Yea so I'm debating an grow room, or grow box rather. I have a few places in mind, but I realized that before I can actually start my endeavor, I must first make sure it's a safe plan of action. So, I was curious about which methods are commonly , or even rarely, used to detect an apparatus such as this. I think a few thing's I'm primarily concerned with is... Heat Signatures. Satellite pictures scanning residential/rural/etc. "Fly-by" infrared camera at night. (It can get pretty hot where I currently reside... But at night time... I bet that box would just scream "look at me".. even with a fan. 90-95 Fahrenheit by day, 70-80 by night. I think it would take a solid hour or two to normalize the temperature upon sundown, assuming my cooling fan is slightly exquisite.) Smell. I've read, from these forums actually, that a Carbon Filter will do the trick. These babies appear to be roughly 50-120+ USD. Is there not a cheaper solution? Wiki says "This carbon is generally activated with a positive charge and is designed to attract negatively charged water[or air] contaminants". I can't think of any (chemically) equivalent items... Wouldn't a few car "incents" work if I moisturized them initially, and coated with some oil/wax? What would you add/remove to this list? And also, in what ways would you prevent the above issues? I would need something to cause the exterior of the box to appear cold, or room temperature. So I was debating using a water cooling system from a computer, and route the copper tubes through an "inner-layer" on the physical exterior of the physical box, then cover that with some wood or w/e... Or would standard housing insulation suffice? Even better, I debated using a mini-refrigerator(in conjunction with an exhaust fan). Would the air produced by a refrigerator's cooling unit cause health concerns to the plant? I'm aware fridges heat external air to cool internal, but if it's set to toggle based on outside-temperature, would that not fix everything? Also, are there any other thing's I should be concerned with, in regards to the law, assuming I go through with the grow box idea? Any help is greatly appreciated. I'd like to have a solid plan, before taking any action.
About the infared, they can only see that at night. It really depends how many plants you are going to be lighting and it helps to have fresh air blowing around. Just out of curiousity why concerned about the smell? Do you have company over all the time or live with people that do not condone weed. I wouldn't worry about it but, I guess you can use dryer sheets. Not sure why you would want to use a mini fridge as they are small. I wouldnt recommend turning the fridge on with a plant in it lol.
Hey thanks for the reply, and the valuable information lol. I agree, a fridge is a bit far fetched, but talk about stealth! Well until someone wants a beer.... Anyway, yea that's correct. I have roommates that neither descend it nor necessarily condone it. I'd prefer to keep it under the radar to the fullest extent in that regard. As far as plant count, I have two germinated in soil currently. They came from a pretty crappy sack, but I believe some "love" will do the trick. I suppose I'm just worried about law enforcement. I just couldn't seem to find any "composite list" of things cops look for. P.S. I read through the entire site: http://potbust.com - helped alot, but doesn't describe ways that cops catch you(Other than the blatantly obvious - that is.) Just trying to rule out all the anomalies before stepping into a hole I can't climb out of.
Very, Very smart. I see great things coming from your corner of the woods. #1 Your mouth. If you open it to anyone you're setting yourself up. Most of the time that trap will snap shut with you firmly stuck inside. Don't open your mouth. #2 Odor. $150 is cheap compared to prison time. Think about it. This is also something that's definitely worth doing for YEARS so spending a few months saving up the cash won't hurt ya much. It will just seeeeeem to take forever. #3 Drama. Domestic violence calls, jealousy, petty vindictiveness and other dump, macho or otherwise non-logical and cool headed behavior attracts law enforcement to walk through your premises. This has caused more busts than people admit. Yes, find out the plant limits and penalties in your area. Donate cash anonymously to any organizations that are pushing for decriminalization or medical use in your state. I wouldn't concern myself with heat signature at all with a box grow. If you have leo looking at your house that way, you either live in the wrong neighborhood for this or already have security issues. Oh yeah, unless you're supplying to a club or other patients, I really wouldn't sell anything. The best way to stay safe is to keep it to yourself and never tell anyone. Keep it safe like you are and you'll be tremendously successful.
I heard of this stuff that comes in rolls that you can apply just like mylar to your box and is supposed to beat heat detection. As far as smell there are a few inexpensive gels on the market that claim to eliminate odor, havnt tried them so I cant vouch for them though.
FYI - In 2001 the US Supreme Court ruled that thermal imaging devices can not be used to survey a private residence without a proper search warrant. The Court concluded that such a search was an invasion of privacy, which is a violation of the Fourh Amendment. So if the authorities are looking at your property with thermal imaging, you are already under investigation. Now there are many other ways to be found out. You have to worry about the smell. Some MJ plants have a very strong odor. You also have to realize meter readers in larger cities are trained to spot a grow op. Funny sounds(fans), condensation on windows, blacked out windows. They are all suspicious to a meter reader. Some people would tell you to worry about increasing your electric bill, but unless you have numerous 1000-watters there is no need. Electric companies' billing systems are computer processed so even if you have suspicious power consumption no one will notice it. Unless you don't pay the bills.
@HydroGanic It's exciting to know that I'm atleast on the right track here. I feared I was persuing an impossible endeavour, but it's looking so much more promising after clearing thing's up with you guys. Fantastic! That's my plan. I don't see any reason to sell it. There's plenty of others out there proficient in that. And I'm fairly certain that by the time it's done flowering, I'm probably going to have bonded with it and end up hating the final step... let alone debate selling. That's just me anyway. I saw a friend's grow a week ago. It was magnificent. Can't wait to start my own now. @DirtyGerman Lol nice name first off. And thanks for the tips! I was at the pet store today debating whether the water filter replacements (Carbon Filter's for water filtering system's) would work if I cut pieces thin enough for adequate air flow. But a gel would work even better. I found: http://www.4hydroponics.com/grow_room/onagl.asp Appears to be exactly what's needed. @OCDinFL I haven't even made the box yet, and I'll sleep better tonight now knowing that. I agree with you entirely. I saw a few guides online mentioning this as an issue, and definitely considered it. But I'm fairly certain I'm sticking with CFL's - mostly for price. Although, I've done extensive research on these, and found equivalent results assuming I keep them close to the plant(but not "too close"!), and maintain proper Kelvin scale ratings(proportionate to Lumens) when purchasing the two different lights for the two different(light-respective) phases of the plant, then this project should be a blast. (sorry for the run-on sentence) --- So, from everyone's wonderful & generous help here @ grasscity, I gather... The Composite Safety List. - for the "self survival grower" lol (5 plants max I'd say?). Note: Excludes items relating to "street smarts". Visibility - Keep out of sight, and minimize(or neutralize entirely) alarm raising factors(ie. anything out of place). Noisy Fans Light emissions Window condensation Any life-size bob marley poster boards. (j/k... Yeah i know, that was terribly cheesy ) Scent - Ensure your box smells like fresh daisies 24/7, irrespective of cost to do so. Nosy neighbors, meterman, etc, can smell & report. Rat Prevention - Don't speak to anyone about it, as hard as that may be. Just like anything else illegal, the more people that are involved, the more liabilities ensued. (And the less return.) Publicity - Keep your "grow" away from public eyes, as well as any potentiality of such. Stay away from anything that could summon cops at or near your grow. (No Disputes; Possibly - no wives .. At least not mine anyway. lol) See 'Visibility' above. Web (Figured I'd add this) http://hidemyass.com for the win. Possibly some regular maintenance (Clean internet history, run anti-viral/spyware software, format, etc) I'm sure many more thing's could be added to the list, but this will suffice for me, and gives me much peace of mind - thanks to all of you. I can't thank you guys enough for your help. Now, on to the design phase... I found the best spot for this. Gonna conceal it by making it look like furniture/storage for a shed, and then place it, conveniently, in a shed. Probably add a hidden padlock to it also. Throw a hydro kit inside with quad CFL's, and no one will know. Should be great fun. Thanks again everyone.
DUDE this is great for smell carbon filter cheap http://forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/273604-small-carbon-filter-diy.html but you need a fan (computer fan good) and maybe some duct work nothing you cant figure out and personally i wouldn't worry about the satalights i have operation outside before AND DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE ASKING YOU BLOCK