new grow space setup advice

[Coco.coir]

I am setting up a new grow space.

size : 2x3x5 feet (30 cfm)
light : advanced platinum p300
medium : coco coir
filter : 4x12'' Phresh or equivalent.

i am confused about the inline fan as some says if too powerful it might dry up the water quickly and also decreases too much the temperature and humidity.

stealth is a must in this grow.


which inline fan would be best?

i am planning of using the s&p td-160s, rated at 106 cfm on high and 82 cfm on low?
will it be ok? Or too strong or too weak?

your sincere advice will be highly appreciated.

I also forgot to mention that the exhausted air will be vented in the same room as the grow box.
room is roughly 4 times bigger than the grow space.
will this be an issue?

[PuravidaC]

I started out with a 2X2X4 grow box with an in-line fan (85cfm) because stealth was important to me too. Had a hard time keeping temps down even with CFL's so I added PC fans at intake and exhaust. Still had heat issues. Finally bought a 170 cfm centrifugal fan with a speed control and very happy. New fan is a bit louder (mostly from increased air flow) but that can be reduced with speed control. Another concern with old set up was how much air flow is restricted when carbon filter is used. It's a tough call when stealth is an issue but new fan is diffently quiter than my furnace fan and can only be heard when in the area of exhaust. You can always get a muffler but if anyone asks I'm gonna say it is the radon extraction system. We have radon in some basements in my area. Long story but I highly recommend getting a good fan with speed control.

[NebulaHaze]

You may not need an exhaust fan to deal with heat with that grow light (which only uses 185W out of the wall on full blast) but you do need an exhaust fan connected to your carbon filter with ducting to make your carbon filter work effectively.

However, when I looked at that individual fan it appears to be an inline fan, not an exhaust fan. I think it may be overkill to use that in addition to an exhaust fan. An exhaust fan a similar strength to the model you listed should work, but if you're worried you could contact the manufacturer and just double check that they recommend it for your size carbon filter.

You can also get a speed controller like PuravidaC said, which lets you turn down the power if the fan ends up being too strong. Some exhaust fans have a speed controller built in and let you put the fan on different settings instead of just at full blast. That way you can always reduce the power if necessary.

The only other tip I can think of is to make sure you hang your exhaust fan from inside the tent - that will greatly reduce noise compared to setting it on something. I hope that helps!

[Coco.coir]

Thanks a lot nebula...
which exhaust fan brand do you recommend and is also quiet?

[Flockshot]

For my 2c, I am big on environment. Temperature and humidity. If you control those 2 things your grow area will be hard to argue with.

[NebulaHaze]

Thanks a lot nebula...
which exhaust fan brand do you recommend and is also quiet?

An example of a pretty well-rated 4" exhaust fan is the 4" Ventech 190 CFM exhaust fan with a speed controller to adjust the speed/power of the fan. I'm not sure how quiet that particular model is, but it makes a big difference to hang them from inside of the tent so they're hanging instead of sitting on something. Right now I personally use a 6" Can Max 334 CFM Fan (which has speed settings built in) but I think that would be overkill in your space! I have used it in a grow tent in my bedroom, and I'd say it was a 6 out of 10 when it came to how annoying the sound was on the lowest setting (which is what I kept it on most of the time). You couldn't really hear it outside the room unless you were right next to the door, so I imagine a smaller fan would be even quieter!

[Coco.coir]

Thanks again, I have checked the specs and I think it would be too loud for my setup.
im think to upgrade the fan to S&P td-350 silent.
high 380 m3/hr and low 280 m3/hr.
im opting for this as it is quieter and smaller than the 4'' s&p model.
im planning to use it with a variac controller.do you think it would work.
I cannot go for an exhaust fan as I don't have space to fit 2 silencers with the filters.
when using the variac controller , can it be tuned to operate lower than 280m3/hr.?

[PuravidaC]

My current set up it too small for fan and filter inside. I have both outside my grow area and it works fine. Be sure all ducting is sealed good at connections (airtight) and you will be fine. If fan is too loud you can u-tube videos for enclosing fan in a box to reduce noise.

[yamiacaveman]

My tent is about your size, just taller, I have a carbon filter setup, 4 inch and a similar 4' Ventech 190 cfm fan with speed controller set up.

Right now I can't really use it -- It really sucks out my humidity. With the heat and humidity rising to the top of the tent, the exhaust fan does take out the heat, but drops my humidity down to the 20% area.

Adding just a small fan inside the tent helped more than the exhaust fan.

So now, I basically adjust, with my light height above the plants, inside tent fan, and tent vents open or closed.

Perhaps as my girls get older and require less humidity I will revert back to the exhaust fan. But so far they seem to like the higher humidity, so they shall have it.

It's all an experiment, don't you just love it.