As the cannabis industry continues to grow across the United States, the need for HVAC design in grow rooms has become increasingly important. With the legalization of cannabis in many states, people have jumped on the opportunity to build cannabis grow facilities. With big dreams to help people medicinally comes big responsibility as a business owner. With the right equipment and systems, HVAC design can help reduce costs, improve efficiency and quality, and improve overall safety by reducing fire risk.
The Challenges of Cannabis Grow Rooms
Grow rooms present a unique set of challenges for HVAC designers. The first challenge is temperature control. The temperature must stay between 68°F and 85°F. If the temperature goes above or below those levels, it can negatively affect plant growth and quality.
Another challenge is humidity. Humidity must be controlled at 50% relative humidity (RH) or higher. This is so that the plants are not subjected to too much or too little moisture. Both of which can cause problems like mold growth or root rot. Talking to a professional about your options for a dehumidification system might be best for your cannabis crop.
The Benefits of HVAC Design
HVAC equipment helps keep these factors under control while keeping energy costs low. By hiring a professional for an HVAC design, you can focus on air recirculation waste heat recovery designs. These recycle heat back into the room instead of sending it outside via ducting. This increases efficiency by reducing overall power consumption while decreasing carbon dioxide emissions associated with fossil fuel combustion.
Avoiding the Challenges of Cannabis Grow Room
The lack of knowledge can compromise your cannabis crop. Several factors need to be considered when designing an HVAC system for a cannabis grow room.
These include:
The Direct Impact of Different Types of Light
- The amount of heat that your lights and fans will generate. The heat will vary depending on how close the plants are to them and how much light they receive daily. The more light there is, the more heat will be produced. You will need a more powerful air conditioner if you’re going to have your lights closer than 45 inches from your plants. If you’re using LED lights instead of incandescent ones, this won’t be as much of an issue. LED lights do not generate as much heat as their traditional counterparts, although they still generate some heat.
The Impact Factor of Humidity
- The humidity level in any given space affects its temperature significantly.
There are many challenges of cannabis grow room HVAC design, but we’ve got you covered.
Let’s start with the basics:
- There are two types of HVAC systems in grow rooms: air handlers and air conditioners. Air handlers are used for more specialized tasks like cooling and dehumidification. Air conditioners are used for more general heating and cooling.
- To keep temperatures at optimal levels, a grow room’s temperature must be monitored closely. This can be done with sensors that monitor ambient temperature and humidity. It can also be done with a heat sensor that measures how much heat is being produced by lights in the room.
Depending on the size of your grow room, you may need to consider air conditioners capable of cooling a large amount of air. If you have a smaller operation, models are available that work better for your needs.
You also need to look at the type of ventilation system you want in your grow room.
- Do you want an exhaust system that pulls hot air out of the room?
- Do you want an intake system that pulls in the fresh air?
- Or something else entirely?
Many options are available for purchase, depending on how much money you want to invest in your grow room’s HVAC system.
The HVAC design for a cannabis grow room is not as simple as it might seem. The first challenge is designing a ventilation system that can handle the heat from the lights. Most HVAC systems are designed to work with return-air temperatures of less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas cannabis grow rooms often run at 100 degrees or more.
Another challenge is that many states require that all air exhausted from the grow room be filtered and cleaned, which requires additional equipment and energy consumption.
What Are the Critical Requirements for Healthy Cannabis Plants?
- Ideally, the air in your grow room should be kept between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity between 60 and 70 percent. That’s a pretty narrow range of conditions. And if your HVAC system can’t deliver that consistently, you might want to think about getting something more sophisticated.
- Exhaust Fans are essential for removing hot air from your grow room. Without them, the temperature in your room will rise dramatically. Heat is bad for cannabis plants. So you’ll want to ensure you have enough fans to keep up with the hot air.
- Humidity control is another important aspect of HVAC design for cannabis growers. Humidity levels should be kept between 60% and 70% at all times. If they’re too low or too high, you could cause serious problems for your plants, like mold. Mitigating excess moisture in your system that can lead to mold and mildew growth will protect your plants.
- Cannabis plants need at least 16 hours of light per day. They must be exposed to that light in the same direction every day, ideally from the east or south. If you’re growing indoors, your grow lights should be within 1 meter of your plants at all times.
- Nutrient levels are significant for healthy cannabis growth. You can’t just feed them whatever you want. Cannabis plants need to use specific ratios that have been proven effective in studies conducted by universities around the world. These include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), boron (B), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se) and chlorine (Cl).
What Is the Ideal Airflow, Temperature, Humidity, and Special Considerations?
Ideal Conditions:
- Ideal airflow: The ideal airflow for cannabis grow room is 5-10 air exchanges per hour. The air should be heated to between 75°F and 82°F, with relative humidity between 30% and 50%. The ideal airflow is between 700 and 1000 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of fresh air. This airflow will help keep the plants healthy and grow steadily. If you are using an HVAC system, you will want to make sure it has a return air filter installed so that the air does not go into your grow room.
- Ideal temperature: The ideal temperature for a cannabis grow room is between 75°F and 82°F. If your grow room is too hot or too cold, this can lead to problems with leaf yellowing or stunted growth.
- Ideal humidity: The ideal humidity for a cannabis grow room is between 30% and 50%. If your grow room has more than 60% humidity, mold may form on your buds, which can be dangerous for you and your plants! It’s also important to ensure enough ventilation in the grow room, so the humidity doesn’t become too high. Otherwise, mold may start growing on walls or floors instead of just on plants, making it even harder to remove!
- Special considerations: Many other things can affect how well your plants grow. Special considerations for the cannabis grow room include an exhaust system. The exhaust system must filter out particles like dust or mold spores from entering the room.
What Is the Approximate Electrical Power Consumption?
The approximate electrical power consumption is a bit hard to pin down. It depends on how many lights you run, how much cooling power you need, and so on. Our best advice is to talk with your local electrician or HVAC contractor about exactly what you’ll need for your grow room. Then let them come up with a plan for how best to accommodate your electrical power consumption.
However, you can use this calculation to get an idea of what your usage might be:
The approximate electrical power consumption of a cannabis grow room is around 1,000 watts per square meter.
[(sq ft of grow space) * (1000 watts per sq ft)] + [(percents of CO2, humidity, and dehumidifier)] + [(percents of fans, lighting, and miscellaneous equipment)] = total watts used in growing area.
What Are the Main Issues with Most Indoor Cannabis Growing?
The major issue with most indoor cannabis growing is that it’s done in an enclosed space. This means the environment is warm and humid, which can lead to a number of problems. In particular, it can cause mold or mildew to grow on your plants. This is why many growers invest in HVAC systems when setting up their grow rooms to control the temperature and humidity levels.
Growing cannabis indoors poses a unique set of challenges. To avoid these challenges and ensure the health of your plants, it’s important to design an optimal HVAC system for growing cannabis.
Stages of Growth
Cannabis is a tropical plant, so it’s sensitive to heat. Therefore, the temperature should be kept under 85 degrees Fahrenheit at all times during the vegetative stage. Then the growing cannabis should be kept under 77 degrees Fahrenheit in the flowering stage.
Because cannabis is a tropical plant, it likes humidity. Humidity levels can be controlled by using dehumidifiers or use of additional fans.
Cannabis needs fresh air! At least two air changes per hour to prevent mold growth on leaves and stems. A good way to increase air circulation is by installing fans in your grow room, which will pull air from outside into the room through vents near the floor level. The fan will then exhaust this newly filled air through vents near the ceiling level.
Why You Should Call The Cooling Company (TCC) for Professional Cannabis HVAC Grow Room Design
If you’re looking to grow cannabis indoors, you will need a professional HVAC design. Cannabis is a very sensitive plant. It needs to be kept at the right temperature for optimal growth.
If the temperature isn’t just right, then your plants can become stressed or even die. This is why it’s so important to make sure that you hire a professional to design your grow room’s HVAC system.
A cannabis grow room HVAC design is a tricky business. First, you want to ensure that your cannabis plants are getting the right amount of heat, light, and moisture. You need to make sure your grow room doesn’t get too hot or cold. If you’re not careful, you could end up losing your entire crop!
That’s why it’s important to call TCC for professional cannabis grow room HVAC design. Our expert team is ready to help you build a setup that will keep your plants happy and healthy all season long. Whether you are building a small or large grow room, we know the initial investment can be large. There is a considerable amount of science that significantly impacts the environmental condition of your grow room temperature. Let The Cooling Company guide you with your climate control system. Call today for a consultation.
