hidden grow space about 10x12 but I want to build a box in there about 4'x4'x5' with a 600w or 1000w HPS but I dont know exactly how I will keep it cool, I have been looking around on the net for a cheap, quiet, and powerful portable a/c unit. I found this http://www.shopperschoice.com/item_name_American-Comfort-ACW100-1-000-BTU-Personal-Portable-Air-Conditioner_item_2802860.html?source=froogle

I dont know if this unit will be powerful enough to cool a attic space though, also the hidden room stays roughly 10 degrees cooler than the attic for some reason. Im going to try and completely air tight the grow box and insulate it well, this means no exaust and no intake just air tight with a/c unit inside and a cooltubed HPS. Do you think this will work or not and why please thanks. If you have any questions for me that could aid in you helping me then please feel free to ask away. I had spinal fusion surgery 3 years ago and I have chronic back pain everyday along with other health problems and I have been wanting to be able to grow my own medicine for a long time, but too bad I live in SC. Well If I do it I want it right so I dont end up in prison for growing a plant that harms no one, and helps everyone. I have been doing small CFL grows that dont supply me with enough yeild for the risk, so I decided to try this out. I also wanted to try hydro so I wont have to check on the plants as often as I would with soil. I really want to get this going soon but still dont even know for sure if it will be possible because of heat issues in the attic.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

Come on RIU +rep.

 

[kricket53]

im setting up a microgrow in my attic myself. im planning on just using a fan to be honest.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

you do realize that a attic can reach a temp of 130+ depending on outside temp and time of day. I realize this and that is why I want to get a A/C of some sort.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

I used to post a ? on RIU and it would get answered by so many people so fast that I couldnt +rep all the people but now I post something and two days later I only have like 5 replies, what is up RIU do you have less members now or something. I really need some help but can seem to get any replies anymore, and usually the replies I do get are irrelevant to the question or either critisism so please if you have any info please answer my threads.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

Not to be impatient but WTF

 

[GanjaneticallyBlessed]

I wouldn't recommend making a grow tent airtight. You need airflow. Insulating the tent is a great idea though.



I would also recommend a taller growing area. I would say try to go 6.5 - 7 feet tall

You can also probably spend a lot less on a portable A/C unit that works, then again I'm not an A/C guru.

I hope this helps.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

I cant get it any taller, the ceiling is 5ft. I wanted to make a grow box out of plywood and insulate it well so the heat from the main 12x10 room wont get into my 4x4 box. I know airflow is good but I think if I exausted the air out the top wouldnt that defeat the purpose of having a portable A/C in the first place. I figured if I completely sealed off the box I could control temps easier than if I were exausting the cold air out. I decided Im going with the 600w HPS/MH with digital ballast and 6" cooltube, also what CFM fan would I need to hook to the cooltube, I have a 120mm 105cfm fan from a air hocky table will this work or will I need a 6"inline duct fan. I really need to know what BTU A/C is required to cool this 4x4 space with the surrounding area reaching 120+ on hot days. I would accept 90degree temps maybe even 95degrees since I will be running c02 so I dont have to make everthing perfect but just make it work.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

I drew up a plan of how I want my walls of the grow box to be, I will make a door out of one of the walls the door will also be insulated. oh yea before I even put the insulation and plastic up I will caulk the cracks in between the plywood and 2x4 frame and a rubber seal around the door to ensure a air tight seal. Again if anyone has any better ideas please feel free to share.

 

[chillychill]

my first question is does your attic have any kind of exhaust fan, window, or vents to let any heat out??
If you do great you should be fine but if you don't your gonna have some major heat issues

 

[ClosetSafe]

Would it be crazy to suggest splitting off some of the air ducting for the house that is already in that attic and re-directing some of that air into the grow space? Possibly capping the intake off with a bug filter to reduce it's effect on the rest of the house? There is a DIY carbon filter here out of a shop vac filter, if you didn't fill it with carbon, it makes a decent bug filter. Then you would just need an exhaust fan and a wall mounted oscilating fan to keep the canopy cool.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

another pic this one is what the wall with the door will look like, I decide to do all the cutting on this 1 wall instead of on three separate walls.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

Would it be crazy to suggest splitting off some of the air ducting for the house that is already in that attic and re-directing some of that air into the grow space? Possibly capping the intake off with a bug filter to reduce it's effect on the rest of the house? There is a DIY carbon filter here out of a shop vac filter, if you didn't fill it with carbon, it makes a decent bug filter. Then you would just need an exhaust fan and a wall mounted oscilating fan to keep the canopy cool.

Thats a great Idea but I live with roomates that dont want to run the air, so the air only gets run on really hot days and that means I wouldnt have a constant supply of cold air going into the grow room all of the time just on really hot days, and it doesnt have to be that hot outside for the attic to reach 105-110 degrees. I have no idea what you are talking about with bug filter and such why are you talking about carbon filters, I already have a DIY carbon filter. Im planning on growing a low odor strain anyway.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

my first question is does your attic have any kind of exhaust fan, window, or vents to let any heat out??
If you do great you should be fine but if you don't your gonna have some major heat issues

The is now fan or openable window but there is soffits i believe there called soffits anyway, and they allow air to come in I guess, I see light coming through them from the outside.

 

[secretweapon]

You could have just gone with a bare bulb vertical grow setup, jesus does anyone on this site grow vertical I know FDD did and it was epic.??? Using that cool tube and growing vertically would be your best option.

Growing vertically bare bulb the heat just rises up quickly to the top. You can just you a small house fan underneath to cool the bulb. Now in your case you just use the cool tube with an inline fan, hang the tube vertically then set your pots around the bulb. Setting your plants around the bulb gives a huge advantage to light penetration as the bulb is hitting the entire side of the plant vs just hitting the top. The advantage is that instead of getting massive top colas and just sub par bud in the middle and lower plant you can achieve massive sized cola's throughout the plant top to bottom.

Some growers wrap chicken wire around the bulb and have the plants grow into the netting basically scroging them as a screen of green to the bulb.

Or you could do a small stadium grow. Basically small steps generally in a V. Descending steps hold your plants all underneath for total penetration and plant count. Its just basically another way to maximize your grow space.

The Disadvantage i guess you could say its around the outside grow area of the plants, you just trim it down as there isn't much light.

Ic vert faq
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=127881

 

[Jozikins]

The a/c you use in your 4x4 space is going to have to be big and strong enough to cool down a space that is at least 10x10. Attics are tough environments to grow in, luckily you are in a state that stays relatively comfortable all summer long. I personally love 600w lamps, and you should consider it because you have a very cramped space with very little over head room. You could accidentally burn your plants with a 1000w during the learning curve. The fact that it is only 5 ft tall means your plants cant get much taller than 2ft tall, and a 600w is a more appropriate lamp for plants of that size. 1000w lamps can grow 4-5 ft plants, but you need 1 1/2- 3 feet of of space between your lamp and your plants, usually. Air cool the living shit out of your lamp and add A/C and you will be fine. If you don't exhaust, humidity may be a problem, so think of a small exhaust fan to retrofit onto it, 4" Inline fan or a 6" duct booster would do, but I always have to recommend a real inline fan, you can put a speed control on it. You usually cannot control the speed of a duct booster.

If you are only growing 3 or 4 plants, the smell may not get strong enough to leave the attic and enter the streets, but if it is a fear for you, hydrofarm makes a little baby carbon filter for like 80 bucks. There is always DIY ways of doing it, which are fine, but I just want it done right, and I want it done the first time, so I'll pay a little extra.

 

[shizz]

i built mine using only insulation no wood just glue the sheets together with spray insulation. also i would pull air from sofits threw your cool tube. i would also pull air in threw sofit and into your attics with some fans. your going to need alot of air flow. i mean alot. even with air conditioner. i dont thin it could keep up.

 

[shizz]

a 1000 watt no way id go with 2 250watt. in cool tubes spaced apart, this well give light at differnt angels and to lower branchs. and less heat. i would also runn my lights at nite when its cooler.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

ok cool alot of good answers give me a few to answer them all.

 

[IgrowUgrow]

You could have just gone with a bare bulb vertical grow setup, jesus does anyone on this site grow vertical I know FDD did and it was epic.??? Using that cool tube and growing vertically would be your best option.

Growing vertically bare bulb the heat just rises up quickly to the top. You can just you a small house fan underneath to cool the bulb. Now in your case you just use the cool tube with an inline fan, hang the tube vertically then set your pots around the bulb. Setting your plants around the bulb gives a huge advantage to light penetration as the bulb is hitting the entire side of the plant vs just hitting the top. The advantage is that instead of getting massive top colas and just sub par bud in the middle and lower plant you can achieve massive sized cola's throughout the plant top to bottom. Some growers wrap chicken wire around the bulb and have the plants grow into the netting basically scroging them as a screen of green to the bulb.

Or you could do a small stadium grow. Basically small steps generally in a V. Descending steps hold your plants all underneath for total penetration and plant count. Its just basically another way to maximize your grow space.

The Disadvantage i guess you could say its around the outside grow area of the plants, you just trim it down as there isn't much light.

Ic vert faq
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=127881

Wow thanks for the advise I would try the verticle grow but I plan on growing them to roughly 18" tall and flip to flower the White Rhino strain I plan on growing is a very short and bushy compact plant that is said to finish under a meter if flowered at 16-18" and yeild 2-3 ounces if grown properly under good lighting. I want to put like 10-12 plants in there in 3l pots and just have 10-12 big main colas, and the next grow after that I might try scrog and see if I yeild better I dont know thanks for the info tho. +rep