Air Intake Suggestions for Closet grow.

[HerbalToker]

Hey guys, iv started to put together my closet to get some plants going. I wanted to see what your guys prefered Air Intake method is on a closet style grow. I have seen and looked into a few but am still pretty unclear on what are the best options.

Tomorrow if the stores hours are as i think, i will be doing my Panda work/Moving a few supports and iights scrubber and fan. as much as i can get done.

if anyone has any suggestions or Photos, or links to helpful threads. i appreciate it. Thanks guys.

Peace

[bubblecrack]

I usually like to have a fan blowing out instead of blowing in. I am no air pressure expert but the way I see it if a fan is blowing out then it is going to force new air to come in. So I usually like to have a fan blowing out with a hole or opening that would allow air to come in. If you have a fan blowing out that is 400cfm then new air will probably be forced into the room at roughly the same rate. if you have another 400 cfm fan blowing air in than you probably won't get much more airflow.

[Lapides]

For a closet setup, I'd prefer a passive intake via forced exhaust like bubblecrack suggested. Make sure you make a light trap around your passive intake vent so no light can make it through.

[HerbalToker]

Okay so This is where i am so far. Iv got it set up so that there is the CanFilter Scrubber, to the Air-cooled Light, Out the side, into the Inline fan, which i will attach to the Ducting going outside.

So yes, i have the exhaust fan running, But as for having Sufficient air INTAKE so that my walls dont like.. Empty out like a balloon when i close the zip and turn on the fan like it does now. because if i were to close the Zipper and leave the fan on, it would start ripping my tent down the force from the fan is so strong.

How do you guys set up your Intake without Light leake? And with Sufficient air movement?

il put better pics up i shot these quickly today when i finished. Duct attachments are still un taped. But it has Great force, and great airseal already. Obviously i will tape. Hopefully the fans CFM arent too big for the small area, is that possible?

And im still waiting on my Ballast.

Thanks for your replies guys. Looking forward to what you guys got in mind.

Peace

[Dimage65]

Now you just gotta get some plants in there! lookin good herbal, congrats on getting yourself a nice lil space going and hope to see some great herb, happy growing and ill keep an eye on your thread

[HerbalToker]

Juat ordered my Lumatek 600W 120/240 volt Electronic Ballast. After looking through everything, it seemed the way to go. Silent, 120v ready, And 3 year warranty. Excited to see it arrive.

Peace

[KONY]

The general rule of thumb for passive intake is 2-3x bigger than your exhaust. So if your exhausting with a 6" hole. Your going to want 2 or 3 6" holes for air to come in. These should be towards the bottom of the closet if possible, with the exhaust going out the top.

Make them light proof by using black or dark colored materials, painting the inside black, or making a light trap with something and making it curve like an S.

[HerbalToker]

Amazing, just the kind of answer i was lookin for. Appreciate it Kony.

[YukonBikerGuy]

You can also put a dimmer switch inline to your fan. Turning it down will decrease the revolutions, and suction (keep it adequate to move the heat out still) and also decrease the noise of the fan.

YBG

[HerbalToker]

YBG that is something i need to get into. Do you have a link?

[SUPERLEMONHAZE]

you can buy one from: http://www.randmsupply.com/productdisp.php?pid=627&navid=33

SLH

[HerbalToker]

thanks SLH! Just wanted to figure out what to ask around for at the stores.

Peace

[HerbalToker]

lol at 440 CFM im not surprised it would take down my lttle 34 cf tent lol. Need to get myself a fan Speed Cotroller. Thanks guys. Been looking into it.

For Intake, im thinking that if a few 6" holes with the Speed Controll will be Perfect. As well help with the Fan noise. Seeing as i sleep next to it lol.

Potentially even just a few Axial fan Intakes and avoid the need to power down the fan. I guess the more air movement the better.

Thanks for ur help guys.

Peace

[KONY]

The fan speed controller is not a cure all.... The fans themselves don't really make much noise.... the moving air is kinda noisy if there is nothing connected to it. (Ducting, a carbon scrubber, whatever)

However when you add a speed controller, if u slow the fan down to much.... the motor will start to hum and this is just as loud, if not more so than the "whooshing" air noise.

If you have proper intake, there will be no problem with your tent collapsing in on itself.

[HerbalToker]

Interesting about the noise coming from the slowed down fan kony.


Yeah about that, thats why i said in the end, maybe just no fan speed controll, and a few Axial, or computer style fans for intake. The noise coming from the fan really isnt very loud once ducted though your right.

Thanks guys!

[YukonBikerGuy]

I disagree with KoNY.

The reason stores sell fan speed controllers is precisely because they are a solution.

You are not going to slow the fans down that much to cause a 'slow hum'. It will however control over-suction, and it does reduce noise over a fan running at full speed, regardless of attachments.

I build my own dimmers cheap and simple from parts at the hardware store. Cut an extension cord in 1/2 and put an electrical outlet box in the middle with a light dimmer switch installed in it, with the cord attached on each side, its really really simple. And does the same job as the 1 the store will sell you.

BTW: those lil computer fans you are thinking of for the intakes will be way under powered for the job.... the suction from the exhaust fan will be more powerful slowed down than those lil fans running full speed. They wont even really be helping very much to push the air in to relieve the exhaust fan of the burden. You would do better to get the inline duct fans if you insist on an active intake.

Just my 2 cents.
YBG

[HerbalToker]

Thanks ybg

I certainly dont Insist on active intake, just another idea i thought id ask about. I am going with the speed controller, and then the intake will be a simple fix.

Will just have to look into Light Sealed intake options.

Thanx

[EllieGrows]

This is the one I have.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-ACSC-Duct-Speed-Adjuster/dp/B003URBQ1M/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282081138&sr=1-18

[HerbalToker]

Thanks Ellie, found the same one. :D

[KONY]

I disagree with KoNY.

The reason stores sell fan speed controllers is precisely because they are a solution.

You are not going to slow the fans down that much to cause a 'slow hum'. It will however control over-suction, and it does reduce noise over a fan running at full speed, regardless of attachments.

I build my own dimmers cheap and simple from parts at the hardware store. Cut an extension cord in 1/2 and put an electrical outlet box in the middle with a light dimmer switch installed in it, with the cord attached on each side, its really really simple. And does the same job as the 1 the store will sell you.

BTW: those lil computer fans you are thinking of for the intakes will be way under powered for the job.... the suction from the exhaust fan will be more powerful slowed down than those lil fans running full speed. They wont even really be helping very much to push the air in to relieve the exhaust fan of the burden. You would do better to get the inline duct fans if you insist on an active intake.

Just my 2 cents.
YBG


So wait a minute... you disagree that if "you slow the fans down to much" they will hum? I don't understand. I didn't say if you slow the fans down just a little bit they will hum.

Also the reason a store sells something is to make money. 80% of the stuff in a hydro store is unnecessary or can be acquired elsewhere for less risk and less cost... I can't think of the number of times i've went into a store and was offered crap i didn't need.

[kushkommander]

in my opinion there is no need for the dimmer for the fan....from my experience there isnt a such thing as too much air flow, but there is a such thing as not enough....

In my opinion the dimmer is unnessicary especially with your setup, you can just use passive intake with some kind of filter and like kony said make sure its 3x the size of your exhaust and you shouldnt have any suction problems.

you want your fan to be pulling as much as possible the way you have your ducting setup with your carbon filter

alright talk to you some more about this in chat :D

[YukonBikerGuy]

Please read the entire thread before commenting.

KK:
"because if i were to close the Zipper and leave the fan on, it would start ripping my tent down the force from the fan is so strong. " & "at 440 CFM im not surprised it would take down my lttle 34 cf tent"

Sounds exactly like too much airflow to me. It's been called a tent, so I assume it's not a solid walled room. The key is 'adequate airflow' which is not always the same thing as "as much airflow as possible". With enuff suction, you could collapse a solid walled room, it's possible, but so far past adequate as to be unsuitable. So would be growing in a wind tunnel, talk about maximum airflow, lol. I also suggested passive intakes would be the way to go, but with the dimmer solution to lower CFM.

KoNY:
Please read what I typed "You are not going to slow the fans down that much to cause a 'slow hum'." Not that it wouldnt happen from going too slow, just that he wont need to slow it down to anywhere near those speeds with a speed controller. ie Dont need to worry about it. And I did suggest building his own dimmer, for the record :)

All in all, I hope I've not offered anyone crap they didnt ask for, its just my opinion, and experience, take it or leave it.
YBG

PS. I really should have started with the air calculations for basic groundwork. The air in a grow space should be exchanged approximately one time in every 3 minutes (up to once a minute in hotter climates, adjust numbers accordingly). 34cuft (your space) / 3 = base cfm 11.3cuft/minute add 5% (.565cuf) for each air cooled HID light, { or 10-15% (1.13-1.695cuf) for non air cooled lights}, add 5%(.565cuf) if you use CO2 enrichment, add 20% (2.26cuf) for an inline carbon filter on the exhaust, add 20-25%(2.26-2.825cfu) if you use 1 fan to cool the light and exhaust the space thru the light hood. If you happen to live where its real hot like southern California, add 25%, (2.825cuf) hot and humid like Florida, add up to 40%(4.52cuf). Resistance in ducting also counts, corners are bad, each 1 can further reduce the flow. Even so, you can see that the 440CFM fan is pretty beefy for the space applying these numbers.

Again, this is only 1 way to calculate the airflow needs in an indoor garden, and each space is unique and has its own variablities. Its just my opinion, and experience, take it or leave it.
YBG

[HerbalToker]

Hey Guys. Little update on the Tent.

Although my fan speed adjuster hasent arrived as of yet. I made my intakes today and they are Money. I used 2 6" Elbow joint, Galvanized, and its is working great.

Tomorrow i should have my thermometer and i can do some temp tests.

For light seel, theyr pointed at the ground, and in the rear of the tent, against the wall where there is no light getting in. As well i added a double layered flap covering the zipper for light leak.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. Heres some final pics.

Peace