Okay, so I laid out my plans before (here http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/373122-grow-box-first-grow-help.html) and have modified them quite a bit. Instead of the original 10, I'm now down to 2. Also, I may have a new place to grow. In my basement (rarely does anyone go down there, and if they do, I'm the one forced to go.) there is a small closet like room off the main basement. The rest of the basement is finished, this room has stone walls, one window to the outside, and the insulation is showing on the wall that faces into the basement. Now, I was thinking about maybe growing here? I would black out the one window and set everything up. But my problem is ventilation. There is a PVC pipe running along the top that goes to the outside, but it is used to vent from the heater. I'm wondering if I could cut into that pipe, use a PC fan there for ventilation. Would that be a problem? Also, I'm not sure how I could bring fresh air in. Also, I'm using CFL's, in close proximity to the plants (above and on sides). Now, could I just build a half enclosed box painted white? Like, not close off the top? I mean, I will if I really need to, but just a thought. Thanks for the help! Any suggestions would be great.
basement, more secure, lower temps , lower humility, easier way to go. usually easier also due to availability to water lines you can tap into and drains , power, etc. not to mention easier to make totally dark, vent out chimney stack, too many pluses
Im having trouble visualizing the space... got pics... whats closet look like, does it have a door, or open.... Your better off using the big room to moderate your temps, or creating a hurricane in an enclosed space... is basement yours for the using? Do u have to be stealthy? DO u have roomates, family members or friends who would disapprove? Have you checked the basement for Carbon Monoxide and or Argon gas buildup?
P.S. +rep for both of you... just cuz I like both your styles Mr meat was spot on, factual, and to the point 420 your doing your home work, thinkin it thru, more importantly your asking for help... your not just pullin something out of your ass and burning down your house in the process.. P sout!
Thanks guys! And thank you ramidus. Not gonna lie, you're the only one so far who has taken the time to actually give me some solid answers. +rep. Also, I'll take some pictures a little later of the basement/space I'll be doing it in. From what I know, there is no Carbon Monoxide or Argon gas build up. I used to have my room down there(until it creeped me out too much) and my mom checked all that before hand. Its a pretty small closet, and what I would most likely do is build a small grow box and just keep that in the room, since I'm on a VERY limited budget and cant afford to light a bigger space quite yet. And we own the house, though we do have tenants upstairs that can use the basement. Theyre like 24 though, and I highly doubt either would have a problem with it. My mom would GREATLY dissaprove. I think. I dont even want to mention it to her. I know she still smokes once in a GREAT while (never talked to her about it) because I found half a joint in her room and smelled it in her room before. ANYWAY, I have a tendency to talk a lot. Sorry. But I will have pics up ASAP. Thanks for all your help!
start checking out local construction sites, find a foreman, ask if you can rummage thru the garbage pile.. u can find a goldmine of raw materials, nails, screws, wood, sheetrock, pipe, insulation... almost everything u need. and saves them the time money and effort of removal. dont just go there at night w/o permission.. depending on dollar ammt it could be felony burglary even if your just grabbin unwanted scrap... make sure to find the foreman, get his name. say your building a dog house. lookin forward to seeing the "space" become a project... Fully subscribed and in it for the long haul!
as far as tennants... BIG RED FLAG. ok, so they are hip and cool, 24, maybe even partiers. they are honest, dont steal and u trust them.... ppl change... it might seem golden on the surface, one of them might have a uncle who is a cop and they have friends, right... 24, social ppl... and they have mouths right... so they can talk... they tell someone, who tells someone, who tells someone.... b4 u know it 100 ppl know your up to something and your busted and or burglarized... either way its bad mojo. must devise stealth method, must set boundries, lock basement, lay down the law.. is there a way to lock basement...
build a false wall, sorta what I am doing now, will be putting up a mirror then behind that will be the grow room door, with a lock of course.
Ramidus, thanks for all the input. Freshmeat, I did take what you said into account, the darkness, the water lines and drains and such, but it is not as secure. I was thinking about it and since there is no lock on the door or anything to keep it closed, all it would take is one of the tenants/my mom opening it up just to see whats in there. By far the safest place for me to do this is in the attic. Ramidus, I really cant thank you enough. The construction site idea is great, as there are a few nearby. Anyway, I just took pictures of my attic to show you guys the area I'll be growing in. Just remember that its going to be in a concealed grow box. Thanks for the help guys!
Here are the pics of the attic! Pic 1: Over in that area is where I will be building the box. Pic 2: Again, that area. Pic 3: Continuing to the left... Pic 4: This is the front wall of the attic/front of the house. I'll be building over the back end of the house. I'll be using that vent up top for bringing in cooler fresh air, and I want to try and vent out the chimney. Not exactly sure how I'd do that though. Anyway, thats going to be my setup! Any advice is welcome!
I don't think you really need a vent. Your attic is pretty large, I don't think it will get too stuffy in there with a strong intake. Do you know what your doing with getting lights up there? If you are tapping into the existing wiring don't kill yourself dude.
To pickle, Only reason I want a vent is to control the smell. I'd rather vent it to the outside than have it start getting into the house and people questioning it. And yeah, my buddy is an electrician, told him I want to maybe make the attic into a room and I'll need 2 new outlets for the light to build up there. And to Don Piano, I cant do it in the basement for security reasons. Also.... I JUST GOT MY SEEDS IN!!!!!!!!!!! 5 Femmed The Church seeds, 5 regular Thai Super Skunk, and 1 femmed white widow. I'm so exited.
Probably kick my ass. But then again, I have no idea. Mainly because I KNOW she smokes every once in a while. But she wont find out. The entrance to the attic is right outside my bedroom, my bedroom is the only thing at the top of the stairs. She doesnt go up there. Even if she does, its only to snoop around my bedroom. And by snoop, I mean clean. She does a bit of both. hahah but NOBODY goes into the attic. We've been living here for 7+years, and until last week, I had never seen the inside of the attic. Neither has she.
Haha calm down there! All in due time. I don't have the money to do all of that quite yet. I'm on a very small budget (which is why the idea of going to construction sites is amazing). Until I get some money/get a new job. I need the least expensive supplies I can find during this go round. But once I get up the money, I'm putting down plywood floors and making it into a bigger grow if possible.
I deleted my privious posts because I was so excited about the lack of roof trusses. here in the high desert we need to worry about roof snow loads 3 feet thick weighing tons... also makes framing/construction so much easier,, i was thinking you would have more obsticles.... seriously, that insulation might be asbestos. when was the house built.. 40's/50's? Electrical looks to be the toughest thing.. you will need anywhere from 5-8 devices running off power in there depesding on design/temperature/humidity. you want as much juice in there as u can get.. Id do two 15 amp breakers or one 30 amp breaker connected to 8 plugs two 4 gang boxes or four 2 gang boses... you will need lights, fans, dehumidifier, in winter you mat need a heater, water pumps, whatever you need... dont have the electrical done without over doing what you think you need. if those wires are your original electrical system in your house, the electrical box on the side of your home might be just as old.. does it have round fuses or breakers? heres my concern... theres no way you can tap into existing electrical without burning house down, and adding a breaker to your excisting box might be hard if it hasent been manufactured in 25 years.. even trying to put a new breaker in box outside might be challenging/ make sure electrical is done right,
Yeahhhh, the house is really old. Actually built in the 20's I believe. Wiring and everything HAS been updated over the years, so we do have a breaker box and most of the electrical is new. In the pictures, you see that really really old wiring....Thats not in use. Thats kind of just there. Theres a blue wire in some of the pictures. THAT is the new wiring. Also, I cant add a breaker to the existing box, mainly because someone would notice that. I'm pretty sure (for now anyway) I can tap into the existing electrical and run everything I need off that. Hopefully. I'm going to get my electrician buddy to take a look at it, and he's going to let me know what can be done. But eventually, I'm going to be running a LOT more up there.
you have a long road to hoe...but its the conceptual engineering thats most important. sometimes its better to wait till you have thought it thru and rehearsed it in your head a thousand times. you have the unique opportunity to utilize the "A" frame design of your roof to place your lights in such a way to utilize the scatter pattern of light. your light will scatter like the shape of a letter V , upsidedown. Like the pellets of a shotgun. a spray pattern. so if you use a triangular shaped hood like the one below, then you can take advantage of your space and shape, as well as increase the "foot print" of your light penetration. .......of importance to mention these hoods are designed to be used WITH a pane of glass thats inserted into slots in the bottom, enclosing the lamp itself. your flexible ventilation ducting is hose clamped to the side on the round opening there... and the majority of the heat that is created by the bulb is enclosed behind glass, and that air is then able to be vacuumed out of the bulb chamber. will keep bulb cooler, area cooler, plants closer....
Thanks Ramidus! I'm still trying to figure out the best and cheapest way to do all this. It may be put on hold a while. I don't really have the cash to do it as of now, so I'm going to continue picking up one piece at a time. I really may wait until the end of summer to do it, mainly because it will be much easier and cheaper to regulate temp in the winter. Also, in the summer, there's a chance of bees in my attic. IM DEATHLY AFRAID OF BEES. I left my dad 15 feet up on a ladder one time because a bumblebee flew by. But anyway. I'm still going to be updating this and asking questions. But it may be put on hold. Not quite sure yet. Also, since I'm making a box (to start off with) would Proship - Product Detail. that be good for a small 2 plant box? Thanks!