So I’m growing in part of my basement. I have a 20 X 8 section portioned off. I have 2 fans. One that needs charged and one that is always on. And a dinosaur of a dehumidifier. Like I remember this thing as a kid 24+ years ago. So idk how much help that’s doing.
But my humidity is constantly changing depending on the time of the day. From as low as 64% to as high as 82% I’ve seen once or twice. It’s usually somewhere between 64%-70% though.
I don’t know if anyone could give me a recommendation for a good dehumidifier or some tricks and tips on how to lower it without a dehumidifier would be nice as well. (That snt just open a window because unfortunately I’ve done that to get it down to 64%)
As always any advice is appreciated and will be taken and applied.
@TrichromeTay A 50-70 pint dehumidifier is what is use in my grow area. One with a pump to drain water or some such as mine use the hose with gravity drain. To save on the reservoir emptying.
Also… What are you using for ventilation? Or just recycling the air?
Unfortunately I haven’t had any consistent ventilation besides opening a couple basement windows/backdoor to let fresh air down. What forms of ventilation would you suggest? Would an air purifier help by any chance?
@TrichromeTay you’re going to want to invest in at least an 8” exhaust fan system. For a space that big if you’re planning to fill it then probably 2 big exhaust systems with plenty of fresh air intake. You’re also gonna want to move as much air inside the grow as possible. Need fans that run around the clock, no battery stuff. Oscillating fans or ac infinity 6” clip on fans work great. Is your grow portion sealed off pretty good? I’m in a basement in a 7x6 and was having humidity problems until I upgraded from a 4” exhaust to an 8” . I’ve always had a big basement dehumidifier but even that wasnt bringing humidity down below 70%. The combination now I’ve been right at 50-60% with exhaust running on speed 6 of 10.
It is not sealed off the best but it isn’t horrible.
I plan on getting an 8in inline fan when I can but unfortunately I had some unexpected expenses these past two weeks.
I don’t plan on filling it completely. Just 12 plants max. Just wanted to make sure I had plenty of space to be able to move around and give them room to grow because I planned on doing extra veg time for my photo periods.
I will definitely pick up a couple other fans. Unfortunately I was working with what I have ATM. But I will move it to the top of the small tier list of items to get.
So I’ve gotten my AC/DEHUMIDIFIER running downstairs now in the tent. The exhaust goes out the side window now that I’ve got it rigged up finally.
It’s staying at around a max of 70-72%. I have 2 oscillating fans and 1 chargeablr computer desk fan. I also have the dinosaur dehumidifier as well but I’ve been wanting to see what the AC/Dehumidifier unit would do with the fans first.
It seems to be inconsistent humidity though. One minute it could be 66% the next up to 70%.
Any advice on how to possibly drop it like 5% and keep it stable?
Does your dehumidifier run Constantly ? Replacing it with a new one will help with your energy bill if its 10+ years old
Having fresh air moving through your grow space will def help
Since your basement seems really damp you could try walling off the space your growing in and using panda plastic to line the walls and floor as a moisture / vapor barrier then place dehumidifier inside that area along with exhaust and intake fans for fresh air
You could use dry lock as well but its pricey
Another trick is to heat the air to help dry it what temp does your basement maintain
Fyi im a retired Commercial HVAC Tech
I will definitely try out the panda plastic first and move up to the dry lock from there. Definitely getting the inline fan though for sure! I just moved it a little bit further away from my tarp so it gets better air flow into the dehumidifier and it’s actually dropping a little.
It is fairly new. Only 2 or 3 years old thankfully. Works great for the upstairs just had a new challenge in the basement. I will be looking into everything here shortly.
As far as ambient temperature I want to say it varies between 75°- 80° on a hot day but anywhere from 65°-75° on a cool day. Going off of current season.
I’m checking into it now. All the advice is much appreciated. If you think of anything else feel free to leave another comment! They’re always needed since you can always learn more no matter how experienced.
Will do i set to watching feel free to tag me if you have a question @TrichromeTay
Hey if you handy the ductless splits are really easy install its a couple pipes and some wires
Start up and electrical hook ups would depend on you comfort level and knowledge
When looking into Inline fans check out the AC infinity line up they are a bit pricey compared to others but on high and they give you a really nice control on low end they have a decent controller i have the first and love it
I have the second as well and its over 8 years old
Also how many square feet will you have once you use plastic and wall it off ? That will determine what size fan to buy
Honestly by the end of the cycle it will be about 4x16. I plan on having 4 sf4000 5x5 veg 4x4 flowering. So minimum will be 4x16 maximum will be 5x20. I can only do 12 plants LEGALLY so I figured I’m going to run 6 and 6 cycles. 6 autos and 6 photos. Do two cycles of the autos while bushing out my feminized to where It will take up the 4 lights with all 6 plants to have a hefty harvest after every 2 smaller cycles. That’s the plan at least.
I was looking at spider farmer inline. How would that compare to the AC infinity line up?
I have no experience with that line and cant speak on it but the Ac infinity are fantastic they are DC motors so they ramp up and down as needed so they are very efficient. 6 inch will be fine for your space
If you dont want to build a perm wall look at this
I did a quick search on these but they sell the zipper only kits you can ise the panda plastic and install zipper so you have acess
I currently have two 12mil tarps closing off the area I’m using. One blocks off the length of 20feet and the other hooks around to the other to eclipse it off. Unfortunately ATM they are just overlapping so there is no tight seal to the room but it does trap the temperature to be stable and light from staying in.
Would you still recommend me to remodel?
Also, thanks for the honesty on the Spider-Farmer brand instead of just trying to steer me towards what you prefer. I appreciate that.
Of course i have no reason to push one brand over another im just a guy who like growing indoors lol
As far the remodel i grew in 2 area set up with the panda plastic for years in my old house up in NY in the basement as well
Panda plastic will also help reflect your light unlike tarps so i would at the min use that instead of tarps
You can get a big roll of it for around 130 if you shop around
Congrats on the baby mine are all grown up youngest is 23
Is it your first
Yeah its a fairly cheap product and works really well
I lined my walls cieling and floors with it then. Had a zipper door like i showed and basically built a tent and i grew a lot of bud in there with carbon filters nobody knew
I have a portable Hp with a window kit installed that in the tent/room to control temp/humidity
Hell yeah. Lol. I use to grow as a teen with my dad but he would always get paranoid because it wasn’t legal yet in Ohio so he’d kill them off like a month or so before harvest. It was heartbreaking tbh.
And yes this is my first! It was a pleasant surprise since I didn’t think I could have kids between the ages of 25-30. But here I am and 4 months till they get here! Lol. I’m beyond excited.
Yeah if the panda can enhance my grow then I’m definitely going to try it out when I can. Would it be a bad idea to make a panda grow room inside of the tarped off area? That way there’s privacy around the grow room. The other half of the basement is my partner/apprentice Bedroom. So I try to be as respectful as possible and not have the sun be 15 feet from their sleeping quarters and all. Lol
I say apprentice because they know literally nothing when it comes to this but they want to smoke so I told them if they help me maintain things I will give them 10-20% of my first harvest. Depending on how much they actually do. Which they’ve basically just learned and been an extra pair of hands.
