Hey gang, I'm in the process of designing my own stealth DIY Rubbermaid box. I'll post pics and a how-to once I work out a few kinks in the design. I don't want anybody getting bad information. Two questions: Lighting - Right now I've got 325W of CFL (actual wattage) from 2 65W 2700k, 3 23W 6500k, and 3 42W 6500K growing 5 Early Girl bag seedlings (I'm practicing before I get clones). I was going to add another 150W. Think it's necessary? Ventilation - My box is roughly 3'x3'x2' = 19 cubic feet. I'll be putting up a scrubber with the fan pulling through. Would a 120mm computer fan be powerful enough to turn over the air in the box and keep things cool? I found one rated at 90 CFM. Cheers! - Barefoot
it should be enough... if your going to add a carbon scrubber your going to want your carbon as thin as you can get it.... if its too thick your going to see hot temps
Red_Greenery's Handyman's DIY Grow Tub - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums read this guys diy.. might help
Thank for the reply. I checked out the guide and mine seems to be on-par to be a decent grow box. For some reason I thought I needed to get a high-cfm inline fan. KISS right? (keep it simple stupid) I'll just fashion my homemade rig like I was planning.
cfm ratings refer directly to cubic feet your wishing to move.... those tubs are super tiny.... like 2 x 2 x 2=8cubic feet in the grow space you multiply times three for air exchange per minute= 24 cfm rated fan or better multiply times two if you add a carbon scrubber for air restrictions on the fan=48 cfm rated fan or better..... easily found in pretty much any computer make more cents?
Rough measurements are: 20"x32"x38" = 14 cubic feet 42 cfm fan minimum 84 cfm because of the scrubber. So that means anything rated at 84 cfm or higher will be perfect? What about an intake and an exhaust to boost airflow? It seems that most people consider this unnecessary as the negative pressure of the fan will pull through the intake, yes?
I am using a Rubbermaid container as a veg box and have been happy so far(first time using one). I see great potential for a perpetual harvest with this setup.
One other question and I can't get an answer to save my life. The age old debate of push vs. pull. Here's my two plans. box ----> fan -----> filter ------> outside box ----> filter ----> fan ------> outside ----> is the direction of the airflow and I have a 3" intake pipe to bring air in. Both ways allow for negative pressure within the box, I'm just not sure if having the fan pulling air out of the box is more efficient than pushing it out of the box. The latter is quieter for sure, but my box is in the closet so noise isn't too much of an issue. Also, considering the lights I have (all CFL) is this fan going to be enough to keep the box cool? My apartment (ambient air) never gets above 78 degrees.
Physics dictates that a fan is able to pull the same amount of air pulling as it is pushing. Mechanical physics says that a fan can pull easier that it blows. This is why firefighters PULL smoke out of a house rather than blowing fresh air INTO a house. I think I would lean toward the box ----> filter ----> fan ------> outside and have your fan pulling through the filter rather than trying to push your air through it. Just my 2 cents. Hope they help!
right on the money.. listen to this guy.... and yes.. 84 or better.... and only just use the one fan to pull the air out of your grow area... if you add positive pressure you have to know what your doing or your carbon filter wont work and you'll be posting that your grow area stinks and carbon filters don't work... they work.. but you have to know how to set you grow up to begin with
Got it, I'll have my fan pull the air out. Here's the plan. Box ----> filter ----> fan ----> ducting to outside. Before I finalize, is it okay for the fan to pull through the filter but push to the outside or should the fan be at the end of the duct work too. We're talking a few feet.
does not really matter. It's debaitable. I like to put my filter outside my grow space so I have more grow room. So I push
Sounds like a good plan. It doesn't produce a LOT of heat, but having your fan IN the box MIGHT add a LITTLE extra heat. I think the stealth would trump temp unless the fan pushes you too high.
Ambient temperature in the room is about 76 to 78 degrees. I'll keep an eye on temps. Anyone experiment with vertical ScrOG? I'm having trouble finding an answer as to what direction to train. Also, prototype grow journal: http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/684315-barefoot-prototype.html
I'm not asking clearly. I understand the technique of a traditional ScrOG and how to perform that. What I'm having a hard time understanding is how to translate that to a vertical system. Do I still go... plants | screen | light Or should I be doing something differently? When the plants get a few inches tall, I bend towards the light through a hole, but where do I take the branches? How do I get the plant to grow up through the next hole? It seems that the lead bud would just turn back towards the light and then I'd be stuck with one branch through a hole and then uncontrolled. What's the proper technique for training into a screen along the vertical (y) axis? Or......... What if I trained the lead bud horizontally along the screen and each individual branch that comes off up and vertical. Does that make sense? Wait for the plant to grow a few inches tall then train it into the screen. Grow for a few days and wait for her to turn to the light then pull her out and into the next hole directly next to it. I allow the branches and shoots to grow upwards through the screen.
Plants will naturally grow toward the light the verticle and horizontal screens work exactly the same. The longest branches go the the farthest hole to make the plant branches the same length. At some point your plant will be as bushy as it can get maximizing your screen. More or less only your flower would be sticking threw the screen. But that also depends on strain and veg time help?
Significantly. One question though. I'll have the plants behind the screen so they grow towards the light. Once I've got a few shoots through, I'll activate my wall of light (350W total on the wall directly opposite of the plants, another 350W hanging above) so the plants are drawn sideways as well as up. All kosher so far? Now, when the first (primary) branch is large enough to grow through the screen, I place it in hole one, at the very bottom. It grows laterally until she can make the turn to the light. Meanwhile, the branches have been growing to compensate, yes? I train them through the screen however they fit and move holes as the plant gets larger, right? But what about the primary shoot? Should I pull it upwards along the screen slightly modifying the plants movements? Or would it be better to train the primary shoot laterally first so I can really fill in the gaps. My box is just shy of 3' wide and 3' tall. My guess is I can fit four plants comfortably since they'll be going towards the sky. Will they be enough to saturate that screen? Will the lower branches grow fast enough to poke their heads through the screen? Am I even making sense?
Yep. Your right on. Stop overthinking. The plant will do all the work. Just move the branches so all the flowers are about the same length.