Questions about ventilation design/layout for my 4x8 2k tent....

FamMan

Well-Known Member
Hello RIUers. So I will be starting my first grow(FINALLY...got a little delayed) in the next week or two. I still havnt ordered my vent equipment(starting with T5s) and I have some questions. My setup: 4x8 tent with 6.5 height running 2 1000w air cooled hps using Thunder Sunlux reflectors. The tent will be in my basement where it seems to stay a little cooler. Also I will be running lights at night.
I plan to run an 8 inch 710 cfm to vent the lights, 6 inch 315 cfm (both Hyper Fan) attached to a 400 cfm Phresh filter to exhaust plant environment, and all controlled by a Titan Saturn 5 (temp, humidity, Co2 controller).

1. Is all this a going to keep my tent cool? Is it overkill?
2. I accidentally ordered 6 inch reflectors thinking that's what i needed.....should I try and exchange them for the 8 inch since my fan will be 8 inch? I planned to get 8 inch ducting so it seemed that would be the best move.
3. My basement is 700+sf and the tent is in one corner to the rear of the room. Can I use the air from the room to cool the lights? or should i use Outside air? Temps drop a lot during the night time and i read not to run very cool air through my lights. If I do use the air from the room should I run a duct to somewhere else in the room or i can i use the air around/near the tent?
4. One half of my basement is a crawlspace. Same layout as the rest of my basement but half the height. I run my electric through there to the breaker box in my garage. The crawlspace is insulated. There is a 12x5 inch hole in part of the drywall that seperates my basement area from the crawlspace. Can i directly vent my lights into the crawlspace or does it need to go outside(somewhere on here i read that it cant be dump into a enclosed area???)
5. Can I put my filter and exhaust fan(one for the plants) outside the tent? Im concerned about heat(fan) and space with my lights(filter)?

Hope that all made sense. Thanx BIGTIME for any help. Peace.
 

FamMan

Well-Known Member
Ok what did i ask/say that was incorrect? Just looking for some tips from some tent growers. Did I over complicate the way I asked? 2k watt 4x8.....best ventilation? Its in my basement....i live in Southeast Colorado. Maybe i shoulda just said that. Even if no one ever replies to this thread I still think this is the best site.....ever on the net! Happy Growing my quiet friends. Peace.
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Take the air from the basement thats going through the reflectors and vent it outside.

I hated growing in a tent. The issue I had was too much exhaust inside the tent was causing a suction effect on the tent fabric. Any cheaper of a tent would of undone the threads and any cheaper fan would of shorted out due to so much static pressure. Fortunately nothing like that happened.

I had to use a tent to block light cycles though as I was vegging and flowering in the same room.

1.) 2kw is a lot to cool off with just fans alone. Answer is kind of subjective to your ambient temps where you are drawing this air from.
2.) If returning was a PITA i'd keep the 6 inch.
3.) Use basement air to cool that lights and blow it outside or back into your house in the winter time and save on heating bill. But in summer that air will just build up until youre cooling the light off with the same temp being exhausted. Unless you got a drafty basement. But you'd wanna use that drafty basement to exhaust your tent. and replenish it with CO2.
4.) I think the other questions answered this
5.) You could definitely put your filter outside the room and exhaust that outside so long as you have a small fan inside the tent to circulate air in and out of it. The filter/fan would create a negative pressure in the basement, sucking air wherever it can source it out and your tent would suck air in and out. I'd put the carbon filter near the exhaust of the tent if you're going that route.

Why are you set on tents?
 

FamMan

Well-Known Member
Thanx for the reply first! nope no co2.....i like the abilities of the saturn. so vent the lights and the tent outside. No crawlspace? I do have windows in the basement so venting outside is definitely doable. so its ok to have 6 inch reflector with the rest of the light vent system being 8 inch? oh yea im in a rental so a tent was my best route to take. rental inspection in oct. Thanx again First i really appreciate u talking the time out to help. Peace
 

FamMan

Well-Known Member
i like the saturn because i can control the fans based on temp and control the humidity when i get a dehumidifier. The c02 stuff is just kinda an added bonus....hopefully something i can utilize later even though doesnt seem to make sense using c02 in a tent(cant be a sealed environment).
 

gucio19

Member
Hi. Take the air from outside. I have been runing 4x600 aircooled without problems. My light fan was 1000m3/h dialed a little down. Cool night air cools great:)
 

FamMan

Well-Known Member
I live in Colorado so i worry about how cold the air will get that passes over my lights. I think im goin to use the air from the crawlspace to cool the lights and im goin to exhaust the lights and the tent outside. Air in the crawlspace seems lil cooler than the air in basement. My venting is insulated.....is that what u meat first? Thanx gucio for the reply.
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
I meant outdoor air insulated. The warm room and cold air going through the ducts will be like a cold can of cola on a warm day.

I'd use the passive vents on the tent to draw basement air in and use the carbon filter inside tent up high to suck the air up through the vents over the plants and outside. Since you're not really worried about light leaks.

Draw air from your crawlspace for your lights and suck it outside. Remember don't blow the air into your reflectors. Suck it.

Outside []--ducting------[fan]------[reflector]--------[reflector]--------ducting-------[] crawlspace
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Better yet

[wye tee]---[fan]------[reflector]--------[reflector]--------ducting-------[] crawlspace

Have one side of the wye tee going into your house to warm it in winter and have other going outside to exhaust it during summer. Cap the unused side.
 

FamMan

Well-Known Member
Thanx first time i appreciate it. so let me make sure i get this right.
outside>ducting>reflectors>ducting>fan>ducting> crawlspace
do i have to put the carbon filter inside tent? i like the idea of it being outside the tent. I saw a few videos where they had an exhaust fan and carbon filter setup outside the tent.
My plan was to mount 315 cfm fan outside tent>ducting>carbon filter>ducting>outside.
does all of this sound right?
so i will be dumping the air from the lights into the crawlspace and dumping tent air outside......should i be dumping the tent air out the same window where the intake for for the light vent is? isnt the tent air just goin to raise the temp of the air right outside the window?
should i instead dump all the air into the crawlspace(air from vent and lights)? u answer questions and i ask more...lol
thanx for ur help so far.
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
No.

Outside>ducting>fan>reflectors>ducting>crawlspace

How are you going to circulate air inside and out the tent if you put the carbon filter outside. I mean it would work, you'd just need something inside the tent to circulate air. Like a 200cfm fan. Nothing huge. I was using a 350CFM for a 4x4 and it was way too much.

Carbon filters I use aren't inline so its: Carbon filter>fan>ducting>outside

No you will be sourcing air from your crawlspace for your lights. You can dump it back in the crawlspace, not ideal, but i've done it.
 
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