mini fridge light leaks

[The Mud Shark]

fridge growers,

3 cubic foot kenmore mini fridge, cut up, not totally gutted. Light traps working fine for intake and exhausts but...

what have you done to seal up the light leaks around the mini fridge door seal? I am having a hell of a time at the corners. how can I maintain the doors seal and lightproof it?

It it key to keep it incognito so I can't be piling up aluminum tape on the exterior.

 

[tube dude]

You might try some kind of white flexible caulking on the inside of the seal.

 

[scurred]

I am thinking about a cab build, and this is my idea for sealing the door for light leaks.

I have lots of black and white poly laying around, black on one side, white on the other... great for lining walls and stuff. Then they make these zipper things you can use to make your own doors. Basically its a zipper with adhesive on one side, so you stick it to your sheet of poly then open the zipper and cut a slit, kind of like a tent opening. So behind the cab door (or fridge door) I would have 1 or 2 layers of these poly zipper doors and that should block any light leaks if setup properly.

Or if you don't want to get that involved, you can try those thin pieces of foam you use to insulate windows with AC units in them, you put it along the edges where the door closes, this has worked for me sometimes, it really depends on how the door is setup and how bright the light is. FLourescent is easier but HID is a pain, its so bright.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Have you seen the foam insulation for light switch and power sockets? You can cut it in small slivers and stuff it in cracks. You can use adhesive on one side of strips if you have to fill gaps between the door and cab. Adhesive weather stripping and or aluminum tape might also help.

 

[The Mud Shark]

thanks for the ideas. i'm not sure that I have found the solution but trudge onward we must.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Have you checked out the fridge club? disfunctional, KolorBlind and FreezerBoy are real good at that stuff. When you get 50 or 75 posts you can PM. Until then, post your inquiry in the fridge club and somebody will get back to you. Posting also subscribes you to the thread and you'll receive notices every time thread receives a new post.

Check your "My IC" link periodically, it lists all your subscribed threads. Clicking the down arrow to the left of the thread title will take you to the first unread post of that particular thread. Hope you get it worked out.

 

[ThaMagnificent]

post pics

 

[ScrubNinja]

I don't have a fridge but how about the extra chunky rubber weatherstrip (pretty much like a fridge seal as-is) and for my cupboard I used a 6kg pull strength cupboard door magnet for each door. You really have to push the doors hard to compress the foam weatherstrip that I used, and then the magnets make contact and it's sealed up tight and solid. I have my cupboard on castors and you will tow the cupboard away before the doors open. I put a thin bit of tape over the magnet to "adjust" it's final pull strength.

 

[The Mud Shark]

Thanks scrub, I am a big fan of the "angle light trap" I plan on using it in future set-ups

 

[ScrubNinja]

Cheers Let us know how you get on

 

[The Mud Shark]

While I've got you here. How close can CFLs be to seedlings? I'm running 2 x 26w (100W mimic) and I'm not sure how close to get em to the lamps.

 

[thehappyguy]

While I've got you here. How close can CFLs be to seedlings? I'm running 2 x 26w (100W mimic) and I'm not sure how close to get em to the lamps.

you can put fluoros very close to the plants as long as you have a fan blowing over the bulbs to keep the excess heat away from your tender babies. the fan shouldn't be too strong, though because otherwise you might hurt them. essentially, though, you can just put your fan towards the ballasts (where the socket is) of your cfl, since that's where much heat comes from on the bulbs, and it will also keep the rest of the bulb cooler if you have a bit of a stronger fan with the least amount of disturbance to the seedlings.

hope i helped friend

 

[ScrubNinja]

I start them 6" from the bulb and gradually move them to an inch or two over 5 days or so. Basically keep them close as your setup allows without seeing any heat stress or injured leaves from that point forward. Try to use flat white reflectors instead of shiny metallic type, if you use one.

 

[2Lazy]

While I've got you here. How close can CFLs be to seedlings? I'm running 2 x 26w (100W mimic) and I'm not sure how close to get em to the lamps.

You can run those bulbs 1cm from the plant. They are that cool. Also, they have a miserable casting distance so keeping them within an inch can result in a lot better use of the energy.

So long as they aren't touching the plant then it should be fine.