ghetto first pc case grow

[neo247]

hello. new member here. i have been working on a computer grow for about a week now and tonight i will be putting my seedling under its first light tonight. ill be doing 12/12 from start to finish.

heres the setup:

-computer case 17"x8"x18" (l w h)
-2 23watt cfl's
-1 intake fan 80mm
-1 exhaust fan 80mm
*due to how loud these fans are, i only have 5volts going to each. i know its not much at all, but it will have to do.
-panda film (extremely cheap and alot easier to apply then mylar)


thats about it. very very very basic. i was looking at how nice and clean all the computer grows on here were and it was amazing. makes mine look like complete shit lol ill be putting up pics probably tomorrow.

problems:

-carbon scrubber: i bought two 3" net pots and two 4" net pots. got some pantyhose and active carbon from the pet store. and followed the micro carbon scrubber guide. it seemed easy enough...but i was wrong. i cant make this thing to save my life. all the carbon just falls through the net pot and makes a big ball of carbon at the bottom. for now i just have a thick layer of dryer sheets over each fan. mainly used to trap the light but light still gets through.

-securing the power strip: i wired a stripped down PSU to a power strip. two lights are plugged into it and two 5volt adapters for the fans. it is against one of the sides so that the cfls run along the top of the case. first i tried duct taping it to the case (already covered in panda film) and all it did was pull down my covering. so now i just have a bunch of fishing line strung around the case in a way to hold up the power strip. it actually works quite well. at least for now. the problem (maybe) is that some line is touching the lights. i dont think it gets hot enough to damage the line but i will find out tonight for the first light session. i had it running last night for a little while and it was fine.

-light leaks: not much to say about this but i have a plan to fix this. for now a blanket over my case will be sufficient without blocking the fans.

-light schedule: this isnt a problem really, more of an inconvienience. but i bought a timer not knowing anything about it...when i got home i realized i can only put one light to it and even worse, i have no room for it with my current setup. so i have to manually turn the lights on and off...when i told the hydro lady this she laughed and told me it was not likely that i would always be on time...but i will be.


it looks very ghetto but i am confident that it will still work just fine. i got a sprout in a cut open soda can. it will have light soon. thanks for looking

 

[zlock]

Good luck with the grow! I started out in a PC case and quickly moved up to a custom built cabinet, the PC was just too small for me to work with. I still use it for veg and clones though!
I have the same problem with my power strip. Its wired to the computers "PSU" and even though my walls are painted white (no mylar), duct tape still doesn't hold it standing up out of the way for very long. I think the heat makes it less sticky, so after a few days, the tape starts to peel off and the power strip starts to lean over. Obviously the right thing to do would be to attach the power strip to the wall with machine screws (going from the inside out) and nuts, and use the mounting holes on the bottom of the power strip, but I just havn't gotten around to doing that. I'm sure there are other ways too, but to me that seems like the easiest (removable if you need to, secure, wont go anywhere), only thing is you'd have 4 bolts coming through the side of the case with nuts holding them in place. For me it wouldn't matter, but I guess it depends how important "stealth" is.

I hate to be skeptical, but I too doubt that you'll be able to turn the lights on and off CONSISTANTLY, every single day for 2 months or however long it takes to finish your grow. I'd look into figuring out how to get the lights on a timer. Maybe get one of those add-a-socket things (plugs into one socket, gives you 2 or 3 sockets to plug into) and plug the timer into the power strip, the splitter into the timer, and the lights into the splitter.

Good luck and read these forums as much as you can! I've learned so much here, it really is a valuable resource!

 

[Mr_Ed]

Sounds like you are off to a great start. Can you post a picture of the case? Much easier to come up with ideas if you can see what you are looking at.

The carbon scrubber takes a lot longer then you think the first time. You have to keep the nylon tight while getting as much carbon inside as possible. It will not be a problem until much later in flower so take your time and get it right. A well made carbon scrubber is also light tight which helps on that front.

I agree with Zlock on the timer issue. I find it hard just to check inside my server case on the plants every day let alone have to be home at a specific time twice a day. I also think there is an added security concern of needed to open the case up to turn lights on and off. What if friends stop by and hang out for a few hours?

I wish you luck.

 

[ScrubNinja]

hmmm the pantyhoes should stop the carbon escaping. You didn't use fishnets did you?

Usually power strips have holes on the back so you can slot it onto 2 screws. Perhaps glue some wood where the power strip goes, put screws in the wood, then hook the strip on firmly. You can adjust how firm by screwing the screws in more before you hook the strip on.

"when i got home i realized i can only put one light to it" - put the lights to the power strip and plug the strip into the timer. I know you don't have room but, errr, make room? I know it seems possible to be there at every change and all, but it simply doesn't happen that way. People fall asleep, get visitors, get delayed, get high, or plain forget. I picked up a wall timer and it's far smaller than the usual timers you see, plus it's hard wired so you don't lose space for big bulky plugs.

Good luck man. Will be cool to see pics and congrats on your new growbox.

 

[neo247]

thanks for the responses. i agree with the timer issue...i will have to find a way to get it to work. but for now i will be on top of it. every night at midnight i will turn lights on. everyday at noon i will turn them off. fans will be running 24/7. i will have two alarms to both go off at 11:30 am and pm to remind me.

i think for my first grow that the power strip will be fine the way it is. i was just concerned if the line wont be able to take that close heat. if it cant and the line snaps, i have backup line tied to parts of the power strip that are not touching the lights. the strip will just point downwards.

and stealth is number one priority. over everything.

ill attach some pics of when i first started building. that was when i was planning on two intake fans and a few exhaust. wasnt sure. but when i considered how loud they were i had to make a change. so one is at the bottom right and an exaust running under the PSU on the left side. pics of the finished box tomorrow. but im warning you guys, its very ghetto so dont laugh too hard lol. i did put alot of effort and time into it though...so please be nice lol thanks

 

[basscadet]

Welcome neo,

I'm also doing my first grow, and in a pc. I'd suggest taking the intake fan off but keep it near the globes to keep them cool and circulate air. Is your exhaust at the top? Is you intake size double the exhaust?

Heat is a major issue with my case, who says cfl's don't put out heat! Have you checked out these yet?
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=112862&highlight=ventilation+intake+area
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=100823
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=119477&highlight=ventilation+intake+area

It's looking good so far! good luck

Also, drop in to the pc case growers club, lots of ideas floating around there.

 

[neo247]

thanks bass. i love your avatar thing.

my exhaust is towards the top of the case. just under the PSU. my intake is about the same as the exhaust but at the bottom right. i have been doing a lot of research on here and i thought you are supposed to have twice as much exhaust. i have no idea how many CFMs the fans push out. nor do i understand much of anything in those links you posted =p i did see the ventilation 101 thread before, but to me its like another language.

btw, as i post this, my first seedling (bagseed, which i actually found in an ounce of dank) in the computer case has had about 53 minutes of its first light. i feel like a father lol.

just to let you guys know, i will be doing my first LST on this plant. i will probably put another 2 plants in there in a few days so increase my chance of female.

 

[reverev313]

looks good neo good luck on your grow

 

[neo247]

just went inside the case to put a bunch of cd's under the plant to raise it to the light and it is extremely hot. whats the highest temp i can grow in? and besides good ventilation, is there any other easy methods of cooling?

 

[basscadet]

just went inside the case to put a bunch of cd's under the plant to raise it to the light and it is extremely hot. whats the highest temp i can grow in? and besides good ventilation, is there any other easy methods of cooling?

neo, unfortunately there is no easy method to cooling. It's the one thing that can't be fixed with duct tape.

You can put a PC fan on the globes, that will cool the case and if it's blowing on the plant will strenghten the stem. The maximum temp. you want to aim for is 27*C/ 80*F. My case was running at 34*C / 93*F and stunted some of the growth.

You need to double the intake, and leave it passive (i.e. no fan at intake) to bring fresh air into the cab. The exhaust fan will remove the hot air and bring fresh air into the cab.

Try and read those threads again and again untill it does make sense. The first time I read through them they went straight over my head but there is good info there and will help you grow decent buds.

Do you have a thermometer/ weather station? Very handy for the first weeks as you dial in the case.

 

[GreenMachine22]

i have 2 intake 2 exhaust pc case .. I have 6 42 watters in there and it runs at around 85-90 f

 

[ScrubNinja]

I think the main cause of trouble here is that you're trying to run fans (which may well be weak fans) on 5v. I know you want stealth and all that but I suspect you'd be better served by a good quality quiet fan or two running at 12v. Run a search here for Noctua, they get discussed a lot.

 

[Micro420]

First of all... one heat rises. Put your two 80 mm fans and pull air out where the electricial box. Create a negative air pressure in the box with a intake hole. Also buy you another adapter and rig it up to power up those fans. That should be plenty of cooling if you plan to run cfls.

 

[neo247]

checked on the plant when i woke up towards the end of its first 12 hours and put a thermometer in there. it went all the way up to 101 degrees F :jawdrop:

but with the side of the computer case off, it goes down to about 89F. when i checked it last night after about an hour, it was at 86. i am going to raise the voltage of both fans to 9volts.but i dont have any 9volt adapters, so i will probably buy some soon. the fishing line was fine touching the hot lights.

would it be a bad idea to cut the light down to just one 23watt CFL?? considering i will be just growing one plant for now?

and another idea...what do you guys think about me putting a few ice packs or something similar in the case when the lights are on? thats gotta lower the temp...

as you can see in the pics, there is a piece of panda film right behind the plant. i was using it to cover the wires. but the fan wires that were pullin it down, are now on the floor so that piece is up against the wall now.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Not sure if you're aware neo, and also not sure how much money you have, but a lot of good fans come with speed control dials these days, they're a lot better for playing with stealth vs efficiency. You can also pick up just the speed control dials which'll work on your current fans, very cheap, maybe $5. If you can afford it, I'd suggest getting a 12v adapter and one of those ideas. I use Thermaltake 120mm fans and they cover the whole range from "is this thing on?" to "my pc is propelling itself around the room". They come with a speed control dial so I can set it to exactly the volume I want.

Definitely cut back to one bulb while you're getting sorted.

I've done the ice pack thing and it sucks terribly. It's a long, long way from suitable. On the other hand, I guess if you have to be there to switch the lights twice a day, you can kill two birds with one stone.

 

[ScrubNinja]

And make or buy some metal 90* angles, glue them to the case, and attach the power strip to that? I don't like the fishing line idea much.

What I did on my first case was, instead of wiring the power strip to where the power lead comes in at the back of the case, I wired on a short female end of an extension cord. Then I plugged in a double adaptor. The 12v power supply for the fans goes in one socket and has your fans running 24/7. In the other socket is plugged a timer, and then the power strip is plugged into that. Just in case it gives you any ideas. Best of luck~

 

[neo247]

great ideas ninja. i actually thought about the 90 degree angle piece...but idk how i would secure that without drilling holes...when i redo this case eventually, i will probably do something like that and i love the double adapter idea thing. i think i get what you're saying.

money isnt really an issue...so ill probably be picking up a speed control dial. radioshack?

and good news...i got a fan from one of my cpu's and it is a silent cooler thing, 80mm. idk...but i hooked it up to a 12 volt adapter (full speed) and placed it under my bed. i stood up and couldn't hear it. so here is an important question....

i have 1 intake(5V) 1 exhaust(5V)....so where would i put this new fan(12V)?? intake or exhaust? for now im going to just put it next to my other intake fan. untill someone tells me otherwise..

im going to probably put it on little pieces of rubber if it vibrates too much...meaning, case-rubber-fan...but just little pieces of rubber on the screw slots. only if i have to though.

im pretty hopeful about this new fan and still hopeful that i will have a successful grow...successful grow to me meaning two things...not getting caught and producing any amount of smokeable nug =]

thanks

 

[zlock]

If money's not an issue, I would HIGHLY recommend squaring away all the problems now rather than as they present themselves, even if it means scrapping this first seed.
Do a little more reading, look at some grow journals, read other peoples similar builds and set ups and do what they do, cause chances are, it works.
My first grow was a disaster because I didn't do what people said to, I thought I had the perfect system figured out. Now I see where I am and what I've done, and I've seen a whole bunch of threads on these forums of people with the exact same setup for the most part. They're all exactly the same when you look at them. May not look the same, but do things the same way.
I was afraid of having noisy fans, so I stuck with the cheapo 80mm fans. When I had problems with my temps being high, I felt I HAD to get a bigger fan even if it meant I had to sacrifice the stealthiness. I was surprised when I plugged the new 120mm "tornado" fan and it was quieter than the cheapo 80mm fan was and moved like TWICE the air. The 120mm fans are a DEEPER humming sound where as the 80mm's are a high pitched whining sound almost (or at least the ones I have), so you don't even notice the 120mm fan running.

Keeping things cool is VERY important, especially when growing in small spaces. Your plants will NOT do well if the temps are always high (90's), though my plants seem to be doing fine with temps ranging from mid 70's to the occasional 90*f on hotter days. The cooler the better in your case I would say. And no, I wouldn't suggest ice packs. Once again thats something that you would have to do every day religiously if that was how you were going to control the temps. They would probably end up making a mess and I can only imagine them being REALLY inconvenient.

And I would say try using one or two lights for now. The plant won't need very much light, and the lower temps will benefit the plant FAR more than the extra light.
I had a clone and a reveg under ONE 23w 6500k CFL and they were growing pretty quick. (Inside my PC case)

 

[neo247]

thanks zlock. i deff be improving this case but now i just wanna work with what i got and this new fan i am currently wiring up is gonna do good i think.

 

[Pyrosin]

get your room cooler if your pushing 100 with just two 23 cfls then its gotta be too hot in your room itself. i have 3 23watt cfls, 2 14 watt(i think 14), and one 25 watt floro with one single 80mm fan running on 12v pushing cold air in and just a hole(no fan) for exhaust. the whole box is also lined with tinfoil. my room temp is 68-72 so it keeps shit cool. also try blowing towards the lights that also helps a bit