ideal size for a 400w cabinet w/without cool tube

[adorno]

whats the optimum size (tohugh smalle rthe better) for a 400w grow with a cool tube, and one without? i have either a 150cfm inline fan or a 250 cfm inline fan, and a 60cfm and a 120cfm if i need them. the cool tube i would either have to make or buy extra, and i dont even have money for the parts to make one at the mo.

 

[Guest]

whats the optimum size (tohugh smalle rthe better) for a 400w grow with a cool tube, and one without? i have either a 150cfm inline fan or a 250 cfm inline fan, and a 60cfm and a 120cfm if i need them. the cool tube i would either have to make or buy extra, and i dont even have money for the parts to make one at the mo.

This is a first grow for me but I have a 400 Watt system.

How small you can go depends mostly on your ability to exhaust heat. There a many variables that affect that, e.g. ambient room temperature, do you have A/C available if needed, how the grow is constructed and with what, on and on.

The plants you see in my grow occupy a roughly 36" by 36" footprint. I wouldn't go any bigger than 36x36". I'm gonna top mine(FIM) next time to get a more even canopy. A 400 watt light doesn't penetrate very far. I feel lucky getting the nice plants that I have.

My plants get very good air circulation and I think that is important. I also think that bad air circulation is a problem for many growers because they try to get too small with their grows with 400+ watt lights.

Not much help I know but I'd keep your grow as "airy" as possible whatever size it ends up being. IMO you can't have too much air circulation....assuming temperature and humidity are in the right range. I don't like thinking about mold or bud rot.

Good Luck
Obli

These are much bigger(4 feet) than I really wanted because I screwed up in the veg phase. 400 watts really isn't enough for plants this size IMO. That's why next time I will top them (FIM) so as to make better use of my light. Lots of room for air circulation. Aside from passive ventilation I have a 6" duct and 250CFM inline fan from Home depot forcing cooler outside of grow air in at the base of the plants.

 

[Guest]

Some use cabinets, some use closets, some use garages. But I think I understand what you're asking.

Smallest I have seen successfully used WITHOUT a cool tube: 4x4 closet.
Smallest I have seen successfully used WITH a cool tube: C-13, C-22 Mill's Pride cabs

Just remember, the smaller the cab the more air you're going to have to move through it. This creates a very very high heat, low humidity zone for your plants - not very healthy either. And if you are able to move enough air to get the heat out you'll have a cool desert like atmosphere in there.

 

[Jnugg]

Oblidio is right....what are your ambient temps (the temperature of the room your grow room/closet/cabinet will sit)....do you have Air conditioning to that room or a small window A/C etc. etc. etc.

I live in the southeast U.S. and right now temps are climbing outside and that means temps inside go up and the A/C needs to be pumped almost all day long and night.Temps in my room where my cab sits are 72-75f and I use a 400w HPS in A/C hood with a 4" 172 cfm inline centrifugal exhuast fan cooling the light and ventilating the cab via passive intakes for a negative pressure environment...a vacum seal if you will.Temps in the cab get as high as 85 if it gets really hot out and maintain an average of about 75-80f lights on...my problem is I can't vent my exhuast into the attic or out a window so my exhuast just dumps by the air conditioning vent and gets cooled down before getting sucked back into the cab with the rest of the rooms air.

Klutter basiclly has it right....I wouldn't go any smaller then a 36" x 36" (3' x 3') area as the footprint and no shorter then 4-5' in height (5' being preferred but again it depends on ambient temps and if you have enough fan power to cool the light(s) and ventilate the grow room/closet/cabinet effectively without using an A/C hood or cool tube.

I seriously would not try to go any smaller then a 2' x 2' area as the foot print with a 400w MH or HPS and really think a 2' x 2.5' area as the footprint should be the smallest you go with a 400w MH or HPS in A/C hood or cool tube...and you're really going to need some fan power to cool the light down and ventilate the grow effectively.

What size area were you planning on growing in?

As far as the inline fans you're talking about (150cfm and 250cfm) those wouldn't happen to be those cheap booster fans you buy at HD and Lowes are they...if so they might aid in cooling the light allowing you to use a good inline centrifugal (i.e. Can Fan,Vortex,Hurricane,Eco Plus,Elicient etc. etc.) exhuast fan to ventilate the area as those bosster fans don't deal well with backpressure/static pressure (i.e. long runs of ducting,90 degree bends in ducting,blowing or pulling air through a carbon scrubber/filter) at all.


Fill us in with some details man and we can help you get to growing your own stash in no time.

Size of area...wattage of light....ventlation and cooling plans etc. etc.

 

[Chamez]

heigth also needs to be considered. If the cab is 3x but only 30 inches tall it probably wont work. If it is 5-6 feet 3x3 is perfect

 

[Jnugg]

heigth also needs to be considered. If the cab is 3x but only 30 inches tall it probably wont work. If it is 5-6 feet 3x3 is perfect

Exactly...I believe I covered that too.....didn't I.....?....

Klutter basiclly has it right....I wouldn't go any smaller then a 36" x 36" (3' x 3') area as the footprint and no shorter then 4-5' in height (5' being preferred but again it depends on ambient temps and if you have enough fan power to cool the light(s) and ventilate the grow room/closet/cabinet effectively without using an A/C hood or cool tube.

Yep I did...this purple weed I'm smoking is good stuff...not mine but it is the same shit I got last year and ended up getting some beans out of.

 

[KUSHEATER1]

I run a c22 in a garage with a 400 watt hps and temps are 2 degrees above room temp,I have a dayton 265 no cooltube but temps are begining to rise will need to get ac for garage soon in the next month...

 

[bartender187]

3x3,,,, one of those hydro hut minis imo would work prefectly... if u lookin for the cheaper route... good ol 6mil black tarp and some 2x4's : )

shit LL i thought u already came out of the closet: P

 

[Guest]

This is something I posted elsewhere. Some might find it useful if they have a room with a walkin closet.

I'm running a 400 Watt HPS system right now as we speak. My spare room is 9x11ft. I partitioned one wall off so grow is 9 feetx3ftx8ft, big area, but only using a portion of it for actual grow, see pics.

I vent into the same room. I have to since it is an apartment and the only window is on a common porch. Fan noise as well as possible odor makes the window not an option.

Your ambient temperature is the key. If it's cool enough outside(and it is here) and you can vent the rooms comnnecting to your grow room( I can), you'll be OK. I began my grow March 15th. I haven't had temps over 80 unless I wanted them there. Nights my grow goes to high 60's. My plants are doing pretty good IMO. I have a carbon scrubber exhausting in to same room. Fresh air duct(see in pics at bottom) blowing 250cfm into grow...and there is passive air available through a walkin closet I am using as an air plenum. Lots of fresh air in my system.

This being my first grow like this...I'm bummed that Summers here can be brutally hot and dry. I don't think I can have a grow in here in July August. Too fucking hot. A/C is a possible option, but window isnt good for that here. So I am sprouting seeds for an outside grow.

Good luck

Obli


Walkin closet is behind plants. It runs from about midway in the grow there to about 4 feet outside the grow(towards right as viewed below). I used cardboard for light baffles, plastic draping, etc. inside the closet. Air moves good through the closet, light doesnt. My grow isn't 100% light tight (That's a myth it needs to be 100%...along with plants won't grow in clear pots hehehehe). There are no big leaks and those that are there like staple holes, celing/wall junction, don't shine directly on plants or near them. Don't be sloppy though, try for 100% Duct with forced air comes out at floor level. Air can enter passively behind the plants through the slit in plastic. The scrubber is on this side of the light just out of view above the light. It exhausts to the right into the remainder of the room at about 5 1/2 foot level. The left wall is an unheated wall. That combined with heater in the nongrow part of the room allows me to have some degree of control over the heat. Relative humidity has remained between 30%-50%....staying around 40% 90% of the time. I am lucky on that score.

PS I used 6 mil plastic that is white on one side and black on the other side to "line" my grow area. One continous run from on the wall on leftdown and across the floor and up to the ceiling on right. That way it keeps the moisture and crap off the apt carpet, walls etc. I maintain a very clean grow area. I vacuum it weeky and clean up spill water nutes right away. That helps keep pests and disease problems down