# ? on venting to the attic



## tallandy78 (May 26, 2009)

I am a newbie grower and have to vent my exhaust fan to the attic because my room temps outside my grow tent are way to high. I have passive intakes that pull that hot air back in. I am cautious about how to properly vent in my attic. Is it as simple as cutting the proper size vent hole in the sheetrock and then stuffing the ducting through it. I would worry about times when the fan is off and dust and bugs could get in. I could use any advice/suggestions you may have. Thanks

3x3x5.5ft grow tent 
400w hps 6" cooled reflector
440cfm inline fan connected to one side of reflector, sitting on top of the tent exhausting towards the door out to the hallway.


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## pcduck (May 26, 2009)

I am not an expert but I think that venting into an attic would cause black mold, need to vent to the outside.


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## SPEARCHUCKER (May 26, 2009)

What about something like a Rain Blocker for a tractor.
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hxxp://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/468869389_c0b42b4597.jpg?v=0


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## PencilHead (May 26, 2009)

I would get a duct reducer--if your duct is  6" get a 6"to8" reducer.  Put a piece of window screen over the larger (8") end, duct tape the crap out of it on the sides to hold it in place.  

If you don't have a decent circle marker or a compass then use the 6" end to mark your hole (not a great idea because the reducer is flimsy and never a perfect circle).  Use a hole saw (cheap at H Depot if you don't have one) and stay exactly on the line you've drawn--wear a hat and safety-glasses because if you're in an old house, you're about to be dusted with bug and vermin dookey among other old and creepy things when the circle of drywall falls on your head.  And leave the circle in the attic by the hole in case you ever need to patch it.

Go in the attic, drop the 6"to8" reducer through your hole--the bigger end will keep it from falling through.  Go back downstairs and place your 6" duct on the 6" end of your reducer that will now be hangin out your ceiling.  Use a decent screw type clamp then Fastape over that.  

If you have any voids at the junction of hole and reducer, caulk the **** out of it, go wash the roach poopoo outta your hair and smoke a fatty.


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## kaotik (May 26, 2009)

i agree with PC.. you should vent that outside if you can find some possible way, or it's probably going to cause problems for you down the road.


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## D3 (May 29, 2009)

I vent to the attic & never had a problem with mold or anything like that. PC is right about moisture in the attic, it can cause black mold which is deadly, but if you have good air flow through your attic(which I do) than mold wont be a problem. Your problem will be odor. I put an ozone generator in my attic which kills all odor before it exits the attic. Works great.


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## Sir_Tokie (May 30, 2009)

I vent to the attic also but I ran my exhaust line with my DIY scrubber up close to my roof vent and have never had a problem with any kind of molds or smells...take care..


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## CoolAsAFan (May 31, 2009)

your attic should vent to the outside, so there is no problem with mold or anything unless for some odd reason, your attic doesnt vent outside. and yes it is as simple as cutting your hole in the drywall, and sliding your ducting through. tape a screen to the end of your ducting in the attic if your worried about bugs. use heat/moisture resistant caulk if your wanting an air tight fit. hope this helps, good luck!


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## bluealein56 (Jun 6, 2009)

yeah its all good if ur attic is vented, which most are....... My uncle and I recently had this discussion. He use to be a building and house inspector and has recently retired. He told me the whole black mold thing is wack and was started to pass codes requiring all bathroom vents and such to vent to the outside and not through the attic? why? he says to "to make ya buy the damn vent too". if you notice if you have an older built house most likely ur bathroom vents into the attic. if this black mold theory were true it would lead one to think that we all have been exposed to black mold at some point in our life. I mean yyou would think a bathroom exhaust fan is gonna be pulling more moisture than ur small tent or closet .maybe the man is crazy, maybe hes not, but thats what he says so im gonna stop ramblin on............


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jun 6, 2009)

LOL... u don't want me to get started here... ask Duck...

VENT YOUR EXHAUST TO OUTDOORS ALWAYS... and draw in your intake frome outside as well, if possible... I don't want to start another multi-paged thread arguement here... just listen to me, and vent to outside... not within your attic...

and uhhhh... to u people who say, "I have addequate attic ventilation..."... this winter... go up into your attic when your lights are on... and tell me how far in front of your face you can see when you stand by your exhaust port trying to look through all the steam....


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## D3 (Jun 6, 2009)

Bluealien56, Dont try to tell me black mold is a scam. Thats **! In 2000 my daughter & I got real sick, the doctor told me we had lung infections due to house hold mold. I had a mold test done, & found out my home was infected from top to bottom with stachie botrus (sp) which is black mold. The state made me leave the home & I had to hire a crew to come out & gut my home, than I had to rebuild it. With out any money provided by the state & insurance does not cover mold. So it all came out of my pocket. At the time, my home was 15 years old. When we moved out to do the cleaning, my daughter & I got well. Black mold is a real problem that can kill you.


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## CoolAsAFan (Jun 6, 2009)

just trying to understand here as i vent in my attic...i was just under the assumption since both upstairs baths vent there, id be ok...apparently this is not the case? is black mold the only concern here? and an ozone generator should remedy this yes?


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## D3 (Jun 6, 2009)

An ozone generator will help the mold problem, but not much. It is designed to kill odor & bacteria(sp). If you have good ventalation in the attic, you wont have a problem. Your bathroom vents should not be vented into the attic. All the homes I worked on, they were vented out the roof. By code, they have to be vented through the roof. You should see about venting them through the roof.


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## PencilHead (Jun 6, 2009)

You won't have black mold or any other kind of mold in your attic if you live in the south.  And sorry DML3, but I've got to side with Blue on this one.  Not calling ** on your problems because they were obviously real problems, but there isn't a house in this country that is over 3 years old that doesn't have black mold behind the bathroom walls.  30-40 years of pulling down walls, I've yet to see one that wasn't moldy behind the shower valve sets.

This discussion is like the molassas deal--differing opinions between mold-minimizers and fungi-phobics.  Trust--I had an insurance restoration branch to my construction company for a while and I got well on fungi-phobes when all that fun began.  The only people who ever got a decent insurance settlement over mold were eventually charged with fraud.  And yeah, I went to Kalamazoo to mold school.


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## StoneyBud (Jun 6, 2009)

PencilHead said:
			
		

> This discussion is like the molassas deal--


I can get a deal on some molasses? Ohhhh Goody goody goody! My plants are lickin their chops!


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## D3 (Jun 7, 2009)

PH, I agree with you, as well. Thats why insruance co's droped all mold coverage across the country. I want some of that molasses.


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## JBonez (Jun 7, 2009)

yeah, in the south its most likely your venting less humid air into the attic than whats in there already.

I vent into the attic as well, but i exhaust roughly 35% humidity so its not an issue.

I had the property tested for my own benefit and everything was found to be clean!


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## smokingjoe (Jun 7, 2009)

Ambient humididty here would be higher than the output of even the largest grow op.


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## LEFTHAND (Jun 7, 2009)

tallandy78 said:
			
		

> I am a newbie grower and have to vent my exhaust fan to the attic because my room temps outside my grow tent are way to high. I have passive intakes that pull that hot air back in. I am cautious about how to properly vent in my attic. Is it as simple as cutting the proper size vent hole in the sheetrock and then stuffing the ducting through it. I would worry about times when the fan is off and dust and bugs could get in. I could use any advice/suggestions you may have. Thanks
> 
> Hey buddy, im a newbie to but theres one thing i know to be causious about and thats mold.. you have the proper elements for this dude. damp air, and hot air for incubation, that creates mold lol... pending where you are theres the winter as well one would have to worry about...
> 
> ...


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## bluealein56 (Jun 8, 2009)

DLM3 said:
			
		

> Bluealien56, Dont try to tell me black mold is a scam. Thats **! In 2000 my daughter & I got real sick, the doctor told me we had lung infections due to house hold mold. I had a mold test done, & found out my home was infected from top to bottom with stachie botrus (sp) which is black mold. The state made me leave the home & I had to hire a crew to come out & gut my home, than I had to rebuild it. With out any money provided by the state & insurance does not cover mold. So it all came out of my pocket. At the time, my home was 15 years old. When we moved out to do the cleaning, my daughter & I got well. Black mold is a real problem that can kill you.



Im sorry to hear about this i really am. in no way did i men to say there was no such thing of black mold. i was saying that it wasnt as big of an issue with what i was talking about. i guess maybe when i spoke i had my set up and my location in mind. I run a very small setup and live in the south. Yes by code you do have to vent outside now with bathroom vents but this hasnt always been the case. As others have stated i live in the south and it gets extremely humid here. I think it all depends on your situation and your stance. And remember i was telling you whats was told to me not what i know personally to be fact.

and if anyone knows where i can get some good mollasses and how much i shoudl use  it would be greatly appreciated


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jun 8, 2009)

u can buy good molassis any place you can buy food... unsulfured, blackstrap molassis... they kind that is used for baking... the stuff in my fridge gets used for both my ladies and in cooking.


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## D3 (Jun 8, 2009)

Hey Blue, didn't mean to jump your butt. It's a sour taste in my mouth about mold because of the way I was screwed. I live in the desert, in the south as well. I didn't think mold would ever be a problem as dry as it is here. This just goes to show you, mold is a problem everywhere, in certain conditions. At the time, my home was a flat roof, adobe home. I will never own a flat roofed home, again. Plus on top of all that, I had to trash a good grow that I had going at the time I had to move out because of the state. So you can see my point. Once again, Sorry to jump your butt. Later Man


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## Yellowjacket (Aug 22, 2009)

Yep, swamp coolers are a big source of all that humidity that allows the mold to grow. Out here in the desert our humidity is usually below 30% almost all the time.  I live with refrigerated air.

YJ


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## terky (Aug 27, 2009)

LEFTHAND said:
			
		

> tallandy78 said:
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## RugerBaby (Dec 13, 2009)

terky said:
			
		

> LEFTHAND said:
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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 14, 2009)

I would not recommend that anyone do a roof penetration by themselves.  It can be hard to completely seal a roof flashing against the weather and it is incredibly easy to get leaks.  Even a minor leak on a roof flashing can cause thousands of dollars of damage in your home.


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## LEFTHAND (Dec 14, 2009)

terky said:
			
		

> Dont do that. Carbon monoxide may come back into your house. Your flue (furnace exhaust) is engineered at a certain size so that the hot exhaust does not cool too quickly, condense and pool into a combustable liquid You do not want to modify your system. Most flue venting is brand specific and not interchangeable. You could burn your house down and kill yourself!
> 
> Most attics have roof vents. go to home depot, get a metal roof flashing for whatever size duct you have. Also get some 1/4" long screws look for the Zip-in brand. 1/4" so you dont screw through your roof!!!!!
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> ...


 
*thats what a dampers for... allows for one way air flow... .. as well as your fans should be running 24/7 anyways so that will be pushing air out.. ....... there sorry i didnt make myself 100% clear..
LH*


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## meds4me (Dec 14, 2009)

terky said:
			
		

> LEFTHAND said:
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## meds4me (Dec 14, 2009)

Lefthand : Dampers are usually mounted on the exterior of the building.


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## LEFTHAND (Dec 14, 2009)

meds4me said:
			
		

> Lefthand : Dampers are usually mounted on the exterior of the building.


 
*i didnt write that quote u have dude...  the dampers yes the flashing and shet noooo.. nooo nooo..  please change dat  dude...*

*im not talking the ones for dryer vents and what not  there like a cylinder with a one way flapper you can hook duckting to it up ive seen pvc pipe..  *
*like a duct conector but with a one way flap in the middle allows air "one" way lol... but seriously  the above i didnt post so change it..plz*
*LH*


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## meds4me (Dec 14, 2009)

The reply was more of a clarification to the above post concerning putting roof flashings upside down <the way i read it anyways>. 

You were talking bout back flow protectors as in bath room ones. I was talking about actual backflow dampers you put outside  <much like a dyers only waay larger >. Peace ~


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## dubblehue (Dec 15, 2009)

my question is, how does the mold get through a vent that is blowing in the opposite direction of which the mold may be traveling?


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## meds4me (Dec 15, 2009)

Mold starts in the room due to high humidity / water source / room temps are all factors ~


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