PC Case Growers Club

[detoneSmoker]

Thanks for the reply!
Basically, this is what I have to work with:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2exr9lj.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/2ziy05t.jpg

Me trying to steal ideas from the awesome nanomachine, I want it to look like a working computer from the outside. What I'm going to do aswell is to glue normal DC adapter connectors on instead of the audio connectors - should make plugging one or two adapters in look quite innocent (http://i48.tinypic.com/2prgtbd.jpg). Still trying to figure out how much space I want the intake light traps occupying...


Just to clarify myself I meant using a CFL with an actual power of 125W, not one with 125W equivalent. However, in addition to being somewhat optimistic I misread the length of those CFLs, and to try and fit one while maintaining good airflow seems like a project for the future.
They'd turn out too expensive anyway; at $60 each I'd be way over budget.

Am I correct in reading that you're using a total of 46W during veg, and 52W during bloom, and plan on upping that to 69W veg / 78W bloom?
If so I think I'll probably get myself lights putting me at around 80W for both phases... Should be pretty cheap and bright enough, I hope. Could always get more should heat not be an issue.


Yeah, think I'll try LST aswell. I just hope I can anticipate how much the plant will grow vertically, and hope I switch to 12/12 at the right moment...

Cheers!

white duck tape made a world of difference in mine. $4 at walmart. Also they have these "Holmes air purifier filters" there. use those for your scrubbers. You need to double them up to really reduce the light penetration. Then use the duct tape to seal EVERYTHING! I think im going to use my scrog screen and just lst the babys to it. 6 spaces each? what you guys think?

 

[Cataclismic]

I have a problem keeping the temp optimal in my grow case. What do I do?

 

[detoneSmoker]

I have a problem keeping the temp optimal in my grow case. What do I do?

What size fans and where are they installed?

 

[Cataclismic]

Idk the fan size but they are both computer fans from the original computer. my exhaust is at the top where the power supply would be and the intake is at the bottom.

 

[detoneSmoker]

Idk the fan size but they are both computer fans from the original computer. my exhaust is at the top where the power supply would be and the intake is at the bottom.

You should post a picture so we can see what your working with.

 

[Aerohead]

Idk the fan size but they are both computer fans from the original computer. my exhaust is at the top where the power supply would be and the intake is at the bottom.

It does not matter if they are 80 or 120mm fans, if they are the stock case fans, they won't likely be strong enough to cool a grow.
It's acceptable for a PC to function just fine (as a computer) @ 100F or more inside the case so don't expect them to keep hot lights below 80F.. You will need to upgrade the fans to higher amperage units. You need roughly 1.0 amps of (Exhaust) fan power for every 35w of light in a PC case to keep it cool.

Most stock PC fans are 0.7amps or less, and only one of them is exhaust in your case, how many watts of lights are in there?

 

[detoneSmoker]

It does not matter if they are 80 or 120mm fans, if they are the stock case fans, they won't likely be strong enough to cool a grow.
It's acceptable for a PC to function just fine (as a computer) @ 100F or more inside the case so don't expect them to keep hot lights below 80F.. You will need to upgrade the fans to higher amperage units. You need roughly 1.0 amps of (Exhaust) fan power for every 35w of light in a PC case to keep it cool.

Most stock PC fans are 0.7amps or less, and only one of them is exhaust in your case, how many watts of lights are in there?

Also the higher CFM the better. I reccomend 50+

 

[Ghostwolf]

I have 80mm's in mine and they work good because my case is a small ATX mid tower case 16x16x8. I salvaged them from blown PC power supplies no problems yet. Good Luck Everyone

 

[Blirre]

You need bigger/better fans I think. 0.15A is weak as water and that's before you hook it up to 5v. A fan blowing on your bulbs could help too, but I don't think it will until you increase the power of the exhaust fan to actually get rid of that heat. Hope it helps.

You definitely will want to get a 12V transformer, I tried 9V, and it barely got my fans moving. If you want any type of exhaust, get a 12V. (Don't go higher unless your fans are rated for higher voltage, which I doubt they are.)

Blirre, Invest like 30 bucks into good fans/power source. It does help when u have a good pair of fans which can handle the bulbs heat.
I think my Tri-cool fans wont even keep my box under 85 with my scrubber on.

Try something like 60-100cfms per fan. maybe more for your exhaust.
Maybe 70-120 cfms for an exhaust,

Peace.

Okay, thanks for all the answers guys! I will buy new fans and better power source in like 2 weeks(Alot of expenses at the moment) Until then I have 4 weak fans to work with , currently using 2 as exhaust and 2 at the bottom.

 

[detoneSmoker]

Okay, thanks for all the answers guys! I will buy new fans and better power source in like 2 weeks(Alot of expenses at the moment) Until then I have 4 weak fans to work with , currently using 2 as exhaust and 2 at the bottom.

buy 120 mm fans from ebay. As for power, just hardwire them together to a old phone charger or some 12v ac adaptor. 4 fans keeps my case under 80 98% of time.

 

[Marijuanasaur]

Okay, thanks for all the answers guys! I will buy new fans and better power source in like 2 weeks(Alot of expenses at the moment) Until then I have 4 weak fans to work with , currently using 2 as exhaust and 2 at the bottom.

A good cheap PSU for your fans is that of a Nintendo game cube, which supplies enough amps for tons of fans (cant remember the exact number). Just a suggestion.

 

[dy-no-mite3000]

How would you hardwire the fans to the Gamecube PSU? I think I still might have my old one laying around!!!!

Also, I'm still scoping out towers to use for my grow, I just need that and my soil and I'm good to go. Originally I was going to go with 1-3 plants in a large server tower and LSt the shit outta them. But, I saw in this thread someone doing a SOG with 10 plants in a large vertical tower.

I want to have a perpetual cycle once I have things rolling, and obviously a SOG would work that best, using the PC tower for flowering and then having a smaller second setup for vegging.

If I buy a large tower (say 20-24 inches tall) a LST'd plant with a 7 inch planter can be kept to under 12-15 inches in total but I'd need more square footage to train the plants.
Where as I could do SOG, 10-12 plants and flower like others do for a short period of time, using the maximum height of the towers potential.

If I harvested 2-3 plants using LST wouldn't I potentially harvest the same amount of yield from 5 plants not lst'd in a SOG method in the same ammount of floor space?

I'm thinking LST isn't going to work for me in a perpetual pc grow system(hopefully harvesting every month).

Thanks all.

 

[Marijuanasaur]

How would you hardwire the fans to the Gamecube PSU? I think I still might have my old one laying around!!!!

Also, I'm still scoping out towers to use for my grow, I just need that and my soil and I'm good to go. Originally I was going to go with 1-3 plants in a large server tower and LSt the shit outta them. But, I saw in this thread someone doing a SOG with 10 plants in a large vertical tower.

I want to have a perpetual cycle once I have things rolling, and obviously a SOG would work that best, using the PC tower for flowering and then having a smaller second setup for vegging.

If I buy a large tower (say 20-24 inches tall) a LST'd plant with a 7 inch planter can be kept to under 12-15 inches in total but I'd need more square footage to train the plants.
Where as I could do SOG, 10-12 plants and flower like others do for a short period of time, using the maximum height of the towers potential.

If I harvested 2-3 plants using LST wouldn't I potentially harvest the same amount of yield from 5 plants not lst'd in a SOG method in the same ammount of floor space?

I'm thinking LST isn't going to work for me in a perpetual pc grow system(hopefully harvesting every month).

Thanks all.

Wiring them is pretty simple, just snip your fan's wire, and there will be two inner wires, 1 positive and 1 negative. you connect those to their respective places on the GC psu wire, and plug her in and voila, a psu that can handle nearly as many fans that you can throw at it. For multiple fans, merely strip another spot on the GC psu and attach it using the same technique. Be careful not to touch any exposed wires during testing and make sure to cover them up.

As for SoG vs LST/SCroG, i believe that SoG is generally used for its simplicity and modularity(being able to run several diff types of movable plants.) where as with LST and ScroG, you lose that modularity in return for max yields in a given space. I'm not saying that SoG can't be dialed in to yield great, I'm just saying that I think generally the LST/ScroG tends to get more yield (someone correct me if I'm wrong here) in a tiny space.

Since you plan on having two towers,you dont have to rule out LST, because you could have 1mum and two girls in one PC, vegging and LST'ing already, then another PC to finish the girls.

Once you pick out your lighting and make all your light traps and see what room you have left to work with, it will become apparent which method you'll wanna use.

 

[detoneSmoker]

Wiring them is pretty simple, just snip your fan's wire, and there will be two inner wires, 1 positive and 1 negative. you connect those to their respective places on the GC psu wire, and plug her in and voila, a psu that can handle nearly as many fans that you can throw at it. For multiple fans, merely strip another spot on the GC psu and attach it using the same technique. Be careful not to touch any exposed wires during testing and make sure to cover them up.

As for SoG vs LST/SCroG, i believe that SoG is generally used for its simplicity and modularity(being able to run several diff types of movable plants.) where as with LST and ScroG, you lose that modularity in return for max yields in a given space. I'm not saying that SoG can't be dialed in to yield great, I'm just saying that I think generally the LST/ScroG tends to get more yield (someone correct me if I'm wrong here) in a tiny space.

Since you plan on having two towers,you dont have to rule out LST, because you could have 1mum and two girls in one PC, vegging and LST'ing already, then another PC to finish the girls.

Once you pick out your lighting and make all your light traps and see what room you have left to work with, it will become apparent which method you'll wanna use.

dido!

 

[dy-no-mite3000]

Found my case.
hxxp://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-External-Internal/dp/B000GQMHBI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263785097&sr=1-3

* Washable air filters reduces dust build up in your system, which helps keep your system cooler
* 9 Drive Bays - External 3x 5.25 and Internal 6x 3.5 for HDD
* 1 rear 120 x 25 mm TriCool Fan with 3-speed switch control
* 1 top special 140 x 25 mm TriCool Fan with 3-speed switch control
* 2 front optional 120 mm fans to cool the hard drives
The screens will work great to prevent any potential knats or other problems.
The extra large fans even when hooked upto an ac power source will work great at air circulation considering most use 80mm fans on their rigs.

The measurements are
20.3 x 11 x 20.8 inches
I'm not sure that 11 inches wide is correct since most full towers max out at maybe 9 inches most but regardless with the length and height that tower provides that's why I was starting to think doing a perpetual sog would benefit the grow space most. If the tower didn't have the height then obviously working with the wide canopy and lst would work best.

I originally didn't think having a mother would work for me, because for some reason going from seed seems easier than cutting and cloning but as luck would have it I have access to a seasoned vet who'll teach me the ropes when needed on cloning and as luck would have it I have an old hp mini tower that would work great with a bonsai mum I'm thinking.

Good times!!!! Thanks for the advice! It's appreciated.

Oh yeah, the case is a steal at 58 bucks and under 20 bucks shipping to the east coast.

 

[Blirre]

The soil that I'm using has a ph value of 5,5-6,5 (says on the bag) and the tapwater where I live has a ph value of 8. Now is this a good/bad combo? Still haven't bought myself a ph measurement but just wondering.
Recently made a post about my young plants that would stop growing and eventually the leaves would curl up and sort of dry out. I got some replies saying it could be the temperature which I don't doubt but I'm just wondering if this could be a contributing factor?

 

[dy-no-mite3000]

I believe your tap waters PH is to high. It should be no higher than 5.5 to 6.5 I believe? Someone will confirm it I'm sure in a while for you.
What's the name of the soil? The vets will ask here while trying to help you.
Temp, soil, overfeeding, underfeeding,nute problems, there's 1001 things that could have gone wrong
The temp of your grow space shouldn't really exceed 85 degrees with the lights on.

 

[BC Chronic]

having proper ph balance between soil AND water is very important..
I know this because I had soil that was a proper ph balance, but I never tested the water until I noticed leaves curling upwards and burning at the tips..it is fixableif you catch it early so always check everything for ph before you put it in your planter..meaning soil ph, water ph and nute ph..
I just finished my pc grow..here are a few pics..114.7 gr wet so maybe 30 dry..in a pc!
You all are doing well so just remeber a few key things..just as dy-no-mite stated..soil, temps, water, humidity because plants use lots of phosphourus if its too dry..
I used Miracle grow and it was a huge nightmare but I pulled it off in a pc..those slow release pellets in the MG were horrible..
Best of luck

 

[detoneSmoker]

having proper ph balance between soil AND water is very important..
I know this because I had soil that was a proper ph balance, but I never tested the water until I noticed leaves curling upwards and burning at the tips..it is fixableif you catch it early so always check everything for ph before you put it in your planter..meaning soil ph, water ph and nute ph..
I just finished my pc grow..here are a few pics..114.7 gr wet so maybe 30 dry..in a pc!
You all are doing well so just remeber a few key things..just as dy-no-mite stated..soil, temps, water, humidity because plants use lots of phosphourus if its too dry..
I used Miracle grow and it was a huge nightmare but I pulled it off in a pc..those slow release pellets in the MG were horrible..
Best of luck

very nice job, cant wait to see dry weight

 

[dy-no-mite3000]

having proper ph balance between soil AND water is very important..
I know this because I had soil that was a proper ph balance, but I never tested the water until I noticed leaves curling upwards and burning at the tips..it is fixableif you catch it early so always check everything for ph before you put it in your planter..meaning soil ph, water ph and nute ph..
I just finished my pc grow..here are a few pics..114.7 gr wet so maybe 30 dry..in a pc!
You all are doing well so just remeber a few key things..just as dy-no-mite stated..soil, temps, water, humidity because plants use lots of phosphourus if its too dry..
I used Miracle grow and it was a huge nightmare but I pulled it off in a pc..those slow release pellets in the MG were horrible..
Best of luck

HOLY XENU!!!!!! Look at the size of that cola!!! *applauds*
Even with the dreaded MG you got that much grow?
It looks like you had 15 buds sites based off your pics? Did you top the plant? Do any special tricks or just kept tying her down like a naughty little girl?