My cellar. (As requested by Mr Cannab1ser.)

[Farmer Geddon]

I can't really use my cellar any more. Going down there to take these pics tired me out. Ah well, I don't need that much space now so the hall cupboard is large enough.

Multiple pics don't seem to come out in the order I expect so I'll describe as best I can. 3 rooms, ladder access to the middle room, 6mx2m. 'Windows' to access the main room, 6mx3m and the other room 6mx4m.

The white faced mdf hanging on an end wall of the main room is to stop light shining through the airbrick behind it. The timber on the floor is my scrog trolleys, 3 of them, 6'x2'. The tops for the scrog trolleys, complete with chicken wire, can be seen in another pic.

At the other end of the main room wall is a 6" rvk fitted to an airbrick. That was running non stop for about 15 years. I only turned it off last year. It removes the musty smell and keeps the RH down to 80%.

The middle room is now for junk although I have done a few grows there. The wooden box did have a pond liner and was a 700 litre res. It took the RO unit 3 days to fill it.

The other room has all the builders rubble that was in the middle and main room. Although it's the largest, access involves ducking under a soil pipe and the metal fitting on it is perfectly placed to dig into my back if I'm not fully attentive.

It's not tidy because I'm a boy and there isn't anyone to shout at me.

[Bethmeg]

80% humidity ? How did that work out for you ?

I spent a lot of time and money doing my cellar out.It was a non starter for me.The extraction fan pulled groundwater through the floor.Humidity was off the scale.Knew there was no point carrying on into flower as it just wasn’t feasible.

That is one huge cellar.Got some good head height going on there.What’s the great pipe going down the middle? Mad that is.

[Cheeseking]

We finally see the illusive cellar!
How did you cope with the high humidity though not only rot and mould but I've read high humidity will trigger the bud to become airy as a defence to the high humidity.
That scrogg trolly looks good

[MrC]

I like it mate, appreciate the time and effort, The possibilities in a space like that.... If I could get away with it I'd build a room in my garage, not enough space though and it's nicely tucked away where it is now tbf.

Do all cellars generally suffer with high humidity?

[Cheeseking]

Cellars are usually high in humidity due to being below ground. I tank them with a membrane and use a lightweight breathable plaster to go over them like renderlite or sovereign. Bodge job would just be frame it and use thermal backed plasterboard but be prepared for a damp mouldy wall behind the plasterboard. Use some strips of dpc ( damp proof corse) behind the timber to prolong its life

[Farmer Geddon]

I had some false starts at first. Long short, my 400w hps lamp was past its best by the time I had clones to grow down there. Strange as it seems, zero mould from my first 3 grows. tbf, the yields were pitiful. Old bulb and poor quality clones. All 3 grows were free range and open plan. Then I got an 8'x4' tent and 2 x 600w hps. Damp in an enclosed space like a tent is a different story. As I'd never seen bud rot before, I didn't know to look out for it. Some of the plants are turning brown, how strange... I lost 50% of the crop.

I struggled with mould for a while, cutting it out when I saw it, losses 10% to 15%. Then the damp got to the stitching and the tent shed its skin. Blessing in disguise. I built 4'x4' open cabs. No top or bottom to them. As the heat from the hps rose, it pulled in air from the bottom. A lot less mould than in a tent. I also got better at spotting mould. Actually my youngest did, he figured out how to identify rot before it was visible. It ended up with losses to mould averaging 3%.

It's the cold that drags down yields. I did an identical grow in a bedroom during good weather and got 700g/600w. The cold cellar averaged 500g/600w. Funnily enough, I lost about 3% to mould with the bedroom grow.

Cheeseking, I never had a problem with airy bud. I was at the low end of lighting, 37.5w hps psf and later 35w cmh psf so the buds were never rock hard. Firm but not rock.

Bethmeg, my kitchen waste water and rain water from 50 yards of road outside flows through that pipe on its way to the sewers. I had the bright idea of fitting a waste disposal unit to handle plant waste and of course I blocked the drain in time to catch a long and torrential downpour. I had a fountain of rainwater coming out of that pipe into the cellar for almost 2 days. I didn't dare call in the workies so I got some rods and cleared it myself.

[Bethmeg]

I had some false starts at first. Long short, my 400w hps lamp was past its best by the time I had clones to grow down there. Strange as it seems, zero mould from my first 3 grows. tbf, the yields were pitiful. Old bulb and poor quality clones. All 3 grows were free range and open plan. Then I got an 8'x4' tent and 2 x 600w hps. Damp in an enclosed space like a tent is a different story. As I'd never seen bud rot before, I didn't know to look out for it. Some of the plants are turning brown, how strange... I lost 50% of the crop.

I struggled with mould for a while, cutting it out when I saw it, losses 10% to 15%. Then the damp got to the stitching and the tent shed its skin. Blessing in disguise. I built 4'x4' open cabs. No top or bottom to them. As the heat from the hps rose, it pulled in air from the bottom. A lot less mould than in a tent. I also got better at spotting mould. Actually my youngest did, he figured out how to identify rot before it was visible. It ended up with losses to mould averaging 3%.

It's the cold that drags down yields. I did an identical grow in a bedroom during good weather and got 700g/600w. The cold cellar averaged 500g/600w. Funnily enough, I lost about 3% to mould with the bedroom grow.

Cheeseking, I never had a problem with airy bud. I was at the low end of lighting, 37.5w hps psf and later 35w cmh psf so the buds were never rock hard. Firm but not rock.

Bethmeg, my kitchen waste water and rain water from 50 yards of road outside flows through that pipe on its way to the sewers. I had the bright idea of fitting a waste disposal unit to handle plant waste and of course I blocked the drain in time to catch a long and torrential downpour. I had a fountain of rainwater coming out of that pipe into the cellar for almost 2 days. I didn't dare call in the workies so I got some rods and cleared it myself.

Well Kudos for sticking with it at the time.If it was the only place ya can grow then needs must and all that eh?
I was crazy to contemplate it.Even now you can’t put anything down there that’s not plastic.Most things gets mouldy metal things get rusty.it floods from time to time too.

Lol at the pipe and the avoiding the workman.I’ve recently had to have an epc done on my house.I didn’t know what to expect thought they were only going to look outside the house.
So theChap opened the door to the attic and asked if it was a cupboard,I said yes,he didn’t see the stairs.
We go downstairs and he says right I’ll just get my ladders for the attic…….cue that fear of dread in my stomach.I’ve a plant up there,but it’s out of sight and lights are off.
I blurt out something along the lines of “OMG my ex used to grow I don’t know what will be up there”
He says “I wont go up if you don’t want me to” This was my get out clause but like a daft bint I say “Well if you need to”
“Ok I’ll get my ladders” he says I say “ You don’t need them I panicked and lied about the cupboard” lol

So we go up the first stairs and my hearts pounding like I’m gonna have a full on attack.
He goes up the attic stairs,they are space savers,tricky to manage,I’m stood at the bottom he stays on the stairs shining the torch around.And I’m stood there thinking,don’t you fecking move off them stairs ya twat whilst constantly saying “be careful” which is code for “come on fecking hell”
he says something like “you got it well insulated” I’m thinking alright you’ve had long enough stop poking around and get ya arse down here.
We go back downstairs where he them tells me unfortunately I don’t qualify for the government funding and it had all been a waste of time

[Farmer Geddon]

I've had some fun times in the cellar. With my 700L tubbler grow, I had a 150L/m airpump, a little over 2,000g/hr. Noisy as. I ran wiring to a switch by the front door so I could turn it off when I had visitors. It had a manifold with 8 regular airline outlets. The noise was a constant annoyance. One day, the noise changed to BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP. The airpump had blown the arse out of the manifold, making it nothing but a short tube. A rubber homebrew bung was the right size and I hammered it in good and tight.

I'd only just finished that tubbler grow when I was told that plumbers would be calling to replace the central heating. Cellar access needed. I only had a drill powered pump to get rid of 700L and the drill was ancient. It started to overheat with 5 minutes use. Let it cool for half an hour, another 5 minutes of pumping.

The plumbers were a father and son team. I mentioned that I once grew tomatoes down there. A few hours later, when they come up for a break, the son was holding a fan leaf bigger than my fist.

'Whoever sold you those tomato seeds saw you coming.'