💨 Exhaust Fan Sizing Calculator

Calculate the optimal exhaust fan CFM for your grow space based on lighting, plants, and environmental needs.

🌡️ Grow Space Parameters

📋 Recommended Exhaust CFM

200 CFM Required
Base Air Changes: 30/hour
Heat Load Addition: +50 CFM
Plant Transpiration: +20 CFM
Filter Compensation: +30 CFM
Safety Margin: +25%
Final Air Changes: 222/hour

⚡ Sizing Guidelines by Application

Passive Growing:
20-30 air changes/hour
Low heat, minimal odor
LED Growing:
30-40 air changes/hour
Moderate heat load
HPS/MH Growing:
40-60 air changes/hour
High heat generation
Commercial:
60+ air changes/hour
Maximum control needed

🌡️ Heat Load Calculation

Lighting Heat Factor: Different lights produce different heat loads. LEDs: ~30% heat, CMH: ~50% heat, HPS: ~85% heat. Our calculator automatically adjusts CFM based on your lighting choice and wattage.

🌱 Plant Transpiration

Humidity Management: Plants release moisture through transpiration. More plants = more humidity. The calculator adds CFM based on plant count to maintain proper humidity levels and prevent mold/mildew.

🔄 Air Changes Explained

Why Air Changes Matter: Air changes per hour (ACH) measure how often your tent's air is completely replaced. 30 ACH = minimum, 40-60 ACH = optimal for most grows, 60+ ACH = high-performance setups.

🌡️ Temperature Differential

Outside vs Inside Temp: Larger temperature differences require more airflow. If outside air is 70°F and you want 78°F inside, you need less CFM than if outside is 85°F.

🔲 Filter Impact

Carbon Filter Sizing: Filters reduce airflow by 20-40%. Heavy-duty filters need more CFM compensation. Always size your fan to overcome filter restriction while maintaining target airflow.

📏 Safety Margin

Why 25% Extra: Environmental conditions change, filters get dirty, and you may expand your setup. A 25% safety margin ensures your fan can handle peak loads and aging equipment.

🌬️ Intake Fan Sizing Calculator

Size your intake system to complement your exhaust fan and create optimal airflow patterns.

💡 Tip: The exhaust CFM automatically updates from the exhaust calculator above, or you can set it manually.

🎯 System Parameters

📋 Calculated Results

Single 8" Intake Required
Total Intake Area: 50 sq inches
Intake Velocity: 4.0 ft/sec
Pressure Differential: -0.75"
Air Changes per Hour: 222/hour
Tent Volume: 54 cubic feet
System Efficiency: 95%

🎯 Optimal Sizing Rules

Passive Intake: 2-3x larger area than exhaust outlet. This creates proper negative pressure while maintaining smooth airflow. For 200 CFM exhaust, aim for 50-75 square inches of intake area.

🌡️ Temperature Management

Cool Air In, Hot Air Out: Position intake low and exhaust high to work with natural convection. This reduces fan workload and creates even temperature distribution throughout your grow space.

💨 Velocity Control

Keep It Quiet: Intake velocity under 5 ft/sec minimizes noise and turbulence. Higher velocities create whistling sounds and reduce efficiency. Our calculator optimizes for 3-4 ft/sec.

🔧 Installation Tips

Position Matters: Place intake on opposite wall from exhaust, as low as possible. Use round intakes when possible - they're 15% more efficient than square openings of equal area.

📊 Pressure Balance

Negative Pressure Benefits: Maintains -0.5 to -1.0" prevents air leaks and odor escape. Too much negative pressure overworks fans; too little allows uncontrolled air movement.

🔄 Filter Considerations

Plan for Restriction: Filters reduce airflow by 20-40%. Our calculator automatically adjusts intake size to compensate for your chosen filtration level while maintaining optimal performance.

⚡ Quick Reference: Exhaust & Intake Sizing

Common exhaust fan sizes and recommended intake diameters for optimal performance

350 CFM Exhaust 6" intake
450 CFM Exhaust 7" intake
600 CFM Exhaust 8" intake
850 CFM Exhaust 9" intake
1300 CFM Exhaust 10" intake
1400 CFM Exhaust 11" intake
500W LED Setup ~200 CFM exhaust
600W HPS Setup ~350 CFM exhaust