Fridge micro build ?

[shifty4301]

Hello all,

New to the forum, building, growing, and posting, so hello! Really excited about trying this out. Right now i am in the building stage and need any and all help i can get. This is my first real build and i am open to suggestions. I will be adding pics of what i have done so far and any additional work done. I am in no rush so i want to get this part right to make things easier in the future.

I say this is my first real build, because i built a stealth cpu unit a few months ago and got the build bug. The plan is to use that for seedlings and clones down the road. My wife is pissed cause i am looking at everything and wanting to make a grow box out of it.
I am currently growing green beans in it so i can make sure i can control temps and ventilation before i actually get going. I figured test it on something i really don't care about. The green beans that are in the cpu are doing better then the ones i have in the sun. I live in the south so it is still really warm and can still grow stuff outside.

Ok enough of that back to the build at hand. I am using a side by side fridge with the intentions of using the fridge side for the grow and the freezer side for the fans and electronics. The dimensions of the grow area are 2'x18"x4'. The only progress i have made so far is the lights. I have 16 light sockets for screw in leds, attached to wood slats, then that is attached to the frame of one of the shelves. I did it this way so i could use the shelf rack to adjust the height of the lights as the plants grow. From what i have seen on this site it is better to move the lights not the plants if you can. They are working and really proud of myself on the way they turned out. Still need to clean up the wires but for a test its nice.

Now to the ventilation. This is the part i am needing help on. My plan was to use a passive air flow system, with a 4" fan for the exhaust. The fan will be installed in the freezer section and then vented out the back of the unit to reduce the chance for light leaks. For the intake, I was going to drill 4 2" holes on the bottom of the grow side. Using 2" black pvc 90's to reduce light leaks and screening attached to that to reduce bugs. This will be in my garage so the heat and possible humidity may be a challenge. That is option 1. The other thought was to do an active system with another fan pulling air from the back of the freezer side and just drill another hole between the 2 compartments. Any thoughts?

I guess my questions are:

1) Should i go with a 4 or 6 inch fan with the size of the grow area i am working with. I am using leds to try and keep the temps down. I think that is going to be my biggest challenge but i have macgyver ideas for that down the road so one step at a time.

2) Cfm, what should i go with for that size area. The plan no matter which size fan i get will be to have it on a controller. Also, a scrubber if i can figure out how to install it in the freezer section. I don't want to lose grow room if the scrubber is installed in the grow side. Trying to figure out which cfm i would need made my head hurt, then i smoked and gave up.

Sorry this is so long. Just excited to see what the finished product will be. I am sure i will have other questions as i get deeper into this.

Thanks for the advice and help in advance. Look forward to hearing other ideas.

 

[ReikoX]

Now to the ventilation. This is the part i am needing help on. My plan was to use a passive air flow system, with a 4" fan for the exhaust. The fan will be installed in the freezer section and then vented out the back of the unit to reduce the chance for light leaks. For the intake, I was going to drill 4 2" holes on the bottom of the grow side. Using 2" black pvc 90's to reduce light leaks and screening attached to that to reduce bugs. This will be in my garage so the heat and possible humidity may be a challenge. That is option 1.

This is the option you want. Passive intakes are best in micro grows for both sound and smell reasons.

1) Should i go with a 4 or 6 inch fan with the size of the grow area i am working with. I am using leds to try and keep the temps down. I think that is going to be my biggest challenge but i have macgyver ideas for that down the road so one step at a time.

The four inch inline should be plenty for the LED lighting you are using. Pair it with a 4x12 Phresh filter and you should be golden.

2) Cfm, what should i go with for that size area. The plan no matter which size fan i get will be to have it on a controller. Also, a scrubber if i can figure out how to install it in the freezer section. I don't want to lose grow room if the scrubber is installed in the grow side. Trying to figure out which cfm i would need made my head hurt, then i smoked and gave up.

Speed controllers are a must for fine tuning your temperature. Theven 4 inch vortex provides 175 CFM, which should be enough to cool around 200 watts of LED.

I highly suggest you read the Ventilation 101 thread, it should answer most of your questions.

Check out some of my builds for ideas if you like:
Designing a Dual 150-watt CMH Cab
86W LED Filing Cabinet
NGB Style Storage Cabinet
PC Build

 

[justanotherbozo]

...hey bro, welcome to the site and the hobby.

...anyway, rather than re-inventing the wheel, here is a link to one of FreezerBoy's threads and be sure to search his other threads, he hasn't been active for a few years but when he was active he was a moderator and a prolific author writing in a very easy to read and enjoyable style, believe me, he helped a LOT of people!

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=99905

good luck, bozo

 

[shifty4301]

hey guys thanks for the help. I went and picked up a 4" hurricane 171 cfm fan with a controller. got it all set up in the freezer compartment. I used 2 4" bucks for intake and 1 or exhaust. I also put a 4 inch desk fan in the upper corner to help with temps. I will post pictures tonight when I get home from work. before I put the finishing touches on the box I wanted to run it a while to see about temps and stuff like that, so at first I ran it with 16 9w leds and the temp went crazy (above 90 w fan on full blast). so that's not going to work. I took a row out to make it 12 9w leds and the temps jumped up to 92. any ideas to help with temp? I was thinking 12 9w leds may be a bit much for a 2'×18"×4 cab. any thoughts? trying to work out bugs before not during a grow. lol