Critique My Grow Room!

downhill21

Well-Known Member
I’d like to tap into the huge knowledge base of experienced, hands-on growers here, to figure out how to improve my primary grow space. While I know there are many diligent researchers out there, I have been one of them. This time I’m really looking for the voice of personal experience.

I grow in dirt, hand-feed, with some minor environmental automation. Powerbox 7500 controlling 1-2 1000w HIDs, old C.A.P. co2 burner (natural gas) run from a 6 year old Titan 4-burner co2 controller. 2 burners plugged, 2 burning. Room is 6x7x7, framed but enclosed in panda. I’m a long term renter, so have to be able to pull it all apart every 2 years, for a month. If not for that, I would certainly insulate, Sheetrock, etc. The panda, with The Hatch for access, is pretty air tight. Everything is taped with white Gorilla Tape. I have a shelf built, to hold the dehuie up for gravity drain, but haven’t yet bolted it to the wall. There’s a hole in that wall (drilled in 1/2” ply) n hardware to drain it w/out losing the airtight. All the parts are here, just haven’t gotten to it. All hardware is attached to 1/2” plywood screwed to standard wood wall studs. I can assemble or disassemble quickly with my drill / driver. Small LG thermostat controlled window shaker (maybe 8k btu - don’t remember for certain). Proteus Temp & RH wireless sensor so I can soothe my paranoid mind often. (2) air-cooked Magnum XXXL 8” - Input air from lung room basement, vented back into same space. Inlet @ floor level, outlet ceiling height. I use Hortilux HPS & have only 1 Ushio MH bulb. The purple, electronic ballasts are in the lung room area, not in The Room. I have a variety of different Temp & RH gauges / meters around the room, never quite trusting 1. 1 old school analog, 2-3 digital of differing manufacturer. The Proteus seems dead nuts on temp, but sketchy on RH. It’s a new purchase, so still evaluating it. Will need to review data logs n such to see if it’s off by a predictable degree, or just random. It can be about 4 or 5 RH off, which seems a lot. I mean, if I believe the actual RH to be 55, the proteus might read anything from 50-60, while the other meters will be +\- 1, or possibly all in agreement.

Room is in the basement, in a state permitting 12 plants. I am legal. Running (1) 1000w HPS or MH, the room will stay @ 77F (lower, if I want it) with dehui & co2 burner doing their things. Running both HIDS 1000w, I’m easily pushing 81F w/co2. I’m aware that many people might consider that adequate. The next two months will be hotter here, & I want more control there. I don’t wanna be pushing high temps all the time. Prolly the solution is a bigger wall shaker, but that has to be a later purchase. There are some visible pin holes in the panda, but the leakage is minimal, as evidenced by co2 burner cycle times, the RH & co2 ppm. Will soon tape even the pins.

Anyway, I’m interested in what improvements y’all might recommend.
 

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spek9

Well-Known Member
Looks great, nice job!

Only thing I see that I might change, is trying to straighten out your vent lines as best you can, as opposed to having them droop like that. It's surprising how much airflow can be lost in a vent run with bends in it.
 

Ganjamandan77

Active Member
In picture 2, i would cut back the panda film a few inches away from the electrical outlet. And in pic 3, i would get the tape out from behind the electrical outlet cover.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Looks great, nice job!

Only thing I see that I might change, is trying to straighten out your vent lines as best you can, as opposed to having them droop like that. It's surprising how much airflow can be lost in a vent run with bends in it.
Thanks! I agree re: the flexible ducting. Ideally, I’d like to replace some of it with rigid duct, & shorten the loops. Do you guys have any idea how much heat leaches out of those flexible ducts? They feel cold to the touch, but I can’t help thinking that, with no insulation & all that turbulence, that warm air is being lost.
 

spek9

Well-Known Member
Thanks! I agree re: the flexible ducting. Ideally, I’d like to replace some of it with rigid duct, & shorten the loops. Do you guys have any idea how much heat leaches out of those flexible ducts? They feel cold to the touch, but I can’t help thinking that, with no insulation & all that turbulence, that warm air is being lost.
No idea, but if you can acquire one of these infrared thermometers you can quickly identify what the external temperature of the ducting is, then decide if you want to insulate or make any changes.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
In picture 2, i would cut back the panda film a few inches away from the electrical outlet. And in pic 3, i would get the tape out from behind the electrical outlet cover.
Ganjaman, are you thinking about keeping the tape away from electrical connections? They are all “vapor barrier” boxes, so there’s a rubber-lined lip under the plates. The tape goes up to the rim or “wall” of the lip, but remains isolated from the interior of the box.
 

TintEastwood

Well-Known Member
Looks ready to produce some fine meds.

If you want better control of your wall shaker, devices like this can help.

With my co2 setup, I made the mistake of not venting properly during lights out.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
All of you, I really appreciate your feedback! There’s no damn substitute for multiple minds & experience!

Current run is #2 with this rig. I really like it (compared to my others). I would like to ditch or mod the individual, low grade thermostats in ac & dehui, in favor of more accurate sensor-driven controller(s), that also permit different “programs” for night n day. This will require $, so not soon. I’d like to ditch the ac for a bigger unit. I have to be able to run both lights @ 1000w. I want more light, & would like to add some LED sidelighting. And the dehui needs to go on a shelf, which awaits my attention.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Looks ready to produce some fine meds.

If you want better control of your wall shaker, devices like this can help.

With my co2 setup, I made the mistake of not venting properly during lights out.
That room still needs a vent! And I need one venting the basement “lung room” to the outdoors. It’s gonna be tricky, as I have to be able to hide or repair any “damage” when one day I leave this place.
 
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