Attic ebb & flow (lengthy post, heh)

[willowgrow]

hey, so im currently finishing up my first grow; started in started 6 random reggie seeds in soil and quickly weeded them out to 3. I quickly moved the remaining 3 into a DWC system as i learned more, and then i took the 2 healthiest. I had each plant centered under a 150w HPS, one is pretty indica dominant, the other is very sativa. I ended up letting them veg to long and they exploded in flower, quickly outgrowing the closet i had them setup in.

I since have built a grow room in my attic, amung the trusses. Its a 4x6 framed room suspended in the trusses, and is about 5' high. I t-split my HVAC so i have a register running directly in my room, I have a 4" inline exhasting out; a 6" inline pulling air through a 600w HPS cooltube and working as my intake (i plan to exhast this when done with this grow and use holes at the bottom (ill get to that ) as a passive intake). I also used the 2 150watters, positioning them to either side of the cooltube and closer to the front, as supplemental light for the grow.

Now, like i said the reasons i built this were height restrictions and more discrecion. So I couldnt just throw the 5gal buckets in the room, i needed the height. So what i did was cut holes in the floor, 3 holes each fitting a 6" netpot and evenly spaced over the 6'. I put plastic around the holes and put a shelf under each hole (under the actual room) to hold the 5gal buckets. So the plant would be growing out of my floor, there is a 1" gap between the top of the bucket and the floor, and the gap is covered by the plastic which drapes around the outer edge of the bucket. The roots dangle in the water, airstones pumping and its just like any other DWC.

Im almost done with this grow, harvested the indica and moved the sativa to the middle hole and am letting it go for another week or two. My attic shares a wall with a bathroom in my house (its kindof a weird setup). So, trying to avoid cutting into the pvc and other fixtures, i came up with a solution. I think im going to put a 2'x4' tray in the room and put a res in my bathroom, under the sink in the cabinet. Its about a 3' height difference and about 5'-6' in distance from the sink to the room (the room sits higher). I was just going to cut 2 holes in the wall in the cabinet for the waterlines and thats it.

So, my questions are (lol): using the 2'x4' tray i plan on putting 6 plants (germing pineapple punch as i type) in 5" rockwool slabs, is this a good amount for the area? How much solution will i need to effectivly flood the tray (i was planning on a 3x15min feeding cycle)? And what kind of pump should i be looking at to move the water that distance?

:holysheep:Thanks for everyone who reads this, sorry for the length, im high and my minds racin' . I would really appreciate any questions and all comments or ideas! (i know i don't have any pics, camera is broke )

 

[Vegs]

a 6" inline pulling air through a 600w HPS cooltube and working as my intake (i plan to exhast this when done with this grow and use holes at the bottom

I'm not so sure I understand the working as my intake portion? Where is the Y-split located in the line/exhaust setup?

Now, like i said the reasons i built this were height restrictions and more discrecion. So I couldnt just throw the 5gal buckets in the room, i needed the height. So what i did was cut holes in the floor, 3 holes each fitting a 6" netpot and evenly spaced over the 6'. I put plastic around the holes and put a shelf under each hole (under the actual room) to hold the 5gal buckets. So the plant would be growing out of my floor, there is a 1" gap between the top of the bucket and the floor, and the gap is covered by the plastic which drapes around the outer edge of the bucket. The roots dangle in the water, airstones pumping and its just like any other DWC.

Some pics would be helpful to explain your design overall. I would like to see what's going on because it sounds really interesting.

Im almost done with this grow, harvested the indica and moved the sativa to the middle hole and am letting it go for another week or two. My attic shares a wall with a bathroom in my house (its kindof a weird setup). So, trying to avoid cutting into the pvc and other fixtures, i came up with a solution. I think im going to put a 2'x4' tray in the room and put a res in my bathroom, under the sink in the cabinet. Its about a 3' height difference and about 5'-6' in distance from the sink to the room (the room sits higher). I was just going to cut 2 holes in the wall in the cabinet for the waterlines and thats it.

No doubt, avoiding cutting into the home is always nice for quick and easy clean-up. I'm not sure if you'll get away with using gravity alone to pull water back int your rez. You may have to do a test run but have a plan and the parts to install an in line pump system of some sorts to return the water. That could be a show stopper in this design. A little clear silicon (squeezable tube for kitchens and bathrooms)will help keep your holes nice and airtight once you drill and install the 2 hoses.

Overall it sounds really cool. I would love to see a few discreet pics if you can afford doing so. Not only would I like to see how it's suspended, but the overall design is intriguing to me because I too an vertically challenged and working with less then 3 feet vertical.

 

[willowgrow]

I'm not so sure I understand the working as my intake portion? Where is the Y-split located in the line/exhaust setup?

Technically i have two intakes: outside of the growroom i took a 6" HVAC line that connects to a vent in my house and split it, running the other part into the room. I also have a 6" inline fan pulling air from outside the room and through the cooltube into the room, so attic>fan>cooltube>room; i plan to change this to attic>fan>cooltube>exhaust outside. I have it setup like i do now so i can have the extra heat off the 600w to counter the cold, but ill need to change that come summer time.

I really need to pick up another camera, took it out drinkin one night and broke it :confused2:. I should have another soon though. Its hard to explain in words (obviously), but i basically framed a room using 2x4s as the frame, 1/4" OSB for the walls/ceiling, and 2x10s as the floor. I wish i could have simply thrown some plywood on the trusses and put a growtent up there, but the way my trusses run and my roof is angled, there was simply no room to do so. So i had to make my own floor//room.