Intro and new cab design

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hi folks
Old timey here ( if you remember my namesake you must be up there too! ), back to the bud for meds after a long absence. Been lurkin and readin before trying my hand on a cab. So far lookin at:

Basement Cab: 4'x4'x6' for 2-4 plants
intake and exhaust ducts 6" to outside with metal window screening across openings to keep bugs out, thermometer / hygrometer

Light: Cool Sun Son Agro HPS430

Fan: Dayton 465 cfm blower
Can-Filter 33 mounted near intake to light
Total CFM through filter and ducts roughly 250 CFM.

Dehumidifer for night use ( 70-90% humidity night air most of the year )

Lots of cold pressed neem oil

Questions:
I've read that with the axial fans it's better to place the fan at the intake to the light to avoid heat issues with the fan, is this also a consideration with the centrifugal blower?

I've tried to overspec the ventilation temp wise, but would this scrubber / fan do a good job on the more odorous strains, or should I stick to low odor strains?

Any other considerations I missed?"

PS Will be growing from clones...

Thanks -MGJ

 

[Guest]

Welcome MGJ. Yes, I certainly remember The good Capt. Kangaroo and Mr. GJ. Damn I'm getting old.

Looks like you have things pretty figured out for your grow. Good luck!

 

[BuzzBob]

Hi Mr GreenJeans! --

Welcome to IC! And yes, I do know who Mr GreenJeans was, and Tommy Terrific too! {I think I recall that name correctly...}

I'm a bit of a noob myself, so I'll leave the answering of your questions to those more qualified. But it sure reads like you're going to have a real sweet setup when ready!

I look forward to your Grow Reports, etc. And perhaps down the road I will be able to assist in some fashion...


-BuzzBob {or just Bob}

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Thanks for the welcome and kind words boink and bob!

-MGJ

 

[Guest]

Welcome

Sounds like a sweet setup you have going. I also use the 430w sonagro and the plants seem to love that lamp.

Good Luck with your grow!

 

[homegrownsweets]

everything sounds good mr greenjeans, since your growroom is in the basement i would think that nobody else goes down in to the basement you grow in. I think that your ventelation is more tha enough to keep the smell under control. As wth my cooltube i have the inline blower on the intake and it exaust the room as well. Peace Homegrown

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Sharp_Pain

Thanks for the message and the welcome, I'm hoping my plants will love the Sun Agro too. I figured it couldn't hurt to have a bit more in the blue end to keep things from stretching...

homegrownsweets
Thanks for the info. Yes, the basement is pretty much not used, private home setting. The cabinet will be made out of 1/2" high density ply / 2x4s and will look like a storage closet - a locked storage closet. Gotcha on the blower, I'll hang it high off the intake of the coolsun sucking off the canister and blowing through the light to the exhaust duct. Thanks for confirming the ventilation and smell, don't want to be pumpin delicious smells though the block.

Still in the design stage, hope to start building in the next week or so. The most work will be clearing out the area and putting in the ducting to the roof.

Thinking of starting with NL since it's the first grow, will give me a feel for what it takes to grow and stealth. Keepin an eye out for not too fussy sativa dominant strains that won't grow through the roof - just love energetic head highs...

-MGJ

 

[Guest]

Welcome aboard Greenjeans, your in the right place for the knowledge base.

having built a similar cabinet last year I will tell ya your on the right track.

Are you growing soil or hydro? strating from clones you should be able to squeeze alot more than 2-4 plants out of that space.

Your exhaust should be plenty and you were definatly smart to overdo the ventilation. I would put your intake vent low to the floor to take advantage of the cool air down there. I would also use your 2x4 to put cross ribs in the top of the cabinet from the get go. Even with the 1/2" ply it tends to sag over time because of the heat, moisture, and the wieght of the gear hanging from the top of the cabinet. I used standard door hinges on the doors and it worked great.

A circulation fan is going to be a must as well. Even with the ventilation you want something in there moving air around and moving your plants.(cuts down or eliminates potiential mold as well, painfull experience talkin here). I used a couple of the little 6" clip on fans for $12.00 they were hard to beat.

Seal your entire box with caulk. I ran a bead down every corner and seam before I painted the whole inside white. Seal the door with weather stripping also, this lets you get the full advantage of your exhaust fan setup.

I put mine on heavy duty casters also. It was all self contained with only one plug out the back and you could move it if you needed to for what ever reason.

I'll post ya couple of pics of mine if it would help to get some ideas. I don't use it at all right now but I am going to make a brading chamber out of it for future fun and sex.

Any questions at all please feel free, it's what we live for

Tex

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hi Tex

Thanks for the reply - and for your generous contributions here. Nearly every page I open you're right in there sharing the good stuff!

I'm going to start simple with soil - using Bog's recipe. KISS is about my speed when starting projects.

I figured 2-4 plants for a couple of reasons. Big one was 12" diameter pots - this would leave me room to give them a little breathing room and still leave room on the floor for the cannister and dehumidifier. I was thinking of trying for 6 right off the bat, but since I'm not suckin down ozs at a time ( yet! ) figured Id try with 4 to see what space they take up first. Can you put a rough number to "a lot more"?

Fresh air duct will be at the bottom of the cab, figured I'd put the scrubber down there somewhere. 2x4 ribs across the top section is a great idea, as is the caulking and weather stripping. Definitely want to air and light seal the box. And casters - yowzer shudda thought of that!

And fans, yup left that out. Think I've seen small clip on osciilating fans at the local hardware 'r us, maybe one just under the light blowing across and one down low blowing up a bit???

Would love to see pics of your cab, definitely.

Thanks again Tex! -MGJ

 

[Guest]

I'll get some pics up for ya tonight, I just have to go and snap some.

With a 6 foot cabinet and I assume a 8' foot cieling height, you may look at putting all of your filters, dehumidifiers, blowers, etc.. on top of the cabinet and free up some valuable grow space down below, plus it cuts down on the heat that each one of those components add to the equation.


Tex

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Thanks Tex

Ceiling height, I jockeyed for position in the basement just to get 6' for the cabinet.... it's pretty low down there. Strange basement design, in much of it I have to duck and I'm on the short side... Being the first grow cab I'm not sweating the space tho, I can always figure something out later if it turns out I need more space.

-MGJ

 

[Kenny Lingus]

Dehumidifier and continueous venting?

Dehumidifier and continueous venting?

How do you think it'll work out???

Have a cab and I vent indirectly from outdoors. Have some RH-issues, with 50-60 at light's on, and 70-85 during the night!!! Haven't had mold or such trouble, but I would like a dryer atmosphere for the last half of flowering. At least to try and catch some extra trichs

Maybe I should consider a mobile AC-unit... (Even though heat i just a problem a couple of weeks in June/August)

What's the price of the Dehumer you're abut to use?

You got pics of your cabby?

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Kenny

I'm still in the planning / building staqes. I've been looking around for a dehumidifier, but haven't found one a good size yet.

As soon as it's done, I'll post some pics.

-MGJ

 

[bartender187]

I have a 40 gal Goldstar Dehumidfier I no longer need. Hit me up with a PM if your interesteded.

bartender187

 

[LeeroyJackson]

Gday Mr GreenJeans

Gday Mr GreenJeans

I like your set up so far, sounds great.
Im no where near an expert grower but i too would recomend getting the intake near the bottom of the cab for the fresh cooler air and exhausting out of the top as heat rises.


Cant wait to see some fo your pics

take it easy,
Leeroy

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Gday Leeroy

Thanks for taking a gander. I'm one step closer to the build out, demo'ed / cleared out the area where the cabinet will go and took the final dimensions. Been able to upsize a bit > 74"h, 66"w, 40"d. Intakes definitely down to the floor - thanks to you and a few others who pm'ed this newbie - going with 2 14"x4" aluminum L ducts stacked for a total intake area of 112 sq in - gonna flat black paint them on the inside. My plan is to have these sucking from a box with a 20x10" heater filter to keep the dust down. Exhaust will be the scrubber hung high, to a 6" Vortex Inline > vented 400w HPS > out a 6" duct to the outside.

Went out and bought the wood and fasteners, now time to get down and build out! Would've been faster to buy a C13 and mod it, buit i like working with wood

-MGJ