How To Set Up Intake And Exhaust Fans

How To Set up Your Exhaust

Optimally, you want the exhaust to pull air from your hot lights and straight out a window, in a short, straight line if possible.

Exhausts go less and less efficient at cooling the further your air has to travel, and the less straight the path. A short, directly, direct line to a window is the all-time case scenario when it comes to setting up your exhaust.

Use ducting and a strong fan to pull air directly from your air-cooled hood and out your exhaust.

HID grow light exhaust setup diagram - See how to set up your exhaust system for MH/HPS grow lights

When worried about heat, it's important to create enough suction with your fans to completely supersede all the air in your grow tent as rapidly equally possible, at least once every few minutes. Even when you're not worried about rut, information technology'south still important to regularly supervene upon the air and make sure in that location's plenty of airflow and circulation above and below your plants.

Here are a few guidelines that will help you achieve the best exhaust system possible:

Information technology'due south of import to accept as stiff-enough frazzle fan for the grow space to make sure that you are completely changing out all the air in the tent oft.
Designing your exhaust volition be much simpler if you take the time to sympathize airflow in a room – the whole idea of setting up an exhaust organization is to create negative airflow in the grow space or abound tent so that any hot air is regularly replaced with new, fresh absurd air.
Allthe air in the tent should be replaced by new air every 1-3 minutes for the all-time results. You lot can calculate the forcefulness of exhaust fan y'all need based on the dimensions of your grow infinite. Acquire how to calculate the type of fan y'all need below…
When your grow tent is angle in from the exhaust fan, it ways you've got skillful suction going in there and have created negative airflow
Make sure your intake hole is bigger than your exhaust hole to accomplish proper suction – in other words the holes/spaces for new air to come up in (vents, intake fans, doors, windows) should exist bigger than the hole/space where air is being pulled out the tent by your exhaust fan
Fifty-fifty with a skilful exhaust organisation, it is recommended that growers still install small fans in their grow infinite to blow air higher up and below to the plant canopy to improve air apportionment and help prevent any hot spots or boiling pockets of air

How to Calculate The Frazzle Fan Strength You Need

Most important– call back you want to completely supervene upon all the air in your grow area at least once every few minutes. If you're worried well-nigh heat, exchange all the air every 1 minute. If information technology'due south cooler where you live, and so exchange all the air nigh in one case every 3 minutes.

Here'south how to determine what fan you demand for your space

Make up one's mind the cubic area of your space past multiplying Length x Width ten Height.
Example: for a iv'x4'x7′ abound tent, 4x4x7 = 161 cubic anxiety.
Cull how often you desire to exchange your air. Once every i minute for a hot areas, once every ii minutes for areas with moderate climates, and once every three minutes for a cooler locales.
Example: For areas with moderate (medium) temperatures, I desire to exchange all the air in the tent one time every 2 minutes, so my answer is "ii".
Make up one's mind how much cubic feet/infinitesimal of air you need to move by dividing your number from step ane by your number from stride 2
Example: 161 / 2 = fourscore.5 (that's how many cubic feet/minute I need the exhaust fan to move)
Pick your fan. Fans are measured by CFM (cubic anxiety/infinitesimal), so yous demand a fan that has a CFMhigherthan the number y'all figured out in Step iii.
Example: I would need a fan rated at least 80.5 CFM or more if I wanted information technology to exchange all the air every 2 minutes.

When in doubt, it's evermeliorate to go a bigger fan than you need. You tin always use a speed controller or put the fan on a timer if the fan is cooling your infinite also fast, or if you go through a common cold spell.

Cannabis plants similar having a lot of fresh air all the time, and they will reward you for your diligence in setting upward a proper exhaust system.

Choose the Placement of Your Grow Tent & Exhaust Carefully

Consider that you want a direct line to the exhaust, with every bit short a altitude as possible, so that hot air is quickly and easily released outside of your home.

This diagram illustrates visually what you need to understand about setting up a grow room with an exhaust system that works

Larn how to make a stealthy "surreptitious window" exhaust system similar this below…

Having trouble finding a cheap & easy way to stealthily exhaust out hot air from your grow tent? I used a combination of the following items to create an awesome exhaust organisation for about $45 (merely add your fan).

What You Demand

wicker blinds
foam
corrugated plastic
duct tape
ducting
super glue/hot gum
staple gun

*All these items can exist found at a habitation comeback store, as they are common items for upgrading around the house

First, hang the wicker blinds in your window like normal. Air tin escape through these blinds, but you tin can't see through them to the other side. They are commonly used in bedrooms and other windows that lead into private areas.

Hang the wicker blinds in the window as the first step of your stealthy exhaust system

I bought a huge sheet of foam and glued (super glueand hot glue for best results) it to a sheet of corrugated plastic. You can buy both these items for a few bucks at a home comeback store similar Home Depot.

Next, use some ducting to trace a round, duct-sized hole on the foam/plastic.Annotation:Cutting out the duct-sized pigsty in the foam/corrugated plasticnear the top of where it will be mounted. Remember, estrus rises, so having the exhuast exit almost the top is much more efficient.

Run the ducting through the hole you cut, and right up to the wicker blinds. The ducting should be butted up against the wicker blinds so that rut escapes directly outside (since it volition be able to pass through the blinds easily). Use duct tape to agree the cream/plastic in place, and so use more than duct tape to hold the ducting in place. At the end after everything is placed and yous're happy with how everything looks, you will use a staple gun to staple all your duct tape in place, but don't worry about that yet.

I also used duct tape to secure the foam to the window because it'due south cheap, easy to use, and is very durable when combined with staples.

Prepare the foam for use by gluing to a sheet of corrugated plastic and then cutting a hole for your ducting to go through

Use a staple gun to reinforce anywhere yous use duct tape, including where the ducting goes through the hole yous made in the cream.

Reinforce the duct tape with staples or it will fall off after a day or two

I like using cream + corrugated plastic because information technology's inexpensive and piece of cake to cut the hole for the exhaust. Having the foam/plastic combo in the window increases the suction in the room so more hot air is vented out and blocks low-cal (no low-cal gets in or out). Equally an added bonus, the foam dramatically reduces the noise of the fan (so yous tin just barely hear it even when you're standing right exterior the window).

Why should you use foam as part of your exhaust system?

You now know everything I wish I'd known earlier I started growing with HID lights. If y'all're serious about growing cannabis, HID grow lights are going to give you the best yields, most ease of use, and (in my opinion) the most enjoyable growing experience.

Now that you know exactly how to go started…