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My new Mini grow Setup:


drzin978
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Hey all,

I just moved to a different apartment. Now that its cooler and I have a better space I'm going to try and start growing again. I've revamped my closet design to work in this setting and updated it a few ways.

Some of you might remember, this is what I started with:

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I used to have it lined with three layers of space blankets, with a space blanket curtain over one side to provide access. This was flimsy and tacky, and even with three layers some light still made it thru. With this in mind, I replaced the space blankets with mylar reflective bubble wrap ("Reflectix" Brand). It looks like this now:

post-27446-0-62224300-1378757667.jpg

You can see the fan exhaust system in this picture. In my initial setup I had a box fan sitting on top of the closet sucking air up and out. I've augmented this with a manifold I made out of the left over Reflectix I had from the sides of the closet. I made a four inch diameter hole in this manifold, which I've connected to a dryer vent tube. This leads into a structure I built in the window frame which vents it outside. I could have opted for an inline fan, but this works about as well and was much cheaper. I plan to add a carbon filter to the tube when odor becomes more of an issue. In the mean time I have a jar of Ona Gel to cover the smell.

Here's a closeup of the manifold. For a duct tape creation, it works remarkably well!

post-27446-0-86521700-1378758170.jpg

I also built a door for the closet. This was framed in 1 by 2s and then lined with Reflectix. It has a latch for a lock, and velcro to hold it shut. The bottom of the box is lined with half inch hardware cloth to let air in but keep cats out :-P. Check it out:

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Inside is my cloth pot, a tray, a thermometer/humidity meter, my 150 watt HPS light, and a small fan for circulation. Note the lack of a plant :-/... A little baby is getting planted tomorrow, in Fox Farm Happy Frog soil.

My only concern is that when I put my thermometer right under the light, it gets to upwards of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, fast. I think this is because my thermometer is black and gets hotter than its surroundings on its own, but I'm still concerned. The top of the soil I put in the pot got sort of dried out really fast when I turned my light on. I could put my light further up, but that would be bad for the plant, wouldn't it?

What do you guys think? I'm kind of proud of my handiwork, but I'm worried about the heat, and there might also be some flaws I am not seeing.

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Thanks bro! I put a lot of work into this, I really hope it works. And yes this is for one plant in my apartment. I only have a 150 Watt HPS light right now, and not much space. If this works though, I want to buy another tent to go next to it with a 400 Watt light for another two plants.

My main concern is still the heat- I just found a super handy chart for how far I should keep my light up above the soil however. I adjusted the height to about a foot, It is already cooling down at the plant level. I have a good feeling about this... Watch out for a new grow journal in the grow journal section!

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I would strongly advise you NOT to vent outside....Vent somewhere else inside or to the same place you dryer vents to, but not your window.

That's a tale tale sign of a grow op(heat venting out of a window).

Bless

In general a good advice to follow, although it depends on his specific situation. Plus, I'd be more concerned about possible odour being released, than to worry about the tell tale sign of a 150W lamp ;)

Obviously make sure to obfuscate whatever solution you go with, so it's less visible.

Cheers!

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Thanks for the tips guys. Even though I'm a legal medical marijuana patient where I live, I'm still trying to keep this from being too obvious. The air coming out of the box isn't that super heated- and as of yet there isn't any odor to worry about. Once odor comes through, I have some Ona Gel to cover the smell, and I eventually plan to invest in a carbon filter to put between the box and the outlet.

It looks like this from the outside right now:

post-27446-0-34943300-1378812502.jpgpost-27446-0-22173000-1378813542.jpg

Pretty inconspicuous, but do you guys think its too obvious? This is the back of the apartment building, with a fence behind it. No one really goes back there much.

I built this wooden window structure to be super strong in case someone tries to break in. There's really no way to get through it from the outside.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm getting ready to germinate my seed today, as with the light about 12 inches up from the soil it doesn't get too hot. I'm really trying to chase down all my loose ends and figure them out before I start with this. I appreciate the input from you guys!

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Looks pretty neat already, nice construction :)

Personally, I'd paint it a darker colour and/or hang a curtain/drape or something to make it even less conspicuous.

For your airflow, in case it might not be sufficient enough at some point, consider making a proper hole and using a vent cover instead. More throughput and less turbulences than those array of holes.

I'm in a country where it is sort of legalish to grow in your private space. Still, the less people suspect, the better ;)

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Its true, I need as little suspicion here as possible. I put the small holes instead of one large hole to make it more secure. I may change it down the road though. Paint is also a good idea.

I'm getting ready to germinate, just monitoring the temperature in the box to make sure it doesn't get too hot.

What country do you live in!? I want to move there. haha- Its legalish too to grow your own here as long as you have a doctor's recommendation and a hardship license. Unfortunately they didn't send the memo to local law enforcement, people all over my state are getting busted for something that its legal for them to do... that's another story though.

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Ah, that makes sense, to burglar-proof a bit more. Here's hoping that you won't have heat problems, should be ok with the small lamp though.

I'm in Catalonia, top right bit of Spain. We've got a similar leeway here as well. The state protects the intimacy of your private space, unless you're being called out because of something. Therefore you can grow at home, but if they come to check can take your stuff. It's all about keeping it out of public areas. Hence we also have the associations/cannabis social clubs here. It is a similar situation though, everyone that is working in an association might find themselves without job/merchandise, etc in an instant if the cops decide to raid...

But yeah, we're looking to the States and following closely what's going on, while trying to get legalization/regulation going properly as well :)

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thanks dude. Unfortunately its proving to be too inefficient at dissipating heat. I'm looking into replacing the fan with a stronger one- either a bathroom fan or an inline fan. Any thoughts from anyone?

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Hey bro, looks very inconspicuous.

And with everything said, I don't think you will have any trouble unless you bring it to your door.

So you're gonna need to be careful in everything that you do.

In that spot, if anyone were to come looking, it's be easy to find.

And the 150 isn't a lot of light, but the went heat the air up warmer than the air outside unless you live in the desert lol.

To displace the heat, maybe try a fan blowing at the lights, and oscillating fan for the plants, and one on the floor blowing upwards??

Try moving the air as much as you can maybe?

Bless bro

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Thanks for the tips Exceptional.

Right now its far too hot in there for a plant. I don't have anything planted yet however. I have a theory that my box fan from Wal Mart isn't as powerful as I'd like it to be. I'm going to buy a bathroom vent fan first chance I get. These come with cubic feet per minute ratings, have tube outputs that match up with ducts, and are relatively inexpensive. Then perhaps I can put the fan I have beneath the box to get some active intake, and strategically position an oscillating fan in there as well. There is a stationary mini fan inside (also from Wal Mart... I'm on a budget, what can I say?), it doesn't seem to help much.

Anyways, if sucking the entire volume of the box thru the box 8 times every minute doesn't cool it enough, I'm not sure anything will. Although the other thing I am going to try and do is get a piece of glass to go over the light. we'll see what happens... I just hope I can get it cool enough to plant soon.

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Yeahhh that's the thing about the 150's, they're not air-cooled.

But I ran 2 side by side with a 400 during the winter and didn't think they we're that bad in terms of the heat they put out, but I wasn't in as confined of a space as you are.

But good luck brother.

Winter time isn't too far away!

Bless

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Update:

I went out and bought a 70 cf/m bath fan. I removed the rigged manifold and fan from the top of the unit, and used the reflectix from the manifold to cover the top. Then I placed this bath fan on the corner of the top of the box- wouldn't you know it, three out of four sides of the fan case were resting on studs. I then simply cut a vent hole in the reflectix, taped around the edges to keep the draft in, and ran an extension cord down the inside of the box to power the fan. check it out:

post-27446-0-31337800-1379214928.jpgpost-27446-0-07483900-1379214961.jpg

I have this attached to my same duct, but this time with hose clamps. This setup worked much better to suck air up and out of the box; it pulled noticeably more air, pushed it thru into the duct better, and brought temperatures down a few degrees. I still wasn't getting the lower temperatures I was after, however, so I then decided to set this up:

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as you can see, now the box fan from the top of the closet is beneath the closet! I put some 2 by 4s underneath to leave a space for air to get in, and put more 2 by 4s on top to hold the weight of the box.

I realize some of this will look sort of half assed, especially to an experienced craftsman. I think my work is pretty clean, however *knocks on wood*. I do want to build something better to house the fan beneath the closet, but this will do for now.

What do you guys think?

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I think your on the right path my brother :D

Looking very nice IMO! Glad you ot the temps down some!

Also, look into getting some sorta CO2 in there!

I use these and I willl NEVER not use them, at least until I upgrade to Co2 tanks and a sealed space: http://www.exhaleco2bags.com/

Just hang one(per 4x4 tent) above you plants and it'll precipitate C02 which is heavier than air.

But you might even benefit from sitting it on the ground beside your tent on the outside since you'l be pulling fresh air in constantly!

Bless

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wow those look like a great idea! It doesn't look like I can get them around here, I'm going to see if my local hydro store will special order them. Otherwise, my next project is to make a more stable base to hold the fan!

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Nice dude!

I might just order one. I'm just wary to get grow related stuff shipped right to the grow site. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd rather pay cash at the store. The guy at my local hydroponics store has good deals on supplies, never seems to attempt to sell me shit I don't need/rip me off, and is very knowledgable. I never told him what I was growing, but I think its tacitly understood that we both are growing the same thing.

As for the fan base supports, I went out and got some 2 by 4s cut to be long enough to carry the weight of the closet over the fan. Looks like this:

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I have some blocks to put in between the beams above and beneath the fan so it doesn't have to carry all of the weight, but I didn't think they were necessary- the metal frame of the fan seems pretty sturdy.

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Nice dude!

I might just order one. I'm just wary to get grow related stuff shipped right to the grow site. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd rather pay cash at the store. The guy at my local hydroponics store has good deals on supplies, never seems to attempt to sell me shit I don't need/rip me off, and is very knowledgable. I never told him what I was growing, but I think its tacitly understood that we both are growing the same thing.

As for the fan base supports, I went out and got some 2 by 4s cut to be long enough to carry the weight of the closet over the fan. Looks like this:

post-27446-0-66321900-1379346400.jpg

I have some blocks to put in between the beams above and beneath the fan so it doesn't have to carry all of the weight, but I didn't think they were necessary- the metal frame of the fan seems pretty sturdy.

Nice, and it's nothing cannabis specific. It's just a general garden thing :)

But I feel like going to the store presents more of a risk, as you can be followed, and having a relationship where you and the hydro guy have that mutual understand seems a little dangerous too! I'd prob tell him that I have to move everything or give it away or something, just so he thinks nothing no more.

One thing is that you never know what someones intentions are you know?! I'm as cautious as I can be I like to think, but then I think I need to be more careful all the time you know?!

And about the guy at the store, if he tries to see you anything in a bottle he's not looking after your best interest.

The best ferts comin in bags and are in a raw organic form. They're also the cheapest types of ferts in the grow store..

Things like kelp meal and alfalfa meal and bat guano and humus and compost etc...

This things last for a few grows..With a box like that, you could spend $100 on everything you needed to go totally organic and no have to buy anything else for the rest of the year...with a space the size of yours you might be good for 2 years!

I spent about $150 last November and since then I've only need to buy more bags of soil for more plants...No ferts or anything. And I won't have to for the rest of the year :)

In fact, I have a lot left over that I'll end up giving away this winter!

Just some food for thought!

Ps, I also might just go ahead and totally board that window up just because :D

Grandaddy Purple is a PRIMA morning smoke by the way!

Smoked about 10 this morning and I'm still soaring! 2 hours later!

Bless

I say this after saying that I haven't been to the grow store ever, but my local store has an online shop, so it's the same difference.

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I hear you man. For fertilizer, he recommended I use something in a bottle, but that's because its hydro food I already had from my earlier growing attempt. He said it would work fine since I already had it. That seems like the best money saver of all.

Maybe I'm being too trusting, but the owner of the local small hydroponics/organic gardening shop that includes all kinds of odor control stuff in addition to gardening supplies probably isn't in the business of throwing his customers under the bus with the Law. Plus the store is across a state line. Unless federal agents are out to catch legal medical marijuana patients growing personal use amounts with equipment bought in a different state, I think I'll be okay as no state level enforcement would follow me home. *Knocks on Wood*

As for boarding up the whole window, I live in an apartment so that isn't really an option. I have the glass blocked off so no one can see in, however.

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Haha I wish I could man damn! That's why we need to be viglante and vote on shit when we can!

See the most recent thread that I posted that says PLS HELP!

You have to vote at the link which goes to norml.com, so that they can air the first ever cannabis related ad during the superbowl!

And for sure about the apt thing, just throwing some tips out there for sure.

And yeah sounds like your good for sure. I'm not suggestion you don't trust him at all brother.

Just kinda speaking figuratively you know. And yeah, you wouldn't think anyone in his position would throw someone under the bus thats for sure,

I'm just the type of guy to say, "but he could possibly if he wanted to" lol. Talk about paranoid, I might be the most lol

Bless brother

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  • 2 months later...

DrZin978,

I have a few comments / suggestions.

 

1.  You mentioned something like:  "No one comes to this area much".  Hey, with all those power meters, doesn't your power company's Meter-Reader-Man come once every month?  And he will be in that area quite some time in order to read and record all those meters.  That being the case, your carbon scrubber will have to be top-notch.

2.  Even if your meters are read remotely, each of those meters represents a separate residence I suppose.  Neighbor residents are prone to want to read their own meter from time-to-time.

3.  And when any of those neighbors wants to move, or cannot pay their power bill, the Power Company will send their technician to disconnect and/or reconnect the Services right at those meters.

 

 

4.  Do put blocks between the 2x4 beams to remove the weight from the fan.  The plastic fan shroud may be susceptible to Deterioration caused by a) Vibration and b)UV Radiation from your lamps.  Additionally, if the fan Fails while you are full of soil and plants and water, it would be a beotch to have to disassemble the Setup just to replace the fan.

5.  Remember, you are working with water above that fan.  Protect the fan Motor from accidental spills somehow.

6.  Consider the use of LED lighting instead of the HPS and MH.  Much less Wattage per lumens  =  much less heat build-up per lumens.  And with the right LEDs or mixture of LEDs, you can still achieve the necessary Spectrums for each Phase of the grow.  Switching to LEDs may alleviate your heat Problem so that you can save on Ventilation Upgrades and the inevitable noise Pollution we all so dearly want to avoid.

7.  If you must continue to upgrade to more powerful Ventilation fans, always seek the quietest possible per CFM.  Yes I know....  Budget.  Always the Problem. 

8.  Not all fans are suitable for our boxes because they were not designed to deal with "static pressures" caused by:  1) the fact that our boxes are essentially enclosures, or  2) caused by the more constricted designs of our cowlings.

 

But still, your Project Looks fun.  Your skill with the saw and screwdriver is commendable.  Now just build an Entertainment Center and a full-wall Bookcase to disguise the Mylar-coloured light box Standing beside your La-Z-Boy and your set-up will be a bit more stealthy from the inside POV.

 

Good Luck

 

'sapean

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Cannabissapean-

Thanks for the tips!

I still need the carbon filter, desparately.  Its smelling more and more minty back there all the time.

Otherwise, the 2 by 4s holding up the fan are doing fine- the fan shroud is metal, with plastic cages on the front and back, so metal is bearing the weight.  I honestly plan to remove the fan beneath, however, because I've installed a lens and a cooling fan on my light reflector.  These, combined with the fact that its now November in the Northern Hemisphere have alleviated most of my cooling concerns.  Now I just need to enlist one of my trustworthy friends to lift up the box while I pull the fan out- probably a task that can wait.

Beyond the cooling concerns, I've put up some tall curtains to divide that part of the room off from the rest.  This is keeping the smell out of the rest of the room, and keeping vistors' prying eyes from seeing the shiny phone booth in my office.  A bookcase would be even better, though.

I have put progress on my grow over on this post: http://forums.strainhunters.com/topic/7543-green-house-seed-co-jack-herer-grow-journal-take-2/ .  Check it out if you're interested.  I appreciate your input along with anyone else's!  Thanks again!

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