Do you have trouble keeping the temps in your closet grow room down?

[Dagmar]

I grow in a 4'x5' closet and use several fans to push hot air out and pull cool air in but some times the temps get a little too high. Also, I've been fighting spider mites and I've treated the plants several times with AzaMax but now I'm about two weeks from harvest and I don't want to treat the plants again. Spider mites hate cooler temps, higher humidity, and a stiff breeze. They can not reproduce.

Then I remembered seeing a home made swamp cooler a few years back and decided to build my own. Very simple using a 4" PVC elbow, a 9" fan, a medium sized ice chest, and a block of ice (I use a plastic tub and freeze my own block of ice). Within about 15 minutes, the temp dropped from 77 to 72 and the humidity went from 42 to 55. I know 55 is a little high for plants at this stage but my priority is to stop the mites from breeding, laying eggs, and taking over my crop.

This sort of set won't work from most of you but it might help someone.

[Potted]

Looks like your grow is in soil spread sand on top of soil thay can't walk or breed in it ..... It chews up there ectoskeleton!!!!! Luck

[Dagmar]

I've heard that before but I also use diatomaceous earth. I've mostly killed off the mites but can always find just 2 or 3 (I have 9 plants) so if I can just keep those 2 or 3 from breading for the next 2 weeks or so, I good. ( I know... if I can find 2 or 3, there are more I haven't seen )

[DW2]

Dagmar,
That is neat! Simple and looks to be effective. My grow space is a closet 71" wide X 22" deep, and 96" tall with double bi-fold doors. This time of year, it is not too hard to keep the temperature in control, I just close off the heater register to the room that the closet is in. You might throw a chunk of dry ice in the cooler and see if it helps out, maybe?

[Dagmar]

That would be a good idea if I weren't so cheap !

Thanks!

[alltatup]

Dagmar, that's a really good design!! Yes, the water in my reservoir gets too warm at times, and I think I could rig something up like you have to keep the grow room temp. down. I'm not really wanting to buy a $200-something chiller for the reservoir...

[Dagmar]

I had the cooler, the fan, a drill and a jigsaw but had to buy the elbow for $2.50. Very easy, very cheap

Thanks!

[Canuck147]

Buds are looking mighty fine!

[Dagmar]

Thanks!

[gbauto]

Dagmar,
That is neat! Simple and looks to be effective. You might throw a chunk of dry ice in the cooler and see if it helps out, maybe?

I bet that would be pretty effective although I don't know how much dry ice is going for or how much it cost for a respirator.

[Thumbless Bastard]

What a minute. What is dry ice made of? CO2! Add just a little maybe? Just a thought.

[Dagmar]

Last time I bought dry ice it as around $10 for a block. I made bubble hash. Not cost effective for this project.

Respirator...is that what I made?

[Canuck147]

Not dry ice guys, just regular ice.

[Masi808]

Nice job on the swamp cooler i would just advise to get as much air circulation with the rh being a little high u want good air movement around those buds

[Dagmar]

Thanks. I'm also using a more powerful fan that on the low setting blows strong - but hopefully not too strong. The buds are filling in very nicely and, as a result, are crowding each other. Circulation is very important right now.

[PuravidaC]

I too struggle with heat and being a cheap SOB with serious DIY skills, tried to correct with multiple intake and exhaust fans. Finally bit the bullet and bought a good centrifugal fan along with a speed control last week. Problem solved! New fan is a little louder, mostly air flow, but not as noisy as my furnace fan. If anyone asks what's that noise, it will be my radon extractor! 😉

[PuravidaC]

I have a small grow space and struggled to keep temps below 90. After installing new fan, temps are steady in the upper 70's and fan controller is set on low. I'm very pleased with results and not worried about decreased air flow when I connect carbon filter during flower.

[PuravidaC]

Just reread your original post. Are you concerned that temps in upper 70's is too high? Are you growing in soil or DWC? Photo looks like soil.

[Dagmar]

Soil, but the reason that I want lower temps, lower 70s, is for mite control. With out the cooler the temps are in the upper 70s to lower 80s and mites bread like crazy when it's that warm.

[DW2]

I forgot to tell You Dagmar, that I also use ice bottles directly in my reservoirs to keep the temperature between 62 - 70 deg. F. In the warmer months I will change them out about every 2 - 3 hours, this time of year, one or two ice bottles keep the temperature down for the entire day.

[DW2]

Dagmar, You could also wrap the containers with an insulating material, like bubble wrap or foam packing, I wrap my reservoirs with the large bubble , bubble wrap and it helps keep the temperature down (or at least, in my mind ! lol). Also, if the containers are black or dark colored, and exposed to the light then wrap some aluminum foil around them to reflect it back. Remember it's only crazy if You wear it on Your head !! LOL.

[Dagmar]

Great idea! I'll just remove the foil wrapped around my head and wrap it around the containers.

But really, good idea.

[DW2]

Just be extra careful of the aliens and the government!! lol

[Beach_Town_Brit]

This is a great idea although keeping humidity down in late flower would be a challenge with this approach. On very hot days here I would prop a large frozen cooler freeze pack in front of my tent's intake vent. It would give me a 5 degree temp drop for a few hours during the hottest part of the day. It does create a puddle of condensation though.

[Dagmar]

KISS, I like it!

Keeping down humidity was less important than keeping down the mites.

[yamiacaveman]

Hey Dagmar,

I don't know about spider mites and I don't really know if this is a good over all idea, but I read a post, I don't think here, and I think it was for outside grows but, they guy said he mixes up garlic into his water and sprays his plants with that -- says it is a great repeller of bugs and animals. I don't know if it works or how your weed taste afterwords, but hell I like garlic.

[Dagmar]

Thanks for the suggestion - I heard that, too and did that in veg on an earlier grow to try to get rid of gnats but it didn't work. I haven't tried it since but I'm too close to harvest.