Going to build a grow box, recommendations?

[Budimus Prime]

Hi everyone, I’m going to build a grow box and here are my plans but could use any recommendations that can save me money or improve the design. According to the measurements the biggest box I can put in the closet is (36” L x 30” W x 60” H). I’m going to buy plywood and build the box in 2 halves (top and bottom half). I think it would be easier to move the grow box through the closet door in halves rather than full size.

For intake I was thinking of using x2 120mm computer fans with high cfm ratings hooked up to a 12v adapter. For exhaust a 4” duct fan hooked up to a 4” carbon filter. On ebay, a carbon filter at 4” costs about $80, is that ok or would 6” be better for the size of the box? The ventilation and carbon filter are a big hit to my wallet so can I cut costs anywhere?

The inside walls will be covered in Mylar.

plywood $40
duct fan $40 (for exhaust)
x2 120mm computer fans $15 (for intake)

activated carbon filter $80
hinges, hooks, etc. $10
Mylar $20

Cost: $205


Already have:

400 watt HPS
x2 40 watt Flourescents


Thanks in advance.

 

[Mutt]

Instead of Mylar....Paint the inside of the cabinet Flat White. for about 5 bucks a quart. save 15 bucks
Might try a "Passive" intake and let the in-line Duct fan do the work. Won't need the two CPU fans. One of my Cabinets works that way with decent air ventilation. enough to allow a gentle breeze as well.

As far as the plywood and stuff. If you haev a Salvation Army store or Habitat for humanity type store (even thrift stores). You may be able to get a cabinet for about 20-30 bucks that needs a little bit of tweaking. I found my veg. cab for 10 bucks used. Just the materials for that cab woulda ran me 30 bucks. Works like a champ.

 

[Budimus Prime]

Thanks for the tips, I redid my list a little. Unfortunatly I wouldn't be able to move a cabinet with my vehicle. The plywood after being cut would be able to fit in my car. I do have a can of white paint so I'll forgo the mylar.

plywood $40
activated carbon filter w/ fan $80
hinges, hooks, etc. $10

Cost: $130


Would this filter be ok?
http://cgi.ebay.com/CARBON-AIR-SCRU...2QQihZ006QQcategoryZ43555QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[German Gigalo]

what up Budimus Prime. You could save $50 with this DIY Carbon Scrubber. Cheap, easy and it actually works.

-GG

 

[Dr.GreenThumb]

Thanks for the tips, I redid my list a little. Unfortunatly I wouldn't be able to move a cabinet with my vehicle. The plywood after being cut would be able to fit in my car. I do have a can of white paint so I'll forgo the mylar.

plywood $40
activated carbon filter w/ fan $80
hinges, hooks, etc. $10

Cost: $130


Would this filter be ok?
http://cgi.ebay.com/CARBON-AIR-SCRUBBER-ACTIVATED-CHARCOAL-AIR-FILTER-ODOR_W0QQitemZ160011033952QQihZ006QQcategoryZ43555QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That item does look interesting, seems like it would work fine. I'm personally not into the DIY stuff. From what I have read 6 inch ducting moves air alot better/easier, that is what I would use. Make it as tall as possible you will not regret it.

 

[Budimus Prime]

I've been trying to think how I'm going to deal with the heat from my HPS. The light gets real hot and I can't think of a cost effective way to get rid of the heat. I considered spending $75 on a Hydrofarm air-coolable reflector but considering the grow box will be in a closet with the door closed, the heat would have nowhere to go. I'd also have to buy another duct fan just for the reflector. Another idea I was thinking of was installing an airconditioner right on the wall of the grow box. What do you guys think?

 

[Dr.GreenThumb]

You need to vent the room or you will have issues, this is the reflector that I have, with the 6 inch ducts and a 180cfm fan pulling air over the light my grow area stays 84-87 degrees in really hot climate..600w HPS

 

[Stoney Bud]

Dude! I know he's already answered you, but I don't know if you realize the importance of what he says. Mutt is the Professor of ultimate grow boxes. The guy can create a grow box for you that will be the ultimate of what is needed to grow yourself the most awesome weed possible using whatever size grow box you need or want.

Mutt knows every rule, every nute, every method and every technique you would ever need to use to grow world class weed man.

The dude is a magician with wood, fixtures, electrical hook up and invention! His knowledge of weed, it's growing methods and other skills make building a "Mutt" box a sure thing for your grows to thrive.

He's a hell of a nice fella too. He's got a great wife and a couple of awesome boys that scream "American Boy". If they have their Daddy's character and abilities, they've got it made in life. If they have his wife "Red"'s strength and natural character, it's going to make some great adults. What a mix of genes!

His ability to co-join Computer assisted Design into the growing of Marijuana is only one example of his determination and skill.

If Mutt tells you something he knows will work, you can take that to the bank !!!!!!!!!!!!

Yo Mutt, I don't mean to embarrass you, but a lot of people don't know the incredibly helpful and knowledgeable people like yourself that are available here on this awesome group.

I had to let the new people know you are here man.

 

[Mutt]

I'm not that good stoney. You blow me away with your Hydro set-ups man. There flippin automated. "Its been a week..time to change the rez". and you didn't even have to go in the grow room.

but as far as the grow box. I had my car when I found the cab. wouldn't fit. so I just knocked it apart gently and put er back together after getting it back home. Keep either a rubber mallet or dead-blow hammer. makes it easy with minimal damage.

What is good with grow boxes other than rooms is. You can take a tempered peice of glass to seperate the "HPS area" from the "plant" area.
Use the two CPU fans that you were gonna use and use them for exahusting heat. Hard mount the HPS light to the under side of the top of the cab. and seperate the area with the glass. Just make the bulb accessable easily. Same prinicple as the hood, but only costs 2 CPU fans and a peice of tempered glass. (side-note..have the glass cut accuratly..can't cut tempered as it explodes. but tempered is more suited for high concetrated heat than Pane glass) you can also make a little platform to adjust the plant distance from the light.

edit: don't ask me about organic ferts. I know when I fall short. Those organic guys are amazing in there mixes.

 

[lefty]

GEE MUTT I THINK STONEY THINKS A GREAT DEAL ABOUT U! I WONDER IF A 400 WATT HID LIGHT WOULD WORK FOR ABOUT 8 PLANTS IN A ROOM ABOUT 12FT BY 7FT WITH ABOUT 8 PLANTS IN THE MIDDLE IN A GROW BOX.WOULD THAT AMOUNT OF LIGHT WORK START TO FIN AND ALSOWOULD IT CAUSE ALOT OF HEAT WITH 1 OCILLAING FAN?GOING TO TAKE SUGGS ABOUT BOX FROM READING THIS you!!!??!!!

 

[lefty]

sorry for thread jumping PERTAIN NO?

 

[Mutt]

GEE MUTT I THINK STONEY THINKS A GREAT DEAL ABOUT U! I WONDER IF A 400 WATT HID LIGHT WOULD WORK FOR ABOUT 8 PLANTS IN A ROOM ABOUT 12FT BY 7FT WITH ABOUT 8 PLANTS IN THE MIDDLE IN A GROW BOX.WOULD THAT AMOUNT OF LIGHT WORK START TO FIN AND ALSOWOULD IT CAUSE ALOT OF HEAT WITH 1 OCILLAING FAN?GOING TO TAKE SUGGS ABOUT BOX FROM READING THIS you!!!??!!!

12'X7'=84 sq. ft.
HID rule 50W/sq.ft.
LOL you'd need about 4KW of HIDs in there man!!!!!
You'd want to partition the walls off and have (2) areas. one for mothers and clones the other for flower. Do a perpetual Garden. I'd start a new thread for that. I could post plans for an area like that. With the other members we could have that set-up sweet. Esp. an area that big.
Stoney's the man for that. He's the perpetual master.
BTW I think a lot of Stoney as well. There are certain members I think a whole lot of here. They know who they are. Stoney is def. one of em.

 

[Stoney Bud]

I WONDER IF A 400 WATT HID LIGHT WOULD WORK FOR ABOUT 8 PLANTS IN A ROOM ABOUT 12FT BY 7FT WITH ABOUT 8 PLANTS IN THE MIDDLE IN A GROW BOX.WOULD THAT AMOUNT OF LIGHT WORK START TO FIN AND ALSOWOULD IT CAUSE ALOT OF HEAT WITH 1 OCILLAING FAN?GOING TO TAKE SUGGS ABOUT BOX FROM READING THIS you!!!??!!!

Hey Lefty, to maximize your lighting for your plants, you need to use a very simple formula. 12 inches by 12 inches is one square foot. To maximize your grow, you need to have a minimum of 3000 lumens for each square foot of plant canopy.

I use a 430 watt Hortilux LU 430S/HTL/EN Grow Lamp that produces 55,000 lumens. If you divide 55,000 by 3,000, you have 18.3 square feet of canopy you can cover with the minimum light. The light has to be about 18 inches from the canopy unless you use a cooled air flow reflector, so you really only get about 2/3 of the rated lumens meaning with this type of light, you can effectively cover only 12 square feet. That's an area about 3 feet by 4 feet. In my last grow, I used two of these lights for an area of 3.5 by 5.5 feet and it worked with AWESOME results.

To maximize your grow, you also could use a Halide for vegging and then use HPS for your flowering. I would strongly suggest doing what Mutt has suggested as well; build two grow areas in that room that are about 5' by 5' each and vegg in one with two 400 watt Halides and flower in the other using two 400 watt HPS. If you also use Hydroponics like with my 4 unit system described in the DIY area, you'll be pumping out weed like crazy.

You could also make a small area for a few Mothers and a cloning area in it too. Then, you could go from the Mother to the clone area to the vegging area to the flowering area to the drying area to the curing area.

Production!

All of this can be done in that one room if you plan right. Let me know if you want to do this and I'll help you design a really nice grow setup.

Good Luck to you man.

 

[lefty]

cool man .pretty much everything i say is all in fun. I ussually am very sarcastic.i try not to be any more b cause i have learned that on other sites senior members and moderators really like to feel that wonderful"ILLUSION"OF POWER.i RERALLY WANT TO B PART OF THIS SITE B CAUSE PLANTS(ALL KINDS) IS GOING TO B MY LIFES WORK.GARDENS AND SUCH I HAVE DEDICATED MY LIFE TOO. HOPE TO WIN A SCHOLARSHIP TO PENN STATE AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL THE FACILITY I AM GOINGTO ATTEND IN SEPT FOR 18 MONTHS OFFERS Whoops sorry about the caps (another one of my problems0i am really psyched. but anyways i really dont want to get kicked off this site. as i said b fore on other sites peeps are very sensitive. i think everyone here is cool though. ill just follow the rules ask stupid Q'S when i feel the need and learn.thank u for the plan up top.im going to make a cpoy right now also PLEASEdont take offense t owhat i do or say b cause (like i said b fore)im a newB.i learn pretty quick and have some what of an above average IQ. ILL start a new thread . no more rambling from now on im all bidnez!!!! thanx s.b and M UTT!!.....I WISH TO SOMEDAY B ON THE SAME LEVEL AS U GUYS DO ANYONE OF U HAVE A HORTICULTURE TYPE JOBS. DONT WANT TO GET PERSONAL EITHER A SIMPLE YES OR NO WILL DO.DONT WANT TO PRY . NOW IM BEING REALLY SELF CONSCIENCE B CAUSE I DONT WANT TO DO ANYTHING WRONG AND GIT BOOTED!.LEFTY

 

[lefty]

when u say vegging do u mean first stage or"growing" explain vegging and floweringplease?sorry newB!

 

[lefty]

I Started A Thread And Am Refer(ing) U To My Thresd In The Hydroponics Section The One W/the Room Specs .thanx Lefty

 

[Budimus Prime]

Hey Everyone, here's an update. I finished the box finally. I went way over budget but there wasn't much I could do about it.

I bought a 465 cfm squirrel fan and an adapter 4" for exhaust and going to connect the carbon filter to it when they start to smell. I did the DIY carbon filter instead of buying one to save money and I don't really like buying online for this stuff. I will keep the closet door a little open when it's time to flower because I figure that the HPS will only be used 12 hours out of the day when I'm home and the air conditioner is on. The big fan is supposed to be strong enough to clear the hot air, I hope because I haven't tested that yet. I'm just going to remove all the flourescents and move the HPS in there when it's time due to space and power limitations. If it does get too hot I will take your suggestion Mutt and buy a piece of glass.

I bought mylar because I'm afraid to take this box outside to paint it and also the mylar just saves alot of work. My back hurts already from working on the box so I spent the $20.

I have a space problem because of the water trays I'm using. I'm trying to find some way to create a platform that can allow me to water them and have the water drain down into buckets. The only thing I can think of is using fencing material like chicken wire then mounting it to the sides of the box and putting trays underneath. If only I could find a 30" x 30" tray somewhere but it would have to be exactly that size. Then I could transplant the rest of the plants into those 10" square pots.

The 4 ft fluorescents I already have are pretty cramped in there but I had a couple ideas I wanted to ask your opinion on. I could mount them vertically in the corners and buy 2 more shoplights so they are in every corner. Then cover the lights in chicken wire so the plants don't touch them. The downside is they would not be as close to the plants as I would like.

Another idea is just to buy a 65 watt Fluorex light from HD and hang it in that void to the left of the box and keep the shoplights where they are but cover them in chicken wire.

Or buy the $30 Wally setup and hang it in the void although I had trouble finding the 42 watt cool white compacts when I was there, I would have to drive around town which I don't want to do.

Sorry for the length of the post but I wanted to cover everything. Thanks again for all the help.