Last Updated on June 8, 2020 by MakeThingsReal
Indoor growers benefit an endless growing season… full control of growing conditions and indoor growing convenience. All this sounds wonderful but sometimes we overlook the use of ventilation in the room. A grow tent ventilation system provides the right amount of light and air to your plants. In addition, it checks the amount of humidity present in the air.
When it comes to indoor growing, it’s so important that you control your environment. A good ventilation system is necessary to make this happen. Proper ventilation of the tents is important for healthy plant growth. Proper filtration is equally essential to clean the air and remove all odors. You should be replacing the air in your grow space at least every 5 minutes when the lights are on. It’s even quicker if your environment is struggling to combat the heat.
On top of this, it is important to circulate your air within the tent. This will do a number of things to improve growth. That includes keeping temperatures and odors down, strengthens plants, and more.
To be specific here are the reasons:
Prevent Pests and Diseases.
It reduces the chances of diseases like mold and powdery mildew from developing. It helps protect your plants from pests like spider mites and fungus gnats.
Control Humidity.
It helps you control the temperature and humidity of your grow room. A good ventilation system wicks away some of the water released during transpiration. It allows your plants to absorb more water and pull up nutrients through their root systems… boosting growth.
Remove Excess Heat.
Grow lights emit heat. It might not seem like much to you… but a few degrees in temperature can mean the difference between successful crops to less one.
Control CO2.
Ventilation brings in the fresh air and fresh CO2 from outside. It removes the old air from your grow room, boosting growth and yields.
How To Ventilate Your Grow Tent?
First of all, you need the right type of grow tent ventilation system. Selecting a fan for basic ventilation of your grow room isn’t easy. There’s a lot of options out there. For starters, you need an in-line duct fan that is greater than your grow room’s calculated CFM. Once you have the specifications for the fan, you have to choose a make and model.
The important part of the ventilation system is the fan and the carbon filter. You need to have proper ducting to connect the filter and the fans. You’ll check the airflow and circulation when you have the fans working properly. Here are some details that would be ideal.
Setting Up Fans:
You should hang the fans on the crossbar inside the tent, using rope ratchets. These will help in adjusting the accessories without affecting the plants. There will be two types of fans that you can use as ventilation within the grow tent. These two are:
- Oscillating fans
- Air Extractor fan system
Oscillating Fans:
The oscillating fans are cheap and quite effective. They are used to continually blow air around the plants. This will improve the air circulation in the tent. The setup process of oscillating fans is quite easy. It will give you enough room to maintain your plants.
When setting up the oscillating fans, you will need to have a number of them, depending on the size of the grow tent. While hanging the fan, make sure they aren’t directly on your plants to prevent windburn. If so, that can cause severe plant damage.
If you have a small Grow Room, iPower Ventilation Kit With Monitor is recommended for use. Its handy size is perfect for your grow room.
Air Extractor Fan Setup:
The air extractor is used in the ventilation system as it will take out the oil air and bring in the fresh air. You should hang the extractor fan on the crossbar and ensure that it runs once every 5 minutes. This is the only way to make sure you have proper air circulation inside the tent.
One of the best air extractors available on the market is
IOBIONICS Complete Ventilation Kit and Vivosun Grow Tent Ventilation System.
Calculating fan strength
- Calculating the fan strength you need requires a little bit of math, but it is relatively simple. Fans are rated by CFM or cubic feet per minute. To figure out the CFM you need, you need to know:
The dimensions of your grow room or tent
The exhaust efficiency
- Calculate the total volume of your grows room by multiplying the length x width x height. Next, we are going to multiply it by the efficiency drop.
- This efficiency varies based on the age and makes of the filter. Also… the length of the duct between the fan and filter, on top of an endless list of other factors. At the minimum, you want to multiply the volume of your room by 25%. Here is a good rule of thumb: if you have a long duct path, multiply it by three, and if you have a short path multiply it by 2.
Your formula should look like this:
Volume of room x efficiency drop = CFM
Passive Intake vs Active Intake
There are two ways that you can bring air into your grow room, referred to as passive intake or active intake.
- Passive intake relies on passive airflow and negative pressure. With this grow room ventilation system, you have a fan blowing air out but no fan blowing air in. Instead, you have an intake hole that passively allows new air to enter,
- Active intake systems constantly draw air with a ventilator into your grow room. All that this means is that you have one fan blowing air out and another blowing air in. The size of the intake hole doesn’t matter as much in this system. If your intake hole is the same size as the outtake hole then you might want to consider using an active intake system.
Essential Grow Tent Components
This guide is written with the assumption you have already chosen or purchased your grow tent… but it is also applicable if you are operating in a grow room. These are the three vital components you need to create a ventilation system:
Inline Duct Fan (Active Exhaust Fan)
Also called an extractor fan. It is an active exhaust fan used to expel the hot and humid air from inside your grow room or tent. The inline duct fans also act as a vacuum that brings in air carrying fresh CO2.
Duct Tubes
Ducting is clamped or taped onto your inline duct fan. It acts as a channel to route the stagnant air away from your grow space. They are usually made of aluminum. They are occasionally multilayered for extra protection from tears. Its size and bends affect how your inline duct fan performs but more on this later.
Carbon Filter
To prevent odors from spreading out towards your garage or closet, you will need a carbon filter. They are also used to trap pollen and spores. It keeps the air clean for growers with allergies and breathing issues like asthma.
Choosing the right ventilation system for your grow room complicated. It is important for indoor growers to understand how ventilation systems work. The benefits of grow room ventilation systems. Once you know the basics, you are in a much better position to choose the right system for your operation.