[SIZE=medium]My first post. Lengthy post warning![/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I am a complete noob when it comes to cultivation, not so in terms of consumption.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I discovered this site 8 days ago and it has been my sole source of knowledge on growing. However, I do have relevant knowledge and experience that I think will be useful IF I do proceed with a grow cabinet.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]This is really a request for advice regarding “Should I?†and “Where should I?â€[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I do not want to be guilty of over-sharing but unless you know my situation is you may not be able to give your best informed advice.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I do not live in the meta state I prefer but in a state that has very harsh penalties for cultivation, i.e., no legal distinction for 1-100 plants. My state will likely be the last to approve medicinal marijuana. In ANY of the 20 states and DC where this is allowed, I would have ABSOLUTELY no difficulty whatsoever getting a card from even a less than sympathetic doctor. But I'm here in a state with the wackiest politicians in the US with a religious orientation that views pot as the exemplar of moral turpitude. BTW, it snowed here last night.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I am also retired and live in a very nice planned retirement community. I keep busy by occasionally doing residential home design, landscaping design, lighting consultation, home theatre room design and the like for select clients. Unfortunately, my fellow retirees often have too much time on their hands; they are nosey and gossip too much. A resident's grow, if disclosed or discovered, would spread very fast even possibly beyond the neighborhood's boundaries. Not good, considering possession of one plant is a felony carrying a penalty of a maximum of 5 years. I am not excessively paranoid, just cautious and cognizant of the risks. I believe in the two rules (read here): “Rule 1: Don't tell anyone. Rule 2: Don't break the first rule.â€[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]The other part of being retired particularly if you relocate, is that your supply lines get cut, and as a senior they are very hard to re-establish. Grabbing my skateboard and going to the skating park is not going to happen (although I'm physically OK and can do it once in a row on a good night, my wife reminds me) the reality is that it is tough to score, This leads to feast or famine, and even the feast times are marked by smoking bad weed (although relatively inexpensive.) However, if you have to smoke so much of it to get the therapeutic effect, it turns out not to be so cheap. A zip a week starts to add up on a fixed income. (“I was a 1%er before I was a 47%erâ€, said in my best John Kerry voice.) My best guess is that with good smoke my consumption would probably be a zip every 2-3 weeks. Not sure… [/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]MY OBJECTIVES: Create and maintain a PERPETUAL grow capability which is ABSOLUTELY stealth (overall appearance, odor and unsuspicious sound/light levels).[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I realize that these objectives may (maybe not) only be attainable in a two-phase, longer term grow plan.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Eight days ago I decided the pain (peripheral neuropathy) was getting a bit too much, the feast/famine a major problem, and expense on a fixed income undesirable so I googled and ended up here.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]MY wife has claimed all closets in the house, asserting Manifest Destiny. No Joy here. I DO have a very high end wine cooler that is larger than the Haier model builds documented here. [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]It is virtually new with the latest tech features, some of which may be desirable and useful for a grow. It is well insulated, magnetic sealed door, has a lock, and a bunch of other stuff (revealed shortly) which has my juices flowing.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I only want to do this if I can do it right. No meaningful compromise in cabinet conversion will be made.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]My initial thoughts on the cabinet are:[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]-mylar interior (might take the white paint approach for reasons other than cost and take the hit of 8% decrease in reflectivity)[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]-Cal. Ltg. 200w LED perhaps supplemented by adjustable height CFLs[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]-humidification assist[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]-sufficient quiet ventilation using high quality fans/filters possibly augmented with some ideas I have for odor filtration.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]The interior dimensions of the cabinet are 21†x 21†by 51†(clear space). Volume is about 13 cu.ft.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]My biggest concern is not cutting through refrigerant lines for exhaust. Although not Freon, it is R-134A which is not nearly as bad as Freon but I can't fool myself that its release is benign to the environment. I've tried many approaches to find the routing of the coils but no joy. Short of night vision glasses, infrared cameras, I'm stuck. I know I can duct out the bottom (internal duct at interior's top but exhausting out the bottom) w/o cutting a line but would prefer not to take this approach. Any suggestions? (I've tried the corn starch/alcohol mixture and other things.)[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Okay, now for the big question, where do I put it?[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Currently, its sitting in the unheated, cement floor, attached garage which makes it ideal from a stealth standpoint. Neighbors have seen it in the exact same spot for 5 years. Also, odor /noise control would not have to be perfect, just very, very good. However, due to temperature variation throughout the year, it might be necessary to run only auto-flower strains (lights on 24/7) to deal with cold ambient air. (Not so concerned about summer heat as intake would be close to cool cement floor.)[/SIZE]\t [SIZE=medium]The other, better alternative is to move the cabinet into my office. However, this probably ratchets up the requirement for perfect odor control (sans care and feeding) and pretty damn good sound level. (The existing cabinet is at 40 db when the compressor is operating.) The office location might raise a few questions from my neighbors who frequently visit as they know I no longer drink alcohol (4+ years). This can be handled with some half truths and white lies but that doesn't make me feel better about it.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Garage or office. Advice?[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Please keep in mind that the likely FINAL objective is perpetual grow.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I don't think the cabinet will yield enough to eliminate feast or famine using SCROG. I don't think this space will accommodate more than two plants. Sure, you can put more in it but I don't think the yield would significantly improve. Is this correct??? If the yield is great enough there would be no need for Phase II. Based on my consumption described earlier, is it possible that this grow would eliminate feast/famine if the right strain was chosen and a reasonable grower (with YOUR help) was involved? Personally, my gut tells me that Phase II will have to be done and that would be a SOGS using clones from Phase I. Phase I would be soil based as its more forgiving for noobs like me, Phase II would be hydro.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I guess the way I would like to approach this project and effort is that it is really a community grow. I supply materials as recommended, convert the cabinet as suggested, provide the (initial) unskilled care/feeding labor, perhaps allow the community to recommend equipment/techniques that YOU have curiosity about so that some benefit is provided back to the community.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]In that spirit, do you have any comments, suggestions on what I'm contemplating?[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Please remember I'm probably old enough to be your father or grandfather so your patience is appreciated. [/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]I apologize for this posts' length but it was somewhat necessary to describe what my thinking is and why.[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]TIA-[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium]Subin[/SIZE] [SIZE=medium](Grandpa Subin) [/SIZE]
Sorry Grandpa but I have no ideas for your wine cooler. There must be a private space in your home off limits to your neighbors? Do you plan on having separate veg and flowering areas? Have you thought about looking at some grow tents? You'd think that would keep most of the smell in, surely someone here has grown in a tent?
I would recommend leaving it where it is now and pushin it closer to a wall if its not already, have 2 exhaust fans in the top corners with multiple holes along the bottom for a passive intake and all this facing the wall so its not seen unless one was really looking around the coolerSince you want a perpetual and given your space i would recommend a perpetual autoflower setup basically running as many as you can at a time Any other questions feel free to ask ill be happy to answer im always glad to help someone get the meds they need
Thanks guys-- Tonight, its 39 degrees in the garage. Rare event but it can happen. In summer, its often 120 degrees. Garage set-up worries me because of this. Office is better. However, can an exhaust fan/filter really get the odor out? If so, what CFM and filter do you recommend? (13 cu ft and 200W LED with possible CFLs for additional lighting? I know I should have 5 air exchanges per minute not including filter restriction. I assume the better (greater filtration) the filter, the more CFM you need. Subin
You should look into the PC micro grow box. It's stealth and way cool! Google it. Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum mobile app
[quote name="Grandpa Subin" post="19432493" timestamp="1391050874"]Thanks guys--Tonight, its 39 degrees in the garage. Rare event but it can happen. In summer, its often 120 degrees. Garage set-up worries me because of this.Office is better. However, can an exhaust fan/filter really get the odor out? If so, what CFM and filter do you recommend? (13 cu ft and 200W LED with possible CFLs for additional lighting? I know I should have 5 air exchanges per minute not including filter restriction. I assume the better (greater filtration) the filter, the more CFM you need.Subin[/quote]Yeah an exhaust with a good carbon filter will take care of the smell and if youre really worried look into a product called ona gelAs far as what cfm fan you would need, someone more experienced on that end can chime in as im a mostly outdoor grower and my indoor grows are limited to sunrooms where i didnt need fans and pre built setups where i didnt have to worry about but heres a good link on that that could be worth a read http://forum.grasscity.com/grow-room-designsetup/594150-ventilation-faq.html
I agree. Micro pc builds are cool. But I have this unused wine cooler with 13 cu ft. I think my yield will be better in this than a PC, all things being equal.
I've read about ONA. My intention was to take up a few inches of the 51" and create a "scrubbing chamber" which would contain the ONA and the filter. Exhaust air would be pulled into the chamber and then exit the chamber through a ducted filter. So I anticipate using both ONA and a charcoal filter. Subin
[quote name="Grandpa Subin" post="19432591" timestamp="1391051923"]I've read about ONA. My intention was to take up a few inches of the 51" and create a "scrubbing chamber" which would contain the ONA and the filter. Exhaust air would be pulled into the chamber and then exit the chamber through a ducted filter.So I anticipate using both ONA and a charcoal filter.Subin[/quote]That sounds like a very good idea actually, be forewarned though pushing air through ona like that will make a majority of the area smell like it and although its not a bad smell its..different but not necessarily bad
Skip the ona an go straight for a carbon filter. If you wanna be stealth then thats the only way to go.Sent from my GT-P3113 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
If at all possible post a pic of this wine cooler. Gotta get a visual of it for an idea. Sent from my N800 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Yes, it's difficult to score on multiple levels. No power here, no internet...typing this only wife's iPhone. Ugh! Awaiting uncle herbie to arrive along with all the stuff I ordered for my cabinet. The design should work well. Design, electrical, air flow expertise, I have. What I have none of is experience in growing. I hope i can can count on you guys and gals to help on the grow. Truthfully. I would have never started down this path if I didn't think the help would be there. I hope this will be so. Best- Subin (my Thai given name)