Tent sucking in

[MrMagic]

I have a 3'x3'7' tent with a 6" variable inline fan exhausting threw the top. The problem is it sucks in real bad when I put the girls to bed. I went with the 6" on purpose. The logic being that the fan runs on minimum and thus extending the life of the fan. Where as with a 4" its running at max all the time.
I didn't take into consideration how much it would suck in. So I used small pieces of 6" venting with fabric rubber banded on the end in the 4 remaining exhaust ports. I think I can leave the side flap open against the wall open without to much light getting in. I need to figure out how I can leave the other side flap open so that no light can get in. Any ideas?

[growell]

get some tubing about 50mm build a square around tent with 90 degree bends in corners some other lad show pics of tent

[growell]

he had same problem that what he did

[MrMagic]

Yeah I have done that and still not enough. Now I'm trying to figure out how to keep the rectangular side flap open without getting light in.

[Canuck147]

I too have a variable fan - do you have a variable speed controller? Need it.

Not just one that has 4 speed settings but one that you can adjust to your liking.

Like what I hot.

[MrMagic]

Damn I been over thinking it lol. Thanks dude dont know why i didnt think of it earlier. That being said do you have problems with the windings getting warm from running it at such a low speed. Just run a dimmer switch

[Canuck147]

My fan has been running 24/7 for over 2 years. I don't need to run it high.

[growell]

dont know mate u got me there if u try block light also blocking ventalation smaller fan

[MrMagic]

Just solved my problem until I can get a rehostat it's less than ideal but it works. Do t think the wife will like it tho. It don't go with the decor lol

[bboyfromwayback]

For less than $20 you can build a frame out of 3/4” pvc to keep it off your plants. All you’ll need is 8 90 degree Tees and enough length in pvc to have a top and bottom frame around your tent with four legs. I actually have 3 sets of legs at different heights depending on what I’m growing at the time. The tent will still get sucked in if the fan ya high enough but the frame will keep it off your plants if the top frame is high enough. 1” pvc takes up too much space and 1/2” isn’t rigid enough

[MrMagic]

That's a good idea to. I been trying to think of something like that. Plus it gives tie points for supporting buds

[bboyfromwayback]

Yea it’s very useful. More area to hang fans or screens and tall colas if needed. You could get the pieces to frame the entire tent and it wouldn’t cave in at all but i like being able to easily remove the front piece so it’s not in my way when I’m working in the tent.

[buds73]

If its only happening when lights go out are you able to increase the air intake at that time? Perhaps put a fan on a lower vent that would help to increase the air pressure inside your tent. I assume its happening when the air is cooler and not as expanded.

[MrMagic]

No it happens at lights out when I close up all the vents. The round vents i have dealt with, it's the rectangular side flaps I'm having the issues with. I open the flaps during lights on but when the lights go out, I close the side flaps to stop light from getting in and that's when it sucks in.
I could fix the problem by putting in a 4" inline fan, but it would be running at max power all the time to achieve sufficient air exchange. Which in turn shortens the lifespan of the fan and they are not cheap lol. The 6" runs on minimum power, it's not running hot ect... thus extending the lifespan. Ideally ud like to run at round 60% of capacity but I digress lol

[growell]

like canuck said speed controler only other thing

[buds73]

Ahh i see MrMagic . I've been looking at fans and filters myself last day or 2 and as you say yes they are expensive some of the prices would make me eyes water if i was to spend that lol

[growell]

black orchid are good price what i got just a bit loud

[MrMagic]

buds73 I love my vivohome. $110 with filter was pretty good I thought for a 6". Its whisper quiet to, all you hear is the air rushing through. It's just a little over powered. But thanks to everyone here I've come up with a coupla ideas that should help.

[buds73]

Thanks, i'll have to have a look see if i can find that here in the uk it sounds good. Been looking at kits but when looking deeper i see that the fans are not usually very good with most.

[MrMagic]

I got mine from amazon I would imagine they'll ship to the uk. It was anywhere from 110 to 150 cdn for fan and carbon filter

[buds73]

I think I found the one you mentioned on UK sight but its currently unavailable and not known when it's going to be in stock. I found it on the us site but it costs $224 for shipping, the item sells for $129 lol. Think I may have found a kit on ebay by fox filters which looks alright. Was thinking of getting a cyclone socket to control speed and temps.

[MrMagic]

That sux u cant get it. A speed controller would definitely help. The thing to remember with these inline fans is that they do make noise. The better ones, the motors themselves are super quiet but the noise level increases as fan speed and flow rates increase. This is due to air movement within the venting. Most venting is corrugated which amplifies the volume. Smooth venting will help with this.
somewhere on the GWE website the is an excellent article on calculating fan size for the size of your grow space. My 3'x3'x6.5' puts me at the upper reaches of a 4" fan. So I decided to go with a 6" so it wasn't running full tilt 24/7 and hopefully extending the lifespan of it. The draw back to that is obviously the walls sucking in. I think when the time comes to replace this one I will go with the 4". Now that i have an indoor grow under my belt I'm fine tuning my setup and I only really need the fan at lights out when it's all sealed up.
If buying from Amazon or Ebay take the time to read the reviews. The reviews usually have pix but sometimes they'll have a little video which helps cause you can get a sense of how loud a fan is if you watch it.
sorry for the long winded response but I hope this helps you to make a well informed decision.

[buds73]

Thanks for your informative post MrMagic.
It looks like I'm going to be getting a 90cmx90cmx185cm tent by Secret Jardin (space is 4inches too short for 4ft 🙁) so am I better off looking at maybe a 5" fan instead of the 6" one?

The fox filter fan I was looking at doesn't seem to have any reviews on ebay that I can see but I did a bit of googling and found some posts on other forums that give positive comments so will probably go for that and I'm looking to order by the end of the day, only thing is they don't have 5" in stock. The one advantage that model does have though is it comes with acoustic ducting with I assume will help with the sound a bit.

[buds73]

Well i went with with the 6" after and a speed and temp controller with a probe. If i experience any tent sucking in issues tent will be towards a corner so could possibly make some sticky back velcro loops to hold sides out to the wall. Got the 6" in case i find the room for a bigger tent in the future lol.

[MrMagic]

Nice I hope it works well for you

[buds73]

Thanks, I guess only time will tell but thanks for your input its been helpful. Once everything's setup I'll keep you updated via show us your grow thread.