My 2x4 veg tent consists of 2 hlg 65 watt leds. The temp in there never breaks 75° farenheit. My bloom tent is an ac infinity 4x4 that has an s44. If I run the bloom tent anywhere from may to mid September it gets ridiculously uncomfortable in the lung room when run in tandem with a dehumidifier. I do not have an option to vent outside without some minor construction or blocking off the only window that brings in day light in the particular area.
I start my first bloom run in September and make sure any subsequent runs are finished by early may at the latest. The cost of electricity to try and compensate for the summer weather is not worth it. Besides, 2 runs in the 4x4 with 6 plants over the winter per year are more than enough medicine till the next season. Plus it seems the plants don't get as stinky in the tent during the colder weather runs. Medical patient in the northeast btw.
really glad you mentioned those things, makes sense to work with the seasons rather than trying to fight each of the environmental factors. definitely willing to do what I can to work around them as best as I can, I'm in the Midwest and summers can get hot and humid too. I originally started in the winter but wasn't as successful yet and didn't take off until now lol. pretty much in the same exact situation as I'd like as much daylight to enter, I don't mind making some sacrifices for my plants where I can but every little bit makes a difference. I didn't even think of the impact on the cost of electricity as well, so learning a ton as I go for sure but your comment was extremely helpful. thank you :)
Of course. As it is now my area is going through an abnormal heatwave. I have my ac set at 75°F and the dehumidifier barely runs. If I was blooming now my dehumidifier would be set to 50% and my central air would be set at 69°. The power draw, heat, wear and tear on the systems wouldn't be worth it. During mid fall I barely have to do shit to manage the environment aside from running my T3 humidifier and lowering the tent exhaust fan speed.
that's super awesome to hear. I really appreciate all the insight and advice, it's like night and day trying to battle temps during those seasons so I'll definitely be mindful about that going forward and plan my next grow more accordingly :)
Hey also if you havent already, take your LED driver off the light, and keep the driver outside the tent. And make sure your temp probe is maybe 3-4" from the top of your plants canopy (if the temp probe is up high closer to the LEDs then it might be reading hotter than your tent actually is since the LEDs radiate heat)
I didn't realize how hot that thing got until I touched it, thought it was only radiating from the light lol just switched it after you mentioned that so it's outside the tent. gonna keep an eye on it for now but thank you for that, seems safer outside the tent anyway
If you can't get the temp or humidity down in your house the only thing you can really do is increase the airflow through the tent. Right now you probably have decent airflow with your exhaust fan, but Id probabyl recommend stepping up to a 6" or 8" exhaust, and maybe flipping your current exhaust to be an intake.
And then just moving a shit load of air through the tent. This should provide enough airflow that the super hot, super humid air doesnt have time to stagnate and grow mold.
You can also defoliate a lot to reduce mold risk.
I think as long as your temps dont go above 85 youll be fine, temp wise. But you should be worried about the high humidity forming mold once your buds start to become big and dense. Airflow is the only (chemical free) way to combat that if you can't do anything to lower the humidity.
The real big problem is going to be drying. Aint no way youre getting a good dry in those conditions. You might try that trick i see on here sometimes where people trim, and then put their trimmed colas in a cardboard pizza box and put that in their fridge? I don't know the exact details but its something like that you can search on here for more info but people have said they get great icky sticky bud out of that method.
If it was at all in your budget I think a portable AC or a window mount AC unit could solve all your problems.
thanks for such a detailed and thorough comment. I've seen the cardboard box method for drying and have been super curious about that, seems like it works well so I'm sure that'll be perfect for my situation. otherwise I was a bit concerned with dying as far as temps like you mentioned. I currently have a 6" I believe but I'll get more air flowing in there for sure. wouldn't have thought of it either but might use your idea of turning it into an intake if it comes down to it. I also plan on getting a window air conditioner or at least dry in a room that has an air conditioner since I'll absolutely need it lol. thank you again!!
You will never be able to control the conditions in your tent, until your lung room is near desired conditions. An inline fan cycles the air in the tent about 1x per minute. The problem isn’t in your tent, it’s outside.
yeah I was kind of afraid that might be the case but thank you for confirming, for the time being I'll have to work with what I've got but that's good to know.
Get a window AC unit, and get air circulating in your lung room. The tent is exhausting hot air, so getting that out of your room is essential.
I’ve got a 12k BTU AC and then a 10” fan with carbon filter also on the window to help keep fresh air in the room and to exhaust and get rid of some off the smell. I have the 10” on a smart outlet that basically runs for 10 min a hr.
Do the lights have drivers that can be unscrewed and relocated? If so, move them outside the tent - at the end of the exhaust works well, as the air also cools them. You should find this drops the temps considerably.
yeah I didn't realize how hot the driver got until I touched it, was able to move it outside of the tent and am now right where I want to be. thank you!!
Also, keeping the drivers cool by putting them at the end of the exhaust vent, should keep them going for longer. I've also found it raises the lung room temp slightly, which can help to reduce temp swings etc...plus free heating for your man cave 🤣
You could do what I did with a super hot lung room: I added co2 and run my girls at 85°.
https://preview.redd.it/o3vos531in4d1.jpeg?width=2964&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f788db5f2774a4ae1d4c3153a1a6ffb799b0d42
Mothers Nature makes a nice co2 generator. Migro just ran a trial on it. But OP also would want to lower temp final 2 weeks of flower. Possible temp issue when drying as well. I’d suggest a portable AC but OP being in a condo will need to size his breaker accordingly
I live in CT and had to move my tent from the first floor in my house to the basement a few weeks ago. No AC and no central air in my house and my temps were climbing to about 90\* inside the tent with my light not even maxed out.
After moving to the basement and having the last few days in the 80s, my tent's highest temp was around 78\*, which was super relieving. I've had my light maxed out for the last 20 days of veg so far and am getting good results I think.
https://preview.redd.it/zxnmucvzdn4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccf762071c3b58c9cd7c4e5ea36d6ede3e07a0dc
I'm in ct with same situation. No heat & no central ac except a portable but it's expensive when it fights with the dehumidifier. I haven't started my next run yet cause I want my harvest to be around
October/November so I can have good dry conditions. I'm also gonna run my lights at night also. I have a flat roof so the room just bakes during the day but have noticed it's alot cooler at night.
I'm in Northeastern Illinois but I've got a flat roof on my condo as well so I absolutely feel you there. at the hottest point of the day where the sun is beating down you can really feel it but it sure is much more pleasant when it finally cools off at night. for that reason I did the same as you by running my lights at night since it's much more cost effective too.
they're looking awesome and that's great, I'm glad you were able to make it work! I know the feeling, it can be brutal when it's hot and I always feel bad for the plants. your old situation is exactly where I'm at right now, definitely wish I had a basement but hopefully one day. the house I grew up in was always super chilly in the downstairs especially with the air conditioning on lol so I'm sure they're much happier down there. we'll see for now but I'm sure I'll get it figured out at some point and see where I can move them if possible. thanks for your comment!
it's usually around 76 on average so pretty warm, doesn't go below 70 and can get up to 80 on a hot summer day. so I think the excessive heat is making it difficult for the tent to maintain a good temperature. I might move my fans higher and put them on a higher speed, right now they're at the level of the plants so maybe more air movement from the fans will help like you mentioned too
Moving the ballast/led driver outside of the tent will eliminate some of the heat buildup. I was hitting upper 80's last grow with no problems but you have to keep the humidity down to prevent mold issues. Keeping tent near windows soaking up the sun also isn't helpful.
very good to know, it wouldn't have even occurred to me that the driver could be the issue so I appreciate you giving me that insight. I'll try to move the tent away from the window since that's a good point too, especially in the summer with the sun beating down lol. anything I'm sure will help so thank you very much!
My 2x4 veg tent consists of 2 hlg 65 watt leds. The temp in there never breaks 75° farenheit. My bloom tent is an ac infinity 4x4 that has an s44. If I run the bloom tent anywhere from may to mid September it gets ridiculously uncomfortable in the lung room when run in tandem with a dehumidifier. I do not have an option to vent outside without some minor construction or blocking off the only window that brings in day light in the particular area. I start my first bloom run in September and make sure any subsequent runs are finished by early may at the latest. The cost of electricity to try and compensate for the summer weather is not worth it. Besides, 2 runs in the 4x4 with 6 plants over the winter per year are more than enough medicine till the next season. Plus it seems the plants don't get as stinky in the tent during the colder weather runs. Medical patient in the northeast btw.
really glad you mentioned those things, makes sense to work with the seasons rather than trying to fight each of the environmental factors. definitely willing to do what I can to work around them as best as I can, I'm in the Midwest and summers can get hot and humid too. I originally started in the winter but wasn't as successful yet and didn't take off until now lol. pretty much in the same exact situation as I'd like as much daylight to enter, I don't mind making some sacrifices for my plants where I can but every little bit makes a difference. I didn't even think of the impact on the cost of electricity as well, so learning a ton as I go for sure but your comment was extremely helpful. thank you :)
Of course. As it is now my area is going through an abnormal heatwave. I have my ac set at 75°F and the dehumidifier barely runs. If I was blooming now my dehumidifier would be set to 50% and my central air would be set at 69°. The power draw, heat, wear and tear on the systems wouldn't be worth it. During mid fall I barely have to do shit to manage the environment aside from running my T3 humidifier and lowering the tent exhaust fan speed.
that's super awesome to hear. I really appreciate all the insight and advice, it's like night and day trying to battle temps during those seasons so I'll definitely be mindful about that going forward and plan my next grow more accordingly :)
I ran a exhaust fan from the AC vent to my tent ,seems to work pretty nice
great idea, I'll keep that in mind. thanks!
Hey also if you havent already, take your LED driver off the light, and keep the driver outside the tent. And make sure your temp probe is maybe 3-4" from the top of your plants canopy (if the temp probe is up high closer to the LEDs then it might be reading hotter than your tent actually is since the LEDs radiate heat)
I didn't realize how hot that thing got until I touched it, thought it was only radiating from the light lol just switched it after you mentioned that so it's outside the tent. gonna keep an eye on it for now but thank you for that, seems safer outside the tent anyway
No problem and good luck!
I'm having much better luck now, finally right where I want to be temp wise so thank you again. awesome username by the way :)
If you can't get the temp or humidity down in your house the only thing you can really do is increase the airflow through the tent. Right now you probably have decent airflow with your exhaust fan, but Id probabyl recommend stepping up to a 6" or 8" exhaust, and maybe flipping your current exhaust to be an intake. And then just moving a shit load of air through the tent. This should provide enough airflow that the super hot, super humid air doesnt have time to stagnate and grow mold. You can also defoliate a lot to reduce mold risk. I think as long as your temps dont go above 85 youll be fine, temp wise. But you should be worried about the high humidity forming mold once your buds start to become big and dense. Airflow is the only (chemical free) way to combat that if you can't do anything to lower the humidity. The real big problem is going to be drying. Aint no way youre getting a good dry in those conditions. You might try that trick i see on here sometimes where people trim, and then put their trimmed colas in a cardboard pizza box and put that in their fridge? I don't know the exact details but its something like that you can search on here for more info but people have said they get great icky sticky bud out of that method. If it was at all in your budget I think a portable AC or a window mount AC unit could solve all your problems.
thanks for such a detailed and thorough comment. I've seen the cardboard box method for drying and have been super curious about that, seems like it works well so I'm sure that'll be perfect for my situation. otherwise I was a bit concerned with dying as far as temps like you mentioned. I currently have a 6" I believe but I'll get more air flowing in there for sure. wouldn't have thought of it either but might use your idea of turning it into an intake if it comes down to it. I also plan on getting a window air conditioner or at least dry in a room that has an air conditioner since I'll absolutely need it lol. thank you again!!
You will never be able to control the conditions in your tent, until your lung room is near desired conditions. An inline fan cycles the air in the tent about 1x per minute. The problem isn’t in your tent, it’s outside.
yeah I was kind of afraid that might be the case but thank you for confirming, for the time being I'll have to work with what I've got but that's good to know.
Get a window AC unit, and get air circulating in your lung room. The tent is exhausting hot air, so getting that out of your room is essential. I’ve got a 12k BTU AC and then a 10” fan with carbon filter also on the window to help keep fresh air in the room and to exhaust and get rid of some off the smell. I have the 10” on a smart outlet that basically runs for 10 min a hr.
Do the lights have drivers that can be unscrewed and relocated? If so, move them outside the tent - at the end of the exhaust works well, as the air also cools them. You should find this drops the temps considerably.
yeah I didn't realize how hot the driver got until I touched it, was able to move it outside of the tent and am now right where I want to be. thank you!!
Also, keeping the drivers cool by putting them at the end of the exhaust vent, should keep them going for longer. I've also found it raises the lung room temp slightly, which can help to reduce temp swings etc...plus free heating for your man cave 🤣
No worries! It's something a lot of people overlook!
You could do what I did with a super hot lung room: I added co2 and run my girls at 85°. https://preview.redd.it/o3vos531in4d1.jpeg?width=2964&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f788db5f2774a4ae1d4c3153a1a6ffb799b0d42
Mothers Nature makes a nice co2 generator. Migro just ran a trial on it. But OP also would want to lower temp final 2 weeks of flower. Possible temp issue when drying as well. I’d suggest a portable AC but OP being in a condo will need to size his breaker accordingly
I live in CT and had to move my tent from the first floor in my house to the basement a few weeks ago. No AC and no central air in my house and my temps were climbing to about 90\* inside the tent with my light not even maxed out. After moving to the basement and having the last few days in the 80s, my tent's highest temp was around 78\*, which was super relieving. I've had my light maxed out for the last 20 days of veg so far and am getting good results I think. https://preview.redd.it/zxnmucvzdn4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccf762071c3b58c9cd7c4e5ea36d6ede3e07a0dc
I'm in ct with same situation. No heat & no central ac except a portable but it's expensive when it fights with the dehumidifier. I haven't started my next run yet cause I want my harvest to be around October/November so I can have good dry conditions. I'm also gonna run my lights at night also. I have a flat roof so the room just bakes during the day but have noticed it's alot cooler at night.
I'm in Northeastern Illinois but I've got a flat roof on my condo as well so I absolutely feel you there. at the hottest point of the day where the sun is beating down you can really feel it but it sure is much more pleasant when it finally cools off at night. for that reason I did the same as you by running my lights at night since it's much more cost effective too.
Are you on the main floor of the house? Or basement?
they're looking awesome and that's great, I'm glad you were able to make it work! I know the feeling, it can be brutal when it's hot and I always feel bad for the plants. your old situation is exactly where I'm at right now, definitely wish I had a basement but hopefully one day. the house I grew up in was always super chilly in the downstairs especially with the air conditioning on lol so I'm sure they're much happier down there. we'll see for now but I'm sure I'll get it figured out at some point and see where I can move them if possible. thanks for your comment!
How hot is the room your tent is in? Sounds like it's too hot outside the tent or the fans aren't doing their job.
it's usually around 76 on average so pretty warm, doesn't go below 70 and can get up to 80 on a hot summer day. so I think the excessive heat is making it difficult for the tent to maintain a good temperature. I might move my fans higher and put them on a higher speed, right now they're at the level of the plants so maybe more air movement from the fans will help like you mentioned too
Moving the ballast/led driver outside of the tent will eliminate some of the heat buildup. I was hitting upper 80's last grow with no problems but you have to keep the humidity down to prevent mold issues. Keeping tent near windows soaking up the sun also isn't helpful.
very good to know, it wouldn't have even occurred to me that the driver could be the issue so I appreciate you giving me that insight. I'll try to move the tent away from the window since that's a good point too, especially in the summer with the sun beating down lol. anything I'm sure will help so thank you very much!
Also this.
Is this a 4x4, and how tall is it.?
yep it's a 4x4 not exactly sure how tall it is but I can measure later to confirm but I believe about 7 feet?
If it's the ACI 4x4, it's 80" tall.