Building a cab. Would like some advice please.

[B.C]

Hi everyone.

What a great forum! I've learned lots here and would appreciate some input on a cab I'm trying to convert. I purchased a storage cabinet, complete with discreet locks built into the doors. Here is a picture (attached) of what I hope to accomplish. I'll add one of the actual cabinet when I find it again.

The cabinet's dimensions are 6' 3" high, 3" wide and about 20" deep. The top shelf is about 1' 6", so there is about 4' 9" below the self... approx... 2 doors side by side, running top to bottom. Also, there are 4 adjustable shelves for the lower portion of the cabinet. I'm only using one of them in these plans. I intend to use another shelf later, for curing and drying, but will see how things go in the first phases.

I tried to get the cool air from the bottom to flow up or at least past the bulbs and then up and out through an exhaust (6" hole + DIY Scrubber + Stanely Fan) on the top shelf.

Intake vents and the 6" exhaust are cut into the cardboard backing of the cabinet. Air Exchange between Vegetation & Flower chamber is two vents 2" X 1" (side by side) toward the front and along the top of the Vegetation chamber..

I think if my holes at the bottom (x3) are about 2" X 1" and the vent hole halfway up (x1) used to help cool the florescent is about 1" X 1". That should give me 7 square inches of air intake, to pull through a 6" exhust. I'm hoping that is a sufficient amount? Do you think I should make the holes a little larger?

I plan on using square holes throughout and mount duct vents on both sides of the board. I will also be stuffing in some carbon filter to help trap the light and keep nasties from crawling or getting sucked in...

The extension cord will drop into my 'work area', and from there a lead to a power bar into the flower chamber and a lead to another power bar in the vegetation chamber. I think I need about 8 outlets. I have to calculate the amperage still, but I think it will be low.

Air Scrubber, Chemicals and electric ballasts will go up on the top shelf.

I plan on upgrading to a security 150 hps (thanks to the DIY) eventually and might use a cool tube down the road if necessary.

I'd like to keep it as stealthy as possible. I'd also like to keep my cutting down to a minimum. So far, I will only have to make two cuts into the actual wood. One for the 6" out take in the top shelf, and another for the air exchange between the two chambers in the lower partition. I guess there will be a few little notches for the electrical cabling here and there.

Thanks everyone in advance for your input.
Lemme know what you think?

 

[icough2getoff]

I think if my holes at the bottom (x3) are about 2" X 1" and the vent hole halfway up (x1) used to help cool the florescent is about 1" X 1". That should give me 7 square inches of air intake, to pull through a 6" exhust. I'm hoping that is a sufficient amount? Do you think I should make the holes a little larger?

I plan on using square holes throughout and mount duct vents on both sides of the board. I will also be stuffing in some carbon filter to help trap the light and keep nasties from crawling or getting sucked in...

The surface area of a 6 inch hole is about 28 square inches (radius squared X pie, or 3 x 3 x 3.14). It's usually recommended that your intake is about 1.5 to 2 times the size of your outtake. If you're going to be restricting the airflow with carbon and dryer vents, then I'd imagine you'd need even more.

One thing you might consider instead of the drier vents and carbon would be darkroom louvers. These still restrict the air some but they are lightproof unlike drier vents. In my cab I use 2 8" louvers for my 6" fan, so a total of 128 square darkroom louver inches. I get great airflow and I still get a fair amount of negative pressure in the cab to help keep my doors shut tight. Go with as much intake as you can afford, you wont regret it.


p.s. Are these discreet locks that came with it the kind with a key hole?

 

[B.C]

Thanks for the reply icough2getoff.

Great advice about the darkroom louvers. They are purrfect. I love em. Great link too thx

I suspected I was being cheap on the intakes... I'll increase their sizes for sure.

Thanks very much for the tips and advice. They will be heeded.

 

[FreezerBoy]

That should give me 7 square inches of air intake, to pull through a 6" exhust. I'm hoping that is a sufficient amount? Do you think I should make the holes a little larger?

You'll want two 6" intakes minimum.

Check out the formulas that NanoScroger posted in the "passive intake, math of many small holes?" thread

i think 3x the exhaust port is generally accepted for passive intake...
http://www.icmag.com/ic/links.php?u...ize-vent-fan-do-i-need-intake-area-size-3704/
[/IMG]

 

[sunnydog]

Hello.

Hello.

I'm currently running an 800w verticle cab.
Initially had some problems cooling, have an 8in vortex pulling through the cool tube and venting the cab out through a carbon filter.
I soon discoverd I would have to essentially have to cut the cab to swiss cheese to get enough air through!
Solution; use 2 6in (prob. could use one, but I had it cut already) passive intakes and a 4in vortex to blow in!
Works really well, and still keeps neg pressure!
700cfm in a 40"x18" box will do that!
Keeps cab at almost ambient outside temp.
I'm gonna retire this after this run and make it a clone/mother box, and get a SJ tent,59"x59", as my current way is not very efficent,but WAY better than horizontal.

 

[B.C]

Hi FrezzerBoy & SunnyDog, thanks for stopping by and thanks for the tips.

I'm definitely going to increase those intake sizes. I really like those 8" darkroom louvers ICough2getoff mentioned above...

SunnyDog, that vertical grow looks so cool. I've only experimented with horizontal grows. I've been wanting to research vertical more, but haven't given it a high priority. Maybe I should give it a bump on my to do list... also, the internal dimensions of each area is only about 18" X 20". Might be a little tight for a vertical eh? What do you think?


Thanks again. appreciate the ideas!!

PS: ICough2getoff, yup the locks have little keyholes in them. I wanted to avoid having to use one of those padlock latches with a padlock on it. Not that there is anything wrong with a good secure padlock.

PPS: I think I can add pics now. woohoo. I updated the first post @ the top.

 

[sunnydog]

also, the internal dimensions of each area is only about 18" X 20". Might be a little tight for a vertical eh?

Didin't see that.
Personally, I cant see putting the vegg area in the same box as the flowering area, as I don't trust the light tightness of the combined unit.
It is a pain enough to seal the front when I can see the light leaking out.
Good luck with your project!