New Grow Room

[blackhorse]

I'm about to build a 12' x 12' room in my pole barn and have a few questions.

 

1. If I build this on a concrete floor, should I make a 2 x 4 framed floor with insulation?

      This might save on heat bill in winter months.

 

2. What size of flower room? 6 x 12 or 5 x 12

      Plan is for 2 - 600 watt reflectors 

 

3. Have 100 amp service in barn, so electric is good.

 

4. Heating for winter months?

 

5. Air conditioning for summer?

    A 5000 btu in each section.

 

This is just a few concerns that I have at this time.

 

[Kingdiamond]

5000 BTUs might not be enough to cool your rooms .

[shishka]

1&4. If well insulated you might not need to worry about heat. I run sealed rooms so my dehueys provide all the heat I need at lights off, this is with concrete floors. Stays nice and toasty 24/7.

 

2. 5x12 but even then you're pushing it unless you are going with some DE Gavita flex lights in which case, perfect.

 

3. Awesome

 

5. I would plan on 8-12K for the flower room depending on if mini split or window shaker and veg just depends on what your heat load will be.

 

Best of luck. Sounds like a fun project.

[blackhorse]

So the veg room at 7 x 12 will have (3) 4' 6 bulb T-8's. Like the extra room for veg room.

 

Walls will be 2 x 4, insulated and covered with green board drywall.

 

So I will need a bigger air conditioner?

 

In flower room, will only have 2 - 3 plants under each 600 watt reflector.

 

Thinking it will be early spring before start up the flower room. But then, want the room ready for future years use.

[Kingdiamond]

I run 2 1ks in a 7x11 space and I struggle to keep the room cool with a 7 k BTU  portable id count on at least a 8 to 12  k unit for your flower room the veg room you might not  need much  as long as you keep your girls watered my veg temps run  high 80s to low 90s at times with no ill effects .

[blackhorse]

Appreciate all the input. So now I will consider an 8k as minimum for a/c in flower, maybe smaller for the grow room.

 

I may change the size to 10 x 14 as a 12' wide flower room is too wide for what I need. With using 2 - 600 watt reflectors and the small plant count, it would be a lot of wasted space.

 

With the cement floor, I'm thinking the use of wheeled plant holders might be in order. Need to keep off the floor? Walmart has the plastic ones for $8 each, have a couple that work well.

[Restorium2]

Buy a 220 AC unit and don't look back. 25,000 BTU for about $550. 

[Restorium2]

1" styrofoam under pots. 

[Restorium2]

10 x 14 as a 12' wide flower room is too wide

 

If you make it 12' then you can add some plants on the side if you want with some side lighting.... for times when a few more plants is in order. You can't make the room bigger later.

[blackhorse]

1" styrofoam under pots. 

 

So I can put styrafoam  directly on concrete or on top of roller unit. Good idea.

 

Now if I go to a 220 A/C unit, is this going to be a problem getting enough A/C into the other room?

 

I used a 5 x 10 tent for the two 600 watt before and sometimes had 4 plants under each light. Usually started with 2 plants under each light and then added 2 more a couple weeks before harvest of first two plants.

[williams2311]

Buy a 220 AC unit and don't look back. 25,000 BTU for about $550.

25k for 2 600 Watters? Seems overkill imo.

[Dlo]

You'll want 6000btu per 1000w uncooled, 4000btu per 1000w for cooled lights.

I think you will need to use a heat source in the winter.

[blackhorse]

I'm thinking a heat source also, after the 600 watt lights go off, it will get quite chilly in there. The veg room will only have a couple 6 bulb 4' lights and will also need heat.

 

Believe I will frame in the walls for an air conditioner in each room, then I can cut out for air conditioner later.

 

Also going to look at some silver sheeting instead of using drywall and painting.

 

Just looking for different ideas to make the project work better.

 

Thanks all

[blackhorse]

Still in the planning stage of this project as it isn't needed at this time. Considering a 12' x 14' room that has a 5' x 12' flower room.

 

Any suggestions for a heat source in the veg. room? Thinking of a electric digital heater in flower room.

 

Veg. room will need a heat source as it will only have at most (3) six bulb T - 8's x 4'.

 

Electric or LP gas?

[medmanmike]

Appreciate all the input. So now I will consider an 8k as minimum for a/c in flower, maybe smaller for the grow room.

 

I may change the size to 10 x 14 as a 12' wide flower room is too wide for what I need. With using 2 - 600 watt reflectors and the small plant count, it would be a lot of wasted space.

 

With the cement floor, I'm thinking the use of wheeled plant holders might be in order. Need to keep off the floor? Walmart has the plastic ones for $8 each, have a couple that work well.

Or, just put down 4x8' ¾ - 1" rigid insulation boards. Easy to cut and fit.

 

In my room (in the basement with cemen floor) I put down 8" cement blocks topped with 2x8" topped with 3x3' (could use 4x4') plastic/flood trays. The downside is ceiling htg. 7 ½'. Worse case, I remove the raised platform and sit the pots on the floor on an insulating material.

[blackhorse]

I have 10' ceilings in pole barn and was cutting down to 8', thinking I would save on heating costs.

 

Growing in dirt also. Like the idea of cement block with 2 x on top with tray.

 

Plan is to start the project in early 2017.

[garyfisher]

tall ceilings are a great benefit to a grow room.

[blackhorse]

tall ceilings are a great benefit to a grow room.

I was thinking with 8' ceiling that heating and cooling would be less expensive. It would save $100 or so in materials to go with 10' ceilings.

 

Maybe I will change the plans now.

 

Also some people say to stud and insulate the concrete floor. Any opinion?

 

This is an non insulated metal building. One wall will be outside wall which  will be 6" insulation, ceiling will be 12" insulation, and other walls 4" insulation.

Edited December 19, 2016 by blackhorse

[matt79]

I built a grow room in my pole barn. Went r19 in the walls, built a subfloor on the concrete with r13. Insulated cieling to r40. Its got about 8 foot cielings. Im running cool tubes 1000 watters x8 lights.

Thus far in the winter i dont heat it at all. It gets a bit cool in there with the lights off but the dehumidifiers keep it warm enough.

With the lights on i have a fan speed controller on the cool tubes set to low and im running 1 12k btu a/c.

In the summer the fans get set on high and i run 24k btu a/c but only 1 70 pint dehumidifier.

In the winter i run 2 70 pint and 1 40 pint dehumidifer

[matt79]

Also in hindsight id have put in a mini split a/c instead of window units. Thats in my next upgrade though

[blackhorse]

I built a grow room in my pole barn. Went r19 in the walls, built a subfloor on the concrete with r13. Insulated cieling to r40. Its got about 8 foot cielings. Im running cool tubes 1000 watters x8 lights.

Thus far in the winter i dont heat it at all. It gets a bit cool in there with the lights off but the dehumidifiers keep it warm enough.

With the lights on i have a fan speed controller on the cool tubes set to low and im running 1 12k btu a/c.

In the summer the fans get set on high and i run 24k btu a/c but only 1 70 pint dehumidifier.

In the winter i run 2 70 pint and 1 40 pint dehumidifer

Thanks for the info. My plan is (2) 600 waters in flower room, (3) at most 4' - 6 bulb T-8 in veg. Thinking I will need some heat also.

 

So you built a 2 x 4 frame over the concrete floor? What type of sub floor? Tongue n groove or osb?

 

What material did you use on walls and ceiling?

[garyfisher]

I wouldn't put a floor in, especially a wood floor.  Just make sure your pots aren't on the concrete.  A thing board of stryfoam or similar works great.  Then its easy to clean the floor inbetween runs.

[matt79]

First i put a vapor barrier down, then 2x4 treated lumber for the frame, insulated btwn the the studs, then another vapor barrier, then 1/2" OSB and painted it with a few coats of kills oil based to seal it.

Its been 2 years of constant use and so far no problems.

I would disagree with previous post about just putting the pots on styrofoam. Concrete gets cold and will add to your temperature and humidity problems.

I also left a few inches around the sides of the subfloor before it hits the walls just in case of any water penetration wicking through the cinder block wall.*my wall starts with a row of cinder blocks and then the walls are built on top of the block.

[garyfisher]

It really depends on your situation.  If you're in a very cold environment such as a pole barn then totally insulate the hell out of it.  My room is in a basement of a house.  

 

I use the entire bare concrete floor and unfinished walls as a giant heatsink.  The concrete absorbs heat from the room. This allows me to run 1000w DE gavita bulbs in a room with 6.5' ceilings.   This allows me to run more lights without any type of cooling.  I exhaust at 1800CFM which circulates through the entire basement (lung room), then it goes into the veg before entering back into the flower room. 


Running 4 Gavitas, my temps hit 79 right before lights go out with NO AC.  The room sits at 70 with lights out.
My RH sits right at 40.  I will be adding a humidifier this week to bump it up a bit.

I use a sentenel CHHC-4 controller to monitor conditions only.  Nothing is hooked up to it.  
 

[blackhorse]

I'm thinking a insulated floor in the pole barn is a good idea. Use a holding tank for water in garage and put a insulated base down before adding the tank. Water has never frozen.

 

Looking at another section of pole barn for building the room. Have a section with dirt floor that I can build a floor over. Hate to waste a section of concrete floor by building a floor on top.

 

Now looking at a 12' x 17' room, larger than before and will be plenty of room. Only drawback will be 12" step into the room or two steps.

 

This would leave me with 9' ceilings.

 

Any suggestions for wall material in rooms? Was considering drywall painted white, but open to new ideas.