Zoidberg's 85/125W CFL Full-Tower Grow

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Hey BudWeizer, you are right it's a Chieftec case.
I removed the mainboard tray because i wanted to get every inch of space I could get AND because with my design I had to switch door-sides. The lighttrap/intake is on the exact same height as the door lock and it wouldnt close otherwise. If you consider placing a lighttrap there like I did you wont have another choice than removing it.

I wouldnt say the case is weak now (fully assambled) but it was pretty lightweight and weak during the building phase (all doors removed, front plate removed,..) it's no wonder it feels like it will break any second. Now that I have all the pieces together again I would consider it as solid as a normal tower/case.

 

[BudWeizer]

I have the same case and have left the tray in it for the time being. I hear ya on getting every inch of space. I might end up taking my tray out of mine. I originally wanted to keep it for both structural reasons and to have the ledge to hang a scrog grid on. I am just nervous about the case losing too much structural support. I also have troubles with that lower fan location and the left door latching completely shut.

I have both back fans and the power supply fan running exhaust with a carbon layered kitchen grease filter over each fan and passive intake from the front of that case. You still have intake from the lower back fan correct? How are temps holding up for you?

 

[xmobotx]

progressing nicely drZ

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

I have the same case and have left the tray in it for the time being. I hear ya on getting every inch of space. I might end up taking my tray out of mine. I originally wanted to keep it for both structural reasons and to have the ledge to hang a scrog grid on. I am just nervous about the case losing too much structural support. I also have troubles with that lower fan location and the left door latching completely shut.

I have both back fans and the power supply fan running exhaust with a carbon layered kitchen grease filter over each fan and passive intake from the front of that case. You still have intake from the lower back fan correct? How are temps holding up for you?

The temps are within 27-34°C (that was the highest ever), but that won't happen again since I have a plexi-glass sheet to seperate the bulb from the "vegbox".

You will need very high airflow or a cooltube kind of design to get it to ideal conditions. Atleast I had to.

Maybe you can make it work another way but I found it to work good with plexiglass & my design as it is now.

@xmbotox: thanks

 

[BudWeizer]

I have a couple of these 120 mm fans and I am thinking of picking up a third to help out with intake. I also have an 80mm of the same variety. They all had carbon grease filters on them and were running exhaust with good air flow, but I threw some chopped onions in the case as a test and I could faintly smell them in the exhaust... Back to the drawing board on that. I have a few ideas yet to test. Probably gonna try a push/pull setup and maybe double or triple up on the grease filter.

I am getting ready to pull the motherboard tray, but I wanted to ask if you had to do anything about the pci slot covers after pulling the tray. Don't they depend on the tray being in there to hold their bottoms in place?

I am differing from your design in that I will have 3-4 23w CFLs rather than one big one. I think I read somewhere in Blynx's micro grow thread that he had fewer heat issues with more lower wattage bulbs than one big one.

Do you have any pics or a design for your light trap?

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

The topic about the lighttrap is DIY: A new angle on light proof vents from scrubninja.

I don't know if your filter pads will work in any way, never tested those. I heard they don't though... Maybe you wan't to get rid of them at all and use a granulated carbon design too.

 

[soursmoker]

yo bro, ive been forgetting to come check in here, but looks like you are doing great.

You could probably get away with some defoliation, just don't go crazy and strip em naked.

Start from the bottom, and just try to free up some space for air flow, that's the most important part right now...

 

[BudWeizer]

Thanks for the awesome link It looks like that's the way to go. Did you use his 25x25x2.8 design? Do you have total light blockage?

What do you think about inverting the design and making it so that the fins can be filled with the carbon granules, adding both light and filter filtration? Perhaps a separating wall could be made entirely of this in order to lower the draw resistance and utilize some case fans.

 

[BudWeizer]

BTW, how is the air flow with your carbon scrubber? I tried something similar to your design with the granulated carbon and my airflow was reduced to practically zero.

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Airflow is ok with the Gentle Typhoons but other "silent" (silent as in not 3-5k RPM fans) didnt pull anything through it so it might be that your fans aren't developing enough static pressure to push/pull through it.

And filling the lighttrap with carbon is kinda pointless, if you have a "wall" of carbon its light proof anyway.. theres no need for a lighttrap. The lighttrap works 100%, theres no leak at all. I made it 12x12 (like the fan, so it fits). Painted it black and used that ducting compound I mentioned earlier to glue it together.

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Here's another quick update from the girls. Looking very good so far, today is Day 38 of flowering, breeder schedules are 53 days. They got real frosty in the past few days, looking forward to the next weeks so much

I hope they pack some more weight too, would love to get atleast 1 ounce out of this. Might be able to do it but I don't know...

Will flush 10 days before harvest, giving them a bit longer than I usually planned to - hope it pays off.

Here are some pics:

 

[soursmoker]

looking good bro!

 

[microwavablecat]

seems as if you really are dialing in perfectly dr, keep it up

 

[tleaf jr.]

looking nice and frosty keep it up .

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Reporting in^^ man as I get closer to the harvest day it's becoming more and more tempting to take a sampler. I can barely take the amazing fruity smell without chopping it down that very second.

Hope I can hold myself back for another 14 days or smthg. Ordered a mini-microscope today to check the trichs. Should be delivered by end of this week.

Here are some pictures from today - Day 42 of flower - Day 75 overall:

 

[xmobotx]

lol ~i can hardly talk myself in to chopping a 'ready' plant

i gotta @ least see some "fall colors"

 

[sgapetti]

looking good in there DZ ! Consider cutting the big leaves , 1 of 2 every other day, that are shading al the buds under them. Once the stretch is over, the soalr panels have done the job . In your space you have allready a dark spot on the left ,you really need direct light to the buds sites , just my

 

[xmobotx]

or just tuck them

 

[microwavablecat]

or just tuck them

+1 ^

 

[trem0lo]

I say wait 10 days and take a tester, they should be fattening up by then, or starting to. Looks like they will fill in more though.

They look really great btw, great looking plant.