Styrofoam cooler growbox

[Aggilator]

Was wondering how viable of an idea this would be,pictures will follow. I've had some success with a freestanding closet grow in the past with CFL's,planning to try LED bulbs this time.

I started thinking seriously about it after seeing Red_Greenery's mindblowingly simple carbon filter plan,downsized it a bit and made that first and it seems to work well. I would have it sit like pictured and cut a hole through the bottom of the plastic & the foam lid,connect with duct tape.

Mainly i'm looking for suggestions on how to anchor light sockets to the lid,and if you think growing in styrofoam is possible long term.

 

[ReikoX]

I would suggest using the Rubbermaid containers for a long term grow. That being said, I made one of these as a stealth clone transporter. For the lid, I glued on a piece of foam core and screwed into that.

 

[Aggilator]

Dang,yours is snazzy. I've thought about the rubbermaid containers too but they seem much less airtight which would be a problem,caulking never tends to work well on them (i've used them to build cat shelters too) and having two of them taped together isn't very stealthy.

Why wouldn't the foam work well long term? would it melt or degrade somehow? If people can grow in PC cases i assume space isn't that big of a deal as long as i'm not expecting ounces out of it.


PS. those light fixtures look too cool,where did you get them? or did you make them?

 

[ReikoX]

They are not very sturdy, they could easily break moving them about. You could probably get a cycle or two out of them. Size is also an issue.

Heat is also a consideration as well. Styrofoam melts easily and the base of those LED bulbs get pretty hot.

The light fixtures I got as battery operated lights for a closet. Note these are LOW wattage just for clones.

 

[amanda88]

Great for long distance transport ..?

 

[ReikoX]

That's what I built it for. A six hours drive no sweat.

 

[Aggilator]

A cycle or two would be fine considering the coolers cost 3 dollars a piece. I didnt think of heat around the socket,i had been planning on just epoxy-ing the socket into the lid. Maybe i could push the bulbs thread-end first up through the lid,and epoxy the bulb to the lid that way,so the socket wouldnt touch the foam. Less stealthy though,and would need a second lid for flowering.

Had lots of ideas reading your grows though,i'll update this with any progress i make.

 

[Aggilator]

Funny story,i was in my bathroom earlier and i saw something sticking up from a towel on the floor of my bathtub,i thought it was just a piece of the towel till i looked closer. I guess i must have had a seed stuck to my foot when i took a shower because it was a sprouting bagseed that grew a taproot through the towel. I took it out and put it in a tiny pot,now i have more motivation to build my box hahahaha.

I decided to go with a rubbermaid bin like you said,probably this one https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-Roughtote-Storage-Box-Set-of-6/23475451

Side note,i saw some interesting bulbs at home depot,things have changed so much in the past 6 years. Not planning to use any of them just thought they were neat.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Ele...ht-LED-Yard-Light-Bulb-C4000-5K-LED/206677057

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Meridian...hite-2800K-R7s-LED-Light-Bulb-13159/205188623

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Ele...t-LED-Yard-Light-Bulb-C10000-5K-LED/300059562

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

bend a stip of alu, attach to roof, mount led on them?

 

[Aggilator]

Finally got a rental car and got most of the stuff i should need to build a box. Maybe i should delete this thread and make a new one since i decided against the styrofoam lol.

Each of those boxes of 4 bulbs was 8 dollars so i got them instead of 100w equivalents which were $10 a piece and probably make alot more heat. White gorilla tape to cover the inside with instead of paint,a bunch of cheap extension cords i can cut to wire the bulb sockets. Two 90 degree plumbing fittings for intake.

It's harder to take the diffuser globes off these bulbs than i expected,,i tried twisting and pulling all i could and nothing budged,i stuck one in a lamp to warm it up and see if it pops off easier then,i hope i don't have to break them off.

 

[Aggilator]

Oh damn it,the stoner in me rears its head when least expected. I accidentally got six of the porcelain lampholders instead of the plastic. They might be too heavy for the lid of a rubbermaid to support with screws and bolts. Will have to wait till the weekend to go exchange them at home depot.

 

[Aggilator]

I guess the diffusers on these are plastic,so i just used a lighter to melt it a little before cutting it with a knife lol.

Put 2 layers of the white tape in the bin and still get a tiny tiny bit of light bleed.. I should have used a black layer first. Its so minor though i can only see it in the bathroom with the light off,pitch black. Though when i tried to take a picture of the bleed the camera couldn't even pick it up,just came out black.

Am very impressed with brightness of these bulbs,starting to question whether i need 6 of them in a small rubbermaid. I hooked one up to the lid of the styrofoam cooler for some giggles in the second picture.