Hydro vs Soil: What suits my situation best?

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THG, earlier, when you said that the T5's weren't going to cut it, did you mean that they weren't going to cut the heat down enough or that they wouldn't be enough to grow 4-5 plants in the area I am using? Should I get an 8 bulb T5 if that's the case?
 
They work great for vegging, but they are not so good for flowering. You really need a HPS if you want to get the best yield.
 
T5's are for vegging, you have to have serious lighting and ventilation to make plants bud out! An HPS properly ventilated will work great, the ventilation cuts the heat down allowing for your using the HPS in a small space!
 
Alright, so I can take part of the package deal I'd found on Craigslist, then. I just need to get an inline fan in addition to it. I assume I can build a box around it to muffle the sound too?
 
Hello getnaqsty-

Interesting read. You certainly are doing your homework. So it comes down to a soil grow of 2 photoperiod strains in a 2' x 3' space with T5 lighting throughout the grow?

If I just might add an observation, I don't think you're thinking through the smell issue enough. I grow Blueberry all the time, and (at least my strain) stinks to high heaven. I've tried all the cover-up methods, including ONA based systems. Fresh growing pot smells way different from burning pot! Don't take this consideration too lightly based on your living conditions. The only thing I've found to be a continuously effective method is a carbon filter.

Be safe and good luck to you on this adventure.
 
Thank you BBFan, I'm going to use a 400w HPS with a ventilation system. I have to lsiten to experience on this once. The T5's were said to not be sufficient enough for the flowering period, so I'm going to get the HPS and create a ventilation system with home made carbon filter, and possibly a home made cool tube as well.

While we're on the subject, would the minds of the masses kindly inform a young lad, in depth, on the proper way to set up the ventilation system for my described area?
 
Don't use the filter until you need it as it affects the fan's cfms. I also always recommend a speed controller for the fan. I recently ordered a 6" centrifuge fan off E-Bay for $85 shipped. Look for deals--they are out there.

This is how I would hook it up--filter>duct>light>duct>fan>duct to outside. Take the exhaust out high, have your intakes down low.
 
Hey THG,

I intend on having the intakes down low and the exhaust up high. Hot air rises. :) Couple of questions, though. For the intakes, do I need something sucking the air into the room? Like some small cpu fans afixed to the holes in the door? Or when I set up the ventilation, does the duct leading out to my bedroom get hooked up to the inlets? I've seen you say that you want negative pressure in the rom so many times, and that you should suck air through the light. Perhaps I'm just confused as to how the ventilation is going to work.


Let's give this a run with the information I already have:

I don't intend on these plants getting higher than 5ft tall, if that. So, so long as I have my light higher than say, eye level for me (I'm 6'2"; eye level should be at about 6 feet, perhaps an inch or two more), could I put a shelf above the light to keep my exhaust ducting up there, instead of hanging it? Or is it wiser to hang it? The shelf would also serve a double purpose to reflect light back to the canopy again. Air would still flow freely to the space above the shelf, too, so it shouldn't make temperatures too hot for the girls.

So, I'm going to hook my filter up as a dead-end, sort of, for the ventilation? Basically, I'm sucking the air into the filter, cleaning the air at that point, and then pulling the air through the ducting, through the light, back into more ducting and then afixing it to my ventilation hole in the door? I am correct in saying that this ventilation structure never appends to the intake holes at the bottom of the closet? It just sucks the air out of the room through the carbon filter, cleaning it, then through the light, and then through the fan out of the growing space and into my bedroom?

If this is the case, as I asked before, should I have some small cpu fans afixed to the door that pulls in fresh air? This would seem ideal, if it were the case. I could either hook them up to a spare power supply (what do you know? a spare part I actually have around, being a computer technician) or strip the wires and hook them up to ac adapters. But, the end goal would be the same; being that fresh air with my freshly exhausted co2 would be pulled into the grow space. Does this sound like a good idea? Bad idea?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I know I asked several questions throughout that, and these are questioned I am desperate for an answer to. I tossed the exhaust system out of my head a couple weeks ago and never did any research into how it worked. I'm assuming what I've laid out above is correct.

Also, how drastically does it affect the cfm's? Remember, I'm in a small place, and keeping my costs down is pertinent. Rent still has to be paid. ;) Hence why I am making the DIY carbon filter.
 
Also, for another design with the exhaust, could I not exhaust down low, but leave the intake for the exhaust up high? Wouldn't it bring the air down the chute and still be as effective? As much as I can conceal these holes the better. Setting a dresser in front of the door would be ideal.
 
No, that will not work as well. If the intake is up high, you will be pulling air that is already hot over your lights. It really should be laid out as suggested.

You do not need an intake fan--your intake can be passive. In fact, sometimes if you have a substantially lower powered (lower cfm) fan at the intake than you have for exhaust it will impede the air flow.
 
:yeahthat: passive intakes along the bottom, the vent fan will draw the air through and you'll have plenty of airflow!
 
I wld mimic the design of a tent in your space. Passive intakes down low..(my tents hve 3. 1 in the back and one on each side.) I manage with a single 6 inch inline fan rated at around 450 cfm. This one fan pulls the hot old air out of the tent through my cool tube (cooling the light as well) fresh cool air goes in the bottom intakes and the negative pressure allows me to exhaust the old air out a window and get by without a carbon filter on most runs.
 
Alright, so, how about this:


Exhaust System:
Carbon Filtered intake at the bottom of the room, exhaust ducting up the right rear corner, up to one side of the lampp. Other side of lamp has ducting leading to fan, which exhausts into ducting leading to low-mid area of the door. Essentially my goal is to hide the exhaust/intake vents with the dresser, but the dresser is only 5ft tall, but will cover the entire doorway with its width. Will this work? Or do you guys have suggestions?


Hammy,

This closet is opposite the side of the room than the bedroom. I'd rather just exhaust into the bedroom, especially as winter is coming up. ;)


-getnasty-
 
Can anybody confirm that the exhaust will be okay setup like this?
 
getnaqsty said:
Alright, so, how about this:


Exhaust System:
Carbon Filtered intake at the bottom of the room, exhaust ducting up the right rear corner, up to one side of the lampp. Other side of lamp has ducting leading to fan, which exhausts into ducting leading to low-mid area of the door. Essentially my goal is to hide the exhaust/intake vents with the dresser, but the dresser is only 5ft tall, but will cover the entire doorway with its width. Will this work? Or do you guys have suggestions?


I'd rather just exhaust into the bedroom, especially as winter is coming up. ;)
-getnasty-

You do not need to filter your intake.

If you filter your exhaust, you can exhaust into the bedroom.
 
Intake for the exhaust. There's an in and and out for the exhaust, is there not? The passive intakes at the bottom won't be filtered. But the exhaust system as to start drawing air out somewhere. By everyone's description, I'm guessing that the carbon filter is the inlet, or the intake on the exhaust.


I'll get a diagram up tonight on how I intend to set this baby up, so we all understand one another. I seem to confuse people more than inform them.
 
Also, THG, regarding your DIY cool tubes, would I be able to fit a 400w HPS inside one of them? Or am I better off spending the money on a reflector that can be air cooled? Better yet, would it be illadvised to build one myself, that I could connect the ballast to? Again, on a budget here, and those reflectors aren't cheap. ;)
 
No, I think a 400w is too big for the bake around cool tubes--they are only about 3-3/4' in diameter. I'm pretty sure that if you are handy you could put together an air cooled light--not sure it would be much cheaper thought than many of the bargains that are out there. Make sure you use tempered glass.
 
hxxp://i56.tinypic.com/28tw6c.jpg

Forgive the terrible artwork. It was one I had already made... in reality, as the plants grow the higher the bulb's going to need to be. I'll have enough ducting for it. The image doesn't show the door, but imagine half way up the door, the exhaust would exit the grow room through a hole in the door.

starin down at the clouds right now :p

-getnasty-
 
Can you post your artwork up here? How are you going to open the door if you have exhaust ducting connected to it?
 

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