Screw-in LED Stacking Totes

[ScrogMonster]

Haha, just noticed it's Aggilator and not Alligator... funny how my brain just assumed... did you do that with your name on purpose or is Aggilator an actual word in not familiar with? Also if have any questions don't hesitate brother. Happy building!

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

can you really pull air tru that filter? seems too much pressure loss

ligths seem fine, does the plastic heat up, i guess thats the way to tell

 

[ScrogMonster]

can you really pull air tru that filter? seems too much pressure loss

ligths seem fine, does the plastic heat up, i guess thats the way to tell

What about the filter seems like too much pressure loss? Please be more specific.

I actually haven't gotten a chance to do a test run with the filter yet, I'm gonna switch out that ventilation flashing for a louvers style light trap after I get back from being out of town this weekend, then test it out as see how the temps in the grow chamber are.

 

[ScrogMonster]

can you really pull air tru that filter? seems too much pressure loss

ligths seem fine, does the plastic heat up, i guess thats the way to tell

As far as the plastic heating up, that's mostly the reason
I have the foil tape around the holes for the lights but also I figure as long as there is enough air flow there skills be problem. When I test out I'll be sure to feel the plastic around the bulbs in addition to reading the thermometer in the grow chamber. I wonder if 64cfm is enough. We'll see...I wish I was working on it right now and wasn't obligated to less interesting activities. I won't get back until Sunday night but I might still do it then even though I have to work Monday morning. I'll rest when I'm dead. ^ ^

 

[Aggilator]

Thanks Alligator, same to you! Looks like your gonna make one of these as well? Please feel free to post pics here of your progress I'd love to see how yours comes together!

Yeah but probably alot more slap-dash and jury rigged than yours lol. The lights are just bolted to the lid of one rubbermaid,the smaller one will sit on top just to hide the bolt heads and hold an air filter inside it. Living in an apartment doesnt let you saw wood or anything and i have no tools so everything is being put together with a pair of scissors,a utility knife and a bic lighter rofl.


As far as the name,it is intentionally mis-spelled. I had a friend who used the name Baccaruda so i chose this to make him mad but ended up liking it.

 

[Aggilator]

some pictures,i only have the two bulb sockets in so far lol,but the holes are made for the rest. Which i made by heating a machine screw with a lighter and melting it through lol. My carbon filter is a downsized version of the red_greenery's design which you can see here,if you havnt already,the thread is a great resource on its own. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31605

 

[ReikoX]

Welcome to the micro forum! I used a tote to veg while I was building my first cab. Loved that little thing, stupid simple.

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

What about the filter seems like too much pressure loss? Please be more specific.

I actually haven't gotten a chance to do a test run with the filter yet, I'm gonna switch out that ventilation flashing for a louvers style light trap after I get back from being out of town this weekend, then test it out as see how the temps in the grow chamber are.

you can just look for a hepa/dust filter, it will block a lot of light too, and filter dust

im thinking the cubic size is too much for 2 small fans or that theyre too far away from the filter, just me thinking that while looking at the pics, dont you have the headroomd for a regular tube shaped filter?

 

[Aggilator]

Are those fans pushing or pulling through the filter? maybe im too high to tell. My guess would be the prefab charcoal pad restricting air too much. Mine has one 120mm fan pulling through an inch of carbon and some stretched pantyhose,and the intake has enough force to put out a candle,with the cheapeast cooler master fan possible.

 

[Aggilator]

I can't wait till i can edit my posts. Second thought,having 2 smaller fans probably doesnt add cumulative air-pulling power the way we would assume. Maybe if you stacked them one in front of the other so one is like a booster.. or just use bigger ones. Bigger fans are usually quieter anyway.

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

for fans: they always blow towards the side with the "frame" and the sticker/info etc

if you can read the info on the sticker, its blowing air towards you


afaik from the pc community. stacking fans on top of eachother has zero purpose, only if there is a heatsink (in our case filter) between it

 

[Aggilator]

Taken from tomshardware, "Putting two fans together does not increase the maximum airflow of the fans. So if you have a fan that pushes 50cfm in a theoretical, no resistance situation, putting two of them together will still only push 50cfm. What stacking can do though is help overcome resistance to the fan."

So yeah,i would still say using a bigger fan would be better,but if thats not an option try putting both fans together and closing the other duct,see if you get more or less airflow. Worthy experiment at the least.

I saw these at home depot walking around the other day and wanted to buy one lol.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suncourt-Flush-Fit-Register-Booster-Fan-in-White-HC500-W/202803685

 

[Payaso]

Aggilator... we have that rule to make sure new members are as committed to growing peacefully and are happy to be here. Sometimes people come online here with axes to grind, or are spamming the site with advertising. This helps keep that to a minimum, everyone seems to be much happier as a result.

I know, I have been here since the very first day we went online, my member number is 3 -right after Skip and Gypsy Nirvana - and no there never was a member number 1.

Meanwhile happy growing and happy to have you aboard the great ship INTERNATIONAL CANNAGRAPHIC.

 

[Payaso]

Love this thread - MORE PICTURES please!

 

[Aggilator]

I wasn't really complaining,more of a pre-emptive self defense for double posting,or quintuple posting.. since most forums frown on that. But if nobody else cares neither do i,high-five.

 

[Aggilator]

I keep looking at the pictures on page 1 trying to piece them together like a jigsaw in my head,and maybe the problem is just that the filter/exhaust system is just pulling in too much air from the edges of the lid and not from the grow area? Put a lighter up to your grow area intake and see how much/if the flame moves. Caulking or gorilla tape on the lip of the top bin would fix that.

 

[ScrogMonster]

Aggilator - I know what you mean about apartment growing and limited tools. Zip ties can be great for securing about anything to plastic totes or anything else for that matter. Just drill a hole on each side of what ever it is and put a couple zip ties together if you have to and thread through the holes. I secure my PC fans to the tote this way it works really great. I'll try to get a picture of this up for you.

That's funny about your name, clever, cause me a brain fart haha.

You are going to pop the globes of your led bulbs right? And unscrew the light diffusers underneath if present?

That's not a bad design to have your bulbs in the lower tote, it sure seems much easier to manage your airflow/carbon filter.

That's a nice trick testing the intake with a putting out a small flame I will definitely be using that, thank you.

I have seen that carbon filter before, good call going with something proven to work instead of trying to re-invent the wheel like me. also it looks like you did a good job of making one.

My two fans are both set up to pull air through the filter, I'm probably going to re do the filter so the walls are made of a thin layer 1/4"-3/8" of the fine granular activated carbon and the top of the box is closed so that I don't have to work about the lid of the top tote being too close to the carbon restricting air flow.

I bought a bunch of 80mm fans already and I'm going to try and make them work even if I have to use 3-4 per tote. If I have repurpose them and buy 120mm's I will though.

I was using even weaker and more silent fans at first, Arctic f8 silent @15cfm each. They didn't cut it so I stacked two more with a spacer too try and increase the pressure and it didn't seem to improve much. Just watching the stacked fans in operation gave me a gut feeling that stacking fans is pretty much worthless.

I think there is a very small and insignificant amount if any air at all going through the lid of the top tote but I'm probably going to put one layer of electrical tape on the rim or the lid just for peace of mind. It's a good fit and the handle clamps hold the lid on good and tight.

 

[ScrogMonster]

HuffnPufferFish- I was under the impression that fans being further from the filter would increase pressure or their ability to pull air through the filter. I know there needs to be some space, so I figured the more the better. It's it more of a fine balance thing? It's there a certain ideal distance between fan and filter? 2 inches maybe? As long as the filter has space between fan and carbon the fans should ideally be attached directly to the filter?

Also, no, unfortunately there is not enough head room in the upper tote for a tube shaped filter with the bulbs and their wooden bracket deals in there.

Reikox- Thank you much.

Payaso- I know right?! Thanks a bunch kind fellow, I can't wait to get more work/pics up... it's tough being a single father of two as working full time and seeing a new girlfriend 3 times a week and dealing with rental inspection, Etc etc, more to follow soon I promise. I'm a real eager beaver here. ^ ^

 

[ScrogMonster]

I'm definitely making a scrub ninja louvers style trap for the intake and i found some great easy to work with materials home depot.

For the louvers themselves I found drywall corner joiner that tin snips cut through like butter and it's just the right size and shape, only thing is there is paper glued to the outside of it that needs to be ripped off which is easy to do but it leaves behind the adhesive and a thin layer of paper fibers. I'm going to first try and paint and glue right over it, I really don't want to have to wash or sand or strip it off.

For the spacers I found some corner moulding on sale very cheap it's a very thin vanueir(sp?) Over foam so it cuts very easily with a utility knife and also just the right size, shape, and thicknes for spacers.

At the top of the pic is the drywall joiner with the paper still on, under that is the same thing with the paper ripped off and under that is the corner moulding.

Ill post pictures of the process and finished product in the next couple of days, and hopefully the same for some other work getting done like the new filter.

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

HuffnPufferFish- I was under the impression that fans being further from the filter would increase pressure or their ability to pull air through the filter. I know there needs to be some space, so I figured the more the better. It's it more of a fine balance thing? It's there a certain ideal distance between fan and filter? 2 inches maybe? As long as the filter has space between fan and carbon the fans should ideally be attached directly to the filter?

^

i think you got that right

i had soo much better results with the filter as close to the filter as possible, 1 or 2inch indeed, it helped for noise a lot too