First Room Construction

Hi all,

I'm constructing my first room ever and I was hoping you all could help me with a few questions. The information presented so far is incredibly helpful and has put a lot of my fears to rest but I still have some concerns. Here is some basic information on the construction.

• *5'w x 5'l x 7'h Dark Room tent
• 2x 432w 4' T5 Fluorescent ballasts
  -8x 54w bulbs each ballast so 16 total
  -Using 6500k bulbs for veg and 3000k for flowering
• 6" ducting for intake
• 4" ducting for output using 120v 4" 177cfm fan
• 4" Carbon Scrubber

A few basic questions I have are:

• It doesn't get too hot in the room but I haven't temped it yet. I know hotter than 85F is not good but is there a minimum temperature I should avoid if I get an AC unit for the room? Are my fluorescents going to have a crazy heat output?
• Could I get away with using 4" ducting for the intake or would that create a vacuum since it's the same size as the outtake duct?
• If I plan on doing SoG using 5 gallon pots what is the max amount I could fit in the 5'x5' space while still leaving room for sufficient foliage?
• Is a 4" scrubber going to do the trick? Money constraints won't let me upgrade it at the moment but I could later on.

Thanks!

Smokealotapotamus said:

Hi all,

I'm constructing my first room ever and I was hoping you all could help me with a few questions. The information presented so far is incredibly helpful and has put a lot of my fears to rest but I still have some concerns. Here is some basic information on the construction.

• *5'w x 5'l x 7'h Dark Room tent
• 2x 432w 4' T5 Fluorescent ballasts
  -8x 54w bulbs each ballast so 16 total
  -Using 6500k bulbs for veg and 3000k for flowering
• 6" ducting for intake
• 4" ducting for output using 120v 4" 177cfm fan
• 4" Carbon Scrubber

A few basic questions I have are:

• It doesn't get too hot in the room but I haven't temped it yet. I know hotter than 85F is not good but is there a minimum temperature I should avoid if I get an AC unit for the room? Are my fluorescents going to have a crazy heat output?
• Could I get away with using 4" ducting for the intake or would that create a vacuum since it's the same size as the outtake duct?
• If I plan on doing SoG using 5 gallon pots what is the max amount I could fit in the 5'x5' space while still leaving room for sufficient foliage?
• Is a 4" scrubber going to do the trick? Money constraints won't let me upgrade it at the moment but I could later on.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

T5's still get pretty warm. I had 16 T5's in my last grow and was having problems keeping the temp below 90. So I would turn them on for a couple days before you move the plants in there.
4" duct with a fan would probably be fine.
You could probably build a scrubber cheaper than you can buy one. It doesn't take all that much for 4 or 5 plants.

What would leaving them on a few days do for the heat?

Leaving them on would give you an idea of what the temps would get up to, so you can make changes before you damage your girlies.

Ahhh I see! Thanks both. I think that because veg stage is 24/7 lights and it gets hot during the day I'll have to get an AC unit for that room regardless. I think Lowe's carries them for like $90. I guess the cool air will be welcome anyways, currently my place has no AC and it gets hot and nasty inside.