caymen

I have 2 dehumidifiers that I use in my closets to keep the humidity at a low level and act as a small AC unit. My question is can I use these in my grow room to keep the humidity low and cool off the area? I have a small problem getting air in to cool off the area. I'm in the 2nd week of growth in my germination area. I want to move them under 2-250watt MH and 2 250watt HPS in the next 2 weeks. my germination area is 3x8 and 3 feet high, with 6 4' cool white floro's in a upside down ^ . I had to use the low watt HID's because it is the biggest watt they sell in the country where I live. This is straight from the sylvania factory. also will this be enough light for a room that is 5X7 and 8.5 feet high? Also I had to settle for a soil mix from the hydro store here(they don't even sell rockwool in this country???). I looks like a large grain sand and tree bark??? my plants seem to love it. suggestions are welcome.

alleycat

caymen --how high is your humidity there??----I'm running a humidifier to raise mine up to at least 50% during the veg stage. Are you gonna train them since your height is only 3 feet? You'll end up with more of a heat problem running those 4 lights in that area, but will be quite adequate(sp) for that area.. You can check undder the lighting area for exact lumens for each of your lights, add them all together and divide by sq ft for exact lumens per sq ft. Most people say at least 5000 lumens per sq ft, I believe..

caymen

alley17cat thanx for the response, maybe I should explain more. the 3 foot area is just a clone/germination area it has 6(4' floro's) in an ^ shape. The dehumidifiers are for the veg/flower room. it is 7x5 adn 8 feet high. that is where the 4 lights will be going. I live in central america right now and the humidity is around 60%+ year round. The reason I asked about the dehimudifiers is because they have an option to blow out cold air and I have a problem with ways to ventilate this room to keep it cool. Any suggestions on keeping it cool would be appreciated. I have read around 10 grow guides, 15 sites on building grow rooms and ventilation. but none of these ventilation options seem to work for this area. I have 2 windows in the room, one going into my dining room 2' wide x 1.5' high and it tilts open at the center of the window(horizontal). the second is a larger window next to the door that is 3'x3' and spins open at the center of the window(vertical) and opens into my laundry room. The laundry room has an open space in the ceiling to the outside, but it goes into one neighbors back yard and under anonthers window.

alleycat

If you have those windows, could you get a small a.c. unit to put in it? for the 5x7 area those lights should work just fine. Are you covering the windows somehow for security? My biggest help at keeping my temp down is a fan up high in the doorway sucking the warm air out of the room and pulling cool air in at the bottom. I also have and air purifier that puts out relatively cool air and the humidifier. Here in Colorado our humidity level is like 10-20% on high days. The dryer vent, is that what is going under the neighbors window?

caymen

alley17cat I can't get the windows out that is the problem, this house is 30 years old and is soid concrete and block. The temp outside is around 70-80 degrees this time of year during the day a in the 60's at night. that room keeps about the same temp. due to that shower in the room it has a higher humidity rate, and i was reading in one of the grow guides I have that it is better to have a low-med humidity level than a med-high level for the plants. I'm just trying to figure out a way to get air in and out. I have 2 industial strength fans to blow up at the lights and 2 normal house fans that turn for pant exercise. I don't mind blowing air out into my dining room, I can control the smell there alot easier than the laundry room. but I need to seal out light but also bring in fresh air. I was thinking about a CO2 tank but due to where I currently live supplies are limited unless I ship international which I would ike to avoid due to customs. If you or anyone else can suggest something I would appreciate it. I can hold out training the plants for 2-3 more weeks I think. I have 26 girls currently sprouting, some are in thier second week some are in thier first week. these were all seeds from weed I have bought good and brick. all the brick seem to be sativa due to their leaf shape, and it looks like I have 7 indica babies. I make this staement due to the pics I have seen in this site of both in young veg state. Please Help...
I have attached a drwaing of my bottom floor and grow room so you can get a better view of what I'm working with.

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Xzoomd

yes, you can use your DU in there..if you can keep RH @ 50% veg, 40% flwg...30% the last two weeks. You may have to shorten the grow space some.

Zoomy

caymen

Zoomy,
thanx for the info. the room is 7'X5' and 9 feet tall. I currently have 27 babies in thier first and second week. do you really think I should make the room smaller? I have blocked off the shower and left enough space for the door to open. But I still have a problem getting the old air out, any suggestions? I was thinking about putting ventilation fans at the top of the door way going into the shower. but will the Dehumidifiers give enough fresh air to my plants. I also have to air purifiers that are for a room 11'X11' to cut down on the smell.

Xzoomd

The ventilation would definatly help.

As stated above....it all depends on the sq. ft of floor space...you want at least 4500-5000 lumens per sq. ft. of floor space. So if you have 5000 lumens at one sf and add another foot, it drops down to 2500 L...unacceptable. Reflecting your available lumens comes into play here. Is it painted flat/matt white in there?? It might be a good idea for you to get a mold resistant paint.


Zoomy