Can you grow in a running freezer?

[JohnnySixString]

This is my 'Stupid Question' contribution; Is it possible, feasible, plausible, whatever, to grow inside a working freezer? Or a working fridge for that matter? I've searched the forum and found a few nice fridge/freezer grows, but they are not actually running, just used as a box. Would you be able to run it to control the temps? Would it explode from the sheer confusion of what's being done to it, lol? If it's possible, how would you go about it?

 

[Mr Celsius]

I have no idea, but I have to say no, because you need to have consistent air exchanges and I think the fridge/freezer would overheat from constantly running.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Freezer/fridges are built to prevent temp exchange. Without air exchange my 150 HPS took temps over 100 degrees in a couple of hours. With my 250 CMH, sucking in cold winter air from the garage, my temps are in the mid 70's.

Pardon me Mr C. for using Farenheit.

 

[IGrowWithLEDs]

thats just a bad idea. not only may ur plants get way too cold during the lights off period, but you're going to run up your electricity bill like crazy and most likely burn out compressor motor too. ur probably better off growing in a shoebox than to set things up like that (dont really grow in a shoebox, thats just as much of a hazard)

 

[pHaroaH]

Why would a freezer be any different than an air conditioner? They both work exactly the same. Plus you have the added benefit of the freezer being insulated and a smaller space to cool. Beer brewing sites sell thermostats to convert freezers into cool chests for brewing Lagers (50° F/ 10° C). With a proper thermostat, you could regulate the temperature to whatever you wanted.

You will need to design an air exchange system, so you will lose some cool air, but if you need to cool it, you'll need to cool it one way or another anyway. You wouldn't need additional air flow just for the sake of cooling a light. If you had a CO2 system you wouldn't need to exchange air.

One thing to watch for is whether it is an auto or manual defrost. Auto defrosts have a defrost timer that shuts off the compressor and turns on heaters in side the freezer to melt the frost. You would need to disable it.

One thing I am not sure of is whether the compressor would run too much. Running the compressor for too long will cause it to over heat and that can lessen its life considerably. Do air conditioners have circuit to cycle them on and off so they don't run too long?

 

[Mr Celsius]

There are easy ways to do things and hard ways to do things, the choice is up to you...

 

[JohnnySixString]

It was just a thought. I'm not chopping up my freezer any time soon, even though my wife did give me permission to, lol! But hey, one of these days I might get a Johnson control thermostat, a CO2 setup and start experimenting to see if it's feasible or not.

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

Why would a freezer be any different than an air conditioner? They both work exactly the same. Plus you have the added benefit of the freezer being insulated and a smaller space to cool. Beer brewing sites sell thermostats to convert freezers into cool chests for brewing Lagers (50° F/ 10° C). With a proper thermostat, you could regulate the temperature to whatever you wanted.

You will need to design an air exchange system, so you will lose some cool air, but if you need to cool it, you'll need to cool it one way or another anyway. You wouldn't need additional air flow just for the sake of cooling a light. If you had a CO2 system you wouldn't need to exchange air.

One thing to watch for is whether it is an auto or manual defrost. Auto defrosts have a defrost timer that shuts off the compressor and turns on heaters in side the freezer to melt the frost. You would need to disable it.

One thing I am not sure of is whether the compressor would run too much. Running the compressor for too long will cause it to over heat and that can lessen its life considerably. Do air conditioners have circuit to cycle them on and off so they don't run too long?

the seed-mat thermo's are rated for 1000 watts more then most standard fridge/freezers' (500-800)
i thought about the idea b4.
too small of a space though, well for my needs.

 

[pHaroaH]

I agree with everything you have said Mr C. There are easier ways, but I do love to watch innovative and unique grows. Some of my favorite threads are people just experimenting with growing.

 

[GreenScreen]

I've seen someone do a fridge grow and it worked pretty well i don't really know why you couldn't do a freezer grow...

they don't actually work as a fridge though..
and well to do it with a working freezer would take some time and money but im sure if you could somehow rewire the thermostat to work like a house thermostat to keep the temperature good and add enough co2 while not allowing it to leave the box thus having your light sealed off with either glass or an air cooled tube..you would also have to have some kind of device that would allow new air to come in on a timed schedule as to not waste the co2.. but this is all based on the fact that i know nothing about any of the wiring and stuff.. nor have i grown marijuana for more than a month.. this is solely based on the fact that i like to create my own things to grow in.. but im sure if you set the idea in your head and think about it, plan it, and learn all about what you would need to do to create it.. it might somehow come together..


but also if you search hard enough you might fall onto something like this

fridge question

also you could probably find a thread on how to seal a room for co2 somewhere around this forum...

hope that all helps

 

[JohnnySixString]

Controlling the temp is not an issue. Just get a Johnson controller thermostat that turns the freezer on and off wherever you set it at between 30-80f. Obviously CO2 would be a given, because if you had enough air in and out I don't think it would ever turn off. Depending on ambient temps that is. Not in my garage anyway. I think it's pretty doable myself, but I'm not tackling it yet. Maybe one day I'll say "fuck it" and start hacking holes in it. It isn't my first choice to become self-sufficient right now, thankfully, I'm building a cab inside for that. This was just an idear that popped in my head.

 

[GreenScreen]

well whenever you build it ill be here with a chair to watch it

 

[FreezerBoy]

http://www.refriginator.com/

Who knew? Not me.

 

[pHaroaH]

Great link FreezerBoy. With your nick, I would expect you to know...

 

[boxdoctor]

Fridge Grow Box with Air Conditioner!

Fridge Grow Box with Air Conditioner!

I wanted to let you know that you can convert a working refrigerator into a grow box with air conditioner. The conversion will obviously require some electronic knowledge to wire the compressor through the temperature controller with relays, but it can be done. The attached images are a prototype I put together last year. It was a GE refrigerator (top freezer/bottom fridge) conversion. As you can see, the entire structure has been covered in wood, and the door was redesigned as one. The light used for this project was a 300 watt LED and optional CFL bulbs.

 

[rives]

Nice looking project. Why didn't you use the on-board refrigeration unit rather than an a/c unit?

I think that Azeotrope has been growing in a larger, commercial-sized refrigerator for quite some time now. He is currently using a 315w CDM lamp, but has used the retro-white CMH's in the past.

 

[festivus]

http://www.refriginator.com/

Who knew? Not me.

That was me! The last fridge grow I did, I made a video and had it linked here. Produced some beautiful purple Jock Horror buds. I think it was oldpink who commented something about it was the coolest video he had ever seen.

I f'd up and gutted the thermostat, defrost timer and mulon heater, opting to use timers instead. Had installed a passive air intake on the bottom of the fridge door with a 6" axial fan mounted on the top of the freezer compartment, ran 6" tinfoil flex duct from the fan to the outside. Worked great in flowering, but when I tried to use it in veg, with the light on 24 hours. Like a dumb ass, I forgot the unit needed to be off to defrost. After about 3 weeks the fucking thing caught on fire! Frost and ice had built up in the interior, and when melting ice got into an electrical connection, it shorted and caught fire. Thank God I was there at the time and was able to put it out, but that tinfoil flex duct caught fire and went up like it was soaked in gasoline.

At the time, I didn't know about IC Mag. I did a google search on refriginator and saw this thread. Thanks to you guys (freezer boy ) I found my new home!

 

[ortsa1]

i had a friend who used old freezers as big res's was pretty thrifty

 

[boxdoctor]

Nice looking project. Why didn't you use the on-board refrigeration unit rather than an a/c unit?

The compressor, condenser and evaporator were never touched. In other words, the cooling system (what I called an air conditioner) is all original, with the same R134a refrigerant gas and pipes.
I improved the condenser fans to expel more heat, since a colder condenser will make a colder evaporator.

 

[foomar]

old freezers as big res's

One rare hot UK summer i put a resevoir in a small chest freezer out of desperation , was running non stop due to the warm water and imperfectly sealed lid for four months , but suffered no damage and is still in use 20 years on , saved a room full of plants from certain root rot.

If i ever need a res chiller again will make my own from an old working fridge for little expense , older models are easier to modify with components that will last longer than most new ones.

Wonder if the small flame on a modded gas powered fridge could produce a usefull amount of CO2 along with chilling a res . . .