DIY redd's new grow room - an AFN project

[redd]

Hello friends, I am going to be increasing my grow space so that I may grow both autoflowers and some yummy fruit & veggies.
The flowers for my father and I, both Med patients, and the food for quality control and the joy of gardening
I am not very experienced admittedly when it comes to putting together grow rooms, so was hoping others on AFN could offer their tips, advice,
suggestions, and criticisms. An AFN project!

I've spent a lot of time going in circles in my head about this and some things I can just think about better when it's on paper or with others,
I have a really bouncy focus if that makes sense haha.. So here's where I'm at

I've built a (L x W x H) [10' x 10' x 8'] or [3m x 3m x 2.4m] gable-roof style wood shed with 6'(1.8m) high walls at the edges and 8' at the center.
It is up on 4"x4"x10' treated runners underneath.
Once insulated and walled, it will be [9.5' x 9.5'] to account for the loss, for a total of about [630 cubic feet].
So I've decided to utilize the whole space, and add in light units one at a time or so, as I put money aside to add more.
I will be using the new GN units that are to be released, so I am not in any hurry at all.

Here is a picture of the shed, as well as a drawing of the layout to add to:

I have an electrician in the family so power to the shed will be taken care of and not an issue.
Will be buying R30 insulation so she'll be cozy.

Environment control is where I'm a bit lacking..
Now, using LEDs should keep the heat considerably lower than a big HID setup, even once the room is eventually at full capacity.
Temperature/humi is still going to be my main concerns I think, because I live in southern California and during July-October temps hover between [80-100F] or [26-38C] with slightly cooler or hotter days in between, and down to about [40-45F] or [3-7C]at night during the winter to give you and idea of the temp range.

A lot can be controlled through fan speed alone, and speaking of fans I had two of these in mind for intake and outtake-- maybe I only need 1?
So my thoughts on this, too, were possibly getting a small wall-mounted unit to help with cooling in the summer and slight heating if any in the winter, even if
it does only come on for a few minutes at a time.

I think humidity I can best control with the water that the plants will get, as that should keep me around 35-50% with the dry air we have.

So some questions for you guys I had were:
The fan(s) should provide more than enough air exchange -- is there a spot in the drawn diagram that you would recommend the intake/outtake?
Do my outside temperatures warrant an AC?
Is there anything vital I am missing?
Do you have a better idea or criticism?
Do you need more info? and what is it?
And anything else you can think of!

Thank you for anyone and everyone's time reading this I very much appreciate the assistance and if there is
anything I can do to return the favor please don't hesitate to ask!

"AFN smoke out"redd

 

[Magic]

Sorry I won't be much help but hope u get it all figured out and good luck with that s.cal heat

 

[redd]

Sorry I won't be much help but hope u get it all figured out and good luck with that s.cal heat

Yeah it's tough to beat the heat! I've got lots of eucalyptus pretty much shading the entire property so anything outdoors grows tiny in the dappled sun
Thanks IDS! I can feel the karma bro

 

[Grateful Zach]

Man that sounds and looks great, I hope I can do something like that some day! I would say that heat is going to be a problem on those 100 degree days, you may not need one but if you have it in your budget for an a/c unit I would get one for sure. Your ladies will be much happier. I'm assuming since you live in awesome state that you can grow legally so is stealth an issue? Meaning, if you don't want it to smell like a skunk farm back there, you will need an air scrubber (charcoal filter). Also, I would put something in front of those doors on the inside to block the light when you open them. Otherwise, when you open the doors at night, it's going to light up your whole house and yard.. Trust me, I know this

Good luck, you are off to a great start already!

 

[AndyBotwin]

Hi redd! Here are my thoughts:

A good general rule is that you should completely replace the air in your grow room at least once every 3-5 minutes. For the amount of cubic feet you'll have, you'd need a minimum of 360cfm running 24/7 to keep the air fresh in there. Add in ducting and a carbon filter(s), and you likely would not have adequate air flow even with a 400cfm fan. Adding intake fans does not really help in this equation since removing the old air is the bottleneck. A larger exhaust fan and smaller intake fan would likely be best, or you could look into CO2 supplementation and cut down on the air exchange.

Intake vents should be down low near the canopy and exhaust up high where the maximum heat can be removed. With summer temps in the 80s and beyond, I think you will need to invest in air conditioning since the ambient temps will be on the high side even before adding lights. Heating in winter is an easier task and can likely be handled in that small area with just a ceramic space heater.

You may need to invest in a humidifier for the early stages of growth but that's easy enough to add later if required.

I'd also recommend getting a web cam or two so you can keep an eye on the plants and your environment from the comfort of your chair. I added one to my tent this grow and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Being able to peek in any time and see my temp and humidity is great.

Looks like you're off to a great start & I'm sure you'll get plenty more good advice. Good luck! :thumbs:

 

[Grateful Zach]

Also, I don't see any windows or air vents.. how do plan on getting air into the shed? If I were doing it, I would just install vents in the sides along the bottom to allow outside air to be drawn into the shed. Use fine screens to keep pests out and block the light so they aren't visible from outside. Install a filter at the very top with an inline fan, vent it straight across the ceiling and outside through another vent. The inline fan will create negative pressure, forcing fresh air in from the bottom, across your fans/plants, and out through the top. It will also draw excess heat out as well.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I don't see any windows or air vents.. how do plan on getting air into the shed? If I were doing it, I would just install vents in the sides along the bottom to allow outside air to be drawn into the shed. Use fine screens to keep pests out and block the light so they aren't visible from outside. Install a filter at the very top with an inline fan, vent it straight across the ceiling and outside through another vent. The inline fan will create negative pressure, forcing fresh air in from the bottom, across your fans/plants, and out through the top. It will also draw excess heat out as well.

 

[fweedom]

looks good i like it, i think u should get yourself a window AC unit if those temps are too much to manage since ur space will be closed an insulated it should drop temps alotttt. Without mine i definately wouldnt be able to grow this time of year since im in the south :Sharing One:

 

[jamestiger]

Hi Redd , ive set up a large garage before similar to your shed really it was detatched and i had to start from scratch to a 100 percent sealed ( airtight ) grow enviroment . im in uk but im sure the same probs would arrise , stuff like ......heat in summer / winter effects the inside tempature as the intake from winter to summer was very different and i found winter was easier to controll due to heat being hard to lose when you are sealed , personally i sucked air from underneath my garage ( it was a wood garage and on 6x4 lengths of wood ) this allowed me to keep the intake out of sight ( put a gauze or mesh on intake or you may suck in nastys ) intake should be low down and outlet on opposit side of grow room so fresh air crosses plants also outlet should be up high to take away hottest air ( you can use ducting to place where air gets sucked from ) i sucked out on opposit side from intake to increase air flow accross plants . use a carbon filter for when plants are in bud and make sure inline outlet fan has enough power as you have a large area to refresh .i had problems with heat so bought a air cooling machine that also dehumidified ( cost about £250 ) from ebay but as it created a lot of heat when in use i made another hole in floor for the intake so i was sucking in cold air rather than the warm air in the room ,a machine like this you can use should you need to get rid of water or condensation in winter ect its a lot of money but a good investment . in my humble opinion i would make a good job of sealing the room from the outside as this way you controll the enviroment and the enviroment does not controll you , i even had thick plastic on the floor and sealed around all my intake and inlet holes as when you are in bud the smell will permiate through any gap and then catch the nose of your friendly neighbourhood thief or police informer !!! im not trying to make you paranoid my friend just saying this from expierience as if you can smell your own grow from outside your room other people walking past will smell it too , good luck my friend that space should give you some awsome space to grow in because its nice to be able to walk around your 20 plants without having to move each one to tend to it o

 

[Eekman]

Hey Redd, good to see this thread my friend.

I woould look into insulation, that panel kind maybe, migh save on bills

You are getting better advice here.


Eek

 

[redd]

Wow so much great info!

Man that sounds and looks great, I hope I can do something like that some day! I would say that heat is going to be a problem on those 100 degree days, you may not need one but if you have it in your budget for an a/c unit I would get one for sure. Your ladies will be much happier. I'm assuming since you live in awesome state that you can grow legally so is stealth an issue? Meaning, if you don't want it to smell like a skunk farm back there, you will need an air scrubber (charcoal filter). Also, I would put something in front of those doors on the inside to block the light when you open them. Otherwise, when you open the doors at night, it's going to light up your whole house and yard.. Trust me, I know this

Good luck, you are off to a great start already!

Hi zach thank you for stopping by! Boy those LEDs really look like an alien-invasion! Lol defo an issue here.. have you had any experience with panda plastic? I was
considering using it and attaching zippers behind the wood doors to link them and create a seal of sorts. Also gonna check out carbon filters!

Hi redd! Here are my thoughts:

A good general rule is that you should completely replace the air in your grow room at least once every 3-5 minutes. For the amount of cubic feet you'll have, you'd need a minimum of 360cfm running 24/7 to keep the air fresh in there. Add in ducting and a carbon filter(s), and you likely would not have adequate air flow even with a 400cfm fan. Adding intake fans does not really help in this equation since removing the old air is the bottleneck. A larger exhaust fan and smaller intake fan would likely be best, or you could look into CO2 supplementation and cut down on the air exchange.

Intake vents should be down low near the canopy and exhaust up high where the maximum heat can be removed. With summer temps in the 80s and beyond, I think you will need to invest in air conditioning since the ambient temps will be on the high side even before adding lights. Heating in winter is an easier task and can likely be handled in that small area with just a ceramic space heater.

You may need to invest in a humidifier for the early stages of growth but that's easy enough to add later if required.

I'd also recommend getting a web cam or two so you can keep an eye on the plants and your environment from the comfort of your chair. I added one to my tent this grow and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Being able to peek in any time and see my temp and humidity is great.

Looks like you're off to a great start & I'm sure you'll get plenty more good advice. Good luck! :thumbs:

Hi AB! thank you for the advice, I for sure will be looking at AC's now to find one hopefully a good size. I think it'll be a wall-mount so I can have the cold side inside and all hot air out.

Also, I don't see any windows or air vents.. how do plan on getting air into the shed? If I were doing it, I would just install vents in the sides along the bottom to allow outside air to be drawn into the shed. Use fine screens to keep pests out and block the light so they aren't visible from outside. Install a filter at the very top with an inline fan, vent it straight across the ceiling and outside through another vent. The inline fan will create negative pressure, forcing fresh air in from the bottom, across your fans/plants, and out through the top. It will also draw excess heat out as well.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I don't see any windows or air vents.. how do plan on getting air into the shed? If I were doing it, I would just install vents in the sides along the bottom to allow outside air to be drawn into the shed. Use fine screens to keep pests out and block the light so they aren't visible from outside. Install a filter at the very top with an inline fan, vent it straight across the ceiling and outside through another vent. The inline fan will create negative pressure, forcing fresh air in from the bottom, across your fans/plants, and out through the top. It will also draw excess heat out as well.

Vents might be something i look into for some passive air action. Would a small, well-screened vent or two increase humidity say if it was raining outside?

looks good i like it, i think u should get yourself a window AC unit if those temps are too much to manage since ur space will be closed an insulated it should drop temps alotttt. Without mine i definately wouldnt be able to grow this time of year since im in the south :Sharing One:

Awesome fweedom, putting AC on the checklist! Heat karma for down south, dude!

Hi Redd , ive set up a large garage before similar to your shed really it was detatched and i had to start from scratch to a 100 percent sealed ( airtight ) grow enviroment . im in uk but im sure the same probs would arrise , stuff like ......heat in summer / winter effects the inside tempature as the intake from winter to summer was very different and i found winter was easier to controll due to heat being hard to lose when you are sealed , personally i sucked air from underneath my garage ( it was a wood garage and on 6x4 lengths of wood ) this allowed me to keep the intake out of sight ( put a gauze or mesh on intake or you may suck in nastys ) intake should be low down and outlet on opposit side of grow room so fresh air crosses plants also outlet should be up high to take away hottest air ( you can use ducting to place where air gets sucked from ) i sucked out on opposit side from intake to increase air flow accross plants . use a carbon filter for when plants are in bud and make sure inline outlet fan has enough power as you have a large area to refresh .i had problems with heat so bought a air cooling machine that also dehumidified ( cost about £250 ) from ebay but as it created a lot of heat when in use i made another hole in floor for the intake so i was sucking in cold air rather than the warm air in the room ,a machine like this you can use should you need to get rid of water or condensation in winter ect its a lot of money but a good investment . in my humble opinion i would make a good job of sealing the room from the outside as this way you controll the enviroment and the enviroment does not controll you , i even had thick plastic on the floor and sealed around all my intake and inlet holes as when you are in bud the smell will permiate through any gap and then catch the nose of your friendly neighbourhood thief or police informer !!! im not trying to make you paranoid my friend just saying this from expierience as if you can smell your own grow from outside your room other people walking past will smell it too , good luck my friend that space should give you some awsome space to grow in because its nice to be able to walk around your 20 plants without having to move each one to tend to it o

Good lookin' out, friend, i'll get goin' on caulking anything i see from the outside and sealing it up


So I'll be looking at a larger exhaust, and the exhaust will need to go up higher -- maybe and 8" 720cfm w/ controller?
and downgrading the intake -- thinking 4" 165cfm w/ controller? I almost want to stick with the 6" 400cfm/controller as intake, however I don't know if it is overkill so
I will go with your word AB :thumbs: (with matching carbon filterscrubber haha)

And in addition, I'll be looking at a wall-mounted AC unit.

That is a really neat idea AB with that webcam. A live feed would be amazing! Totally considering it, would make nightime checks possible haha
Do you have multiple cams? or just one on the room's vitals?

For covering the wood floor, I'll likely roll with something easy to clean like a big vinyl roll and cut it to match. What plastic have you used, James?

- - - Updated - - -

Hey Redd, good to see this thread my friend.

I woould look into insulation, that panel kind maybe, migh save on bills

You are getting better advice here.


Eek

Thanks Eek! also for helpin' me get started in here.
Do you mean the big fluffy pink rolls? Fiberglass i think?

redd