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New Cabinet Space: Idea's Needed!

Tri_Cho_Me

Tri_Cho_Me

Member
Hey everyone,

Just getting everything setup for my first run. Seeds and light are all that's left to arrive.

I rushed into a tent purchase before I learned about the whole separate veg and flower grow space technique. I had originally just planned on using one tent with one light. Upon looking into spaces left available to me, this is my best option for a veg space.

Now to the questions I was hoping you all could help with, as well as chime in any additional advice/tips/tricks.

  • The space is right next to an entry way that gets pretty chilly in the winter. Bad idea?
  • What type of lights should I use? (Brand, Tpye, Wattage, Lumens, etc.)
  • How can I seal this up? Paper or felt or something around the edges?
  • What size pot should be my maximum in here?

Thank you all for your help!
Tri_Cho_Me
 

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O

omgwt

Member
PLL/T5 would be ideal. I would personally just use PC-fans for ventilation; unless you're going with mothers; then perhaps a carbon filter and a small inline fan would be usefull to cover any slight hint of plants :)
 
justanotherbozo

justanotherbozo

Active member
Veteran
...yeah, as someone who has built a few cabs i'd actually recommend a second tent, if you have the space then another 4 x 4 would be great, otherwise maybe something smaller would be a better fit.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Secret-Jardin...-Grow-Tent-New-Model-/251597957048?nav=SEARCH

...repurposing an existing cabinet can be great fun but it can also be a huge pain in the ass that can take weeks to complete, a tent you can have set up and in operation in less than an hour.

peace, bozo
 
Tri_Cho_Me

Tri_Cho_Me

Member
justanotherbozo said:
...yeah, as someone who has built a few cabs i'd actually recommend a second tent, if you have the space then another 4 x 4 would be great, otherwise maybe something smaller would be a better fit.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Secret-Jardin...-Grow-Tent-New-Model-/251597957048?nav=SEARCH

...repurposing an existing cabinet can be great fun but it can also be a huge pain in the ass that can take weeks to complete, a tent you can have set up and in operation in less than an hour.

peace, bozo
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I don't have space for another tent or I would in a heartbeat! Fortunately, the cupboard I'm working with has a plugin on the inside and a cold air return! Hopefully I can stick a fan in there and line the sides with foil. Cheap! Just gotta figure out the best lights for that space...
 
ReikoX

ReikoX

Knight of the BlackSvn
I would suggest a 4-bulb 2' T5. It will fit in there nicely. Here you can see my mom/clone area. It's smaller than your area at 19x24x24. Those mom's are in 6" squares.


Also screw the foil, just buy a quart of flat white paint. Cheaper, easier, and better IMO.
 
corky1968

corky1968

Active member
Veteran
Tri_Cho_Me said:
Corky, do they make T5's that would fit my space? I only have 33 inches to work with.

I was also thinking a UFO LED, or single LED bulbs. Thoughts?

Mainly using this as a veg/mom space.
Click to expand...

If you click those bulb links I provided earlier. You'll can see they make 3 sizes.
I have the 46" ones and you'll probably have to use the 22" since the 34" is
just a little too long. You could add some LED's along with the T5's.

Item Number: UL5-24
Lamp Wattage: 24 w
Lamp Length: 22" (55 cm)
Item Number: UL5-39
Lamp Wattage: 39 w
Lamp Length: 34" (85 cm)
Item Number: UL5-54
Lamp Wattage: 54 w
Lamp Length: 46" (116 cm)
 
Tri_Cho_Me

Tri_Cho_Me

Member
ReikoX said:
I would suggest a 4-bulb 2' T5. It will fit in there nicely. Here you can see my mom/clone area. It's smaller than your area at 19x24x24. Those mom's are in 6" squares.
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=65149&pictureid=1589657&thumb=0]View Image[/url]

Also screw the foil, just buy a quart of flat white paint. Cheaper, easier, and better IMO.
Click to expand...

Thanks dude! I will definitely look into that. Seems easier than jimmy rigging some crazy setup where I have to screw in 10 bulbs or whatever.
 
mule420

mule420

Member
Tri_Cho_Me said:
Thanks dude! I will definitely look into that. Seems easier than jimmy rigging some crazy setup where I have to screw in 10 bulbs or whatever.
Click to expand...

I have that light and I love it! Cost me around $90 and it works great! One of the reasons I like it is I can leave out the middle two bulbs and it works just fine but with lower light. It's a good buy and good advice.
To seal your cab you can run a thin bead of silicone around the door use a one inch wide piece of parchment paper or wax paper to cover the bead then close the door. You want the edges to stay open so the silicon will dry if that makes sense. Hence the one inch wide paper...
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
Take the center shelf out, or make it so you can adjust the height, and its a nice little space. Is that a heat register inside on the lower right though? If it is that isn't gonna work to well, let's just say you def don't need to worry about the winter draft!

On the plus side though if it is... you could terminate it in the attic or under the house(wherever it goes), patch the main duct to the furnace, reverse the flow back through the duct for the cabs exhaust. Put a 90 degree register fitting going up to the ceiling of the cab and hook up an inline. With a good intake port you could sport an HID in there!


Oh and you could drill holes for vents just above the toe kick area, and add a light proof skirt below the face frame for intake. Otherwise you could draw in air from below. Cheap 90 cent sticky floor tiles would make a nice quick floor!
 

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Tri_Cho_Me

Tri_Cho_Me

Member
Drop That Sound said:
Take the center shelf out, or make it so you can adjust the height, and its a nice little space. Is that a heat register inside on the lower right though? If it is that isn't gonna work to well, let's just say you def don't need to worry about the winter draft!

On the plus side though if it is... you could terminate it in the attic or under the house(wherever it goes), patch the main duct to the furnace, reverse the flow back through the duct for the cabs exhaust. Put a 90 degree register fitting going up to the ceiling of the cab and hook up an inline. With a good intake port you could sport an HID in there!


Oh and you could drill holes for vents just above the toe kick area, and add a light proof skirt below the face frame for intake. Otherwise you could draw in air from below. Cheap 90 cent sticky floor tiles would make a nice quick floor!
Click to expand...

That is actually a cold air return! You can see in the pic below that the doors have little slits where the guy who built them, allowed for the air flow to still come in. I covered these up with foil though so no light gets in or out.
So I think all I need to do is add a tiny little oscillating desk fan.

I bought some felt that I can cut into strips and then stick on the door to seal it up a little better. Then I think eventually I will buy a shoe rack or something to put in the entry way. That way it just kind of blocks that area and no one will randomly open up the cabinet. I also taped up some foil. Check out some update pics!

Tri_Cho_Me
 

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Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
Oh nice! So it go's right back to the AC then.. I would take the grill off and hide a couple 120mm fans inside the register. So that way there is always some air moving through the duct even if the AC isn't running. Fuzzy grey mold can take over in like 1 day without good air flow! My other suggestion I was gonna say go to a reclaimed building center and find 2 more matching cabinet doors that fit for a few bucks, and cut out a few intake ports on one or both of them, towards the top, and put a slim box on the back of the door (inside painted black) with another hole towards the bottom ,offset so no light can pass through. Then if you decide to move the veg room just pop the old doors back on. Good luck man!
 
Tri_Cho_Me

Tri_Cho_Me

Member
Drop That Sound said:
Oh nice! So it go's right back to the AC then.. I would take the grill off and hide a couple 120mm fans inside the register. So that way there is always some air moving through the duct even if the AC isn't running. Fuzzy grey mold can take over in like 1 day without good air flow! My other suggestion I was gonna say go to a reclaimed building center and find 2 more matching cabinet doors that fit for a few bucks, and cut out a few intake ports on one or both of them, towards the top, and put a slim box on the back of the door (inside painted black) with another hole towards the bottom ,offset so no light can pass through. Then if you decide to move the veg room just pop the old doors back on. Good luck man!
Click to expand...

I am going to put a fan on the opposite side and have it blowing toward that vent.
I put foil on the inside of the doors for reflective purpose, but also to block those slits. Im not too concerned with the air in this space. I definitely won't be doing anything permanent to it. I want it to be as easy and cheap as possible. I have already spent an arm and a leg on the tent, light, pots, soil, seeds, nutes, and the list goes on...

Tri_Cho_Me
 
Fiddynut

Fiddynut

Active member
Looks like you should have a nice veg area in that cabinet. If veging 24 hours light no need to make doors light proof. I've heard that plants aren't too picky about light leaks during veg anyway so might not to worry about it much. T5's will add some heat to the cabinet so low temps should be ok. Keep up the good work.
 
Tri_Cho_Me

Tri_Cho_Me

Member
Fiddynut said:
Looks like you should have a nice veg area in that cabinet. If veging 24 hours light no need to make doors light proof. I've heard that plants aren't too picky about light leaks during veg anyway so might not to worry about it much. T5's will add some heat to the cabinet so low temps should be ok. Keep up the good work.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips, dude. I will probably still go 18/6 for the cost savings, plus I need to make it "light proof" as it is in a 'public' area in my house.
 
justanotherbozo

justanotherbozo

Active member
Veteran
Tri_Cho_Me said:
All,

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on this T5 setup. Thoughts?

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8...LVJxSL11_-rVo4KgAq8cL7H1s7UP8YIs_URoCd6jw_wcB

Tri_Cho_Me
Click to expand...
...it's a decent light for a decent price but if you're not afraid of tackling a simple wiring job you could go with PLLs which would more than double your wattage from 96watts to 220watts.

...anyway, if that sounds even a little interesting to you then i'd suggest you read this thread i'm linking to where you will find all the info you need to make a decision, including wiring instructions and diagrams as well as links to sites where you can source all the parts and maybe even more importantly you will find many growers successfully using these lights who will gladly help out.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=132787

peace, bozo
 
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