So I scrapped the computer desk cabinet. I didn't like how short it was. I went to wal-mart and picked up a ser-lite or something. It measures something like 20" long, 18" deep, 68" high. It's made a plastic and went up in like 5 min. The more I work with this cabinet the more I'm liking it. Here's a pick with the fan installed. And the vent. With black caulk it almost looks like it belongs there. Here's the scrubber installed, holes were drilled into the shelf for air flow. The same shelf seems strong enough to support my lights too. Here's the intake for the air. The inside cracks all caulked and i'll explain the paint in a min. So I ran into a little problem around this point. The cabinet lights up like a christmas tree when there's light inside it. I thought painting it might help, and I was wrong. Not only did it not help but the paint just peels off the plastic. Big waste of time. I was at the hardware store and one of the workers suggested contact paper. I told him I had a window I needed to light proof. So I bought the rest of the roll of black contact brand paper. Works like a charm! I only had enough paper, 3 yards, to do like 1/3 of the cabinet but with the light on inside the cabinet the spots that have contact paper don't show the slightest leak of light. I'll have to search around to find more contact paper. I have to work most of this weekend so I won't be able to work on the cabinet till next week. I plan on contacting the entire inside of the cabinet, then a layer of mylar. I have CFL lights, but will be ordering a 400 watt HPS soon. Total costs: Cabinet $75 Fan, carbon scrubber, mylar roll from HTGSupply $200 Hydroponics kit (with 2x 65w CFL) $215 Misc hardware (Contact paper, wire, flex vent, pvc elbows, caulk, cords, etc) $100 Total $590 400w Cooltube HPS with mounts $225 HTGSupply Seeds HGS $100 Total $915 I started this "grow box" with a budget of like $300. Then it just kept growing. I think this cabinet is going to turn out real nice though. Stay tuned!
The cab also came with three more shelves should I ever want to split it into flower/veg. You can also get the same cab in two sections for $45 each half. I'd pick one of them up for a veg box if I ever go that route.
Yea, I saw this exact same cabine series at lowes and thought it would be a great idea until I thought about that much light inside a plastic cabinet. I had a feeling that this cabinet would bleed light like a stuck pig without alot of work to seal it up. My second concern with this type of cab is that excessive heat could cause your cabinet to melt in on itself which could be devastating if it happens during flowering. Hopefully this plastic case wont have that happen and good luck blacking out all the light leaks. Can't wait to see the finished product!
For light leaking, I had the same problem with rubbermaid boxes. Basically, I painted it black (two layers), then I painted it white (3-4 layers) and it didn't illuminate through anymore. The paint/plastic was quite durable when it was 95 degrees inside. I see you already got it taken care of, black contact paper plastered on the cabinet?
Ok so I found some time to finish this little project here. I couldn't find any more contact paper so I scrapped that idea. I end up ordering a roll of black & white poly (panda). This worked just as good as the contact paper. No light bleeds through the plastic box. I ordered my HPS last weekend and have that all installed. I have a cool tube and it was a tight sqweeze to get the duct in there but with some blood, sweat, and some cuss words I got it in there. I'm not worried about moving the light, even though I can be moved with a little effort, because I'll be screening and only using the HPS for flowering. The temps are my only problem. The days are getting hotter and even with the vent running full power (170 CFM inline vortex) it was sitting the mid 80s. This was with CFLs on. I purchased a window AC unit and with that running I can drop the temps in the cabinet to the mid 70s with CFLs on. I ran the HPS for an hour and the temp was 88. Higher then i'd like but I can live with that. Anyone got suggestions on how to keep this thing even cooler? Next time I'll just be getting a tent for sure. Won't need the stealth. Here's a picture of the venting. I have the scrubber disconnected atm to save some life until I need it. The tight fit of my HPS venting. I'll make the tape work and cords look nice later. My CFLs and mini fan. The plants are tomatos, I'm going to try strawberries next.
I've been looking around my town for a cabinet like this one (we don't have Wal Mart, Lowes, Home Depot or any big stores like those in our area for atleast 100 miles) but haven't been able to find luck yet. Great job bud!
I really like the hight and depth of this cabinet. I only wish it was longer. It's 24" and I'd love it to be like 36". My next design I think I'll buy a tent but if I do go with another cabinet I'll be building my own from scratch. I like what Robsgreen or screwdababylon did, just not as big as robsgreens. My temps are coming along pretty well, I had the bedroom door shut last night with the AC running I had temps in the cabinet of 68. So with the HPS I'd guess the temps would run around 78-80. I hate to think what my power bill will be running a HPS and AC all summer.
well with regards to the heat. Its like putting on a sana suit. you put reflective stuff on the inside and its plastic. If all your hoses go outside. all I could think of is, exuast the heat from the light out, and have another fan for circulation.
Not a very popular topic but in case anyone was wondering how well this cabinet does on growing, my test crop (tomatos) is doing well. These pictures are 6 days after germination. Temps are pretty stable at 75-78 only running the CFLs and the air conditioner in the room for an hour a couple times a day. The little guy in the soil is a strawberry plant I germinated at the same time but had it outside in soil. I don't think he's going to make it. I just want to get well into veg with this test crop before I try a real crop.