Help me create a cabinet!

[cobain420]

Hey everyone, I am trying to brainstorm some ideas about making a cabinet. I am not new to growing, I have a few 2000W+ grows under my belt, but that ended a couple years ago. Now I am just trying to make a cabinet that will be located in my basement, and can't draw too much attention.

I have grown in full bedrooms, using 1K HPS, but have no experience growing in cabinets. Some cabinet growers' input would be great...

Here are the facts:

Has to be light proof.

Has to be smell proof, not totally. Obviously the more the better.

Size of the cabinet isn't that big of a concern, the basement is huge.

I need a cabinet that is store bought, can't be homemade, that'll stand out too much.

Temps in the basement are usually pretty cool, in the 70s however the air isn't as cool as an AC unit, or fresh air brought in from outside.

Questions:

Suggestions for a store bought cab?

How are do you guys vent your cabinets? Computer fans?

How do you light proof the ventilation holes in the cab?

What type of light would you recommend? 150W HPS? 400W?

Anyone have any links to threads for a nice cab setup?

Just brainstorming for now, planning to start construction in about a week. Any advice and input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[green_grow]

150 hps club, 250 hps club, 400 hps club, mills pride club, cfl grows, micro grows ... there that should keep ya busy !

seriously, all of the foregoing are, by their nature, cabinet grows . in any one of them you will find enough info to have a successful small grow .

good luck and happy growing !

 

[george j warner]

hey man cab grower here ...you can make a DIY one for half the ammount of a bought one ... and if done right it wont stand out... up to you ...

the bought ones are pritty dam expensive ...

let me find some links :

http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-Conditioned-Hydroponic-Growing-Fridge/dp/B000NNNOK2

http://www.4hydroponics.com/grow_room/bcblm.asp

here my cab ... people didnt even glance at it .......if you really want a sly one dont get normal grow fans.. get acoustic grow room ones and add a fan speed controller
we use carbon filters for smell and if the cabs big enough an ozone generater aswell ..

http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/thd11x17195.shtml

its everything you would use in a bedroom just scaled down ... and put in the right place ... use the space correctly and you'll be laughing...

and you dont need anything bigger than a 400 watter.... 600 if your crazy but it will have to be air cooled...

just grow indicas or very high ratio indicas .... a 6 ft wardrobe will have 3.5' of grow space
its nice to grow to 3 foot....

if you want it quiet then make a drip system for it ... DWC is to noisey ...

we use computer fans as movement fans (connect them to a mobile phone charger... half the volts will run silent) ,but normall grow fans as outtake attatched to carbon filters ....... normally an intake is just a back draft shuttered hole covered in mosquitto netting .... mosquitto netting or fine see though satin material (from fabric shop)like a pair of tights is the best bug stopper ... out take ,intake , ... and use lots of liquid silicone in a squerty gun ... seal up those cracks ....

light leaks.....use black out (black plastic ) under any reflective material ....
the door is easy just build a frame slightly smaller than the door around the entrance but on the inside... so light cant escape .... "see my cab"

tank at the bottom tray on the tank pots on the tray ...hoses from tank to pots simple ... your not a retard so i'll stop there lol. basic system




its up to you to have a veg and a flowering room but if you really want to use the lumens keep veg and flowering in different cabs ... then you dont have to grow 2' plants

... having 2 cabs is easy ... push them together and have air flow thought the sides

have a look at this link too :im helping a guy in the states build a grow cab

http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/thd11x17401.shtml
laterz

 

[notjonesinNEmor]

Green-grow is right on with those links. To be honest after the first 10 pages or so most of the info gets a little redundant, but some good pics

Most cab growers with a 4-6 square foot cab use a 250-400w. I'm running a 400w digital in a 28"x33" footprint.

Take a look at your nearest home store and you should be able to find something around $100. THe hardest part for me was finding something deep enough. Seems most pre-fab cabs these days max out at 20", I wanted at least 24".

 

[george j warner]

office wardrobes are sometimes a better result if you want depth

as standard they come 50cm deep

 

[notjonesinNEmor]

Oh and of course the obligatory cab pic... from a few grows back

 

[Steaks]

my personally opinion would be that unless your going to get a massive cab, go with a 150. Nothing worse than buying a light you cant cool and is useless.

For a nice 150 cab check out rkones 150 cab, very clean, along with greenerys new 150 cab, very lightproof. Weatherstripping can make light-proofing a store bought cabinet/dresser a lot easier.

 

[smoke1sun]

george j warner Do u have any more full pics of your cab with the drip and hydroton im lookin to go that route. What size square pots are those and what are the measurements of the inside.

 

[george j warner]

inside measurements

in cm

large chamber (through link)90cm W (3ft) x 60cm D(2ft) x main flowering chamber 150cm H
smaller chamber (pic) 90cm W x 42cm D x 180cm H

2 x trays were "garland" cut off 1 end off each to fit space they drain straight into a tank or into a guttering open top then to tank ...

pots were 15cm x 15cm and 20cm deep

the smaller system had a plastic storage tub sprayed black(outside) as a tank about 16 Ltrs 30cm W x 40cm D x 25cm H

larger system through link had 90Ltr hydroponic tank measuring 80cm W x 40cm D x 32cm H






the drippers are easy .....

a pump i use a good 500Ltr pump (13mm output)bit of 13mm hose, 13mm corner piece ,13mm hose to 13mm multi manifold (1x 13mm to 8x 4mm... like a hand and fingers) 13mm hosein a 13mm end plug will take pic so you see then 8x 4mm hoses straight up to pots ... stake in each pot,4mm hose fits into stake ...dripper system easy

the smaller system was soil but same applies ... larger system was bio bizz soil but havent got pics of clay balls but all the same set up ...just changed medium : )

expect the system (up to pots) to take up between 40 and 50cm !




how amany you thinking of doing ?

rememeber the system was designed for that space ...not the other way around !

if you plan to build your own system and the chamber look around for the trays before or you might build it too small ... the trays are the thing you have to watch out for .... you've been told lol
...its easier to find trays that fit deep but not wide then just cut 1 side off to fit then drain it into the tank ......
something i lerned about the trays thats really good tip ... line the tray/ trays with plastic material and glue (with a glue gun ... cheap ) the back and sides have the end (the side you cut off) longer so it flaps over the edge .this is a must as then you dont get drips outside the tank it runs down the plastic staight inside the tank !

i'll post this then take some pics

brb

 

[george j warner]

lol camra needs charging ..typical :Badday:

will post pics in a couple of hours

 

[smoke1sun]

Im not sure yet I wanna Squeeze as many as i can in my cab im putting together now, 5 dollars at a garage sale. And i have quite a few indicas Deep Chunk, Sour bubble, hasberry, ptk. so ill be going sog style 400watt, then i was thinkin of using my 2 70watters in the top half for a scrog grow, with c99(ordering tomarrow) blockhead, dpd, and a few other strains. THANKS

 

[george j warner]

here you go ..lots of pics

 

[cobain420]

Guys first off I would like to say THANKS VERY MUCH for all the guidance! A ton of great information and guidance in the above posts, wow. I've read through the above 3 times, so I can absorb the information 100%. I've also bookmarked the Mill's Pride thread, 150W, 250W, and 400W club threads (they sure are long!).

My main concern right now, after doing a lot of research is the noise that those blowers make... Can someone give me a better idea of the noise levels of those blowers? I totally understand that in such a tight space, you need a lot of air keeping that light cool, I'm just trying to figure out the quietest way to achieve this.

I'd imagine those blowers put off a decent amount of noise. Can you guys share your experiences with those blowers as far as noise is concerned, and also provide some links to the actual fans/blowers your using? That would be great so I can start exploring some options.

FYI: I am definitely going to be growing soil, most likely in square pots. After purchasing or constructing the cabinet I'll have a better idea about plant numbers, sizes, veg. times, etc.

The one thing I'm stuck on is the ventilation situation. I'd really like to be able to stand next to the cabinet when it's competed, and not hear much from the inside. Is this possible?

Well thanks again! Happy 4th of July to everyone!

 

[george j warner]

3 options

1) use a fan speed controller (i do) and run it at 50% ... not noisey trust me ...


2) buy a acoustic fan ... bit more pricey but no noise .... then add a fan speed controller

http://www.growell.co.uk/p/3860/Airforce-Systems-Acoustic-Extractor-Fans.html

3) use a normal grow fan but incase it in a bax filled with a dovet inner stuff ... bit like cotton wool (like boy racers put in sub boxes )white foamy shit (10" wodding)

http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/showmedia.shtml?11x17224

http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/showmedia.shtml?11x17225


but to be honest a fan speed controller is the easiest ...

 

[george j warner]

http://www.basementlighting.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?page=1/PROD/FA3

 

[cobain420]

Hey everyone, about to spend some time and check out those links...

Here is the general idea of what I am planning.

I have decided I am going to construct the box myself unless I can find a store bought cab which fits the dimensions needed (probably not).

I'll be using one big rubber maid tub for all the plants. I have grown this way before, using tubs for multiple plants and have always had decent results. The rubber maid tub should end up being around 1 foot deep, 4 feet long, and 2 wide. Should be pretty decent for about 8 plants (1 cu. ft. per plant for root space).

Let me know any potential problems you see off hand, I apologize for the lack of quality, I am not the best with Paint.

Thanks!

 

[SoulShine]

This fan is super quiet and really moves some air. I have an armoire cab with an 80CFM but would probably suggest bumping up to the 120CFM It's super quiet though, and the carbon scrubber for it is easy to build.

Soulshine

 

[cobain420]

Thanks Soul, checking out the fan options right now...

So what would you guys recommend for a quiet fan to vent an air cooled 250W, when surrounding temps around cab are around 70 F?

As far as CFM, ducting size, etc.

Thanks!

 

[george j warner]

thought you wanted to do drip system?

 

[george j warner]

oh and put the blower the other side of the light .... bulb air past the bulb .it will be cooler.. sucking air away from it can wrong