So I've got this semi trailer...

[BakedPotato]

I've got a 45' semi trailer that I've just been storing crap in. It's a fixture, it hasn't moved in 10 years. But it happens to be 15 feet from a 200 amp panel that only has 5 20 amp circuits installed. Hmmm...

I'm Colorado legal for myself for the initial grow, but would like to set it up so in the future I could rent it out to a multiple patient caregiver who could make the most of it. Or just rent it out as a decently insulated and powered workshop if the MMJ climate sours.

The trailer is decently tall inside, approaching 9' to the plywood. But it's sorta narrow, only 7'8 between the thin plywood attached to the wall ribs.

The trailer seems to have had a colorful history.

I would like to set up a sealed/insulated space for the front 35 feet or so. I would love to hear of any experience or advice with diy spray foam insulation. Would you pre-place studs and electrical? Studs and then later surface-mount electrical? Or no studs, straight insulation, then mount everything inside with their own supports (probably electrical running overhead?)

Or would you tell me that spray foam is a bad idea?

Longtime ICMag lurker. Man, I've learned a lot... I hope to finally help contribute.

 

[Bobbles]

I don't think any conversation starts more epically than "So... I've got this semi trailer".

I can't answer your question but I was ROFL when I read the title.

 

[DocCrow]

In my opinion spray foam is the shit, closed cell is r-6 per inch. It also is a vapor and moisture barrier. If it was me I would

1 Gut it
2 Seal the rear door and cut a new man door in the center
3 hire someone to come spray it, if they ask just tell em you are gonna put a woodshop or something in it should take them a few hours tops
4. Build an 8' x 16' room on either end this leaves an 8' x 21' center room (approximate sixes based loosely of a 53' trailer)
5. Use center for Mothers/Cloning/Veg/workspace etc, set up the end rooms as flower rooms, set up to flip flop (when lights go off in one room after 12 hours lights go on in the other.
6 use your imagination

I know much more about construction than I do botany, haha. I used to be an electrician, so if you have any questions in that regard feel free to ask.

DocCrow

 

[DocCrow]

Would you pre-place studs and electrical? Studs and then later surface-mount electrical? Or no studs, straight insulation, then mount everything inside with their own supports (probably electrical running overhead?)

Or would you tell me that spray foam is a bad idea?
.

I would strip the ply in there, and spry as is on the walls, add 2 x 4 metal studs to the ceiling to add more insulation there, put 1/2 in ply on the interior, paint everything flat white, and surface mount all the electrical in steel boxes and EMT. This will allow you to change things in the future easily. Don't forget the floor too. Spray foam it from the outside underneath the trailer

DC

 

[Cali MedPatient]

I like Docs idea, but if you just want a nice flowering space, I would do the layout different. I would build a wall with two doors in it one on each side, with the wall 5 feet in from the trailer door. You can put your nute mixing area in the front space, you can use that area light a light lock, so you can walk in without light shining outside, then you've got the two doors that open to the flower room that's 40' long. You can do 8 1000s right down the middle with a 5 x 5 canopy under each one, or 10 750s with a 4 x 5, and you'll have a narrow aisle on either side so you can get to all the plants. I've set up a long narrow room like this and it worked great. But if you need a mother space, Docs got it.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

take that shit, bury it where ever it is THEN fix it up for a grow! with that kind of power available in such a close proximity there really isnt much you cant do.

you really cant talk about power or running anything until you decide how/what your layout is gonna be.

**how many do you want to flower at a time?

**you gonna do soil or hydro and if hydro then what style/technique?

**what do you want to end up dealing with? (ie; plant amounts)

**are you just gonna grow or are you gonna grow AND process?

im a thinker and that kind of space makes me seriously brainstorm. i think i'll just bow out now and tag it to see what happens. saw the dimensions and damn near fell outta my chair . . . oooooh the possibilities are makin my head spin.

peace/ good luck/ choose wisely!!

 

[BakedPotato]

In my opinion spray foam is the shit, closed cell is r-6 per inch. It also is a vapor and moisture barrier. If it was me I would

1 Gut it
2 Seal the rear door and cut a new man door in the center
3 hire someone to come spray it, if they ask just tell em you are gonna put a woodshop or something in it should take them a few hours tops
4. Build an 8' x 16' room on either end this leaves an 8' x 21' center room (approximate sixes based loosely of a 53' trailer)
5. Use center for Mothers/Cloning/Veg/workspace etc, set up the end rooms as flower rooms, set up to flip flop (when lights go off in one room after 12 hours lights go on in the other.
6 use your imagination

I know much more about construction than I do botany, haha. I used to be an electrician, so if you have any questions in that regard feel free to ask.

DocCrow

Some good thoughts there. I'm trying to keep everything looking like it's mostly business-as-usual from the outside, though. Other people use the lot and any obvious changes might draw attention to it. I haven't ruled out a trapdoor, though. Would require cutting some bits of frame, though. And being seen entering or exiting that way would be a bit suspicious. The back of the trailer, by the panel, is a bit more out of the way. A new piece of conduit running along the fence will probably not be obvious and behind the trailer it will disappear into an assemblage of old construction materials that span from the fence to underneath the trailer. A perfect spot to obscure a mini split outdoor unit as well. I'm definitely considering flip flop rooms as power might be my limiting factor.

I would strip the ply in there, and spry as is on the walls, add 2 x 4 metal studs to the ceiling to add more insulation there, put 1/2 in ply on the interior, paint everything flat white, and surface mount all the electrical in steel boxes and EMT. This will allow you to change things in the future easily. Don't forget the floor too. Spray foam it from the outside underneath the trailer

DC

I was wondering how to handle the floor... Duh, spray it from underneath! Great call! How would you go about attaching studs to the ceiling? Screwed to the ribs somehow?

I like Docs idea, but if you just want a nice flowering space, I would do the layout different. I would build a wall with two doors in it one on each side, with the wall 5 feet in from the trailer door. You can put your nute mixing area in the front space, you can use that area light a light lock, so you can walk in without light shining outside, then you've got the two doors that open to the flower room that's 40' long. You can do 8 1000s right down the middle with a 5 x 5 canopy under each one, or 10 750s with a 4 x 5, and you'll have a narrow aisle on either side so you can get to all the plants. I've set up a long narrow room like this and it worked great. But if you need a mother space, Docs got it.

Yeah, I'm going to need a veg space/work area. Definitely going to work a light lock into the picture. After insulating, the space is probably going to be only around 7 feet wide, I'm glad to hear that it is do-able. I've wondered if 2 narrow outside aisles would work. I've also wondered if a 4x8 tray on wheels might be able to be shifted from one side to the other.

take that shit, bury it where ever it is THEN fix it up for a grow! with that kind of power available in such a close proximity there really isnt much you cant do.

you really cant talk about power or running anything until you decide how/what your layout is gonna be.

**how many do you want to flower at a time?

**you gonna do soil or hydro and if hydro then what style/technique?

**what do you want to end up dealing with? (ie; plant amounts)

**are you just gonna grow or are you gonna grow AND process?

im a thinker and that kind of space makes me seriously brainstorm. i think i'll just bow out now and tag it to see what happens. saw the dimensions and damn near fell outta my chair . . . oooooh the possibilities are makin my head spin.

peace/ good luck/ choose wisely!!

I see what you're saying. My concern right now is mostly the insulation, mainly because if I'm going to spray the temperatures need to be okay (at least for the diy kits, I believe). Here in Colorado we are definitely out of summer (although today is going to be in the 80's - we're wacky like that). Once I've got an insulated inner space, I can start worrying about everything else this project could entail.... I'm legal for 24 plants. I've done top feed rockwool and top feed hydroton SOG back in the day. I'm a tinkerer, though. I would like to screw around with coir and blumats, perhaps. Aero also, for the heck of it. Definitely going to be SCROGing much if not all of it. I haven't grown in 10 years, but enjoyed it as a hobby as much as for the "free" smoke... I'm excited at possibly getting it going again.

I appreciate the thoughts, guys!

 

[lvtokerr]

i love the title to this thread. have you thought about getting higher plant counts for a space that large?

 

[BakedPotato]

i love the title to this thread. have you thought about getting higher plant counts for a space that large?

I have thought about it. It would require becoming a caregiver, but I'm not sure I want that responsibility at this point. Caregivers can have up to 5 patients in Colorado, I believe. I would want to be totally up and running with a steady environment and steady production before trying to ramp it up. Plus, I may be leaving town for a different job at some point. In that case I would like to rent out the trailer to someone who could fully utilize it. So I do plan to make it capable of more production than I will be utilizing. Well, medicine at least.

I would like to see the look on an officer's face as he opens the door expecting a shitload of weed plants but finding only the 24 that are on the paperwork taped to the door. But ooooohh, look at all that living lettuce taking up the rest of the room...

 

[Phillthy]

In my opinion spray foam is the shit, closed cell is r-6 per inch. It also is a vapor and moisture barrier. If it was me I would

1 Gut it
2 Seal the rear door and cut a new man door in the center
3 hire someone to come spray it, if they ask just tell em you are gonna put a woodshop or something in it should take them a few hours tops
4. Build an 8' x 16' room on either end this leaves an 8' x 21' center room (approximate sixes based loosely of a 53' trailer)
5. Use center for Mothers/Cloning/Veg/workspace etc, set up the end rooms as flower rooms, set up to flip flop (when lights go off in one room after 12 hours lights go on in the other.
6 use your imagination

I know much more about construction than I do botany, haha. I used to be an electrician, so if you have any questions in that regard feel free to ask.

DocCrow

very nice! +1

 

[wantaknow]

does it hAVE Aside door?if it does i would split it in half ,use a flip flop and do a colisem grow with step stringers makes the most out of it ,you will need an ass load of clones ,but will have a killer perpetual grow with the rooms stagered three weeks apart to harvst dry and replant each half,you would be working alot,

 

[Gooey]

looks like a neat space, my only suggestion is fil her up ....peace

 

[DocCrow]

i think the idea of using it for vegetables as well as meds is great fresh vegetables year round, you will probably end up with more of both than you can handle
DC

 

[who dat is]

While spray foam would be cool it would be pretty expensive. Also, please consider the possibilities of offgassing VOC's and the time frame for how long this would go on. Especially when you have the heat of dozen of HID lights. Not naysaying, just trying to think ahead. Ya'll remember all those grow tents that were offgassing VOC's that had to be recalled and taken off the market? Aside from that though kick ass with a damn semi trailer, that's so awesome!

 

[Canniwhatsis]

Love the thread title!


Doc Crow pretty much nailed setup of the trailer, tho you will have to conceder ventilation as well. Bear in mind that some strains get awfully stinky in flower, and the slightest air leak will carry that smell! So the whole thing needs to be negatively pressurized, or under a slight vacuum that is exhausted thru an ample carbon filter!

the reason for negative pressure inside the room is so that fresh air from outside will always be pulled IN to the room thru any microscopic crack, rather than allowing skunky stinky moist air to escape thru those same channels.

 

[90days]

You should check out this youtube chanel autotronicsmatt. He has a few videos showing his custom designed semi trailers. It would be a great place to get some ideas and to see what is possible. You will be very suprised, his trailer designs are crazy. Good luck

 

[Jetjock420]

So...I've got me one of these too. Mine is an old "reefer' trailer (insulated), LOL, and it has been storage. I have a small room (12' long) in the front of the trailer that I want to grow in. I would be open to ANY suggestions anyone may have. This is my first grow and I have have gotten myself totally confused by reading all the forums. I plan to use soil first.
The trailer has a great spot to build a "window box" (where the cooler unit was). I'm not thinking ventilation is going to be a problem, right now it is heat, winter is on us. Not real bad in E. TN but too cold in there now.
Thanks all for all the info!!