My basement room has changed some since my old posts, but largely remains the same. Where I had a poly film makeshift door separating the small veg area, I now have one big room. It ended up just being easier to set up a 5x5 tent for my veg area. I can run two light schedules and not trip over the makeshift zipper door.
So what I’ve got now is one big room (12 x 8 x 10 feet high) with the 5x5 tent in the corner. I have 4 600w QB fixtures, but only run two at a time. I scrog out one plant under each light and my yield is great… I like only flowering two big girls at a time.
Also run a big evaporative humidifier which keeps both the tent and room humidity at a fairly consistent 60%.
During winter months, a 220v heater keeps the the room and tent around 80F.
The room has two windows. One is completely sealed up, and the other is my exhaust. It’s just a carbon filter hooked up to an inline fan on lowest speed. It pulls air from upstairs and the rest of my house.
Everything is running pretty good overall. I’d rate my entire setup 7.5 out of 10 based on ease of operation, financial investment, and quality of my final cured flowers. But…I have identified a limiting factor. C02. I have an autopilot controller running in the big area. Not hooked up the the regulator or a bottle though. I’ve been using it strictly as a monitor.
When the exhaust fan is on, ambient room C02 is around 380. If I shut the fan off, it drops below 300.
Here’s where I’m stuck as to my next move.
If I start running C02 in the big room, I’m worried that my 20# bottle won’t last very long. Even if I seal up the exhaust window.
Should I buy a second tent (a 4x8) for my flower area and run C02 in it with the autopilot controller? Maybe put an exhale bag in the veg tent?
Do I just hook up C02 in the big room as I have it now and hope it lasts longer than a week? My goal now is to raise C02 as efficiently as I can without installing a burner or something major.
I have tried, but can’t figure this one out by laying awake at night thinking about it. All suggestions are appreciated.
Sorry I mistake you grow for someone else… was going on about your co2 but didn’t realize you got 4 600 hlgs very nice that’s what I run 4 hlg 600v2rspecs … you are definitely on power track to run co2… how many grows have you completed and just to check you know when you ramp co2 temp will rise and humidity will rise you will need extra ventilation cooling and dehumidifier or you will do all that for a bunch of bud rot which is heart breaking when your rolling the dice on that size bet
My concerns are that it may be attached to a living space. You should also have a regulator, this prevents overdoing it. I would hate for you to become asphyxiated as soon as you walk in.
Outside CO2 is around 400-450. You could increase air exchange to combat CO2 levels dropping.
As I mentioned, I have a CO2 controller, regulator and bottle. I’m familiar with how this setup works and wasn’t asking for any help with that specifically. Outside C02 here is about 380 peak. I already have air exchange which is how I get the levels in the room up to outside levels.
My question relates to if it makes more sense to raise the level in the lung room, or if I should get a second tent for flower and address C02 in each tent separately.
Strongly advocate this. You start bumping the CO2 up and you will have to increase heat-rejection and excess humidity. I’m growing at ambient CO2 at 7,110 ft altitude and my plants are gorgeous. Pretty sure I’m working with less CO2 than most growers.
You’d could heat and add co2 to the room using one , just an idea…
You’d want to bump your co2 levels to 700-800 which really isn’t bad for people to breathe in. Might give you a headache if it really got into the house.
At 700-800 ppm you’d see the change your looking for and you won’t use up a ton of gas getting there
Also you want to seal room to increase co2 levels and draw to the tent. It’s just easier to do. I wasted a 20lb bottle in 4 days trying to control the tent
CO2 is a spendy setup and to see the maximum results from this is when you have reached your point of taking your setup to the max like no matter what everything is perfect but can’t break 600 grams a plant ok time for that next level investment.
Because problems can be hidden and really be a issue in flower and then plan on having ways to tie your stalks up with milk jug colas and then airflow to keep bud rot from happening my point is I didn’t think stuff through and really got a couple of expensive lessons check and have redundancy on timers and plan on feeding more and water more and keep on the interval timer for when exhaust fan stops and then c02 mist for 40 seconds power outages while you are at work can mess up your timers one’s with internal batteries are best I’m my opinion
Just sharing something that got me with my pants down and pornhub playing and hope that this helps you a little bit and you look to be on your way to have some nice things going on keep up the great work and keep a pen and paper and notes from your current grow will beef up the next one set to watching
Up to 2000 ppm is accsoiate with head aches and drowsiness mildly… 5000 is when it starts to become problematic for humans had a discussion about this the other day… I went tin did some research and 1500ppm is barley noticeable to humans… not saying those co2 rooms aren’t leaking out and your getting accumulated co2 building up in low areas …displacing oxygen in unsuspecting areas… like if you got a leaky co2 tent and sleep in a low part of your house could cause a problem… if you do the person I conversed with made a good point… get co2 monitors …especially in your bed room I believe they dont even sound alarm below 2000ppm …I had no idea
sugar n yeast are prob two cheapest items mentioned on forum. Solid science. If you buy anything preassembled or at retail, we walk dif paths n I wish u well
It will not add any meaningful amount of CO2 to the grow space, and suspect that even if done with all other parameters correct that you still wouldn’t see enough to justify. This comes from growers who did push technical CO2 grows. If you’re gonna go to all the other effort; why run an exhale bag?
And I come from a professional brewer and distiller so know a bit about fermentation lol.
DIY CO2 generators can consistently hit 750 ppm. If ambient CO2 averages 400 ppm, we are a fart below 1200 ppm, which is optimal conditions for photosynthesis. Dunno what “meaningful amount” is with fermentation, but optimal is always a better quantity than meaningful. However, someone wiser already stated this is to attain artistry level flowers. If I ever get there, I guess its Pepsi challenge time
You’d be better off optimizing all other parameter of the grow space before attempting to add CO2. What burns me is to see a new grower, with blurple lights (underpowered) get talked into buying an exhale bag thinking he’s gonna get killer yields. Not gonna happen; it’s taking advantage of someone’s ignorance. Show me one serious grow using fermentation and I might re-think that.
Branches are going to touch each other and then having a way to tye them up for support.
Ok brutally honest if you not achieving rock hard buds right now with your current setup then c02 is a complete waste of time and money even if you got a restaurant c02 the big one for the soda fountain it would be silly.
So quick truth test for you
What is your goal is there a certain weight you want to get? Or is this for a look?
Do you have any knowledge of c02 usage in a green house setting?
Are you very good at reading your plants? Meaning can you tell what is wrong by just looking at them?
Do you know how to read a VPD chart and know what the numbers correspond to?
What is your weather like means what are you going to do when it’s 7 to 10% RH outside and 3 humidifiers going and you can only get to 22% RH
Do you have a good supply of nutrients and a good understanding of what your substrate or grow media is and how it cycles your nutrients because they will be very hungry
Bud rot it’s a bitch and the bigger and denser your stuff is the better it can hide I have rock solid buds look good on outside but grey inside by the stalk or stem
Do you have a place that will refill your bottles and not be nosey about or know what BS to say to a supply house for restaurants or a welding supply house? And a way to haul the bottles believe me some don’t have any common sense but have a Prius and big bottles don’t fit so well this is how I got my system for cheap and he paid 1400 dollars for it
If you said no to 2 or more of those then you don’t have any business getting a setup. If you have not maxed out your tent or room and not fixed anything for better results adding C02 can really enhance problems or give you that extra 5% but every thing has to be in unison it can hide some things but not much. If people are not saying that you have top shelf or better grass and key phrase would they buy your shit more than twice over the other options out there?
This is not to deter you or any thing funny but think about all the shit we bought that we wish we never had or to find out that to keep it and use it the oh holly shit balls this is expensive those expensive lessons teach you the most.
Btw the exhale bag and a 60 watt uvb I got almost the same results got more out of spiking the stalks and ice baths and people ask if I use c02 to get the frost. Hopefully this will help you out
Greetings! I am setting up a new grow room, about 12’ x 7’ x 8’. I have blacked out the windows and plan to install a ventilation fan by placing a hole in the wall of an adjacent room. Similarly, I want to put the exhaust fan in the ceiling with a carbon filter attached to vent into the attic which freely vents to the outdoors. I understand about negative pressure, and having a more powerful exhaust than intake. What I’d like to ask is which sort of exhaust fan/filter to purchase- it looks like what I am seeing are designed for tent situations. I want a 350 cfm inline exhaust/filter system. Can anyone advise me what to get? Thank you.
sugar n yeast are prob two cheapest items mentioned on forum. Solid science. If you buy anything preassembled or at retail, we walk dif paths n I wish u well