The perfect ventilation setup

Ventilation is a fundamental necessity for cultivating healthy plants. It plays a big role in plant growth, meaning that an inefficient ventilation setup can seriously hurt your yields. So, it’s no surprise that people want to build ‘the perfect ventilation setup’. But does such a thing exist? Well, the answer isn’t as straightforward as you may think.

The importance of ventilation

A ventilation system is made up of 4 main building blocks:

The first stage to setting up a ventilation system is to acquire a fan. Although it can look like blades within a bit of casing, a fan is so much more than just that. A fan is a long-term investment into the future of your grow room. A well-built ventilation setup can regulate humidity, temperature, odours, and plant growth. So, it’s no surprise that if you want healthy grows you need a good ventilation setup.

But why?

Well, for starters, your plants need a fresh supply of CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) to develop properly. CO₂ plays an important role in photosynthesis, as it combines with water and chlorophyll to produce glucose and oxygen. Glucose being the primary source of energy for plants. So, if you’re depriving your plants of a proper CO₂ supply, you could be seriously hindering their growth and yields.

Good ventilation also plays as a deterrent against mould and pests. If you’re growing in an environment with poor ventilation, you’re sitting on a ticking time bomb. This is because bad ventilation generates a buildup of moisture and stagnant air. Which, in turn creates a damp environment, ideal for mould growth. Coupled with poor ventilation, indoor temperatures and humidity will increase, creating a favourable environment for gnats and spider mites.

A balanced airflow also helps regulate temperature. This is extra helpful in rooms using HPS lights as their main light source. A proper ventilation setup brings in fresh cool air into the bottom of the grow room and extracts it at the top. This regulates temperature, providing a constant flow that hinders mould & pest development, giving your plants a constant supply of C02.

It’s easy to see how a balanced airflow will positively impact your grow room. By making your grows healthier and abundant, the perfect ventilation setup starts to look like the perfect bet.

However, before you place your bet, you need to figure out the volume of air in your room. You need to calculate your m³/h.

Calculating m³/h

The first step to choosing a fan Is figuring out the airflow your room requires. The standard we use at G.A.S is m³/h. This measurement shows the volume of air your ventilation system will be able to move within an hour.

The formula to calculate m³/h is:

m³/h = Volume of Space (cubic meters) * Air Changes per Hour

Basically, to work out m³/h, you need to know the volume of air in your grow room. To calculate the volume of your grow room, you need to multiply the length, width, and height of your growing space in metres. This will provide you with the volume of air within your grow room in m³. From there, it’s just a matter of multiplying by 60 and you’ll get your m³/h.

Ideally, you want to be replacing the air in your room once every minute – so 60 times an hour. This will maximise the efficiency of your ventilation setup, refreshing your room every minute.

With this number you can then filter down which fans can deliver an adequate airflow to your grow room. However, it’s important to keep in mind that using a fan with a filter will impact its maximum airflow. All this means is that when looking at a fan, you need to keep in mind that its maximum airflow will be reduced when coupled with a filter. It’s important to oversize your fan, so that you don’t have to run them at 100% to achieve this target.

An example of this would be:

• For a grow room that’s 2m high x 2m wide x 0.5m deep you’d have a volume of 2m².
• 2m² x 60 = 120 m³/h
• The fan that this room requires needs to fulfil a demand of 120 m³/h. It also needs to provide a maximum airflow that exceeds 120 m³/h. This is so that in the event of excessive temperatures, the fan can increase airflow to reduce temperatures.
• A good choice for this grow room would be an Air EC 100 fan. This is because it’s maximum airflow when connected to a filter is 175 m³/h. In other words, it has enough capacity to meet your grow rooms requirements, and if needed, go beyond them.

Thinking of buying a fan, but worried about its max airflow when pairing it with a filter? Don’t worry! Global Air Supplies includes the max airflow of Air and Systemair fans with their maximum airflow when coupled with a filter on the Global Air Supplies website.

Choosing the perfect ventilation setup.

Building a setup for the first time can feel like a massive gamble. Having so many products to choose from, how do you know what’s the right choice? Well, if you choose equipment that is compatible with the fan you’ve decided on, there isn’t a wrong choice.

So, does the perfect ventilation setup exist?

Universally, no. But for your grow room and needs? Absolutely.

Each grower faces their own problems and needs based on where and how they’re growing. Some people might want the highest quality products to truly dial into their grow room. Others might be looking for something robust and reliable. Others might want the best sound dampening equipment.

Basically, the ideal setup can mean completely different things to different growers. This means that there isn’t a right or wrong choice for your setup. All that really matters is what you want for your grow room.

Thinking about starting your own ventilation setup, but don’t know where to start? Bet on G.A.S to offer you the best quality products. That way you always know you’re getting the best selection to fit your needs.