Grow Tent Passive Intakes - light leaks??

[COUGHCOUGH]

Used my dark room tent for one grow so far. Got an rvk for extraction but use passive intakes aka the tent flaps.

If I leave these flaps rolled up there's too much light coming into the tent during dark hours. If I roll them down no air can come in.

There's a way to velro them so that there are just small gaps which is the way I currently use. A small amount of light does get in but doesn't shine directly onto the plants. The edges of the vents just glow very faintly. This is the only way to get enough air through.

Is this really bad for my plants?

I didn't notice anything particular on my last grow although flowering took a little longer than recommended, but this was probably down to chopping late. Yield was good, no hermies. I don't want to get an active intake as noise is an issue, so I was maybe thinking of curling up some ducting and attaching it to the 4" holes that are currently closed. I could then close the flaps and use that but it will take up space at the bottom of the tent. Is this worthwhile?

There are also a few pin prick holes in my tent, especially round the zip where its been used so much! You can see light spots on the tent when the hps is on and the room the tent is in is dark. Is this ok either?

thanks

[Sun Tzu]

No light at all is better. If i was you, I'd make some sort of stout cardboard box, open either end and sprayed matt black inside, and fix that to the outside of the tent around the intake. As long as the outer room lighting is not directly opposite the intake it should cut down on the light getting to the flap without restricting air flow.

[COUGHCOUGH]

sorry, ignore the bit about not being enough air. The flaps are on the inside if it makes any difference.

Basically asking if a small glow of light around the passive intakes is bad for the plants? (same with the pin prick holes)

Thought about the cardboard idea, SunTzu. It was a toss up between that or the ducting idea. Will it make that much difference to the overall product though do you reckon?

[wilson]

Coughcough I hope you dont mind me jumping in on this one, Ive been waiting for an opportunity to ask this and its related

In fact this is probably the same question only worded different but can plants see light thats not directed on them. for example if im in a completely dark room and i shine a beam of light past them but imagine the room doesnt light up. so theres no light landing on the plant, can it 'see' it??

[Herbal Kint]

Used my dark room tent for one grow so far. Got an rvk for extraction but use passive intakes aka the tent flaps.

If I leave these flaps rolled up there's too much light coming into the tent during dark hours. If I roll them down no air can come in.

There's a way to velro them so that there are just small gaps which is the way I currently use. A small amount of light does get in but doesn't shine directly onto the plants. The edges of the vents just glow very faintly. This is the only way to get enough air through.

Is this really bad for my plants?

I didn't notice anything particular on my last grow although flowering took a little longer than recommended, but this was probably down to chopping late. Yield was good, no hermies. I don't want to get an active intake as noise is an issue, so I was maybe thinking of curling up some ducting and attaching it to the 4" holes that are currently closed. I could then close the flaps and use that but it will take up space at the bottom of the tent. Is this worthwhile?

There are also a few pin prick holes in my tent, especially round the zip where its been used so much! You can see light spots on the tent when the hps is on and the room the tent is in is dark. Is this ok either?

thanks

Same here mate new homebox holes around zip and few around tent ,passive intakes are a bit lame made(if open light leaks) i so wonder too how will that effect my grow but worst part is i now the answer herms and 12weeks of flowering for 8 week strain

So only thing is to keep your room in full dark and then i wonder why did i buy tent in a first place :wink: Now i now Homebox-Darkroom all shite

Off to fixing holes

[lazi]

Grow tents are shite but there's nothing better off the shelf at the mo, it's part of reason I'm trying to develop a timber and hardboard replacement.

I've got 2 tents and they both leak light. Probably increases flowering time because I chop seed plants at 10 weeks of flowering and have yet to see an amber tric. Have left some AK47s in there while I've got the room, 11 weeks of 12/12 for those so far and still no amber. For the Kali Mist I've allocated 20 weeks in the flower tent to make sure I've enough time for them.

[seedling]

No light at all is better. If i was you, I'd make some sort of stout cardboard box, open either end and sprayed matt black inside, and fix that to the outside of the tent around the intake. As long as the outer room lighting is not directly opposite the intake it should cut down on the light getting to the flap without restricting air flow.

agreed

here's what i created

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?show...t=0&start=0

you can't see but i also put a wide cardboard tube through the inlet and into the blacked-out box to help the airflow through

HTH?

[COUGHCOUGH]

I've got 2 tents and they both leak light. Probably increases flowering time because I chop seed plants at 10 weeks of flowering and have yet to see an amber tric. Have left some AK47s in there while I've got the room, 11 weeks of 12/12 for those so far and still no amber. For the Kali Mist I've allocated 20 weeks in the flower tent to make sure I've enough time for them.

All the 9 strains i grew in my tent didn't show any amber trichs, although I think most strains won't show true amber trichs. Most go clear to cloudy and then after a long while go brown (dead). Only a small number of varieties show true amber and these won't show any cloudyness before they do. OT1's guide on this site isn't clear as its seems to have been misquoted from his original post that explains it. The wording is slightly different. Someone recently did a poll and hardly anyone had actually seen true amber trichs as most misinterperated the brown ones as amber. I might be wrong though!

All of my strains went to 13 weeks and some were supposed to be done by 8. Next time I'll be going on the breeders guidelines instead of spending hours looking thru a microscope!

I could be wrong though but after reading for hours a few months ago this is what i came up with. As far as I'm aware leaks will affect yield, stress levels much more than the colour of trichs.

[COUGHCOUGH]

forgot to say too.

Been thinking about the problem for a while today and remembered budbox do an accessory called the airsock. This is like ducting with holes in it that links directly to where your active inlet goes and is supposed to be used to spread the incoming air around the tent rather than having it coming from one corner. I suppose you can use it without an active intake so I might try and fashion a similar one out of ducting. Using it then allows you to close the flaps properly, leaving only the pinpricks to deal with for light leaks!

[charlesweedmore]

mate if do you use that airsock with your tent,please post pics of your settings here.

thanks

[Broonie]

If your tent us in a room just make sure you have windows blocked off so no light coming in. A draft excluder outside of door no light in room. Only go into room when lights on problem solved no need to buy anything at all. I leave my door closed during lights off and have it open when on,temps go too high when it's closed. 

[mysticriver]

this is what I did

blocks he light getting in at the dark period

 

& other side

 

[edit- not sure if this is what u mean -]

block it - as long as air can get to the flap here n there

 

 

mystic

Edited August 3, 2022 by mysticriver

[twigs]

i use passive holes but just have some plumbing pipe from a building site with a couple of 90* bends in = no light issues