Hi guys, this is my case i have chosen for my pc grow it is a fractal design define xl. height is 56cm width is 23cm and depth is 56cm i have four fans at my disposal, should i have 3 intake fans such as the 2 white ones and the 1 blue one at the front of the case.[Case has a door at the front, awesome i know. ] and the other blue one at the back as an exhaust? Or should i have it balanced such as the two blue ones e.g one at the back of case and one on the side door as exhausts and the other two white ones as intakes at the front? Also the side panels have this sound proofing material on them, i dont think they will burn up or that if exposed to the light, as you can see in the below image. Was thinking of puting mylar sheets on top off them for reflection. i have three different seeds to choose from, fyi i will only be growing one plant in the case. they are as follows, 1x greenhouse seeds: Green o Matic, 5x Royal queen seeds: Royal Dwarf and lastly 1x Dutch Passion: Taiga. I am open to any suggestions that anyone has, I will be taking out the rivets which are holding the hdd bays and etc together when i get the chance to. Uk soon to be grower [hopefully Lol]
hi. welcome to growing..be careful it's addicting. on setting up the fans- does that front door have any ventilation holes built into it at all? maybe on the sides or something? You're gonna need a way to bring in fresh air though the front and exhaust out the back. Intake fans aren't really necessary, just an exhaust hole Just run the 2 bigger fans for exhaust and maybe use a small one inside blowing across the top of the case towards the exhaust (across the lights) . You intake hole should be twice the size of the exhaust. Do you know how to wire up the fans and stuff? I can help with that if you need..there's also quite a few threads on it here. I prefer painting everything white on the inside...it's much easier then mylar imo. You could also use foil tape...that's a pc grower's best friend. Once it's all together do a test run and keep an eye on that soundproofing stuff. If it melts or anything you might want to trim a strip off the top where the lights will be close.(cfls do get hot) Good luck with everything...I'm here to help please feel free to read through my thread for a ton of info and answers to most of the questions you'll ask *btw the first PC build that I did I was without a drill and used a phillips screwdriver and grinded them out by hand lol.
hey bud, thanks for you're response. Why yes it does it has these little vents at the front on the side like you said. i do have another fan that i could use for blowing air through the side, which would mean i would be using 5 in total. If you wouldnt mind and could possibly help me to wire the fans up to power them i would be much obliged, and is that too many too wire up do you think? I think that would be the easier option aswell imo, cause im too heavy handed and in my head i can see me tearing the mylar sheets while trying to stick them into the case haha. What kind of paint did you use was it metallic? foil tape sounds pretty good aswell, could i just tape the whole inside up instead of using the paint? or would that be wasting money. yeah i might just take that soundproofing out in the later stages. Would a single 105w cfl do the job do you think? will do. hahaha must of been hard on your hands that!
great to see that it has those side vents..that should be good for intakes. Trust me you just need exhaust fans...intake fans aren't necessary in this set up. Just use your 2 strongest fans for exhaust and maybe 1 more small fan to circulate air inside. painting - you could just foiltape over everything...or you could paint. When I paint I just use kilz low voc...I think it's the green label one. Don't use oil based. Kilz is great cuz it helps to repel mold later. Flat white paint actually reflects more light then glossy, weird but it's true. I prefer to paint because I like to keep things clean and I repaint often instead of cleaning IMO repainting a box is far easier to try to clean every nook and cranny...once it's painted it's 'clean' and you can see your work. a 105w light would work but I think you'd be better of with a few smaller bulbs (we're talking actual watts here , never equivalent watts) I'd mount a powerstrip up top and just get the socket plug ins that are so often used in pc grows. This makes it really easy to position the lights, change wattage, change color temp, etc..just make sure the power strip is mounted securely. I liquid nailed a piece of wood to the back of my case and screwed the powerstrip into it. shoot for about 70-80 watts...but possibly a little less if you can't cool it. rivet - yeh I got a few blisters..but it was worth it to get a head start when I was bored at 2am. PC fans - here's a great link to a thread by 'rzfzr' called extensive guide to pc fans for micro or stealthy boxes if you have an issue not described in that thread just let me know and I can clarify. filter? are you considering a filter? on a small pc grow like this you might need to mount it sticking out the back side if you use one.
yeah i think i will use flat white paint like you suggested, only annoying thing is that i cant get the kilz paint that you are using here in the uk i searched around and it never really came up with much. But i did find these two for you're aproval haha. Link:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Emulsion-Paint-for-Walls-Ceilings-Pure-Brilliant-White-Matt-Silk-Finish-2-Size-/221365242735?pt=UK_DIY_Material_Paint_Varnish_MJ&var=&hash=item338a658b6f Link:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DULUX-ONCE-MATT-EMULSION-PAINT-2-5-LITRES-GREAT-PRICE-FAST-FREE-DELIVERY-/271119283417?pt=UK_DIY_Material_Paint_Varnish_MJ&var=&hash=item3f1ff7f4d9 (sigh) this is another thing which like you said are common in other pc grows, i was originally going to use a powerstrip for attaching the lights onto but just like the kilz paint this was another thing which i could not find. All i could see was us plugs to socket adapters. So annoying as it would much better putting the lighting in the side door, instead of longways near the exhaust fan. But i suppose i will have too make do. thanks for the link ill look more into it when i have the case underway. well i saw someone on a pc case guide that used a Ona block for the odour, it seems to work well but it is something that wont last forever. so i would only use it when it starts to smell, and maybe poke holes through the top of the lid to prolong its use.
those paints look fine...as long as it's flat/matte white and not oil based you should be fine. Do a couple coats. ahh yeh...darned UK. I lose track of where all you guys are...UK and AUS guys can never get those sockets..ok how bout maybe a bathroom vanity fixture? like so : would that help at all? maybe one or 2 of those would give you better light coverage? They're super easy to wire...((at least they are here in US...just 2 wires that you attach to an extension cord and plug it right in)) Ona works ok...but it's not as trustworthy as a filter. Usually if people aren't filtering then they have to also add a bunch of air fresheners and stuff. It's up to you....just remember the safety is the most important part of the grow
I'm rooting for u bro, ima fav this thread. Now for your lights I think the cheapest easiest way would be to buy 3 or 4 ceramic bayonet cap lamp holder and wire them in a series to a type g male plug. You can find this at your local hardware store for little £
Are you gonna use the power supply from the pc?oh here's a pic of the light holder here's a pic of the light holder
today (take note Bongsauce haha ) i took a hammer and used a flathead screwdriver to remove the rivets from the motherboard tray and hdd cage's, worked pretty damn well i must say so myself except from the banging noises. Wise words there Mr. Sauce Does the smell that the plants make differ to the smell made by bud or hash etc? anyways if all is well and the setup is completed i will test run like a apache chilli pepper grow in there or some shizz lol. Hi pal, will do! can do it through private message if you like? also saw that you replied to me on Montrivity's thread, i am grateful for your added input for light sugestions and i will look further into it. And i hope you're pc grow case goes to plan and you fly through it like a breeze. Thanks buddy the more support i get the more motivated i become! i am following you're stealth pc thread as it develops, if you are doing a grow journal you should link me to it, i hope all three of us, me, you and KayakMan will be sucessful. After i paint my case i will have to seriously think about what im going to do with lighting and i will keep the suggestions that you gave me banked in my brain. ^_^ For the pc powersupply im not too sure yet i was looking at cheap ones on ebay i could maybe cut up so that the back is showing from behind the chassis and routing the power cables through them for added stealh maybe.
umm plants smell kinda ..'green' in veg...kinda like plant matter but has a weird skunky weed smell mixed in. That smell is pretty easy to cover....the major smells come from when the plant is budding and the trichromes form. It starts to get really strong smelling especially if it's physically disturbed..ie, trichromes smearing on branches..from moving plants when watering...fan moving branches..just from branches rubbing against each other the smell increases alot. That smell is kinda the opposite of the veg smell, where now the weed smell is predominate and there's undertones of a 'green' fresh kinda smell. A similar smell to burnt weed, but very distinguishable imho...that 'green' smell gives it away. harvest and trimming is one stinky nite...I usually do it at like 3am and burn some incense. then I put the buds in my cab to dry for the first day or so.. ..you could try radishes or lettuce if yer gonna test.....they grow super quick.
finally got everything pretty much. just need something decent too support the light, ignore the makeshift support thing haha.
thanks bud, just need to get something to keep the light and socket stable and stay in place as the holder is dipping down due to the bulbs weight. Something similar too the wooden bracket thing that you have. (the first picture in your micro cabs and stuff thread.)