bgb_123

i dint read all the advise you already recieved so im sorry if this has already been said,

IMHO you venting set up is way over complicated

i would throw it away and start over (the venting that is)

also get rid of the ozone - your grow is not large enough to warrant it - just get a bigger scrubber

your veg room can run warmer than you flower room -

hotter temps are bad for buds

i would shoot for 80 in veg and 75 in flower

get 8" inline fan and a big scrubber


put your passive intake in the flower room and another in between the flower and veg room room

so the fan will pull air from first intak in flower room then through second intake into veg room - into scrubber then fan then hoods and out

so its :

scrubber---> fan---> hoods and out

idea is the first room to get air is the flower room - this air will be the coolest - next room to get air is the veg room, since this air came from the flower room it will be warmer in that room

if you want 2 fans then seperate them so there each on there own duct and have 2 exhuast and 2 scrubbers

put you ballast outside cabinet - on top or behind - why bother trying so hard to cool the ballast when they dont need to be in the room adding more heat

bgb_123

just thought of something - in order for the air to pull from flower to veg you will need to make sure the cab is sealed with weather strip on doors and holes to get suction through inlet for my idea to work

otherwise it will draw in from the cracks and holes and you wont get air to move in the direction you want

otherwise just vent each room seperatly - but even to do this you only need 2 fans not 3

when you stack fans on top of each other in the same run - you dont get much more -

Dr. Funkenstein

Thanks BGB_123 for your input. The way you suggest to run my intake air, is pretty much the way I had planned on. I added the extra ducting to pull air out from the Flowering Room as well to help with potential air-flow problems. But that can easily be retracted. You are totally right about the Ozone Box. Already have planned on scrapping that.

About the temps: I was also told that the temps should remain the same in both Flowering and Vegging stages. It was the humidity that differs. I may be wrong. And in my designs, the ballast box is technically outside of the grow chambers, themselves. It is sitting ontop of the roof of the grow cab, that sits within the closet. Perhaps, counter productive.

But after a few days of mulling things over with this design, and the ballance of feedback I've received, I've decided to scrap it. Considering the spacing issues, I'm thinking about investing in a similar sized(2Wx4Lx6H) portable wardrobe from one of them handy Home Builder places to use as my Vegging Room for my mothers,cuttings and clones. I think this will solve a lot of my problems. I will build a shelf within the 'store-bought wardrobe' for my cuttings, leaving the floor space available for the mothers and clones. How does that sound? I figure if I'm going to be using all CFLs for the Veg chamber, it wouldn't be that big of a deal to relocate shop elsewhere, and still keep it underwraps. Now I will be able to utilize the full 8ft in height of the original closet grow space for strictly flowering, while making it that much easier to maintain that chambers temps and humidity levels, without putting the vegging chamber in harms way.


So now things should run a lot smoother for me, still need to figure out what I plan to do with the ballasts. If I'm going to go with a higher wattage light, the heat is going to be a greater issue than before, I'm assuming. But I don't know where I can mount the ballasts outside of the closet. I was thinking of lining the inside of the closet with IR Blocking insulation, making something like a 'tent'. This would give me a lil bit of space in between the doors of the closet and the outer layer of the IR Blocking insulation. Since it's insulation, doesn't that mean it will help to contain the heat within the grow space? Or is this too complicated of a task?

Please take a look at my new updates and let me know what you think. Thanks again!

Dr. Funkenstein

Dr. Funkenstein

Thanks Batting1000, this gives me a much better perspective. I appreciate it. Someone else advised I scrap the co2 idea, as well. Sounds like the plan. So now it's between two 600wHPS or a 1000wHPS. What are some of the Pros&Cons of the two? Energywise, Lumenwise, Harvestwise,Securitywise, SAFETYWISE.


Everyone swears by 1000w, but if you had 2-600ws, wouldnt that be an extra 200w? Is this simply wasted energy?


Thanks again, man.

Dr. Funkenstein


PS: What do you think about Lou Cypher's "Perpetual Grow" journals in his signature? Nigel turned me on to this particular thread. Have you ever tried anything like this? The idea of having fresh meds every 2 weeks sounds very appealing.

El Magico

600 watt HPS lights have the highest lumen/watt conversion rate, as far as I know.

I was just reading on this site that 95 degrees is optimum for CO2 enrichment. So, if you aren't made of money, you should probably scrap the CO2 for now. Getting it wrong costs too much, and getting it right costs more.

I personally don't understand static set-ups, that have no light mover, or easy way to move plants around.

You would be doing yourself a favor to incorporate light movers into any future designs.

Remember to keep ventilation simple: up & out.

I think with a lot of T.L.C., you will be surprised at what a 3'X4' area can do.

__________________
An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure.
You can only be wrong if you make an assumption.
When in doubt, toss it out.

bgb_123

THE 600 watt lights are better - you can keep them closer to plants and also give you more even light coverage - but it will cost you almost 2x since the 1000 watt light isnt much more expensive than 1 600 watt so you will buy 2 ballast 2 hood 2 bulb -- 1 600 watt set up it almost = to 1 1000 watts set up in cost

IR block will hold a small bit of the heat in- it is an insulation w/ a small R value (but the R value is high compaired to the space it consumes)

Batting1000

Ur getting ahead of yourself with the perpetual gow there buddy.. These types of grows take and enormous amount of logistics to have plants ready to go at all times and i dont recommend it until you have mastered your genetics. Otherwise you may be waiting in between, have veg plants ready with 3 weeks to go in the flowering rm, etc..Could be disasterous!.

Besides, the bud is best about 2 months AFTER harvest. So fresh meds is really a perspective.

You should get 1-2 lbs in that setup no matter what lights u choose. If you go thru that much pot in 2 months then u must have about 50 terminal diseases and I really feel for ya.

The Lights we talked about are T-5 high output fluorescent and are available at any hydro shop im sure. No links...Im kinda comp tarded over here. Very low heat, Super short internode distance, Compact, and you can put em as close as 4 or 5 in from ur plants saving tons of room!

Putting that ballast above the flowering room in that little chamber is fine, just punch some holes up top for it to ventilate. Maybe a small 'clip on' desk fan or something up there just to move air over it. I did mine in a basement so i cut a 2'x8' piece of plywood, screwed it to the floor joists and put the ballasts up in the joists.

I still suggest building it right, but keeping the op simple. Your gonna have enough trouble keeping your yeilds consistent being a starter anyway.

UpNorth

Also, put the carbon scrubber in the room, before the fan and have the fan 'pull' the air through the scrubber instead of pushing it.

__________________
Something clever...

Dr. Funkenstein

"Yes, Dad!" Haha No- You're totally right. I know I must learn to walk before I can run. I just like to plan ahead, so I can keep any crucial details in mind when building my grow-lab initially. With this new design, I don't know if I will be able to mount the ballast outside of the closet itself. Any ideas on what I could do?

I'll be going with those T-5's for the Vegging Room and maybe a 1000wHPSfor the Flowering Room with a light mover. Which brands are good for 1000wHPS? Reliable, quiet, long life, etc. I probably should get an all-in-one kit, that includes bulb, hood and ballast.

You said you had a 3x3 table with reservoir. Did you build this yourself, or is it shop bought? What other equipment are you using to keep your system operational and running? Why do you use the drip feed method, as opposed to the flood and drain? How often do you have to clean the feeds? Have you ever tried using that cocoa-stuff? I can't remember the name, similar to rockwool, but biodegradable.


Advanced Nutrients? Is that a brand? I'm going to have to spend some time on their nutrition. One step at a time..


Thanks for all the advice. One day I'm going to make you all proud!

Dr. Funkenstein

Dr. Funkenstein

Duly noted. Thanks, UpNorth!

Dr. Funkenstein