Do I need an exhaust ducting fan in my grow tent? 2019 Updated
Ventilation is a vital factor in your plant growth. By supplying fresh air from outside your grow space, you provide CO2 for your plants, driving their photosynthesis. At the same time expelling the air inside will keep temperature and moisture build-up under control, preventing mold and mildew from forming on your plants’ leaves, inhibiting growth. Refreshing the air inside has the added benefit of removing strong odors.
Why Indoor Grow Rooms Need Ventilation?
Ths is the most obvious benefit from a working ventilation system. A grow tent is all about simulating the optimal outdoor conditions inside four walls. This also means maintaining the perfect CO2 levels for plants.
In a closed system, the plants will soon run out of carbon dioxide as the keep inhaling it for photosynthesis. So you need an uninterrupted supply of fresh air from the outside.
This will only help boost the growth and yield from your plants, regardless of their type or species.
How to Ventilate Your Grow Room?
There are a number of things that go into the setup process of the grow tent ventilation and I will break them down, step by step:
Ideally, the essential bit of the ventilation system is having the fans and the carbon filter working for you inside the grow tent. You need to have proper ducting to connect the filter and the fans together.
Essentially, when you have the fans working properly, you will control the air flow and circulation. Here are some details that would be ideal.
Sizing your ventilation system
To calculate the CFM you need to properly ventilate your grow space, use the following formula: (Grow Space Width X Length X Height) / 5 = Recommended CFM.
CFM performance of a fan is affected by the length and path of ducting. If you are using a carbon filter, this will further reduce your fan performance. Therefore, when using a carbon filter you must add an additional 20% to the CFM recommendation to account for the loss.
So, the formula when using a carbon filter would be: ((Grow Space Width X Length X Height) / 5) X 1.2 = Recommended CFM.
Once you have determined the necessary CFM for your space, you can decide on your ventilation setup.
Conclusion
Ventilation for a grow tent is as important as breathable air for us humans. In the absence of a proper system of ventilation, your indoor grow will never succeed.
In larger, more powerful grow systems, creating a suitable ventilation system can be a complex task indeed. But the complexity of these systems is directly proportional to the size of the grow room.
So if you are a beginner, creating a basic system should not be too hard. You can even opt for an even cheaper passive system if there is enough room for large intake holes.
Whatever your choice, your plants will ultimately benefit from the effort. That is certain.