4k sealed room apartment grow

[Guest]

I'm in the process of planning out a 4k grow in my 1 bedroom apartment. I need all the criticism and advice I can get, even if its "you're stupid for trying to run that." If you do criticise, please give me some info to back up that criticism.

the plan so far.

4-1000w hps-vertically hanging in a stadium setup.
18k btu A/C (is that enough-i live in an area with 90*F summer highs and -20*F winter lows)
65 litre digital demumidifier
CO2 system (undecided so far on which one)

the room is 10'9"wX16'lX8'H

It has one window located in the middle of the 10'9" back wall.

I've never run coco slabs before, but I was thinking of running slabs in a stadium setup. (i'm not sure if i want to try out something new on something i need to perform)
My other options are:
-a soilless mix (though hard to transport since i hate carrying soil through my apt building.
-organic soil (though i've never used it before so i'm wary of using it
-flood and drain/E&F through pvc (this option would be nice and simple except carrying the pvc up the stairs wouldn't be the best for security)


I think i want to run the room sealed with panda plastic stapled to the walls with a locally exhausting carbon filter. So if I used the 10'9" width of the room, 8 ft of length, and the 8 ft height, that would give me 860 cubic feet. How bit of a carbon filter/fan combo should i run to keep the smell way down?

As far as strains, I have some nice stdXnycd seeds from annaC as well as some other examples of buck's fine genteics, but I think for a cash strain I want something more indica with a shorter flowering time and bigger yield.I've been looking at mikado from federation seed co recently but i haven't been able to find any reports on it. It's supposed to be a 45 day flowering and fairly high potency. It doesn't really mention yield though. I'm wondering if i should just grab chronic from sensi seeds because if i'm running a stadium setup i probably want a strain thats a good SOGger.

I want something i can veg for 1 or 2 weeks with a 1-2 ounce cola at the end of flowering. Something I can get 1-2 g/w in a stdium setup.

like i said, this strain has to be able to produce.


On the security note:

Is this completely stupid? Am I just asking to get busted? let me know

 

[FunkBomb]

Wow that is ballsy running a 4kw in a 1 BR apartment. I think before you even start buying supplies you have to check your apartment. How old/new is the wiring in the apartment? Do you have enough circuits to handle 4kw? Are you running 120 or 240 V? Your best bet and safest route would probably be using a sub panel off the dryer or range plug. They are made specifically for heavy electrical loads.

How about the other people in the apartment building? Do they mostly keep to themselves? How about your landlord? Does she/he come by unexpected or do they always call you before coming over? Just a few questions to answer before you get started.

Best of luck to you

-Funk

 

[researchOnly]

yeah 4000w seems like alot imho.. you should cut it back to 2000w at most plus you got an AC and dehumidifer.. ... best of luck and stadiums are the shit.

 

[TGT]

I have a 4 - 1000 watt HPS grow going on right now and I am using the house's central air. It cools the whole house and the room to about 80 degree's celcius. Not too cool, but cool enough for a healthy crop. The only down side is the AC is running all the time.

This cooling system is sufficient for me as I do not have a closed and sealed room. It it sealed, but air is taken from the room and put through the carbon scrubber and exausted into an ajoining room. This way there is no smell and I get the additional benefit of using the central air. Air from the whole house is circulated and cool air from other parts is pulled into the room. Your setup will be totally sealed, so I am not sure if the air conditioning system will cool it enough and remove all the excess humidity. Also, you will need to run a very large dehumidifier in the room, but you probably already knew that. Even with my setup I am using two medium sized units. One for in the room and one for in the ajoining room where the carbon scrubbed air is equasted.

I wish you luck and let us know how your cooling turns out. I have always wanted to do a totally sealed room but never had the balls to go ahead and do it. There is so much tweaking with a system like that, but it's well worth it if you can pull it off. The larger your grow gets in a sealed room, the harder it is to control. Good luck!

TGT

 

[pumpkin2006]

No way, I'd do 6k

Ya, you got no problems, you need a 1200cfm scrubber in that room constantly going, smell is an issue. 18 btu... A/C... It might be fine, I like to overdo things to feel sure about it; I'd do 24 btu. Did you say it was a mini-split or wall mount? The A/C should be interesting to put into an apartment.... especially if someone can see it running when its 20 degrees out LOL. I'd do it like Northern Farmer and just vent out your bedroom window. Then reverse it during winter, pulling cold air from outdoors and blowing hot air into your house (warm).

As for medium, I would use coco in brick form that you could just carry into the house in grocery bags. Also use poly grow bags for your pots. Use a coco nutrient like AN Monkey Juice or Canna's A & B, with some suppliments... up to you on those. Invest in some good trash cans and just dump every bag with coco into it, take a can out two out every day and goto the dump just make sure your prints aren't on file (hope you have a truck).

Also, have you thought about the electrical pull of all of this stuff? A 24 btu A/c is 15 amps at 240v and 4k in HID's is about 20 amps at 240v... so you got an electric dryer and an electric stove, cause you wont be able to use either one of them.

 

[clowntown]

I've had to resort to some tactics like bringing things like E/F tables into my apartment in the wee hours, wrapped up in tarp in case I bump into someone. Sacks of coco were brought in in black trash bags, some of them during the daytime and some at night. All depends on your situation.

 

[Guest]

Wow that is ballsy running a 4kw in a 1 BR apartment. I think before you even start buying supplies you have to check your apartment. How old/new is the wiring in the apartment? Do you have enough circuits to handle 4kw? Are you running 120 or 240 V? Your best bet and safest route would probably be using a sub panel off the dryer or range plug. They are made specifically for heavy electrical loads.

How about the other people in the apartment building? Do they mostly keep to themselves? How about your landlord? Does she/he come by unexpected or do they always call you before coming over? Just a few questions to answer before you get started.

Best of luck to you

-Funk

thanks funk! the wiring is in good condition. they're newer apartment buildings. I checked out my oven plug today and it looks to be the 30A plug size. I'm planning on using this at 240 with this to have my 4-1ks pulling 4.6A each. with a 30A box that keeps me safely below the 80% load limit rule. I'm guessing I could run the window A/C and the demudifier as well as the fans off the normal 120V plugs in the room.

As far as the people: I've been there at least half a year now and the only person there i've met is this guy in the apt below and to the left of mine, so yea, they keep to themselves mostly.
Nights are mostly clear between 330 and 430 am to bring stuff up the stairs. Thats the time i found was best for moving my last smaller batch of grow stuff in before
My landlord hasn't been in my apt yet to the best of my knowledge.

researchOnly:
yea, 4000 is definitely a lot for a 1 BR apt. i've thought about the 2000. but if i'm gonna risk it, the reward better be worth it.

TGT:
I definitely do plan on running a dehumidifier, i think i mentioned a 65 liter digital dehumidifier in my first post. thanks for the advice

Pumpkin:
ME??????!!! a 6k??? i think not sir
I'll leave that to crazy cats like you

I like your ideas you mentioned a lot! the coco sounds like the best option for me. nice and compact to move and its supposed to be really good once you learn it. So i probably could just use drippers with that i think right?

I had no clue the A/C pulled that much amperage! you're talkin about a window/wall mount a/c right? I don't have a dryer too would my fridge or washing machine be a 30A outlet too?

clowntown:
yea, i've definitely pulled some of those in my apt. walking past people with a 3 foot tall, bent over plant in a footlocker.......yea, that was sketchy.





somebody mentioned that hopefully my fingerprints aren't on file..........
they are and im not happy about it.

 

[pumpkin2006]

Well, when you dispose of your grow bags, you'll need to make sure theirs no finger prints on the bags. You have to realize that it is far fetched, but to sleep well at night, take all the precautions you possibly can.

The 15 amps at 240v is for a 24k btu A/C, which I would recommend for your size. Your fridge probably not 240v... also, the amperage to your bedroom is no larger then 20 amps at 120v... mind you that a 24k btu A/c at 120v is 30 amps (double 240v). Those 20 amps in your bed room should be dedicated towards wall fans, water pumps, air pumps & recirculating carbon scrubber/fan.

I think you should seriously reconsider the whole "sealed room" with A/C. Northern Farmer (who I believe you are mimicking to an extent) does his with just exhaust and intake...

You should watch both of these: Grow Room Construction Pt 1

Grow Room Construction Pt 2

 

[ChristianTaylor]

You gonna be posting a diary IrishSoCo, or are you just trying to get a little consensus on the idea.

BTW, sounds like fun, GL.

-CT

 

[SOY.ALTO]

well if you are going to do it...two words...

well if you are going to do it...two words...

ODOR CONTROL!!!


And with the thin walls that alot of apartments have, might need something to mask the noise as well.


why not rent a house and give yourself some space between your neighbors and a garage too. That way if for somereason something happens such as your fan hooked up to the scrubber dies the entire building worth of people will not know you are growing.

 

[Guest]

soy:
buying a house is in the works, but i've gotta get a couple thousand more for a few months worth of payments to cover in case of a failed 1st harvest.

i think i also mentioned using a scrubber along with the room being sealed.
and yea, noise is a concern that will probably be addressed by using a muffler box around the fan and then some insulated ducting.


CT:
just some consensus, no diary yet. opinions from people who have a clue, as opposed to me who hasn't grown larger than 40 outdoor plants or under a 150w hps.

pumpkin:yea finger prints are a bit of a concern. But seriously, i can just box those up after use and take them to an out of the way dumpster.

I definitely see your point on why not to run the sealed room. Just because of the power usage by the a/c, it is looking more economical. I am kinda worried about how much air ill have to run through the room to keep temps in check with 4k worth of hps hanging open. Maybe ill seed to set up some tubes. I'm thinking that would probably be the way to go if running an exhausted room.

you're right on the northernfarmer thing. His grow is definitely my inspiration in all of this, as well as blazeoneup's hidden room 5400w medgrow.

ill definitely take some time to check out those threads as i haaate asking questions that have already been answered and hopefully these two links can give me some more insights, ideas.

thanks for all the input so far and hope to see more from you when I get some revised plans out.

 

[Local420]

depending on your landlord situation, he/she might show up and let themselves in without you ever knowing it, they usually just check to see and make sure you haven't put holes in the wall or any other damage.

Some landlords will do this, others will do it the right way and give you 24hr. notice.

This happened to me, but fortunately I wasn't growing...let alone i didn't find out till i moved out that the landlord had been in my place without my knowledge.

just fyi and again...it depends on the type of person your landlord is.

 

[clowntown]

I'm guessing the 24-hr notice thing is at the local level... not federal... so it may (or may not) vary depending on where you live. In every state that I've rented in, though, I've seen the 24-hr clause in the rental contract where the landlord is required to give you a minimum 24-hour notice before a visit.

In my experience, at some places the landlord never visited. Then at another place, a large upscale apartment complex had maintenance people changing your light bulbs for you on a regular scheduled basis. If I recall correctly you could also opt out of this included "service", or specify a window when your apartment will be occupied.

In my current small, shitty apartment building with a live-in manager across the hallway, I haven't yet had any problems.

Like Local420 said, all depends...

 

[Guest]

Just go for it, stay out trouble, secure your location, and learn from experiance. Wait that is my stratagy & what i have learned so far is (my old basement owned) and one bedrooms might become a "PAIN"


LOve sneaking things in at night, keeps the blood flowing j/k

 

[Dave_the_stoner]

The best advice I can give after many apartment grows, is "Dont be afraid to scrap the whole grow at a minutes notice". I've had to scrap 2 apartment grows in a hurry, it's sad but it'll keep you out of trouble.
Another VERY useful piece of advice is "Dont count your chickens before they hatch". You make it sound like your already invisioning the outcome, which is cool, but until you harvest the buds, dont count on getting anywhere near as much as you think you'll get. And dont plan on anything resembling a good profit margin if you plan on selling it. No matter how much pot I grow, it's never been enough.
SOrry to sound so pessimistic, but if you keep my advice in mind, you wont be dissapointed, you'll stay safe, and most important you wont be relying on something that you may have to tear down. After considering all that your left with higher quality, and yields than expected as the outcome.
peace

 

[Guest]

slips: with the sneaking things in comment.........i had a whole thread about that awhile ago with moving my plants outdoors

im now thinking of maybe dropping down to 2k with possibly a flat setup with growbags filled with coco coir and a drip system setup.

as far as setting up the vertical system, i was thinking that bleacher type shelves for the stadium setup would be too bulky to bring in. Then I thought about it, and if I could flatten out some wire fencing with nice big 6" square holes, I could just kinda hang that vertically from some kind of frame (or just attached to the wall) and then tie in wire cradles into the back of it to hold the growbags.

If I just do it with 2k i can fit it in my walk in closet which would be more of a pain to run wiring to and the sound would have to be more muffled, but it would be easier to hide and close off.

how bout a lil potential price list

2x1k hps lights-250each=$500
fan scrubber combo-$500
6" vortex fan for aircooled lights-$275
nutes-~$100
coir-$50-100
growbags-200x3gallon [email protected]=$80
panda plastic (100ftx10ft)=$80-100
LG 65 pint dehumidifier=$260
ducting ~$100
wire and framing for 'shelves'~$100
brackets and other hardware ~$50
reservoir and plumbing~$75
glass and hardware for tubes~$50
timers~$50
roll of aluminum or duct tape~$5
=$2,445 (assuming higher costs on the ranged costs)
i'm sure there's more here, fill me in with what i forgot to write down. My water is pretty good were i am, ppm's under 100 so i don't think it should be a problem using that so i won't need an R/O filter.

I have no clue how many plants i would try to fit in a system like this....

I would be SOGging the plants so keep that in mind. Maybe 1 per foot vertical and 6" horizontal s I got as many in the space as possibly without blocking light to other plants much.
So lets say i did a set of shelves on each side 8 feet long and 4 feet tall. so thats 23 sq feet on each side, 64 sq feet total between the two shelves(this is on the y axis, not the x-axis, remember).

with 2 plants per square foot (each plant taking up a 12"Hx6"W space) thats 128 plants total. If somehow i could pull 1 ounce per plant off this setup that would give me 8 lbs at harvest. I'm not thinking thats gonna happen. But lets say 1/2 O per plant (this is with 0 to 1 week veg from clone). With 1/2 O per plant id still be getting 4 lbs per harvest which would still be a respectable 2 lbs per light. I guess i'm just thinking that if I'm gonna go through all the work to set up a vertical, i might as well use one of its biggest advantages.....room for biomass!


let me know what you all think of the new plan. I really value everyone's feedback, even if you just tell me that i'm stupid (you just won't get any k+ from me for that )

 

[Guest]

dave:
i must have missed your post while i was posting mine

i definitely am with ya on the don't count your eggs thing. I know i'm doin it here. To be honest, theres no way in hell i would risk this if there wasn't some potential reward. However, the reason i can't go with a house quite yet is that id only have enough payments for the first few months (after all the costs setting up my grow), so i'd need to count on a good harvest coming in, and if something got effed up with the crop, id be through. Not only losing the house, but defaulting on a mortgage which wouldn't exactly be good for my credit.
I'm feeling like 4 lbs is a fairly conservative estimate if i did everything correctly. But like you said, stuff can go wrong in a hurry. I let my res dry out with 2 weeks left in my grow last run (luckily i did half in soil as a control for the hydro run experiment). I lost what would have been 2/3 of my harvest right there in a few days. The girls were just too thirsty and i didn't notice the bubbling in there getting quieter until the plants were drying out when i returned from my trip.
-----

whats everyone think about the growbags? bad idea?good idea? right/wrong size? should i be using another kind of container?

how bout my equipment list? anything i left off that i need?

as far as the wire shelf design....should i put together a lil paint drawing for all of ya?

 

[Guest]

CT and L420:

i have the 24 hour provision in my lease with a rider that states that they can come in if there's an emergency.
that section is worded in a way which gives them permission to enter wthout notice pretty much anytime they want if they even say they thought they heard loud noise.

its pretty sketchy, but nothing i could do about it really. I plan on changing locks if i do this. As per the terms of my lease, they can kick me out if i do this. However, being kicked out is better than jail. Yea, I know they can just call in a locksmith but at least that buys me a lil more time.

There was another thread about apartment growing not too long ago where a bunch of us discussed this topic at length. I've gotta dig that one up. One thing I want to do is make sure i don't tear up/ markup any walls or ruin carpets. I've read that stuff like that is what makes landlords call the cops on you instead of just telling you to clean up and move out.

 

[Guest]

Do one run and find a house to rent afterwards... good luck

 

[Guest]

thanks IS
yea, I don't plan on more than 1 or 2 if i do decide to do this. I do have a while before anything would even get going. I wouldn't be starting until august since i'm currently rotating between my apartment and another residence during the week so I won't be able to really get started with mothers until the end of august. Depending on how well my swt3 does outdoors, I might pull clones off 1 or 2 of them to use as mothers for my first bigger grow. If I'm going to put this much money into it though, I might go with an all out cash cropper strain like bigbud or chronic just to max out my yields.

I know the low odor strain is a common question. NL and C99.....
but what I really want is something relatively low odor (doesn't have to be very, just not above a 5 on scale from 1 to 10 on odor) that yields extremely well.

so key factors im looking for are (in order of importance)

1. high yielding (with a single cola pheno)
2.low odor
3. low flowering time
4. potency
5. bag appeal......color (for some reason people still think that purple=amazing...), smell in bag, trich coverage, etc.
7. hardiness
8. taste

if anyone even mentions a rudy strain then i don't think i can be your friend anymore