What's new

Stealth Rubbermaid CFL

M

MintyFresh

Member
Hi! I love love your box! It has made my mind up on doing a rubbermaid grow for my first attempts at growing. Ok, now, I have what is likely a really dumb question...but I did searches and could never get exactly what I needed.

Its about the light trap. I have been looking at those with the pipes and yours with the cardboard box. Here is the dumb question...is the box completely taped up to the rubbermaid? Does cardboard pass air without any resistance...I simple don't know the answer to that so thought you may be able to 'shed some light' on it for me?

But AWESOME box!
 
Lord Doobie

Lord Doobie

Member
hilarious, dood...I've seen a lot of rubbermaid setups but they always butted them together so it was obvious something was going on. Yours is the first I've seen where it just looks like they're stacked storage boxes. Plenty of room...You've even got room for cloning? I wondered how this thread could be "stealth rubbermaids"...now I know. LMAO...good on you, man.

Here's what I would have done...
First, make a grow box out of plywood so it's size is completely covered by two stacked rubbermaids put over it that are sealed and can't be opened. Then set a third rubbermaid on top that has real stuff in it...like dirty laundry. Maybe even label them "bird feeder", "old dishes", "laundry". Why? Eventually someone is going to look inside those rubbermaids. They won't get far when they see dirty underwear with skid marks...
 
Lord Doobie

Lord Doobie

Member
JustanotherDave said:
That's a rather great idea! The rubbermaids would just be a slip cover...
Click to expand...

Exactly..."window dressing"...they don't even have to be rubbermaids...just plain boxes

Depending on size, you could even go 3-4 high...plus one that's real if you wished...mislabeling just adds to the effect

Thanks to 0p0rat0r, we can build on his idea quite literally.
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
Hi MintyFresh, I think the rubbermaids would be an excellent first choice, they're so easy to work with and can be made very stealthy. Not to mention they're pretty cheap, and super portable and lightweight.

Here's a side view of the light trap. It's 12" long, 7" high, and 2" in depth. It is completely taped up to the back of the rubbermaid over the bottom passive intake hole which is 12" long and 2" wide. The divider in the light trap is between the 2 inches total depth which means there's only 1" of air space on either side of the trap but it's also 12" long so it's got a total of 12" square inches to pass air. It does restrict my airflow a little bit. I need to increase the depth to probably about 4" that should double the airflow into the box but also force it to be a little further out from the wall than I'd like really. It's 100% light proof. You could also go with dark room vents which are probably the best for stealth purposes but if cost is a factor can't beat cardboard and duct tape lol.

picture.php


Lord Doobie, yep theres a couple others on here that stack them like this. I was a little concerned about space loss this way but it's actually not bad. The top box was originally just intended for ventilation but then I thought why not see if I could house a few clones or bonsai moms in there and I tried to design the ventilation around that. That is a great idea about the faux rubbermaids. There's lots of things that could be done to make these even more stealth. I especially like your idea of labeling the boxes and putting something nasty in the top box. I'd definitely think twice about opening another box if I found skid marks. lol
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
Delta 9 Superstar seedlings. Largest one is about 3 weeks old. I'm only 4 out of 6 with germinating these seeds so far. I've had one in a peat puck for over a week not doing anything. Is there something I can do to get it going?

picture.php
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
Got a bit of a problem here. Tips of leaves are turning brown and the lower leaves are getting pale. I haven't been adjusting the ph of my water and it's at least 8. I'm going to ph correct the water from here forward I was being lazy. Does this look like a high ph issue?

picture.php
 
basspirate

basspirate

Member
Excellent thread. Rubbermaids really seem to be a good option, I never cease to be impressed with people's ingenuity when it comes to stealth indoor gardening. I hope your ladies turn out well; I'll be watching! :)
 
immaculate

immaculate

Member
I just don't understand why all the work for lighting unless cost was a major issue..seems like you coulda fit at least 2 more bulbs..
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
basspirate, thanks for the kind words. :wave:

immaculate, I just kinda threw it together with things I had laying around and didn't have any sort of plan. I would do some things differently next time for sure. I used WAY too much duct tape for one thing. I could have been more aggressive with the lighting but I didn't want to run into heat issues. Since this is stealth I have to be mindful of fan noise. I've got 174 watts in 1.3 square feet. How many watts would you throw in that space?

picture.php
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
My oldest plant isn't doing so well. I'm hoping it'll bounce back. Was watering with high ph and I think over watering. Those cups have no drainage holes

picture.php


immaculate got me reconsidering my lighting. That's my good old 250 watt metal halide in there. I've got a PC fan blowing across the bulb and I've got an elicent 105 cfm inline fan in the top box on full blast. It's a little louder than the PC fans but there's a dehumidifier in the next room masking all the noise. I also removed the plexiglass shield. After a brief run of about 30 to 45 minutes temps were at 76f about 6" 7" from the light but there's no carbon filtration at the moment. I've also still got the 4 light fixtures in the box which I may use depending on the temps.

picture.php
 
C

cracker420

i love the mcgyver grows!!!!!!! i just made something similar for my moms and clones out of a small rubbermaid truck toolbox :) i will have to get a few pics
 
K

Kush_Dreams

well done & inspiring.I like the addition of the MH.It's come together nicely,will stay tuned...
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
cracker420, the rubbermaids make great grow boxes. let's see what you came up with.

kush dreams, thanks. the plants seem to be loving the metal halide. just gotta get dialed in now.

basspirate, i got that from a hydro store. kinda pricey though probably would be better off ordering online if you have the patience. i've seen people using generic 150's from econolight i think or 1000bulbs don't quote me cuz my memory aint the greatest :bat:
 
basspirate

basspirate

Member
thanks for the tip! i might try the local hydro store- i just always get shaded out at the idea of stopping there. it's on my way to my college, but it's ironically across from the prison. :yoinks: and i always hear that cops watch the license plates of people going in there. probably a bit paranoid on my end tho.

thanks again for the info tho-the cab is looking groovy, my friend!
 
0p0rat0r

0p0rat0r

Member
basspirate, yah having a prison right across from the hydro store would make me paranoid too. :Bolt:

Well here's another little update. Still got some plant problems. I've really cut back the watering and it looks like it's stabilized. Hope it starts growing again soon! :drum: Now something is up with my other 3 seedlings. :badday: I'm pretty sure it's not from over watering as I've made sure to take it easy. I'm thinking this time maybe I left the soil a little too dry and they could also use a light feeding. Actually I might also have had them too close to the light they were only about 4" to 6" from the 250 metal halide. Temps just below the plant tops were 80f. I lowered them a few inches to be on the safe side.
I also added perlite to all containers now and drainage holes. It'll be my first grow using drainage holes.

picture.php

picture.php

picture.php
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top