Reddit mentions: The best registers, grilles & vents

I honestly would use panda film over the mylar stuff. Mylar is slightly more reflective but panda film is cheaper and diffuses light better. It's black on the backside for blacking out. It's also cheaper. Either one will work great tho.

>Now my questions are, do i need some kind of air inlet to let fresh air in, and if so, will a simple vent do, or does it require a fan as well, or is that overkill for what I'm doing?

A vent should be plenty. Make it bigger than your exhaust, like 2x bigger. Intake fans arent needed in such a smll space. Make sure it's a lifeproof vent. Like this

>Also, If I get a 150Watt LED, I think that would meet my needs, but if I added another 50w LED light and pointed it at the undergrowth, would that be a benifit or will the 1 lamp provide all I need? I'm on a budget, but thankfully the budget is large enough that if I can find a good bang for my buck addition that will provide a better harvest, I can do it.

Like /u/Cuicos said, get the quantum board 135w kit. It will be all you need in that space. It equals one of the "600w" blurple LED panels on amazon. Or about 4-5 of those 150w LEDs you're talking about (UFO im assuming).

You wont need any side lighting or anything using the kit.


>I know I'll need an air extractor and carbon air filter, as wel as a small fan inside the room to circulate the air.

Yep. If you want a cheap one, get this. It will be loud as hell though. If you want a quiet one, get this. DO NOT GET A FAN LIKE THIS ONE.


If you are serious about smell, do not get a shitty filter. Ipower, vivosun, etc. are all shitty. I had a brand new 4" ipower filter and it couldnt handle 1 plant. Get a phresh one, this one is perfect.

I have no first hand experience, but this vent on Amazon claims to be able to do it and is compatible with ecobee.

EDIT: OK, I read the product description and you still need one of their "pucks" which is a thermostat basically. But it claims to be able to follow you around opening and closing vents to just heat the rooms you're in.

EDIT2: In the Q&A: Yes! Flair Pucks and Smart Vents work with ecobee and ecobee and Room Sensors. You will need at least one Puck for your Flair system. That Puck will act as a "gateway" to link your ecobee system to our Smart Vents.

Your ecobee Room Sensors let you know what rooms run hot or cold. With Flair, you can finally fix that. Our Smart Vents will intelligently redirect airflow to give you the perfect temperature in every room.

OK, you need to do this a little more scientifically. You've got the right idea. Balancing the system can be done with some inexpensive tools. See about getting something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LCD-CFM-CMM-Thermo-Anemometer-Infrared-Thermometer-Airflow-Wind-B0435-/261486368012

You need a baseline to begin with. For starters, open all the registers 100%. Now go around to each one, and get a measurement.

Next step: Close off the upstairs vents by perhaps 25%. You'll have to readjust a few as you do this, until the airflow is roughly even upstairs, but reduced.

Step 3. Go downstairs and take measurements. How do they compare to upstairs? Your goal is to get the lower floor to perhaps 25% greater than the upstairs, because heat will rise.

Someone with better tools could dial it in with greater accuracy. They'd show you and mark on the registers settings for both winter and summer. NOTE: depending on where you live, it is likely that these settings will be reversed as the seasons change.

When it comes to a central HVAC system, many homes cannot be balanced to a degree that they are comfortable all year long. Because heat rises and cool air sinks, air volume must change with the seasons.

Mini-splits really shine in this area, because the house can be divided into multiple zones, and each controlled independently of the others.

There are some workarounds to this dilema. Take a look at these products:

https://keenhome.io/

https://www.ecoventsystems.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Vent-Miser-91664-Programmable-Energy-Inches/dp/B000MWBPKA

Don't know if such technology interests you, but they show promise into turning a dumb system into a connectedHome component. Keen claims that their product works with Nest, SmartThings, Ecobee, and Lowe’s Iris, with many more coming soon.

Does this help you at all?

I've gone a more radical way. My 2 post rack is under the staircase - had to cut the side and reframe it to get the rack there in the first place. There are three cuts: one for 20x30x1 AC filter, the other for access, and the third hosts a row of 8 120mm fans (Scythe Slipstream, https://www.newegg.com/scythe-sy1225sl12sl-slipstream-case-fan/p/N82E16835185056?Item=N82E16835185056, out of stock but it'll give you an idea).

The fan grid connects the rack space with an under the stair closet, so I cut the drywall above the door and installed a return air grill similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Return-Air-Grilles-Dimensions/dp/B0064Q8ZOM There is some passive convective ventilation even if the fan panel is off.

​

I'm surprised how cold and quiet this setup turned out to be. Case in point, if you read about USG Pro 4 port, you'll find immediately that it whines like a banshee - but I don't even hear it. Fan panel noise is well below the noise caused by house HVACs running, and Slipstream fans have a nice white noise spectrum which doesn't stand out much. Fan panel is controlled by a custom app, the setpoint is set to 30.5C - equipment works there for over 15 years now, temperature was never a problem.

So the wine fridge came with the house. Free.

Humidifier: $40
Crane Filter-Free Droplet, Cool Mist Humidifier, Blue and White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1CQ9OO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FEJ1CbDZ3G50M

Fan: $17
AC Infinity AXIAL 8025, Muffin Fan, 120V AC 80mm x 25mm High Speed, for DIY Cooling Ventilation Exhaust Projects https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OXSFBA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HGJ1CbDYVZV8J

Fan speed controller: $14
AC Infinity, Fan Speed Controller for 100 to 125V AC Axial Muffin Cooling Fans, Single Connector, for DIY Cooling Ventilation Exhaust Projects https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00809BQZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7HJ1Cb633YCRV

Timer: $13
Century 7 Day Heavy Duty Digital Programmable Timer - Dual Outlet (Indoor) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVF16JG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XIJ1CbQQD38YE
(I'm going to upgrade to a wemo smart plug here, at some point)

Exit vent: $10
Plastic Air Vent Grille Cover 3 Flaps Wall Duct Ventilation Grill With Net Plastic Louvre Air Vent Grille with Flyscreen Cover(1515CM) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079N83QSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GPJ1Cb3KV0CYM
(Can get for half this price at Home Depot)

Controller: $175 + shipping (day... $15)
https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37&products_id=642

Miscellaneous: $65

Total: $350 (ish)

Acquiring a suitable fridge will certainly add here. I got lucky and we had the wine cooler sitting around for years. It was literally in our house when we moved in.

Hope this helps!

\> Any suggestions? I was thinking a wall mounted 12 inch fan might work. Anyone tried that?

I did that. I didn't want to mess with a ceiling fan an vents. It works like a charm. I also added a timer switch which is amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/Broan-508-270-Through-Wall/dp/B001AZL9AO/ref=sr_1_2

Just have to have easy access to outside wall and obviously an external wall in the bathroom. Just cut through wall and stick it through. And have power in the wall vicinity of fan.

Could you reroute the vent to center the bed? Something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Thermwell-HD5-10-14-Adjustable-Deflector/dp/B00B844LSY/ref=pd_aw_lpo_60_bs_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1RY12HF5JBWGB1BJA56X

It would make reaching the nightstand easier and even things out. Looks great, though. Very nice

Charcoal filters.

You can get them for your air vents (especially over intake vents), and also for your roommate's butt.

Dishes of coffee beans or fresh-ground coffee work to absorb odor and release faint but pleasant scent (assuming you like the smell of coffee beans). You can make an attractive dish of coffee beans with an unscented tea light in the middle for your bathroom (and the candle doesn't even have to be lit for it to work, but it can help!), and put a dish of fresh-ground coffee beans behind the toilet. Put the coffee-bean candle things everywhere in your apartment. Change the beans every month or so.

Get some leafy plants throughout your space. They can help too.

Good point on the positive pressure.

That sounds like a good design. If looks aren't important, you could adapt something like ...

https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Return-Air-Filter-Grille/dp/B0061MI4ZY

... and use pleated house filters.

For my setup, I use a z-wave thermostat (Iris CT-101) but it shouldn't really matter what connected thermostat you use so long as you can send it some kind of command that home assistant supports (MQTT, Z-Wave, RF etc.) to control it. I have a two story townhouse with only a single HVAC unit so the upstairs tends to get a bit hotter than the downstairs by a few degrees.

The issue I ran into was that my A/C thermostat goes into an idle state when it detects the room temperature is at or below the desired set target temperature. For example it has no idea my upstairs is 80+ if the downstairs is at or below 78, it just stays idle. To get around this I put a temperature sensor upstairs and created a sensor in home assistant for it. Then I tricked the thermostat into staying on when the upstairs temp is still above desired by calculating the delta of the uptairs/downstairs temps, subtracting it from the current downstairs temp and setting that as the new target. The problem with that work around is it also makes the downstairs freezing by the time it's cooled the upstairs to the desired temp.

The only way to get around the whole problem is to have two separate zones, which requires expensive HVAC work if you want it done properly, so I've been looking at hacking these programmable vents with an ESP2866 to create an upstairs and downstairs zone without two separate HVAC systems. The ideal goal would be to be able to close all the vents in rooms that aren't currently occupied or already at desired temp so the HVAC can direct the air where it needs to go.

We had a similar situation and replaced them with these. Painted to match our baseboard. They look great and we get a lot of compliments on them.

Ours weren’t as tall as yours though so you’ll prob have to do some drywall patching. Yours also look pretty deep too.

Second this. I installed one of these in our basement stairwell door, because there's no return down there.

All you have to do is notch out the bottom of the door with a jigsaw. Super easy and works well. Also more inconspicuous than a vent above the door. Cheers.

Does that utility room have a window? If you do you could simply put a big vent fan and push air out. However, given the volume of your rigs you'd need to cut a hole in the door to allow cool air in.

I've considered getting one of these. For an upstairs bedroom. Since air return path tends to be actually quite important keeping rooms comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/Tamarack-Technologies-Perfect-Balance-Door/dp/B00NOY6QB6/ref=sr_1_7_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497498895&sr=8-7&keywords=door+vent

Also you you probably want a single fan if you can manage it. Having lots of smaller fans tends to waste static pressure across the fans. You're much better off getting a single high flow static pressure fan.

Okay thanks. But a full door is overkill yeah?

Something like this would be enough: https://www.amazon.com/Bathroom-Grille-455mm-135mm-Ventilation/dp/B00DDTC42M ??

Curtains and wall hangers to absorb sound. Cheap register air filters can also help with sound transmission through ductwork.

As for the ceiling, depends on the pattern. If it's just stippled, that's simple to fix upon moving out. A screw hole or 8 aren't gonna be a problem.

There's also peel and stick sound dampening panels. Caveat, though: the adhesive is strong. One commenter suggest tacking/stapling up cardboard and sticking the panels to the cardboard for easy removal later.

how about clear plastic housing with air holes of course... but put some type of air filter in those holes? buy cheap air filters, cut them to size, put them in place maybe?

something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/WEB-WVENT-Vent-Register-Filters/dp/B000BWKMI2

probably would look better if it was on the left and right and or top or bottom.. more aesthetically pleasing...

....or would this cut down air flow and make the machine way too hot?

So the easiest thing to do is go buy some magnetic duct grate covers. Elima-Draft 9"x9" Insulated Magnetic HVAC Vent Cover For ALUMINUM Vents https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RNZK5M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KhtJyb8YFCK19 something along those lines this one is insulated but you can buy just straight magnetic covers. Hope this helps

If you are dead-set on using tape, then taping to a panel of corrugated cardboard, foam board or masonite board cut to fit the tile will save the rest of the tile finish. A $1 can of Lowes white spray paint will go a long way to fixing the current appearance of the tile.


But go with a magnetic vent cover:
There are box-type magnetic vent covers that will (if sized to the vent) fit over the louver-adjusting lever and seal well, or you can pop off the grill and remove the louver mechanism so that you have a flat surface to seal with the sheet-magnet cover.

Yeah my ideal was a std 4x10 floor register. That would be about 2x the opening of exhaust, which needs to be an inline fan for a carbon filter.

Something like this. I could close half if needed if fully open wasn't creating enough negative pressure.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermwell-HD5-10-14-Adjustable-Deflector/dp/B00B844LSY/ref=lp_13400071_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1463089692&sr=1-4

Sorry, i hit submit last night but it didn't work for some reason. Here's what you are looking for.

This is a temporary fix. Use a liebert minimate if you are serious about cooling a server room.

Yes, condition comfort cooling air will work for the servers.

You will need to install a fan to to push or pull the air through the room because all filter will have pressure loss.

Your return duct might not be a return duct since most building system uses the plenum as return. So verify first. If it is truly return duct and you use that to pull, make sure the system isn't shut off on weekend and night.

If you do have a plenum return system, get some egg crate return grille and some box fans and put it in your ceiling. Remember, this is a quick and dirty temporary deal not meant to be permanent.

It already is somewhat higher than the other doors. Would something like this be worth it?

Tamarack Technologies Perfect Balance 27 1/4 x 4 3/4 Inch In Door Return Air Pathway https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NOY6QB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZSPGDbDEB0Y0Q

Thanks, I wanted to do something like this. Would this be considered a chest wound seal: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-HyFin-Vent-Compact-Chest/dp/B01M7O5TJS/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1CVFCIGB2POML&keywords=sucking+chest+wound+seal&qid=1554495215&s=gateway&sprefix=chest+wound+%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-10


I have most of the other stuff already.

I went the basement route, in a storage closet.


I put an exhaust vent in the wall with two 12v 140mm Noctua fans, found an AC vent grill at Lowes that they fit perfectly into. Those particular fans blow a TON of air and are pretty quiet.


Then I put a filtered intake vent into the bottom of the door.


The exhaust fans create a vacuum inside the closet and suck air in through the intake. It keeps the closet at the exact same temperature as the rest of the basement.

edit - grammar

I got this netting type stuff off of Amazon and put it over my vents to help block dirt and dust from blowing into my room. Something like this. It really helped me with dust, worth giving it a shot for smoke.

It's probably pushing the fan out of balance. Is the clicking caused by the chains hitting the fan? If so, you can wrap tape around them. You could also look into getting a vent deflector so the air doesn't hit the fan.

So, depending on the size of the intake, I recommend using http://www.amazon.com/WEB-WVENT-Vent-Register-Filters/dp/B000BWKMI2 if it is a smaller opening. Otherwise just look up a standard 3M filter baffle that fits the dimensions needed.

Check with the owner if the vent ducts have been cleaned. And check if the heating furnace filters were also changed. Filters need to be changed twice a year. Vent cleaning every 3 years.

In the meantime, buy vent register filters like this: https://www.amazon.com/WEB-WVENT-Vent-Register-Filters/dp/B000BWKMI2

Or this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009XVIYYQ/ref=pd_aw_fbt_60_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QAM7PK16PKTDPYR6FV7C

Throw some of these in the vents. Deduct the cost from your rent.

Problem solved.

12" X 12" Steel Return Air Filter Grille for 1" Filter - Removable Face/Door - HVAC DUCT COVER - Flat" Stamped Face - White [Outer Dimensions: 14.5 X 13.75] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061MI4ZY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ysCpDb08XVTK9

I have a honeywell zone controller. As far as I can tell it is a Honeywell HZ311. The home was built in 2010, so it's relatively new. We are having a baby next February, and I am trying to regulate the baby's room different from ours. The problem that I am trying to solve is that my wife and I keep the bedroom at 68 degrees during the night, and I'm not sure that I want to give that up.

As I mentioned before I have a home automation system that I was going to use for controlling each rooms temperature without dedicated hardware. I was going to put in the vent damper found HERE at each of the vents in the upstairs bedrooms, and control the temperature, and vent open and closures programatically, via a I/O controller or arduino. I have motion/temperature/humidity sensors in each bedroom. That said, I don't believe I want to go this route, not that it wouldn't be a blast to try and wire all of that up and program it.

If it's that much easier to add a 3rd zone I may just try and do it without having to add all of that complexity.

I dealt with a similar issue of inconvenient vent placement. You can get air vent deflectors that direct the air across the floor instead of straight up (assuming the vents are on the floor). Here is an example: vent deflector (Amazon)