Advice needed for first elaborate grow.

[Seedtoweed]

High there, I hope everyone is doing just fine and dandy.

I'll try to keep this somewhat short and on topic, but beware, I am a rambler and more often then not end up typing essays for posts. For your ease, the topics of each paragraph are bold and highlighted, so you dont have to read the entire post to find your area of expertise. And as always, positive reputation points for some good help will be given.

1. Cabs. What and where
So, I plan on growing some nice plants after I move soon. I've read a lot about C13's, C25's, etc etc however I find that they can only be obtained via a Home Depot, which I do not have. However, as a possible alternative, we do have a Lowes near by, so perhaps there are similar pre-made cabs that can be purchased there? Anyone have any experience with this and/or recomendations?

2. Lighting.
I do know I want to go with HPS lighting, I was thinking 250w with the possibilty of some CFL's here and there during flowering, just because I have plenty from my last attempted grow (two out of two males). Perhaps a aircooled hood, just to keep temps down, but with plenty of people coming in and out of the house, we can't have a 'buzzing closet' from fan noise and such either... maybe even get a digital ballast as I hear they make less noise, with a 250w hps/mh bulb. And if im not mistaken, the setup for a HPS light is essentially: A balast that plugs into a regulary plug, a cord with a socket with one end that plugs into the ballast, the bulb that fits in the socket that can be mounted inside a hood? Also, if its not painstakingly hard, and if its cheaper, i'd prefer to just by hps parts and put it together myself instead of buying a set kit that could be much more expensive.

3. Odor control, ventalation, noise control
Smell, I cant have it. I'm aware carbon scrubbers only work/work best in a airtight cab, however I do not know if I can create a airtight cab and still maintain a decent temperature with keeping fan noise low. I could, however, have a decent passive intake on the bottom of the cab, and one on top or out of the back with some PC fans I already have wired up, or I can up the dose on fans or get larger ones. Either way, I cant have it be noisy and I cant have it be smelly. So, a Vaportek is an option... Or I can build a carbon scrubber, but im afraid there will be too much fan noise due to fan stress trying to push all that air through densely packed carbon pellets.

4. Electrical cost, math equation
Can anyone give me an equation on how to determine how much it will cost to run a 250w per month? I'm not even sure how electricity cost is measured, in kw? And i'm not really sure the exact price per kw.

Thats it for now, its time for me to attempt to fall asleep. Keyword, attempt.

Thanks,
S2W

 

[NiteTiger]

1. Yes, cabs can be found at Lowes that will work. Also another good source people tend to overlook for cabs is your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store.

2. Try HID Direct if you're comfortable with building your own ballast. IMHO, an air-cooled hood or cool tube is a must in a cab, and you can make a cool tube for ~$25.

3. Vaportek is definately an option, if silence is a must. Fans/carbon setups can get loud, but a $10 fan speed controller from Loew's can fix a lot of that. I think you'll come down to personal preference on that one. For reference, I have an 8" Vortex that sounds like a jet engine if I let it run at full speed. With a speed controller, I can dial it down to undetectable levels.

4. Your local power company website should have the rate, measured in kwh (Kilowatt hours). My rate is 5.5 cents per kwh, so my 2kw lights cost 11 cents per hour to run.

Welcome to growing, I hope you have many wonderful crops! you have a great resource here in ICMag, so if you don't know, just ask!

 

[Seedtoweed]

Thanks, I added to your reputation.

How do you guys feel about the cheap offbrand eBay lights? Example:
250W system with 3' hood

 

[Jnugg]

How do you guys feel about the cheap offbrand eBay lights? Example:
250W system with 3' hood

Fuck no!Go with either a homemade cooltube or a storebought 6" cooltube.

The homade one can be found at Ebay under bread tube and they are/were made by Pyrex.corning.There are tons of DIY cooltube threads all ove IC and other MJ sites.

With a cooltube you can get your light/plants closer without burning them and they are a little better then A/C hoods becuase if the aircooled hood has glass/or no glass sheild the air will circulate in the hood,heating up before it acyually gets sucked out where as a cooltube is on;y 4" -6" in diameter so the air just gets sucked up without really getting the chance to heat up too much.

If you must go with a A/C hood then atleast spend some good money on it and get one of the top of the line a/c hoods.

 

[Seedtoweed]

Mainly I was asking if that light was good, I can still build a cooltube for it.

 

[Seedtoweed]

BUMP

And I think i'll just go with a Vaportek to remove odors, but I havent really decided yet.

 

[Seedtoweed]

Im bringing this thread back, im getting my cabinet today and will possibly order the lights today aswell.

I didnt want to start a new thread, but no one has answered my question about the lights. Im tight on cash and im just looking for a basic light setup, of which eBay has plenty of.

Example: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-400-watt-HP...758396466QQcategoryZ42225QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Vern Equinox]

Seedtoweed, my suggestion to you is STOP!

I know you're excited to get started, but you're making a mistake. Buying a whole bunch of stuff before you have a concrete plan of action in place is a bad idea, and the best way to waste the cash that you're tight on by making bad decisions. Buying that 400 is going to cost you at least twice as much in ventilation (upfront) than if you needed to cool a 250 or 150, and if you're scrogging, you don't need the penetration of the 400. So, if your scrogging, you can save money on less expensive lights, fans, and electric bills. I've found it's good saving money, especially when it's tight!


Things you should know/do prior to buying A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G for your grow op.

1.) The X-Files rules apply; TRUST NO ONE. Nobody, nada, zip. If you tell only one or two people, and they tell only one or two people, etc.,etc. pretty freaking soon the wrong person will hear it (like an ex-girlfriend who believes you wronged her, or a friend who feels they're deserving of free weed from your grow) and drop a quarter on your ass...trust me, it happens. And when it does, the grow may be only 2-3 plants, but LEO will hear of much exaggerated numbers, human nature being what it is. Do your bragging here!

2.) Figure out how much weed you realistically want to get per run, and no; as much as possible is not a narrowed-down enough answer. If growing for your head (and maybe the heads of a couple of friends), figure out how much you go through in a 3-4 month period, and shoot for at least that. Then, you'll be supplied until your next grow harvests/cures.

3.) Figure out what growing technique is going to fit your needs and allotted space. I can tell you for cab grows, a SCROG of some sort is generally what people use. Depending on cab dimensions, two 150 watt lights would probably do the trick.

4.) Don't risk prison for bagseed. And don't cheap out on genetics. The best money you'll invest, besides in your carbon scrubber, is in your seeds. Pick a strain that'll work best in your grow, not just one that sounds tasty. If scrogging, you want a branchier strain; if going SoG, you'll want something that stays more-or-less in one cola. Some strains are better for beginners, as they can take the abuse heaped on it from a novice moreso than other "pickier" strains. How smelly the strain gets is key as well;you don't want stanky-stanky weed until you're sure your carbon scrubber is setup and working as designed. Nothing worse than pulling down stinky ass healthy plants because you can't handle the odor control and it's smelling up the entire house/yard. LEO gets a whiff, and it's probable cause. My suggestion would be C99. Easy strain to grow, great head buzz (almost trippy), and almost no odor!

5.) Get lights to fit your needs; bigger isn't always better. Again, higher wattages, more cash upfront, more cash to run, more cash to cool, etc. Look at what a couple of Czechs are doing with single 150w lights. G_MAN and prenda are averaging between 138-143g per run on their super-simple setup. In a cab @ the size of the C13 (2ft x 2ft x 6.5), you could double-up a couple of 150s (like in my avatar) and make a single chickenwire tube with a flowering screen area of @ 30 square feet. Fill out even 2/3 of that, and you'll be a happy camper!

6.) Get your scrubber built and tested first. About the only thing that'll get you arrested faster than a scorned girlfriend is the stank from your grow getting noticed. Do it, before it does you.


That's all for now, but I'll come up with more later, I'm sure. Read this a couple times, and see if it doesn't start to make some sense. And you can save the rep points (I didn't know people even use them still); I'll let my own reputation speak for itself! GL

 

[Vern Equinox]

Nite Tiger, what's the make/model number for your speed controller? I also have an 8 inch Hurricane, but I wouldn't call it "whisper quiet" by any means, despite the fact it has a controller and duct muffler. I don't think my controller works very well; it only seems to cut speed @ 50%, and I want it @ 25%.

Thanks in advance.

-Vernal