Watch Sub Build His First Grow Box!

[sub]

ok, totally revamped what I had goin. Managed to fit the ventilation up top, opening up a ton of footprint space for the Scrog.

I went out and bought a nice circle cutter, and I cut my exhaust hole finally. I had to get a 5" to 4" reducer and use a 4" vent (not in the pictures, that wasnt mounted yet)
I wish I didn't have to do it, but I couldn't find 5" vents anywhere, at least something semi-nice. Maybe if I find one eventually I will replace it.

Anyway, here it is, sans carbon-filter (still need to make it)

I might make some kind of duct protector/light mount so the lights chain isn't digging into the ducting, but I just put a PVC piece between the light and duct for now so there is room (the vent is right on top of the hood)

I will get pics of the outside where the exhaust comes out once that is mounted.

The carbon scrubber will be a box design so it will fit nice and snug on the right. It's pretty damn quiet, but not silent! I want to find a speed controller that works with a Soler & Palau, I might be able to play around with the speed while testing temps to find a more silent system.

Anyway, what are your thoughts so far? I will get a fan above the HPS light to circulate air around there as well

edit:
quick tip, I bought a 2 foot piece of metal grill, like this

and I put it on the ceiling, above 2 pieces of PVC pipe - it's PERFECT for hanging various things from the ceiling without drilling for hooks, just get S hooks and you're good to go! That's how everything in my box is mounted now.

 

[inc0gnit0]

Amazing job with the illustration on this thread man. And very very good job on the design. I especially like the veg box.

 

[MicroDude]

That is a very nice box. I have only read the pictures. And had to comment quickly. Engineering is not as easy as it looks. I have built 2 boxes that I have had to modify on the fly. I will go back over this thread and may have to pick your brain. Let me figure out how to share some rep for ya. =]

 

[sub]

thanks guys

Quick update, just wanted to post the new HPS light fixture. This resolves the issue of the chain digging into the ducting. Pretty simple. HPS hood is bolted through the 1/2" PVC. I will probably get some PVC end caps just to make it look a little nicer.

Can you tell how much I love PVC yet? It's just so dang handy!


also cut out the intake holes, here's a quick shot of the outside

still need to light proof them.

exhaust and both intakes are 4" - I am still going to try and find a 5" exhaust to match the 5" fan, in which case I may add a third intake vent if I have to.

 

[joe4444]

You are quite resourceful, Sub. That box is well designed, and your execution is great all around. Don't take this as criticism, but I think the fan is overkill for such a small box. I've used a smaller fan with a 250W HPS cool tube in a 30 cubic foot box that was never more than 5 degrees F above ambient. I didn't have a carbon scrubber though. I have a feeling you will eventually upgrade to a bigger box, but I'm sure this one will turn out some lovely ladies. Subscribed.

I'm considering a smaller 4" S&P fan for my next box. Is yours truly whisper quiet? The fan in my last box (5 years ago) was a 4" centrifugal. Very quiet, but I would not have been comfortable with people in my bedroom if the fan had not been inside the grow box, inside my walk-in closet (door shut), and venting into the attic via perfectly smooth straight as an arrow ducting. I don't have the luxury of a walk-in closet or attic access in my current apartment so anything above a whisper will surely be noticed by visitors.

 

[sub]

Thanks a lot! I'm glad I took the time to research all the stuff I did before I just jumped into making it, definitely paid off.
About the fan, yeah I know it's way overkill. I might get a fan controller, when I can find a good one that works with S&P. But..

I have a feeling you will eventually upgrade to a bigger box

This is the exact reason I went for the TD-125. I figure, what the hell, I can use a controller to dial it down, then use it in the future for a much bigger box
As for the sound, right now it's wired to the low setting, about 150CFM, it's not dead quiet, you CAN hear it when you're in the room, but I'm thinking of a remedy for this. I may replace the insulation with real acoustic insulation, and maybe make some kind of muffler. Only problem is the small space I have up top.
The insulated ducting helps a lot with the sound, though, and I have a feeling it will be much quieter if I can dial it down just a little bit. I'm also using a (temporary) 5" to 4" reducer for the exhaust, as no local stores carry any good 5" ducting products, so that may be adding to the noise level..

So hopefully I can remedy the sound issue, but as it is now, it's quieter than my regular fan. I'm sure some kind of ambient noise would be good, maybe some kind of motorized fountain on top of it? It's really not too loud, though.

Glad you like it so far!

So lets see, I still need to make side light fixtures, mount the fans, make the carbon scrubber, make my mylar panels (cardboard + valcro), make the scrog screen and get pots/soil/etc

So I'm almost there! I'm sure I'll be tweaking this for a while, though, I can be a bit picky and finicky with the things I make haha

 

[joe4444]

Oh yeah, I installed a fan controller thinking if I dial down the speed it would make less noise. The opposite happened. I had to leave it on 100% all the time. I'm not sure if it was a crappy speed controller, crappy fan (not likely), or simply a product of the whole configuration that created resonance. Anyway, it produced a very low frequency sound that seemed to travel through the walls kind of like a sub woofer. I hope you have better luck if you take that route.

The water fountain idea is great. Most people suggest a (de)humidifier, but neither are necessary in my home. Some trickling water white noise might even help me sleep.

There is a great thread here that is all about ventilation. Check out this post for specifics on noise. He suggests using a reducer to increase your exhaust (in your case 5in to 6in) or a cardboard box, which probably isn't an option for you. The whole thread is here.

 

[joe4444]

Almost forgot again...

If you stick to 5in straight through instead of a reducer you can make your own ducting. That aluminum flashing you considered for your flo reflector can be made into custom sized ducting quite easily. For my old box I used it to replace the "traditional" ribbed ducting between the top of the box and the attic door in the ceiling. Even though it was only about 3ft the upgrade really helped reduce noise because it's so smooth. Just cut to size, form a tube, and then duct tape all the edges. The duct tape adds minimal resistance.

 

[sub]

Almost forgot again...

If you stick to 5in straight through instead of a reducer you can make your own ducting. That aluminum flashing you considered for your flo reflector can be made into custom sized ducting quite easily. For my old box I used it to replace the "traditional" ribbed ducting between the top of the box and the attic door in the ceiling. Even though it was only about 3ft the upgrade really helped reduce noise because it's so smooth. Just cut to size, form a tube, and then duct tape all the edges. The duct tape adds minimal resistance.

Luckily the insulated ducting is 5", I ordered it online, but realized I didn't have a 5" piece to mount it to my outside vent. I could probably rig something up that way, though, good call. I'll replace the 5" to 4" reducer, which is right behind the outside vent, with a short 5" cylinder. I've got aluminum tape and everything, I dunno why I didn't do that before haha, it's so simple

Thanks man!

 

[JacuzziSplot]

Oh yeah, I installed a fan controller thinking if I dial down the speed it would make less noise. The opposite happened. I had to leave it on 100% all the time. I'm not sure if it was a crappy speed controller, crappy fan (not likely), or simply a product of the whole configuration that created resonance. Anyway, it produced a very low frequency sound that seemed to travel through the walls kind of like a sub woofer. I hope you have better luck if you take that route.

thats what happens because speed controllers work by turning the fan on and off really fast to slow it down. The noise comes from the motor constantly restarting.

I use a table top air purifier on low atop my cab to cover the noise.

 

[sub]

thats what happens because speed controllers work by turning the fan on and off really fast to slow it down. The noise comes from the motor constantly restarting.

I use a table top air purifier on low atop my cab to cover the noise.

wow I didn't know that, I thought they limited the voltage or something. I gotta find a good one that works with Soler & Palau, I was going to get the Speedster but I heard it's not compatible.. But I mean, it's pointless if it'll be louder.. I thought people used them to quiet fans, though?

 

[joe4444]

thats what happens because speed controllers work by turning the fan on and off really fast to slow it down. The noise comes from the motor constantly restarting.

I use a table top air purifier on low atop my cab to cover the noise.

I thought they worked by delivering less juice. So what you're saying is the increased noise is unavoidable when using a speed controller? Bummer.

How do the low and high speed settings on those S&P fans work? Same thing?

 

[joe4444]

wow I didn't know that, I thought they limited the voltage or something. I gotta find a good one that works with Soler & Palau, I was going to get the Speedster but I heard it's not compatible.. But I mean, it's pointless if it'll be louder.. I thought people used them to quiet fans, though?

Haha, I didn't see this response was already on the next page.

 

[joe4444]

Luckily the insulated ducting is 5", I ordered it online, but realized I didn't have a 5" piece to mount it to my outside vent. I could probably rig something up that way, though, good call. I'll replace the 5" to 4" reducer, which is right behind the outside vent, with a short 5" cylinder. I've got aluminum tape and everything, I dunno why I didn't do that before haha, it's so simple

Thanks man!

I never used the insulated ducting. Is it ribbed on the inside like standard ducting? If so maybe you could line the inner wall with aluminum flashing to reduce resistance and get the best of both worlds.

 

[sub]

I never used the insulated ducting. Is it ribbed on the inside like standard ducting? If so maybe you could line the inner wall with aluminum flashing to reduce resistance and get the best of both worlds.

true, even better idea.. although, the exhaust hole isn't perfectly lined up with the fan, so I'm not sure if it would fit, but I can definitely try, I like that idea, thanks!

Hmm.. I with i could fit egg-crate foam inside the duct, but it would take up far too much space

 

[joe4444]

Hmm.. I with i could fit egg-crate foam inside the duct, but it would take up far too much space

Maybe around the outside for more sound insulation? ...if it's not too crowded

 

[sub]

Maybe around the outside for more sound insulation? ...if it's not too crowded

true, I could do that and then hold it in place with reflectix (the bubbled mylar).

I was even thinking of closing off the top part, cutting a hol under the scrubber and mounting a pc fan there. maybe 2, one on each side. I could fill the whole left side with some kind of foam, just leave it open for the scrubber. Would that be too restrictive do you think? It might make the smaller area heat up more maybe?

 

[JacuzziSplot]

wow I didn't know that, I thought they limited the voltage or something. I gotta find a good one that works with Soler & Palau, I was going to get the Speedster but I heard it's not compatible.. But I mean, it's pointless if it'll be louder.. I thought people used them to quiet fans, though?

You can quiet some fans with a speed controller. It depends on the RPMs the fan is spinning and how much power it takes to get the fan to accelerate again after power is cut. If the fan is moving fast already it doesnt take much power to get the fan moving faster again so the motor doesnt strain. Slow the fan down too much and it takes alot of power to make the fan speed up again and the motor strains making a loud vibration type noise.

The internal high/low setting works completely different.

 

[joe4444]

That could work. With that S&P fan I would use fewer PC fans, not more. Your temps should be well controlled by the S&P alone considering your big light is just 150W HPS, but I've never grown in a box that size. It's possible heat will build up quickly in such a small space. Generally I've never needed additional fans to control overall heat. One small oscillating desk fan was all it took to prevent hot spots in certain areas. Mostly though the benefit is to provide a natural breeze on the plants, which triggers them to beef up their stems. Without that they are likely to remain very skinny and produce smaller buds. Plus, even if the buds are small the skinny stems may not be strong enough to hold them up, and the plant can literally crush itself under its own weight before the buds have a chance to mature.

 

[joe4444]

You can quiet some fans with a speed controller. It depends on the RPMs the fan is spinning and how much power it takes to get the fan to accelerate again after power is cut. If the fan is moving fast already it doesnt take much power to get the fan moving faster again so the motor doesnt strain. Slow the fan down too much and it takes alot of power to make the fan speed up again and the motor strains making a loud vibration type noise.

The internal high/low setting works completely different.

That explains a lot. The vibration noise was definitely loudest when I dialed down the speed as low as possible. It's been many years so my memory is hazy, but I think the noise didn't really start until the dial was down to about 2/3 speed. Maybe I'll try it again next time. Those rheostats (?) are fairly cheap anyway. Or should I look for one specifically designed for the fan?