Help With Exhaust Light Traps

[Crash-n-Burn]

Hey gang... First time grower here. I've got some seedlings growing right now and am racking my brain trying to come up with an effective way to light-proof my exhaust.

I'm using 120mm PC fans mounted to the back of my box for the exhaust. I'm really trying to keep this super stealth so I don't want stuff hanging off the back of the cab... As a result, I'm really having a rough time light-proofing my exhaust. I have 3 fans across the top of the back and would like to be able to incorporate all 3 into the same light trap, but I can put a seperate trap on each one if necessary.

If I can make a light trap/carbon filter contraption to scrub and make light proof at the same time, that would be optimal...

Anyone have any ideas? I'm coming up pretty blank.

 

[teerull]

hey Crash-n-Burn!

have a look at some of the carbon filters people have made, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to modify some of them to fit your needs!
where can you find some of the filters?

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=88318&page=1&pp=15 - this page has quite a few different filters, lots of ideas!

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=78593 - I personally really like this design and I will personally be working with a similar one in the future!

all of the carbon filters should be light proof as well!

peace.


edit: If you're looking for simply light proofing you can also look at the cooker hood filters! however they are not 100% light proof they do remove most of the leak and also help with removing the smell as well. Just take a look around the forums and read through the treads and I'm sure you'll find loads of ways to trap the light and do everything else as well!

 

[Marlo]

Wsup Crash

Its not the cheapest solution, but...
Check out some darkroom fans & louvers. Photographers use them to exhaust air from darkrooms and still be light tight. Its basically a fan with a louver cover. They also sell the covers separate. You might be able to find one that will fit over your existing fan.



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/539/Darkroom_Setup_Darkroom_Fans_Louvers.html

 

[roughnice420]

you can also build an "open-ended" box out of cardboard to put over the fans and direct the light down to the ground. You can line the inside with black cotton socks also to absorb light. if you do that the amount of light escaping won't be noticeable if its in a corner or something.

peace

 

[catman]

Hi Crash-n-Burn,

120mm PC fans probably aren't going to be able to meet your odor elimination needs. If you must attempt it, I'd suggest creating a carbon scrubber first and see how much air flow you can pull through it. Always pull, never push. PC Fans are DC, AC motors have more strength than DC motors and you can find 4-5'' 110V axial fans at radio shack for around $20-30.

If your definition of strength is as strict as mine, your only choice is the Panasonic Whisper fan. Run you over a $100, but... if this thing didn't exists..I would have given up on growing all together like a few others

 

[Crash-n-Burn]

Teerul - That's pretty much the point I've reached... Taking something someone else has posted a tutorial for and making it work...

Marlo - A little out of my price range for this grow... Especially considering it's JUST a fan... But thanks.

roughnice420 - Great idea. I might try that one.

catman - I'm beginning to think the same thing about using an AC fan instead of the DC ones. I wish I had room in this cab for a big inline fan...

The reason for all of this is that this was originally intended to be a mother/clone/veg cabinet and I'm being forced by circumstance to flower this first grow in there. I don't have room inside for an inline fan and it's GOT to be completely self-contained.

Thanks for all of the replies, guys.

 

[FreezerBoy]

catman - I'm beginning to think the same thing about using an AC fan instead of the DC ones. I wish I had room in this cab for a big inline fan...

No you don't. If you've any interest in stealth you want nothing to do with inlines. Many love the Whisperfans though some have begun reporting noise issues after constant running. Another consideration is the "Mixed Vent" fans from S&P. Here's a link to someone who essentially paid to have his Whisperfans hauled away in favor of the S&P Great Inline Fans (S&P)

How much light are you running? I've got a 250 CMH in a 22x29x54 inch space, cooled and filtered with a 76 CFM AC axial. I have to honestly report, you can hear it but, it sounds just like an old freezer should. Point being that smaller cabs don't need the power and stealth headaches that inlines produce.

 

[Crash-n-Burn]

I'm running 8 23w CFLs. Heat isn't bad. I'm currently cooling it with 2 120mm DC fans that report themselves as around 60 CFM each. But they're not filtered and not light-proofed.

What kind of AC fan are you running? I know Radio Shack has one that will do 65 CFM. Can you put up a pic of your fan/filter setup? Or show me where I can find a pic?

Thanks man.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I used to use an ac computer fan in an older cab. It was a Radio Shack 3" fan ~32cfm. I think the one you're looking at is 5". I put a piece of coarse black skotch bright over the intake side of the fan. It blocked the light just fine. You might gain from filtering your intake(s). Otherwise the skotch bright will get clogged with dust. It's hard to clean them effectively after they get clogged.

 

[sgka]

I was recently experiencing similar issues with light traps, although my problem consisted of light leaking from one section of a cabinet into another via air circulation. Rather than shell out more money for louvers, I decided to DIY it. I made a 5x5x5" box out of cardboard, one side of the cube is totally open. another side, which is adjacent to the 100% open side, is about 85% cut away, leaving about a 1 inch strip along the bottom, which happens to be next to the 100% open hole. then I took the 85% piece and bent it inside the spot that it came from, only at about a 45 degree angle. Tis leaves about a 1-2 inch space open. thus, as the light travels up the inside of the lighttrap, it must first bounce around this angled piece of cardboard before continuing out the other side. I made two of these for each vent hole, placing one on each side of the cabinet wall, and id say they are about 99% light proof if done correctly. I did paint the inside of these contraptions with black paint, just 1 quick coat of spray paint was enough for me.

sorry, i dont have paint on this mac so its hard to depict what im saying, ill try to post a pic of my creation when i get back to the growsite, hopefully my description helps you in your adventures