Help Me Build My 2x600 Watt Room - Sketchup pics included!

[bsound]

Hey all. I'm moving into a new place that has a full concrete basement in the next week. I've drawn up my plans in sketchup. ALL CRITIQUES WELCOME! Let me know if I'm missing anything. Everything is exactly to scale except a few unimportant things. I'll describe in detail the pictures below:

This is the model of the entire basement. There is a hot water heater and a gas powered furnace next to it. There's a spare shower in the corner, a window that can't be opened, a utility tub (for the RO\DI unit that will be nice) and the breaker box.

Here is the room. I plan to frame it tight to the concrete ground and screw in the top of the frame to the rafters in the ceiling. The equipment is as follows:

2 - 600 Watt HPS
2 - 600 Watt ballasts on the far left outside of the room near the breaker box
1 - Exhaust fan [haven't chosen one yet exactly, need to figure out CFM]
1 - Dehumidifier\Humidifier possibly if needed

The measurements are 9' long by 4' wide of usable open grow space. I think to the ceiling it's 8' tall. The pallets are 3-4' long, however long I need them to be for the footprint of each 6.

I plan to make the frame of the room out of metal and use fire rated dry wall or insulation or both on the inside of the frame. I realize in the pic the drywall is on the outside of the frame. No big deal.

The exhaust fan will pull air through both air-cooled hoods and go straight out into the open basement after exiting through the carbon scrubber. I'll probably make the scrubber myself as they are pretty easy to make.

There is a dehumidifier on the table in the corner. I'll also add some oscillating fans and the odds and ends.

I want to figure out what i should do for the intake. I was planning passive? My biggest concern is smell. I think the scrubber if its rated properly should take most of the odors out. I'll also probably get some ONA PRO gel to help for the basement smell.

There's also two pallets that have wheels on the bottoms so I can roll out the entire palette one by one out of the room into the open basement to tend to everything. I plan on putting the front of the room on hinges so there is a big enough door\opening to roll the pallet out.


- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - QUESTIONS

My questions are to see how I should do the intake? Can it be passive? Where should I put it? I'm probably not going to use CO2. I'd like to but I think the room has to be sealed. I'm not sure how to air condition a sealed room?

My other question is if I need an air conditioner unit installed in the summer to keep the temps down, how can I go about doing that? The window in the basement isn't able to be opened because it's all glass and not meant to be opened. If I build a window AC unit into the room with a box duct coming off the back of it, how and where could I port the box duct to? Advice?

Any other critiques would be great. Anything you see that isn't right. The exhaust hole for the ducting and the fan will probably be higher and I'll use flex duct to attach it to the first light, but I didn't feel like modeling it.

I hope I get some good advice and I encourage people to use Sketchup by Google to preplan there stuff! Let the critiques begin...

Thanks,
B

 

[bsound]

Come on now don't be shy

 

[Hovz]

Looks like a good solid plan. If you feel like saving some cash you could always just throw up a 4x8 growlab tent and it would be easier to take down or move and its reusable. It always gets expensive when you do diy stuff unless you get the materials for free. Anyways looks like you got a good plan. Theres a good thread on here somewhere about building a/c boxes that should tell you all about how that works. My bet is if you air cool the two lights you shouldn't need a a/c but i live in a cooler climate.

 

[Yes4Prop215]

i think you can easily do passive intake..run at least a 6in with 400 CFM+ for exhaust plenty of negative pressure...

also, you can check out lumatek they have a dual 600 watt model that i like...only one ballast but two lamps..

also, the best hoods for 600s were determined to be the Super Sun II, check the lumen test thread.

im doing my first run with my new dual 600 lumatek/super sun II setup and its looking fat....quite the upgrade from 400s...im hoping for 2lbs...happy to get 1.5 and know im getting at least 1lb which is good for low yeilding OG kush


i also second just buying a growtent...probably cheaper and less headache,l they have build in holes for intake/exhaust too

for a tent that small you can use a 12kbtu AC portable dont need anything too fancy....the exhaust should take care of most of the heat..

 

[bsound]

Thanks for the advice about the lights and the tent. I will definitely check the thread and look for the Super Sun. You have me thinking about tents now. I can't seem to find a tent bigger than 4'4'8' for less than $350. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'd like to have one at least 6' x 4' x ~8' or something similar.

I read a lot of bitching about the grow lab tents. People say they aren't exactly light tight? It'd be nice to have a tent that is easily collapsable, but it seems I could build these tents for a fraction of the price out of wood and poly.

 

[FistedSister]

i've built a similar home box. i promise you pics when the albums are functioning normally. but why dont you push it in a corner? maybe your way is better, but i use 2 outside walls and insulate.

also my bulbs are bare verty and it has been an improvement.

 

[SweetNightmare]

I've seen some on ebay for incredibly cheap just search "reflective grow tent" but yea its just as easy to make your own pvc works fine its cheaper as long as it isn't supporting more weight than a couple bare bulbs... if the exhaust isn't recirculated back into the room you should be fine with a 6" vortex style fan on a speed controller it will be silent. Panda poly is definitely the way to go though I'll never use anything else lol good luck man 600w rock!

 

[redbudduckfoot]

what is up, Bsound? nice diagrams. for what its worth, a good quality 4'x8' secret jardin is gonna run ya 400$ plus tax if ya buy local, or shipping if you buy online. dont buy a tent from ebay, they might have the off-gassing problem, or be missing pieces. i love my 4'x4' grow tent, but my enclosures are things of beauty.

for less than 300$ you can build a nice 2 x 4 frame, enclose in an outside layer of pegboard, and a layer of black plastic tarp and then panda plastic, on the inside. having a two by four frame makes it a breeze to hang things, like ballasts,contollers, timers, etc.

all you really need is:

(35) 2"x4"s @ 3$ each; 105$
(7) 4'x8' pegboard @ 14$ each; 98$
roll of 10'x50' tarp; 15$
panda plastic; 10'x25' 30$
screws or nails; 15$

total: 263$

plus, the satisfaction from creating something. my first grow was a 1000w secret room i built into my bedroom in a 5 bedroom house i shared w 5 other like-minded-chill-overall dudes. from the outside, it looked like my wall. it was a 4' x 6' room that was completely finished. drywall, tape and paint, outlets, it was so funny. one day my room lost 30% of its available floorspace. the entrance was a secret pressure sensitive door from my closet.
it was my pride and joy.

food for thought

 

[Green lung]

I would use r-matt rigid foam board isulation for the walls instead of wood and drywall.

They come in 8x5 panels home depot

 

[redbudduckfoot]

edited

 

[RomulusUSA]

plus, the satisfaction from creating something. my first grow was a 1000w secret room i built into my bedroom in a 5 bedroom house i shared w 5 other like-minded-chill-overall dudes. from the outside, it looked like my wall. it was a 4' x 6' room that was completely finished. drywall, tape and paint, outlets, it was so funny. one day my room lost 30% of its available floorspace. the entrance was a secret pressure sensitive door from my closet.
it was my pride and joy.

food for thought

Do you have any pics of that room? That sounds freaking badass!

 

[redbudduckfoot]

i wish i did. have you seen those multilevel pre-fab grow cabinets? think that style , but 4x6x8. when you entered the growroom from waist level up was about a 3 x 6 x 5 foot light space lit by a 1000w hortilux hps. below waist level was the veg chamber, lit by 200 watts of flouros.............. the only thing was if ya got close to the secret room the exhaust fan was noticeable........ but from the doorway you would never know.

the craziest part was i didnt have a charcoal filter. 1000w worth of soma's NYCD was constantly being pumped into the apt. we had a harvest on 4/20 2005 that you could smell from the road. safe to say i learned about activated carbon shortly after.

 

[bsound]

what is up, Bsound? nice diagrams. for what its worth, a good quality 4'x8' secret jardin is gonna run ya 400$ plus tax if ya buy local, or shipping if you buy online. dont buy a tent from ebay, they might have the off-gassing problem, or be missing pieces. i love my 4'x4' grow tent, but my enclosures are things of beauty.

for less than 300$ you can build a nice 2 x 4 frame, enclose in an outside layer of pegboard, and a layer of black plastic tarp and then panda plastic, on the inside. having a two by four frame makes it a breeze to hang things, like ballasts,contollers, timers, etc.

all you really need is:

(35) 2"x4"s @ 3$ each; 105$
(7) 4'x8' pegboard @ 14$ each; 98$
roll of 10'x50' tarp; 15$
panda plastic; 10'x25' 30$
screws or nails; 15$

total: 263$

plus, the satisfaction from creating something. my first grow was a 1000w secret room i built into my bedroom in a 5 bedroom house i shared w 5 other like-minded-chill-overall dudes. from the outside, it looked like my wall. it was a 4' x 6' room that was completely finished. drywall, tape and paint, outlets, it was so funny. one day my room lost 30% of its available floorspace. the entrance was a secret pressure sensitive door from my closet.
it was my pride and joy.

food for thought

I like this. I feel like it would be less hassle to build and cheaper. I'm thinking if I shrank the room to 8'x4'x8' high I could do this:

19 - 2 x 4's x 8 @ $2.30 = $43.70
6 - 1/2" x 4' x 8' rigid foam board @ ~$10 = $60
panda plastic 10'x25' = 30$
screws or nails = 15$


that's about $150. I'm sure there will be some extra material needed and odds and ends like chains and what not. To me it seems like you could take this whole thing down in about an hour if you had to. Any insight?

There is also this: Gold Bond® 12 ft. x 4 ft. x 5/8 in. Fire Shield Gypsum Board at $11\board. Maybe do the inside walls in the fire board and the outside with the rigid foam board.

I think the height of the ceiling is actually less than 8'. Also I think I could push it up against a wall and use a little bit less wood. Safety is my biggest concern. I was reading about these fire extinguishers you can hang that go off the temp gets hot. Fire factor definitely freaks me out. Thanks for all of the advice I really appreciate it!

 

[Shady Smoka]

Yea, those auto fire extinguishers look awesome. I was looking into one for my room. Your setup looks awesome but why wouldn't you tuck this grow in a corner? I think it would be way more stealthy in the corner. Looks great though

 

[Green lung]

I like this. I feel like it would be less hassle to build and cheaper. I'm thinking if I shrank the room to 8'x4'x8' high I could do this:

19 - 2 x 4's x 8 @ $2.30 = $43.70
6 - 1/2" x 4' x 8' rigid foam board @ ~$10 = $60
panda plastic 10'x25' = 30$
screws or nails = 15$


that's about $150. I'm sure there will be some extra material needed and odds and ends like chains and what not. To me it seems like you could take this whole thing down in about an hour if you had to. Any insight?

There is also this: Gold Bond® 12 ft. x 4 ft. x 5/8 in. Fire Shield Gypsum Board at $11\board. Maybe do the inside walls in the fire board and the outside with the rigid foam board.

I think the height of the ceiling is actually less than 8'. Also I think I could push it up against a wall and use a little bit less wood. Safety is my biggest concern. I was reading about these fire extinguishers you can hang that go off the temp gets hot. Fire factor definitely freaks me out. Thanks for all of the advice I really appreciate it!

Thats the great thing about foam board you can put it up and tear it down real easy with no tools.

There is no need to frame it up with wood or anything.

All you need is the foam board with comes in various thickness, box cutter, and foil tape. The foam board is quite suprisingly rigid it can hold up just fine as walls.

cut to fit, tape up all the seams to hold the "box" together.


Now obviously you cant hang your lights from a foam board ceiling so you would have to hang them from basement ceiling or make so kinda rig to support the lights.

 

[johnny butt]

Toss the hoods, flip the bulbs vertical and hang them next to each other. Circulating fans under the bulbs, and hang a filter/fan for exhaust... Intake right under the circulating fans if need be. No temp issues, and no AC as long as the basement temp is reasonable.

So much easier than using those radiators....

 

[David762]

Wow, BSound.

Nice work on the planning.
A thought -- if you maintain the rigid framing but shove it into a corner of the basement, you could spend a bit of the money saved on that pink foam insulation behind the sheet-rock. With both a sealed and insulated room, you might think of it as a walk-in refrigerator, and with a locking door. A sealed room with enclosed & separately vented reflectors would cut down on heat build-up. A sealed room also makes it easier to utilize a CO2 system. A swamp cooler setup with the drains pumped to a utility sink would keep your room cooler. You could also make the room a bit smaller; place the breaker box and ballasts on the outside of the room, another source of heat removed from the room.

Overall, I rather like your plan -- pretty freaking good!!

 

[bsound]

Wow, BSound.

Nice work on the planning.
A thought -- if you maintain the rigid framing but shove it into a corner of the basement, you could spend a bit of the money saved on that pink foam insulation behind the sheet-rock. With both a sealed and insulated room, you might think of it as a walk-in refrigerator, and with a locking door. A sealed room with enclosed & separately vented reflectors would cut down on heat build-up. A sealed room also makes it easier to utilize a CO2 system. A swamp cooler setup with the drains pumped to a utility sink would keep your room cooler. You could also make the room a bit smaller; place the breaker box and ballasts on the outside of the room, another source of heat removed from the room.

Overall, I rather like your plan -- pretty freaking good!!

Thank you all for the compliments. I did put a tiny bit of time into learning and using sketchup but it is so damn nice for this kind of thing. It really took no time at all to model this setup just by using the 3D warehouse to DL all the models. Then I just stretched them and scaled them and fit them together.

Now I'm remembering why I can't push this into a corner. I don't have a corner to use. Woops! There is a closet that comes out of the south east corner of the first pic, and the other corner by the utility sink is actually consumed by the sink and the breaker and some other things.

At first, my main reason for not pushing it into a corner is just keeping it off the walls. The house is attached to another unit along that wall, and I want to avoid as many odor drifting issues and fire hazards as much as possible. Though the walls are concrete, I don't plan on running this perpetually at all simply for fire safety reasons. I plan on having the electrical done as safely as possible with some switches that will kill the lights if the temp rises and possibly have a GFCI installed as well.

Also, pushing it into a corner doesn't really seem to save me much but a few 2x4's as far as I can tell. But it isn't really an option now that I don't have a corner now is it?

Thank you thank you. Safety first!!


Johnny - So you're sayin' vertical, eh? I've always been interested in it but it is uncharted territory for me. I'll give it a shot sometime.

Green Lung - While true, I don't feel comfortable with that sort of thing at all. If I'm going I'm going the distance to ensure safety. Thanks for the positive thoughts though.

 

[FistedSister]

back with some pics homie!

back with some pics homie!

Toss the hoods, flip the bulbs vertical and hang them next to each other. Circulating fans under the bulbs, and hang a filter/fan for exhaust... Intake right under the circulating fans if need be. No temp issues, and no AC as long as the basement temp is reasonable.

So much easier than using those radiators....

this is within your dimensions. vegg is 2x4 4ft T5, total 432w vegg and a vortex 4in fan/filter. flower is 2x600hps and a 6in vortex profilter. no sour or chem odors escape!

 

[bsound]

FYI revive this fire safety thread:

Fire Safety!