Gearing up 4 first controlled grow

[KingSimon]

Just joined this site, and glad to be here.

[LuckyAcres]

Boy lots of questions, I'll try answer some and let the gang fill in the many blanks.
the carbon filter should fit just fine, looking into getting one myself.
i use half coco coir and half ocean forest, plants are happy.
humidity will need to be close to 35 for flowering so plan ahead as early as you can. Gives you time to tweak the settings before you actually need it.
Air flow. What you take out must be replaced or you end up with weird ass pressurization in you tent and plants need fresh air anyways. I've found out too that if intake and outtake fans sizes don't match it might impact the fan itself. One working harder than the other...but I'm no engineer...
i went for a scrog on my first grow but I also have 20 years in horticulture under my belt, it's a different beast than growing upright that's for sure but it can be done.
in the end I'd suggest to anyone to read GWE tutorials ...a bunch of times!!!...since every situation is so particular and unique.
hope this helped!

[KingSimon]

Absolutely. Thanks a lot.

[OzBud]

Shouldn't need a carbon filter until flowering. Plenty of time.

[KingSimon]

I appreciate it. So just go with the duct fan then for now? Or exhaust fan maybe not sure what to call it with out looking.

[OzBud]

it's up to you but to me they generally don't smell enough in veg to use a filter. I know some growers don't hook up their filter until flowering.

[Nartak]

If u have an exhaust fan u dont need anything else for now!!Save it for something else!!A cal mag,some lime,perlite,clippers,anything but something u dont need for a good month +

[Nartak]

Hahaaaa!!Giggled when i saw this thread pop up!!
First of all may your endeavors bring you the pleasures you are looking for and may you have all the good luck in them!

Now to the real part..

I will start with what you started and that is the hood! I will first notice out that i left my 600w MH on for less than a minute without the fan on and the inner cables-the coated ones got black,that said,first get a fan and then get the lamp running!! It is a sealed hood is it not?

As for fan,i have a 125mm VKO exhaust fan (183m³/h) that suck air from the hood/lamp and throws it out the back top outlet i have in my tent!
The other side of the hood is connected to ducting that leads to a window where cool air is sucked into to move through the lamp!
This exhaust fan is just hanging of the bars in the tent,attached to 2 pieces of ducting (from the hood to the fan and from the fan to the filter) and is sufficient in creating a 2,5" deep curve for my 4.5x4.5.
It is also sufficient in cooling the MH/HPS(600w) down to 23Celsious when the glass is in place,i remove it for this grow as the plants seem to like it!

You can use just an exhaust fan and you can do fine,it really all depends on what you want to do!An inline fan pulling air from a hood into a ducting is quite good!!Are you having your filter inside or outside,that is something you want to ask yourself!! It will help you place your ducting right and then you will know what kind of fan to use and where ot put it (outside,inside for the filter\exhaust or inline fan)

Not to bump LuckyAcres but it really depends on your strain about the humidity,i have 49% lights on 57% lights off and im doing fine,growing indica based hybrid bred specifically for humid areas tho Also autos can withstand humidity and mold unlike photos!!Ruderalis is a strong damn gene!

I have not recommendations on soil esp US based products but most people here know them off by heart!

About the scrog,i wouldn't right away, i would say go with lst,defoliation and OR manifolding at first!It is in my belief that scrog is kinda harder to do right and harder to right your wrongs in the net...Thats just me and hey,im doing extreme things i shouldn't on my first grow so who am i to stop u....

What ever you do,keep it green matie!

[Nartak]

If you are pulling you have less chances of hot spots building up!!If u are pushing as aslways,corners can be hard

[KingSimon]

By pushing I mean filter to fan to light so that if air leaks through hood it will be filtered instead of pulling air through hood that is not filtered. Still pulling out the tent. Not sure if we are on the same page or I'm not following you...

[Nartak]

A )So inside the Tent there is Filter --> ==== ---> Fan =====[hood]===== ---> Ducting ---> Out
It pulls from the inside of the tent through the filter to then PUSH through the hood and out the ducting.

B) This is my setup and has no leaks due to pulling.
Window ----> ===========[tent duct hole] ----> ====== [hood] --->===== Exhaust fan ==== -----> Outside the duct hole ====== Filter

It pulls cold air from the window,pulls it through the hood and then pushes HOT AIR(easier to go move and point upwards than cold air) to the filter and in the room...

All in all you have 3-5 weeks of veg and 2+ weeks of flower to think about the filter,IF you need it depending on what u grow...For now i just have a danky scent every time the light go on for the first 10 mins,then its gone...

[KingSimon]

Okay we're on the same page... Lol

[Nartak]

This would pull from the hood + filter and have it thrown outside (the fan would be closer to the output so no pushing-leaks,also would avoid corners with the ducting after the fan)
See here how the fan is right at the end of the tent? Any leaks are now a problem of the outside world and the scent is already dealt with by SUCKING-PULLING through the filter right at the start!



Now take this setup and DON'T put the filter there,only put it outside the tent after the fan and take the ducting thats attached to the filter,position it in front of a window outside the tent.
Thats how i've done it.

And this is an example of pushing through the hood!

[KingSimon]

Okay. On the top picture if the hood leaked it would be un filtered air. If you moved the duct to a window then you are filtering outside air and possible hood leaks. On the bottom picture if the hood leaks it is leaking filtered air back into your tent... If I pull through my hood my filter will be outside. If I push through my hood it will be already filtered air. If I was gonna use a window I would have a duct on the bottom of the tent from the window with a filter at the top going through the fan to hood to out. The bottom and to duct wouldn't be connected...

[Nartak]

Naah man the top picture there are no leaks,air is being sucked therefore doesn't bump tinto itself!When you push through a ducting there are many bumps which would make air bounce right up if pushing!Pulling it directs it all towards the end..Also as the top picture is you would be pulling filtered air in from the tent to the hood and then to the room or window..If you do it my way you are PULLING air from the hood(again no leaks) and pushing it towards the filter (the filter is the end point the window is the start point of air) so no scent to the window,air is being suckj from it,no leaks in the hood,suction from pulling sees to it,no unfiltered air in the room outside the tent,it first hits the filter!

[KingSimon]

Totally agreed. The bumps in the duct, interesting perspective. I smell what you're cooking. I personally have never pushed or pulled through a hood... Yet, so I'm working out ideas in my head. Having the at the end or blowing into it all that goes away. If you go window duct, hood, fan, filter 1. What are you filtering
2. Where does your fresh tent air come from

[Nartak]

You know you are right, i totally missed the point of the suction,or didn't i...Just blazed to slow to scroll up...As you know,there will be a vacuum effect in your tent regardless of where the ducting sucks from,more so if you place the sucking end in the tent!!Your tent walls will go in on the sides,thus sucking the air/heat/scent in from the hood (mine is not 100% air sealed so it does work like that even with the glass on)

My fresh air comes from the window,it gets pulled in the hood (STOP,here is where your answer is,the air from tent get's sucked into the hood also,scent,heat,humidity)cools the lamp by bringing in lower temp air,sucks in the tents current temp/air etc and moves to the fan(pulled) and then is pushed for 1meter straight upwards to the filter outside-ontop the tent.

In addition to "What im filtering" i will add that the air from outside comes in,goes through the tent and out the filter and then sits in the room where the tent is,thus the room always has clean,Co2 rich,filtered air in it!

[Nartak]

Here you are,Nebula's presentation on the matter of how to setup a grow tent