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GrowFAQ : Getting started : Growroom design and
set-up

How can I vent through the sewer?

Added by:
snoofer  Last edited by:
snoofer  Viewed: 186 times

Rated by 7 users:
9.43/10

Contributed by: JonJaffer

submitted: 03-04-2003

A common alternative
to venting up the chimney is venting into the sewer
pipe. Depending on how your house is built, if you push
air into your sewer pipe, the air may travel up through
your house sewer standpipe. However, it is possible to
vent directly into the actual sewer system.

Venting into the sewer is generally safe. If
someone is working in the sewer nearby, they might smell
the sweet pungent aroma of your crop (Not likely at
night), but they have no way to tell where on the block
it is coming from. Since the pipes large enough to walk
in are quite far away from individual homes, the smell
has lots of time to dilute.

[Editor’s note: the
stinky sewer will also hide your crop's odor up to a
point. The sewer system itself is sealed, but you should
check nearby manholes covers just incase for excessive
blower noise and smell. The undeground sewer system will
also remove and cool exhaust heat - excellent protection
against infrared.]

To start you will need to locate your
sewer pipe in your basement. This is the pipe coming
from your toilet(s) on upper floors.

Near the
basement floor, there should be a “Y” connection at an
angle, with a cap on it. Some houses have metal pipes,
other houses will have ABS or PVC plastic sewer pipes.

You will need a pipe wrench to remove the
cap. Sometimes, if the house is very old, you will need
to demolish the cap to get it off. You can buy a new one
later at the hardware store if you need to.
This
will reveal a hole 3 or 4 inches in diameter, depending
on where you live, it may even be another size.

CAUTION: Fumes from the sewer can be poisonous,
so make sure to use caution when removing the cap, and
once a fan is installed, make sure to keep it ON all the
time , so that there is no backflow into the home.

You will need to visit a hardware store, and
pickup the various connectors and aluminum flex ducting
to connect a fan to the hole. The most efficient fans
for this purpose are centrifugal inline fans, but a
squirrel cage fan will work too. The major difference is
power consumption - an inline fan will use about 1/4 the
electricity of the same size squirrel cage, they are
VERY efficient, but a little bit noisier.

[Editor’s note: the sewer contains methane – a
smelly and potentially explosive gas! Keep those gases
away from your water heater pilot light!]

The fan pictured here is 438 cfm, and
only uses 115 watts. The inlet and outlet ports are 6
inches in diameter. I use a reducer from 6" to 4", and
then I use 4" aluminum dryer ducting to the sewer hole,
and of course plenty o' duct tape!

Once you are
finished, you can test your work by standing outside the
basement door, and holding a lighter to the crack at the
bottom of the closed door. The flame should shoot
inwards, because air is being drawn from the upstairs.

If you successfully create this
'negative pressure' environment, there is no way that
odorous grow room air can enter the house, hence the
smell is contained!

Last modified: 12:07 - Mar 11,
2003

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faq:1457 "How can I vent through the
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