Venting: Window vs. Attic

[fred-g-sanford]

Hi All,

I am setting up a new room and need some advice. Here are the basics

Dual Hydrohut tents with aircooled hoods, 400w digital HPS, Vortex fans, Can filters. The room is approx. 12x8x8 and is cooled via the house AC. Currently I am vegging and sprouting under fluros, but have been playing with different HPS setups to test temps in the room.

Heat extraction is the last obstacle before flowering can start. I have a window that I can visibly stealth, secure and vent out, but I am concerned with the heat becoming noticeable outside in the winter.

I can also cut holes in the ceiling and vent to the attic, but would rather not have to fix the holes later. I have plenty of drywall experience, so I know how easy the fix would be. I just don't want the hassle when it comes time to move.

Anyone venting outside via a window?

[Agent-Smith]

I personally would vent out of the attic, it might be a little more work in the long run but safety first is the motto of this hobby. Good luck! :)

[Papi]

I paid about $200 and had a 10" roof vent professionally installed, no one would thing twice if they saw vapor coming from it. I almost did the vent by attic/window, but I'm glad I went the extra step and did things the right way.

[sky high]

Here's another option that may work...

If you have sufficient odor control, you could investigate venting the exhaust back into your home...your garage...your _______....heating your house and not drawing any unwanted attention via a howlin fan (a duct muffler helps in that regard). I did this last winter and was able to hedge off running the heater for a good month in the Fall...and I noticed that on all but the most extremely cold mornings the furnace would run much less..and early/late in the season...hardly at all. I basically unhooked one of the ducts going into the living room and hooked the exhaust on it. Warm air came out of the vent all the time...and you could feel the 12/12 hit the system at 8pm.

just a thought to ponder....

sky

[fred-g-sanford]

Thanks for the relpies guys. I need to keep this as stealth as possible because it is not my place. Nothing can be done to the roof. Does anyone know the max cfm that can pass thru a 6" vent to the attic? I thought about removing the light fixture and enlarging the hole to 6" as my main vent out of the room. A 6" hole would not be noticable once the fixture is reinstalled. I have a basement as well, but no where to vent. In the winter I considered running dual C22 12/12 systems running at opposite times, venting to each other. This way the heat extracted from System 01 during the light period would heat System 02 during it's dark period. That way I would not need a heater, killing two birds with one stone.

[muggles]

If the roof has "ridge vent" it is easy as heat rises and the higher the scent/exhaust is released, the less chance of it being smelled. Think about all the sewer vents on houses... if you can't smell those gases, you shouldn't be able to smell the herb scent.

Stay safe and watch your six!
Muggles :pipe:

[marigyp]

My six inch inline duct fan keeps enough air flow going through the vented hood of a 400 watt HPS that the bottom glass is barely warm with 64 degree temps at night. I draw from the outside and vent to the roof.

"In the winter I considered running dual C22 12/12 systems running at opposite times, venting to each other. This way the heat extracted from System 01 during the light period would heat System 02 during it's dark period. That way I would not need a heater, killing two birds with one stone."
Great idea.

[fred-g-sanford]

So I ended up cutting thru the ceiling and venting into the attic. Piece of cake and works great. Max temps at plant level have been 78 with a small fan on low. I haven't measured ambient yet to see the difference, but without the vent, the room would exceed 85 with central air running. So far so good imo. FYI, don't get anxious like I did and start cutting without a stud finder. 10.00 at wal-mart and worth every penny...

[kisanth]

Just be carefull venting into the attic in cold regions. Warm moist air in a cold attic is a recipe for mold. I learned the hard way.....

I use an 8" inline duct fan to cool 1 600w hps and 1 400w hps in sealed hoods by drawing air from the house and venting into the attic during the summer and reversing the fan for the winter to help heat my office.

k.

[fred-g-sanford]

kisanth,

Thanks for the tip. I will have to check the difference between humidity in the winter. More than likely though, when winter comes I will be using the heat to heat the room itself.