ok guys im not growing till idk septemeber or october but i plan in using a big staroage tote in my closet i plan in having 2 120mm computer fans on it for exuast and intake the thing im not sure how to do is i wana use o idk 6 cfl s but i want to wire them all to one plug can some one show me a wa to do so with out o idk eather killing my self or burning my house down // now they way i would figure to do it is to wire on one light the posative to it and take that negative and conect it to the posative of the next light and so on
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- Thread starter pothead6
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I made a vegging box much like it sounds like you are doing. I used two prewired 4 bulb vanity light fixtures from Home Depot($14.95 each). Very simple to mount and wire. All I had to do was splice in a power cord. Nice fixtures and safe to use. No adapters needed for bulbs. I have eight 27 watt 1600 lumen CFL's in it. I made a crude wooden thing to hold the lid of the tote higher to allow better ventilation. I'm going to use the same basic fixtures again( but modified somewhat) here soon to begin some Malawi Gold while my main grow is in my Hydrohut.
On wiring...yes be sure you do your wiring safely. These fixtures I used are very simple to wire. Click on the picture with the pink arrows(they are for something else). See the bottom arrow?That is the hole in the tote top where the wiring from the vanity light fixtures comes through the tote lid. Each fixture will have a black wire, a white wire, and a bare copper ground wire. You need to buy or make a power cord that has 3 prongs on it. You can cut the female end off of an extension cord. The power cord will have a black wire, white wire, and a green ground wire. After your fixture(s) are mounted you need to join the black wires together with wire nuts. Do the same with the white wire(s) and grounds. Make sure your connections are good. Arcing in a poor connection could start a fire. Does my setup meet the NEC? No, but it is safe nonetheless (just in case CocktailFrank sees this post)
Buy the prewired fixtures. MUCH safer and easier than doing your own thing.
Obli
Good luck Obli
On wiring...yes be sure you do your wiring safely. These fixtures I used are very simple to wire. Click on the picture with the pink arrows(they are for something else). See the bottom arrow?That is the hole in the tote top where the wiring from the vanity light fixtures comes through the tote lid. Each fixture will have a black wire, a white wire, and a bare copper ground wire. You need to buy or make a power cord that has 3 prongs on it. You can cut the female end off of an extension cord. The power cord will have a black wire, white wire, and a green ground wire. After your fixture(s) are mounted you need to join the black wires together with wire nuts. Do the same with the white wire(s) and grounds. Make sure your connections are good. Arcing in a poor connection could start a fire. Does my setup meet the NEC? No, but it is safe nonetheless (just in case CocktailFrank sees this post)
Buy the prewired fixtures. MUCH safer and easier than doing your own thing.
Obli
Good luck Obli
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Guest
I'll second the pre-wired vanity fixtures. Connect the wires and poof! all done...well..ya gotta screw in some bulbs and then plug it in. Not to threadjack, but, Ob,any room in there for a couple of your Thai's? Or is too late already? Like in the plants swim with the fishes? Back on thread topic...you can go with a single vanity fixture and use those y bulb sockets...ie 1 outlet, 2 bulbs. They work great.
hmmm thanks Oblidio49 // could any one help me with the 120mm fans i think im going to change my original idea and use 2 120s for intake and only 1 for exuast is this idea stupid or would it work to a bena fit// i only want the exuast fan to kick on win the temp gets to high does any one have any idea how i would go aboyut doing that
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Guest
pothead6 said:
Hi!
Just call me Obli.
IMO, what fan arrangement you do is dependent on a couple things:
How much heat will you have to exhaust.
What sort of odor control you want, if any.
dealing with light leaks around fan ports if that is applicable
If you are going to use 6 CFL's, the heat shouldn't be a big problem. I would try just one fan (maybe two, one on each end at top) for exhaust, mounted up on the top of the tote. You want your exhaust fan high since heat rises. Then I would make some holes around the bottom perimeter of the tote for passive air intakes. I really don't think you need an intake fan at all. It really depends on how much air those 120mm fans will move.
What you might have to do if you are exhausting your grow in the closet and not outside? You may have to use an exhaust fan to exhaust your closet into whatever room it is in. They make louvered vent grills that are light tight for photographic darkrooms that would work if you need to keep the closet light tight. You could use a fan to exhaust through one of those. You will have to vent that closet somehow. Even six 27W CFL's will produce enough heat that it will build up quickly in a closet.
I don't think you will have to do the thermostat controlled fan deal. I leave my supply fan going 24/7. I want fresh air all the time for my plants. My big exhaust/scrubber fan(Dayton 465) only runs while the light is on right now while my plants are still not flowering. It'll run 24/7 when the grow begins to smell.
If you have the money, buy a wireless Radio Shack temperature/humidity monitor. They are really slick. The remote will give you the temp/RH inside your tote all the time. That way you will know what is going on inside night or day, 24/7 without having to open anything, including the closet. This monitor will also tell you high and low temps and RH so you can get an idea of what's going on. Very handy IMO and only $39.95. You can even add more remote sensors for monitoring temps/RH outside your home.
I really like mine for monitoring the inside of my HydroHut. My hut stays about 3 degrees above ambient room temperature when my light is on(77.2F/74.3 I exhaust my hut into the bedroom it is in.
I hope I helped you. Gotta run back to work
later
Obli
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heres the best thread on this site deals with 22 gal rubbermaids and grown usen cfl's
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31605 all your questions should have answers in this thread i linked
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31605 all your questions should have answers in this thread i linked
ok i just got my tote its 32 gallon so i have alot of space//olbi i have to have the fans intake and exaust on one side do to security issues o plan on having 2 120mm intake fans on the bottom right side and i want to have 1-2 exuast on the top the tote i got is ****ing huge so this is my plan im going to do o idk 4 plants in pots ans im gona do a small dwc in side yes i said it im doing a tote inside a tote lol the dwc will be like for cloning and such just for sum extra cash idk i may just grow to sell the plants sence it would be extreamly hard for me to flower inside my house do to security issues and such ///
how would i hide light leaks where the fans are i was thinking of getting a pvc pipe elbo about the same size and mouting that with // but what should i put over that to prevent the other light leaking out //
the tote is blue so it lets light in slightly should i paint it black ??
how would i hide light leaks where the fans are i was thinking of getting a pvc pipe elbo about the same size and mouting that with // but what should i put over that to prevent the other light leaking out //
the tote is blue so it lets light in slightly should i paint it black ??
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Guest
pothead6 said:
Well God Bless you if you get all that going on inside that 32 gallon tote. The one in my pics is 35 gallon and I thought it was small. I do admire the people on here who do these microgrows. My hat is off to them.
The PVC elbow would work, two hooked together probably better. Paint them flat black inside if you do that method. Another cheaper way is to use a length of flexible dryer ducting for fan inputs/outputs. Spray paint the inside flat black on both ends as far in as you can.
I'd paint the tote a satin or flat white inside. Anything on the outiside as long as it is opaque. You may not need to paint the outside if you get the inside coated well. But I'd paint the outiside to be safe.
I had white shelf paper with that adhesive on one side I lined my tote with. I need to keep saying my grow in a tote was strictly for vegging temporarily. I didn't have to worry about light leaks, smell, ventilation.
Which is why I really can't be of a lot of help for you. I have no experience at micro grows. There's lots of guys that do though, especially on the micro grow forum.
That link that Maj.PotHead put up was a pretty good one. You may get some good ideas you can use directly, or rework to meet your needs. I'd check it out.
At any rate I wish you luck.
Obli
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