Build your own grow cabinet system.

Discussion in 'Do It Yourself' started by TranceKid, Aug 15, 2011.

  1. #1 TranceKid, Aug 15, 2011
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2011
    Hey Blades,
    I had the idea of starting up a DIY grow cabinet thread after seeing how ridiculously expensive premade cabinets are... I'd love for everyone to pitch in their designs as well as tips and tricks they use. Hopefully we can make this a sticky so we can get more people up and growing. ;)

    Here's a design to start the thread.
    [​IMG]
     
  2. #2 TranceKid, Aug 15, 2011
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2011
    Here's another cabinet design that uses a Blackstar 500w panel for lighting.
    [​IMG]
     
  3. Nice designs I will probably use your ideas but to contribute to the thread check this out I sketched it up
     

    Attached Files:

  4. Nice thread Idea.
     
  5. yea thats the thing ive realized with growing you have to be creative id like to see some pictures of some actual setups too if possible
     
  6. I'm not using cabinets but I'm sure there are plenty of blades willing to post up a few pics of their cabinet systems; whether prebuilt or custom built :smoking:
     
  7. 232 views and only 6 replies? :bongin:
     
  8. #9 stealthboxit, Aug 19, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 21, 2011
    Calculate CFM Requirements:


    Some info and formula I found on another forum that will help you calculate how many CFM's you need to push to reach your desired temps. From some very rough trials so far the formula appears to be accurate.



    Edit:

    I was confused by the formula I posted. Here it is in a bit simpler format and explained.

    T(max) = Maximum Allowable Temp in Cab

    T(inlet) = Ambient Temp being sucked in through your intake, be that passive or active. Use the greatest possible maximum this could be. Please include if your girlfriend turns off the AC by accident at 2 PM on the hottest day of the year.

    Calculate T(diff):

    T(diff) = T(max) - T(inlet)


    Calculate CFM Required:

    CFM = 3.16 x Watts / T(diff) (English)
    CMH = 2.98 x Watts / T(diff) (Metric)

    Edit:
    I just ran the calculation twice (once for C and once for F) by converting my temps via google and wound up with two different numbers. The difference was about 30.

    Edit:
    Obviously I am medicated and retarded right now. Didn't account for CMH....
    1 (cubic feet) per minute = 1.6990108 (cubic meters) per hour

    Edit:
    It comes out to the same amount either way. So right on.
     
  9. Awesome stuff!
     
  10. #11 farm Boy, Aug 19, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 23, 2011
    Here are the plans for the cabinet grow box that I’ve got 90% complete.

    Several notes on the design:

    1. Most importantly... This is my first grow. Every thing I know about growing weed, I learned on the internet.
    2. This is a hobby to me. The cabinet reflects my personal tastes and splerges. It could have been made for much less money, using well-tried designs.
    3. Although I'd like to start growing in a couple of weeks, it's not too late to make changes.
    4. I look forward to your input.

    The basics are as follows:

    Cabinet- 30” by 20”, by 72” tall Closetmaid wardrobe

    Available at Home Depot for just $95. This is the best deal around. There’s a built-in (structural) shelf that cuts the total height of the main compartment to about 50 inches. But by drilling four 3/16” holes, I was able to move the shelf up a bit and increase the grow chamber's vertical measurement by several inches.

    Light- Eight 30 watt CFLs (240 watt total)

    This should be enough for the approximately 4 square feet of growing area. I picked CFLs over HIDs because I was afraid that the additional fan noise would compromise the cabinet’s stealthy nature. I considered an LED panel but decided against it because I'd read that LED arrays are most efficient when located 18” above the plants and the grow chamber is already vertically challenged.

    The CFLs will be screwed into $2 Lowes sockets mounted on a frame made of 3/4” PVC pipe. Above the lights is a 12” X 24” sheet of leather-grain aluminum I got at Home Depot for about $12.

    I’ve mounted the yo-yos on the walls to save a couple more inches of vertical space.

    Ventilation- Two Lian-li 140mm ball bearing fans ($16 each). Passive intake

    Fans were $16 each at Coolerguys.com. I also bought the power supply and speed adjusters (which I don’t think I’ll need), especially after reading StealthBoxIt’s excellent post. The fans are rated at 60 CFM each, and total wattage in the box is 300-350. During the summer, intake air temp will be approximately 75 during the day. So the calculations show that the fans should cool the box about 9 degrees F above ambient. Not quite optimal, but not too far off. I should never, or at least very rarely, see 90 degrees in the box.

    The fans' vent warm stinky air into the upper chamber of cabinet. The air will then passively exit the back of the cabinet through a louvered vent, painted flat black.

    Odor Abatement- Home made

    Using ¾” X ¾” hardwood boards, dowels and a piece of super thin particle board, I made a filter frame that fits around the fan. The units are 7 inches high with about 120 square inches of surface area for the filter fabric. The filter material will be cut from a 15-3/4” x 48” Honeywell cut-to-fit activated carbon sheet that I bought for $9 from filters-now.com. One piece will fit around both units. But I may need to double this.

    Internal Ventilation- Oscillating Holmes Mini Desk Tower Fan ($19) on a 6” by 6” adjustable shelf.

    This unit has the smallest foot print of any ocillating fan that I found.

    SCROG Rack- 3/4” PVC pipe frame, eye screws, and string

    Monitoring- Hanna HI 981504 Continuous ppm/ph/temp Monitor (about $160) for the nutrient solution and a La Crosse Technology Wireless Weather Station ($22@ sierratradingpost.com) to remotely monitor grow environment temp and relative humidity.

    Grow Method- Aeroponic

    I plan to use the basic stink buddy method. A section of 4” vinyl fence post (or rail) sits on top of a Centrex 10 gallon tote. Inside the rail is a tee-ed ½” PVC pipe with four EZ Clone mister nozzles. The rail will drain back into the tote reservoir so that there will be no standing water in the root zone (as opposed to DWC).

    Inside the tote will be an EcoPlus 185gph pump and an air stone (air pump will be on the top shelf so as not to add heat.).
    [​IMG]Look forward to your constructive criticism.
     
  11. Now that is a design! +rep for that contribution!
     
  12. Looks really good!!! Make sure you take into account how much a vent and/or carbon scrubber will reduce your air flow.

    The reason I mention vents is because unless you just have a hole with no ducting/routing of any kind the airflow is reduced. You should definitely have more passive inlet availability so your fans will run at the rated CFM. A fan straining to suck air will inevitably run hotter.

    I didn't take that into account into a micro cab I was building and ended up wasting lots of time and effort. My design was somewhat similar in that the fans exhausted the air into a upper chamber which then vented through some holes.

    I definitely look forward to see how your temps do. Holy cow man can I see the tender love and care taken into this design!
     
  13. Thanks for the good words guys. And the input about actual vs. rated cfm flow is appreciated. If I don't get the cooling that's needed, I'll have to assess where the pinch point is (intake vent, fan size, filter, or out take vent).

    Got to spend a little time on the project this weekend and made some changes to the light fixture and the Scrog rack:

    1. Will use 3/4" PVC rather than 1" for both light fixture and Scrog rack.
    2. Not using the tee arrangement for the light fixture. Instead, I will bend the reflector (which is actually labeled "leathergrain aluminum sheet, 12x24" from Home Depot) into a staple shape.

    I'll fix the drawing and re-upload sometime today.
     
  14. Sounds good! Temperature is a bitch!

    farm boy what program did you use to make the drawing?
     
  15. Used Photoshop CS5. Although I just got Autocad 2011. Unfortunately, it's gonna take months to figure out how use it.
     
  16. Oh yeah, Autocad '11 is one serious program. A friend of mine has it on his computer and I was messing with it...I was so lost. :D:smoke:
     
  17. nice designs i just finished my new cabinet. other then soundproofing without spending big bucks im pretty lost as to what to do.
     
  18. For soundproofing, you can use duct mufflers if you run ducting, or you can use layers of soundboard that they sell at home depot. I installed that into my home's walls and not much sound can pass through that. :D


    Oh and if anyone wants to buy a good & big cabinet to modify into a grow cabinet, this one is GREAT.
    Walmart.com: Ameriwood Industries SystemBuild Collection 3-Door Wardrobe Cabinet with Drawers: Storage & Organization

    or this one that is slightly smaller width
    Walmart.com: Home Source Industries Two Door Wardrobe in Light Cherry: Furniture
     
  19. No Kidding! it's not exactly intuitive. Much like Illustrator, which, while being super confusing at first (first year that is), is still one of the best applications ever created.

    ...

    I revised my drawing to reflect the updated reflector and a could of other minor tweeks. In a week or two, I will post some photos. Then I can finally start growing something!
     

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