Last Updated on April 20, 2022 by Gary Stephen
Typically, indoor growing would call for a ventilation system that is geared to blow air into the outside environment. However, there would be particular cases wherein this type of setup is least likely a viable option. For that instance, venting grow tent into the same room would be the next best thing to do. Nevertheless, this approach isn’t much of a flawless quick fix. It has its own challenges that if not addressed accordingly, may spell out disaster for your cultivars.
Fear not though, my friend! We have carefully collated valuable solutions to help you, fellow growers, achieve effective ventilation inside your grow tent without the need to disperse air outside. Here’s how:
Importance of ventilation in the grow tent.
Before digging into the details of our main topic, let us just first establish why it is important for proper air circulation and exhaust system to take place inside the grow tent.
- It helps to control heat and humidity thus promoting a conducive environment for plant growth.
- Also, it strengthens the plant’s stem by enabling its parts to bend and sway freely.
- It prevents the plants from getting molds, powdery white mildew, and bud rotting.
- It protects them against fungus, spider mites, and other pests.
How does ventilation in the grow tent work?
In a normal setting, a grow space would have two ports, one for intake and the other for the exhaust. The intake port is where the fresh air from the outside flows through. On the other hand, the exhaust port is where used and hot indoor air is pushed out of the room.
It is imperative to fill the grow space with fresh and clean air as this nourishes the plants with their much-needed supply of carbon dioxide. Moreover, the cool air helps to regulate the temperature inside the room. On that note, it is utterly necessary to forcefully expel hot and contaminated air out of the space to maintain a healthy environment.
Factors that prompt deviation from the normal process.
The above explains how the usual ventilation process ensues in an indoor grow tent. However, if your space happens to fall into these circumstances:
- No source of fresh and cool air supply within the nearby vicinity.
- You have a sealed room that literally has no windows or designated opening throughout the walls.
- Doors and windows need to always stay locked due to privacy and security considerations.
If any of the above ticks your box, then you might have no choice but to improvise and set up a venting grow tent system into that exact room instead. However, it is not as easy as it may sound. There will be various problems that you might possibly encounter along the way. Here are some of the few:
- Heat build-up within the room.
- Accumulation of unpleasant odor within the space.
- Increases the chances of dampening the walls thereby predisposing the formation of mold and mildew.
- Increases the level of humidity thus more difficult for plants to undergo transpiration.
How to maintain a healthy grow tent in a sealed room while venting grow tent into same room
We have already identified the probable issues that may arise given that the venting system is installed in a sealed room, which means no air can be emitted out of the space. Now, let us present a number of potential solutions to address when venting grow tent into same room.
Solution #1: Ensure the grow tent has sufficient space when venting into the same room.
When the room is enclosed, you would want a space large enough to allow the cold air to be separated from the hot and humid air. Thus, appropriate air circulation within the room can still take place despite the absence of the usual intake and exhaust ports.
So, how big of a space are we talking about?
In all honesty, there would be no direct answer to that. Although, it is generally safe to consider a basis of at least 150 to 200 square foot of room area for a 5×5 grow space.
The basement room of a residential property or any establishment is a good example of a confined area with a large space. On the other hand, a bare closet or apartment room would also suffice as an option for a small sealed grow facility.
Solution #2: Determine Feasible Venting Options.
Given the situation that you are not able to release the air outside of the room, then a passive venting system is your next viable solution. Below are the few ways to do it:
1. Vent out via the window
If your space is lucky enough to have access to a window, you may efficiently utilize this area by connecting the ducting from the exhaust port towards the window.
Moreover, it would also be of great help to install a fan too. In that manner, the movement of air becomes more effective as opposed to just simply relying on air pressure.
Here are some of our best picks for exhaust fans:
Hon&Guan 4 Inch Home Ventilation Fan
SAILFLO 4 Inch Wall-Mounted Exhaust Fan
AC Infinity AIRTITAN T3 Ventilation Fan 6 Inch
Hon&Guan 6 Inch Home Ventilation Fan
2. Duct out to another room when venting grow tent into same room.
If option A is not available, then you may resort to exhausting the air to the available room next to or closest to your grow space. In order to do that, you must build a ducting system connecting the tent exhaust out into the other room.
In addition to that, you would also need to place a fan at the end portion of the vent. It should be almost twice as powerful as the main exhaust fan of the tent in order to keep a consistent amount of airflow in the entire ducting.
AC Infinity Cloudline T8 Quiet 8 Inch Inline Duct Fan
TerraBloom 8 Inch Quiet Inline Duct Fan
Vivosun 8 Inch 740 CFM Inline Duct Ventilation Fan
Hurricane HGC736585 Commercial-Grade Inline Fan 10 Inch
iPower 12 Inch 1060 CFM Inline Duct Ventilation Fan
3. Duct out to the attic when venting grow tent into same room
Another possible place to vent air is in the houses vacant attic. Howbeit, this option comes with formidable issues such as the following:
- Odor.
If so happens that the air from the grow tent will be released out into the attic, anticipate that the smell would likely spread all through the entire house.
If you are living alone then that wouldn’t be much of a concern. However, if you are cohabiting with someone else, then this might possibly cause a problem.
To control odor issues, you may place a good quality carbon filter at the start and end of the exhaust. This will help thoroughly purify the air from any unpleasant smell and other contaminants.
Our recommended air carbon filters:
Vivosun 4 Inch Air Carbon Filter Odor Control with Australia Virgin Charcoal
iPower 4 Inch Air Carbon Filter
Phresh Filter 701003 Inline Filter
G-Hygro 6 Inch Air Carbon Filter Upgraded Hexagonal Hole
- Molds.
As the air from the entire house circulates into the vent, the heat from various areas, like in the kitchen, will be drawn up as well. For that matter, the combination of heat and humidity in the attic puts the space subsequently at risk for mold formation.
To prevent this from happening, it would be best to either install a separate exhaust or reroute the vent in the kitchen to effectively release the heat out of the house. With that being done, it eliminates heat and humidity accumulation and as well as prevention of mold infestation in the attic.
Solution #3: Exhaust Port UP, Intake Port DOWN.
By the law of nature, hot air is lighter and that is why it tends to float. Meanwhile, cold air is denser hence it sinks low. Following that principle, it is best for us to set up the exhaust port on the upper level as it is where warm air is most likely at. On the same note, it is a good idea to install the intake ports on a lower level for which the cold air is expected to settle.
Most commercially available tents sold in the market today are already built following the same concept. Nonetheless, if this has not been implemented yet in your own grow tent then I would highly suggest for you to make the necessary adjustments to help address the ventilation issues.
Solution #4: Make Use of an Airconditioning Unit.
It is ideal to invest in an airconditioning unit as this brings a lot of positive benefits for your grow space. Here are a few:
- Maintains the coolness of the room temperature.
As we have already discussed earlier, the issues with heat and humidity can be alleviated by using the AC to consistently keep the temperature down at a comfortable level.
- Supplies new air when venting grow tent into same room.
Although the air conditioning units cannot take the air out of the room, it can, however, instill new air in. That being said, ACs seem to be quite a convenient solution especially if you are struggling to provide the supply of fresh air for your plants.
- Dehumidifies the room.
Inherent to the AC’s mechanism, the occurrence of condensation within its coils helps to draw in moisture from the surrounding air and eventually drains the fluid down and out. However, at the same time, you also have to be vigilant and ensure not to make the air overtly dry.
Taking into account the lack of designated holes or windows, a mini-split type AC sounds like a great choice for a sealed grow room. Here are some of our top picks:
Pioneer Air Conditioner Mini Split Heat Pump
Covac 12,000 BTU Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioner
Senville SENL-12CD Mini Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump
Innovair Air Conditioner Inverter Ductless Wall Mount Mini Split System
Klimaire 12,000 BTU KSIV 19 SEER Ductless Wall Mount Mini Split Air Conditioner & Heat Pump Set
Solution #5: Utilize Active Exhaust Systems.
As discussed earlier, warm air is less dense thus inclined to float around the ceiling. Given that logic, a passive means of venting air out of the room would simply not suffice. It is more rather effective to impose an active exhaust system. This means, facilitating the removal of hot air with the aid of an exhaust fan.
Our top suggestions for duct fans:
Vivosun 4 Inch 203 CFM Inline Duct Fan
AC Infinity Cloudline T4 Quiet Inline Duct Fan
Sailflo Inline Duct Fan 6 Inch
iPower 6 Inch 442 CFM Inline Duct Ventilation Fan
Solution #6: Use High-Quality Carbon Filters.
Needless to say, the use of carbon filters is an absolute must for every indoor grow space. Its purpose becomes even more apparent especially if you are tending to an enclosed environment. For which, you would highly require to filter out odor and volatile organic contaminants in order to prevent it from re-circulating again and again in the room. Such impurities are neither healthy for you nor your cultivars.
Air filters containing Australian virgin charcoal are widely known in the market to be the purest and most effective variety of carbon filters. Here are a few of our top suggestions:
G-Hydro 4 Inch Air Carbon Filter with Australia Virgin Activated Charcoal
AC Infinity Air Carbon Filter 4 Inch with Premium Virgin Charcoal
Vivosun 6 Inch Air Carbon Filter Odor Control with Australia Virgin Charcoal
iPower GLFILT8M 8 Inch Air Carbon Filter with Australia Activated Carbon
TerraBloom Air Carbon Filter 8 Inch with Activated Charcoal Scrubber
Solution #7: Regulate the Light/Dark Cycles Accordingly.
The light/dark cycle is essential in the plant’s growth and development. It is somewhat mimicking the natural day and night but in a more controlled condition. During the light cycle, here is where the plants undergo photosynthesis. Meanwhile, the transpiration takes place during the dark cycle phase.
Both of the said cycles have their own impending issues. Light cycles require the usage of light thus increase the susceptibility to heat buildup. On the other hand, dark cycles also increase the vulnerability of the space to the accumulation of humidity.
In each of the cycles, factors such as air circulation, room temperature, and level of relative humidity must be regulated and monitored accordingly so as not to cause untoward problems.
Quick Ventilation Tips for a Sealed Grow Room
- Use a thermometer to monitor for temperature flux.
- Keep windows or doors open whenever possible.
- If feasible, attach the grow room to central heating and air conditioning systems.
- Pay more attention to ventilation especially during the summer season.
- Regularly maintain the integrity of your ventilation system to avoid unexpected failures and interruptions.
So, there you go! You see, there are a lot of possible ways to efficiently manage ventilation despite having an enclosed indoor grow space. It may call for extra keenness but nevertheless it would all still be worth it once you have successfully grown out healthy cultivars in the end.
