Starting a Grow Cab

[synax]

I picked up a cabinet a few weeks ago (pictures in my gallery) its broken into two compartments - the smaller of the 2 has drawers which I will be swapping out for another door that came with the cabinet.

Cabinet Dimensions:
Flowering Section: 34in wide, 22in deep and 38in high
Utility/clone Section: 16.5in deep, 17.5in wide and 38in high

I'm starting to plan my ventillation and light setup and here is a list of things I need to get started.

250w CMH or 2 150w CMH's with cooltube
S&P Inline fan - not sure which one I'll need
Fan speed controller
Carbon Scrubber
Locks
Caulking
White Paint
Door seal material to light proof the doors
Thermometer
PVC Elbows painted black


This cabinet needs to be as stealth as possible - I expect a little noise from the fan but I should be able to cover that up with a hepa filter that I'll sit on top of the cabinet next to the tv.

My goal is to do 2 plants every two weeks - just enough for me and the woman.

Any suggestions??

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Flowering Section: 34in wide, 22in deep and 38in high
Utility/clone Section: 16.5in deep, 17.5in wide and 38in high

Might be just a touch wide for a 250, no? That's 17" on each side of the bulb.
2 150's would give very dense penetration. I've used 2 150HPS with a 42" wide cab x 21" deep. Excellent results.

I'm starting to plan my ventillation and light setup

This will be key to keeping temps in the mid 70's.

E&F will make perpetual simple to manage as well. You'll most likely be putting the clones in to flower at a very small size.

S&P Inline fan - not sure which one I'll need

I would suggest a panasonic whisperline fan (do a search)
From what I've read I'm convinced over the S&P and will be getting one myself, as soon as I'm able.

This cabinet needs to be as stealth as possible -

My goal is to do 2 plants every two weeks - just enough for me and the woman.

I hear ya. Good luck and Good Grow!

 

[synax]

awesome, thank you for the suggestion.

What ballast would be recommended for 150w CHM bulbs? I feel comfortable doing a DIY if I have the instructions.

Thanks again.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Look for the ANSI code. It will be listed under specs of whatever lamp you're looking at.

I can tell you that 150 and smaller use MH ballasts but, there are a number of different 150's and I don't know if they all use the same.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Might be just a touch wide [34 inches]for a 250, no? That's 17" on each side of the bulb.

Mine's 29 inches wide and that's a bit too wide for a 250 but, the 250s penetration is so much better than the 150's I think it's worth it. Plus, with a 250, HPS is always available in an emergency.

Why do reflector manufacturers build them 90º out of phase? The lamp should be parallel to the short side of the reflector. Lamps don't throw light forward or back. poo ...

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I know!

Build your ventilation into the walls and shorten the flowering width a few inches to say 28". That will up your light density, you can use the 250CMH and yes, you can swap out an HPS for a few weeks in flower to pack on the weight.

Good idea FreezerBoy!

 

[synax]

I just ordered my fan, got the S&P TD-150 (figured I'd get something bigger in case I have temp problems).

I have also decided to go with a Lumatek Digital 250 for the flowering chamber - I think I'll ad some side lighting to the flowering chamber instead of making it smaller - we'll see when the Fan gets here.

This weekend I'll be getting the materials to finish up the outside of the cabinet that way when I pick up my light I'll be able to get some temp readings before starting the duct work inside.

 

[FreezerBoy]

I have also decided to go with a Lumatek Digital 250 for the flowering chamber

You'll need new lamps for this. CMH at 250 up is Magnetic Coil ballast only.

 

[synax]

Yeah, I've decided to go with just the HPS for now, maybe down the road I'll look into CMH - as this is my first grow I figure going with the standards will make troubleshooting much easier and also noise and size was a consideration in the ballast choice. The lumatek has a very small footprint which is what I needed to keep it inside the cabinet.