Stealth Grow Box Size

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by Tenacious Trichomes, Jul 22, 2014.

  1. Hey everyone! I'm going to be setting up my grow box in the next week or two but would like some help with the size I should build. I will be doing CFL grow for two plants from start to finish from seed. I will LST both plants to maximize light. How big of a space will I require for this grow. I was leaning towards 2x2x3 for this (approx. size give or take) with around 150-200 watts of light. Any advice or recommendations is greatly appreciated!!
     
  2. I usually recommend 75-100 watts per square foot for CFLs in flowering...veg you can get away with alot less wattage.
     
    So if you're planning on 200 watts...make the box about 2-3 square feet....so like 2 feet wide by 1 foot deep(2sqf) or 2 feet wide by 18 inches deep(3sqf).
     
    Also as far as height is concerned...figure about 5-6 inches for lighting...2 inch gap from the lights, about 12-14 inches of growth area, and another 6-10 inches for container/soil.
     
  3. Thanks Bongsauce! I will probably go the route of 2' wide by 18" deep to have the extra room for bigger yields after I gain some more knowledge. I will go 3' tall as well to accommodate all the things you mentioned above. Using this method and box size, would it be best to do one plant or two using the LST technique. I won't do ScrOG as I will be using seeds and that can be a pain if I get a male. I can always use a bigger light to or two to get in the 75-100 watts per ft as you mentioned as well... Thoughts? If I do go to 225 watts, the standard CFL rules still the same with surge protector and such? No need to go bigger for that as long as it's rated for 15 amps correct?
     
  4. I always recommend a surge protector for anything expensive or trying to protect. If you are in the US, generally each room is setup for 15 amps each. Now the US uses 110 volts. To find how many watts it would take to fill up that 15 amps limit, you would...
     
    V - Volts
    A - Amps
    W - Watts
     
    W = A x V
    A = W / V
    V = W / A
     
    Limit of a general room in a home in the US:
    110V x 15A = 1650W
     
    You would be safe as long as the room doesn't consume more than 1500W. To put it into perspective, a normal space heater pulls about 1500W. Surprising right? That's about the limit of the entire room. Lol.
     
    Also, make sure that the plug for the power strip/surge protector actually plugs directly into the wall. That will alleviate any issues with accidentally using a too-small gauge wire extension cord and whatnot.
     
    If you were to use 225Watts of CFL's, you can easily find the amps that they would pull...
     
    225W / 110V = 2A
     
    Those lights would pull about 2 Amps total.
     
  5. excellent post by growdrobe...you should be fine running that with any surge protector....I'd bet any surge protector is rated at least 15amps. (it will say on the back)
     
    plan sounds good...waiting to tell sex usually takes like 5-7 weeks from seed. Usually the first signs of sex will be on the 7th or 8th node...so however quick you can get to that point! :)   Sometimes I recommend popping a fem'd auto alongside the others in veg...that way the wait isn't quite so long lol.
     
    For lighting just build it so you can add more lighting later....with cfls it's as simple as just changing out the bulbs for higher wattage....although I recommend not getting into the super large cfls. Also I don't know what your budget and diy level is but at around 200+ watts of cfl pll style cfls might be a better option then standard base type...totally up to you. I do suggest that if you go over 250-300 watts then just get a small hps.
     
  6. I'm not the greatest DIY so standard base is the easiest for me and least likely to screw up as well. I def won't skimp on bulbs (will do the 6500 for veg an 2700 flower). And I know I would get way better results using HID's but would like to have all contents (or most in the box hidden away. Bongsauce, do you have any journals for a grow box?

    I'm also curious to fans as I read to make sure the fans are rated to a certain amount so they don't overheat....

    Fairy new to all this, I appreciate all the info given so far guys and gals!!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  7. They said you want to keep the power supply rating higher than the fan draw to prevent overheating...so the adapters for the fan need to be rated higher than what the fan can suck...I'm not the greatest DIY but have the will and determination to learn. And it will be a great accomplishment on my first and subsequent harvest!!
     
  8. yep that's right about the power ratings...also for safety you should go 20% over the ratings to be safe. :)    Using a power supply rated less mA then the fan is where fans can short out and cause problems. For simplicity you could use a 2000mA molex power supply...most pc fans come with the molex already attached (4pin)so it's all plug and play.
     
    I have a few detailed micro builds in my micro thread in my sig. I also have a journal of my dual vertical 150 hps grow (some of the build for that is in my micro thread also) I haven't updated it in a while but it's all running the same.
     
  9. Great!! Where does it say the fan draw?? I've found several 12v 2000Ma molex power supply cords that are rated to 2A. And when I found fans, shows just 80mm 12V...no Ma on draw? Complete noob when it comes to electricity..
     
  10. I made a little journal when I built my little 2' x 1.5' x 3' box, and the grow journal with it, both links in my sig if ya feel like checking em out.
     
    I'm in the process of building a larger stealth box right now, essentially the same exact box as that one except twice the height. Sterilite storage cabinets, fairly cheap at Walmart... easy to cut and work with, you just gotta light proof it all because light can shine through the walls. I am covering the insides of my new one with Panda Film.
     
  11. to find out the power rating on a PC fan you usually have to zoom in on the pics and try to find the numbers yourself. It's hardly ever listed in the item's specs. Don't worry dude...I used to not understand electricity at all, it drove me crazy.....we'll get you all figured :)
     
  12. Atmo, awesome log and grow!!! How do you rep?? Very new to this forum..
     
  13. Also Atmo, I am on a budget so I will be using CFL's only. How hard is it to set up the fixtures...I assume they aren't plug and play like the fan
     
  14. I would ideally like to run all the light off one surge protector and timer... Wiring makes me nervous... I was a math kid not tech kid. Been reading quite a bit on circuits and sounds like I Chinese to me
     
  15. #15 Tenacious Trichomes, Jul 25, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 25, 2014
    Just to give you guys an idea, I am thinking (unless it's a bad idea) to run 6 26W lights up top on a platform attached with chains to raise and lower as needed. (Two sets of 3 bulbs) and a 42W on two sides. One fan for exhaust and one fan inside for air circulation. I will have passive intakes on floor and have the exhaust near the top to control heat. Will this be difficult for a complete noob to set up? Again, thanks for all your help guys and gals!!!
     
  16. IMO it's better to just hard mount the lights/sockets and actually raise the plants up and down. Multiple plants will usually be different heights so you would end up 'boosting' one anyways. I'd also just try to make a well distributed grid of light over the top only. I think of it like this...you can either surround the plant with light, or you can surround the light with plant(s)  -->surrounding the light with plants is much more efficient. You certainly could add side lighting, underlighting, interior lighting..etc...but at that point half of every bulb is directed at the wall therefore half of all the light becomes indirect light.
     
    I don't mean to sound rude in any way...I see alot of dudes with side lighting...there's just a certain philosopy of use that come into play and I wanted to try to get that point across. Side lighting would be beneficial to a centered plant...but wouldn't that area be better filled by a plant, and jsut put the extra bulb up above, know what I mean?
     
    Throughout trial and error over the years I've learned alot about growing...it's not quite so easy sometimes to explain those ideas and understandings through text on a computer :p
     
  17. Point taken!! And makes a lot of sense too! I will probably do fem seeds in a SCROG and LST them as well. And putting two sets of four lights would be easier than wiring 4 separate light fixtures. You are a wealth of knowledge I hope I don't bother you while picking your brain. Will save me headaches in the long run...
     
  18. that's what I'm here for bud :)
     
  19. Bongsauce, what would be the best way to setup 8-10 26w CFL's to the top? Need ideas for the fixture for the top of the cabinet. And what would you recommend to fix it up there securely? If you,have pics that would help...and maybe a brief rundown on wiring them up would be awesome!!
     
  20. #20 Bongsauce, Jul 25, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 25, 2014
    I thiiiink I have something that in my thread...one sec. *digs* yeh click the link n my sig and go to page 33. there's a few photos of a light thingie I made.
     
    You should just mount sockets/cleats to the ceiling imo. It's easy...like hooking up speakers. You also might be able to fit a bathroom vanity style fixture in there, but you still have to wire that up and imo it's much better (and cheaper!) to get individual cleats at lowe's and mount them exactly where they should go. I'd put one near each corner then space the rest accordingly. they can be wired together with almost any extension cord.
     
    you're in the US right? ...for electrical stuffs...
     
     
    here's a link to a simple pic i drew of how wiring goes and some info/dialogue. I'll make you a real picture if you want...I have extra sockets and wire I think.
     

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