What You Need1. Grow Tent:
Recommend
4x4 cannabis grow tent, 4ft x 4ft is the best size for medium projects as the area will be perfectly illuminated by a 600w HID lamp which has shown to produce almost as much lumen per watt as the 1000w while having a much lower heat output, enabling you to get it closer to plants tops and thus being one of the most efficient lights on the market.
Remember that picking the best 4×4 grow room setup is essential for a long lasting product, delivering efficient results for years to come.
2. Grow Light: LED, HID, CFL .etc
3. Carbon Filter
4. Possibly Ducting
Step 1: Clear Space & Put Together TentBefore getting started, make sure you've freed an afternoon to dedicate to this project. Take a minute to clean up the space you will be building your tent, as it's easier to do it all in the beginning as opposed to while you're working. Make sure to put together your tent at its final destination! You don't want to build it only to realize it doesn't fit through the doorway
Step 2: Hang Grow LightIt can be difficult choosing exactly which grow light you want, but once you've made your decision at least it's easy to hang your light! Compare different grow lights.
The best way to hang your grow light is using rope ratchets if you can; they are cheap and easy to set up. Rope ratchets make it incredibly simple to adjust your lights at any time without the chance of dropping the light on your plants. Sometimes it's helpful to be able to quickly put lights up or down, whether you want better access to the back of the tent without the light beaming on your head, or even just to take better pictures of your plants. Make sure whatever you use to secure the lights (rope ratchets!) can handle at least twice te amount of your light just to be safe!
Step 3: Hang Exhaust FanI think the best way to make an efficient exhaust system is to hang your exhaust fan inside the tent. This significantly muffles the sound of the fan running, and lets you create a relatively straight path from your light to the fan for maximum circulation and airflow.
Use strong nylon rope or rope ratchets to hang your exhaust fan inside the grow tent (from the top bars) to dramatically reduce sound and vibration. Your fan will sound a lot louder if you just set it on top or on the outside of your tent!
If you're using a grow light that has an air-cooled hood that contains all the heat, like many MH or HPS grow lights, you can connect the exhaust fan to the hood directly for ultra efficient cooling. This lets you vent hot air directly out a window so heat is never beaming down onto your plants.
For the best results, make sure there is a way for fresh air to get in. Grow tents almost always have removable vents near the bottom of the tent to let in fresh air. Some growers remove the covers completely, but that increases the chance the light will leak into the tent.
To get better airflow without light leaks, you can make a little "window" or light trap facing down (using the built-in intake vents) to let air through, but not light.
Step 4: Connect Carbon Filter - No Smells!Although some grower don't use a carbon filter, they can unintentionally be making a trail that leads straight to their grow. Carbon filters ensure there are no smells whatsoever getting where they aren't supposed to be in addition to providing peace of mind!
Just like the exhaust fan, I recommend hanging your carbon filter with rope ratchets because a carbon filter is surprisingly heavy and rope ratchets make it a lot easier to make adjustments!
It's important that there is an air-tight line from the carbon filter to the fan (without any air leaks) in order to prevent smells from escaping the tent!
Growers often hang a carbon filter in the back of the tent so it's less in the way. Or if you have an air-cooled hood you connect the carbon filter > light > exhaust fan. This is considered a "complete" exhaust system because it cools the grow light and scrubs all smells in one fell swoop.
No matter how you end up doing it, the main idea is to ensure any air leaving the tent must first pass through this carbon filter.
As long as you keep the tent closed and the fan on, you should never be able to smell cannabis in your home or outside. The negative air pressure caused by the sealed tent prevents any air inside the tent from leaking out.
ONA gel is surprisingly effective at getting rid of unwanted smellsNote: When you open the door of the tent it breaks this seal, which means smells may flood out the door or get pulled into the exhaust fan prematurely. To deal with smells when you open the tent, you can use a product called ONA gel, which is surprisingly effective at covering up odors on a short-term basis.
Also, here's a trick I learned from a dispensary owner: set up a carbon filter with a fan attached inside the room itself (in addition to the one in your tent), and run it alongside some ONA gel whenever you need to make sure all smells are gone quickly in the room, even if you've opened the tent. It works to keep a dispensary smelling neutral and it works just as well in the home!
If you have a smell emergency, you can use an exhaust fan directly attached to a carbon filter sitting on the floor. This isn't as effective as a "real" exhaust system, but it will clear an entire room of smells in just minutes. Some growers who can't fit a carbon filter in their grow space have even used this technique to control smells for a whole grow!
Setp 5: Sound, Stealth and Safety CheckYou're at the home stretch! Your grow tent should already be set up, and now it's just a matter of double-checking everything and adding your plants!
Sound CheckMake sure to listen and make sure you can't hear any suspicious sounds!You can dramatically reduce the sound of fans by hanging them as opposed to letting them sit on something. Keeping fans clean will also make them as efficient as possible while preventing sounds from developing.
For both air and water pumps, it makes a difference to place them on something besides directly on the ground. For example placing them on a piece of wood will muffle the vibration.
Light & Smell CheckYou want to make sure no light or smells will make it outside the tent!
After everything is set up, turn on your grow light and exhaust fan for a day to test out your new space.
The sides of the tent should bow inward slightly when you turn on the fan. Inward bowing means you have created negative air pressure, which is perfect because it will prevent smells from leaking into the home as long as the tent is kept closed.
Ensure that your carbon filter is securely attached to your exhaust fan, with no way for air to leak in or out. A strong seal between the carbon filter and the fan will ensure that any air leaving the tent passes through the carbon filter first, which will completely scrub it of any smells.
Take a minute to check around your house to see if you can hear anything that seems odd when your equipment is on. A constant hum or rattle can be suspicious, so listen carefully.
Go outside and walk around your house once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night to see if there's any noticeable sounds or if you can see suspicous looking light from outside.
Safety CheckLastly, take a good look around inside the tent. Everything should be secure. Make sure that any electronics are off the ground (power strips, ballasts, wires) just in case there's ever a water spill.
A good rule of thumb is to keep all electronics above the waist, while anything to do with water is kept below the waist. Don't leave cords hanging around in the tent. It's not only safer, but it looks a lot nicer when you wrap cords up neatly and secure them in place
