400w stealth cab brainstorm

[Kaptain_Kronic]

im going to build a cab to this effect, but maybe not those dimensions. this thread will be a think tank for the specifics of the build and grow itsself.

thinking about fixing the front and back panels permanently, and making the side the access doors. this way i can make a desk out of the front and top and throw a book shelf on top to kind of blend it in

objective/gear to build around
400w retro mh/hps
scrog
large enough to yeild but needs to be stealthy!!!!
dwc or swc, used to run fake aero, but im sick of pumps and leaks
need to be able to drain and refill rez and reach all parts of plant

questions for you!
cooltube? or make seperate chamber for bulb and vent it?
built in net or removable?
recommended flower cab size for 400w hps?
how can i make this system drain without having to remove it?
what size fan for ventilation? i want to use one fan for heat and odor control, which size and can i do this?

deep water or shallow water culture? i just dont see a difference other than the obvious... if there really isnt one my choise is SWC simply for the space ill save.

 

[rollinmachine]

if you want to use 1 fan your definatly gona need a cool tube or aircooled hood. belive its 3x3 or less with a 400w. with a removable scrog screen if u need to tend to them you can pull them out and be alot easier on you. swc takes alot less water then dwc and could be prone to ph problems( i think this is more nute dependant but im not sure. some people have troubles others dont). with swc/dwc and a removable screen you could just pull them out to change the water too just grab an extra swc/dwc tub to hold the plants while u do what u gota do with the water. the fan will have to come when u figure out the area thats going to be needing the exausting but it can be done with 1 fan.

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

LxWxH
4x2x4 high maybe?
thought about 5-6 feet..... 6 seems too much, i also wanna throw some shelves up top for my books..... if the grow must take up floor space in my bedroom it will serve as many purposes as i can find it to

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

thanks rollinmachine. my flower space should be about 3x2x4-5 feet so that should be plenty of room, im def gonna use a cooltube. also i think i will make a screen out of pvc like others have done and build it onto the lid of the d/swc tub.

also you mind use of the information that for this run im thinking about doing the maxibloom lucas method (7grams per gal) and probably some calmag if i see fit. do you think there would be benefit to adding bloom boosters to lucas or is the point of lucas to use ONLY that?

 

[GrowBox420]

Check out MagicChefs thread he has a really nice set up so does Anti.

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

Check out MagicChefs thread he has a really nice set up so does Anti.

ill check those out, thanks growbox!

ive have actually seen alot of anti's work, my last cab was cfl so obviously his were big threads to read up on, ill be takin another look at his posts and hope there are new ones!
wish you could tag other users like facebook, anti is one guy i would hand pick for my thinktank

btw i wanted to show this to everyone, if this thing shows up and is quality enough, its cheaper than any diy option. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

i might use an 18 gallon rubbermade roughneck tote for dwc, but am thinking it will be over kill.....
my flower cab will be 3x2x4' so i will probably run 2 plants, how much water volume do i need and how much air(bubbles)?

 

[FunkBomb]

I remember years ago I saw this cabinet with a ingenious way of cleaning the air. The person, I forget their online name, made a bed a carbon, and attached it as a large screen for the upper part of the cabinet. At the top of the cabinet was something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/250mm-Silent-Jumbo-Case-Fan/dp/B0014X9Q0M/ref=sr_1_13?s=
electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328428441&sr=1-13

...so all air had to pass through the bed of carbon. It was cheap too - wood, screws, wood glue, screen, carbon.

Just a thought. You mentioned stealth cab and this came to mind.
Also maybe a small LED light for the veg section would help with heat control.

Best of luck,

-Funk

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

I remember years ago I saw this cabinet with a ingenious way of cleaning the air. The person, I forget their online name, made a bed a carbon, and attached it as a large screen for the upper part of the cabinet. At the top of the cabinet was something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/250mm-Silent-Jumbo-Case-Fan/dp/B0014X9Q0M/ref=sr_1_13?s=
electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328428441&sr=1-13

...so all air had to pass through the bed of carbon. It was cheap too - wood, screws, wood glue, screen, carbon.

Just a thought. You mentioned stealth cab and this came to mind.
Also maybe a small LED light for the veg section would help with heat control.

Best of luck,

-Funk

thanks for the input funk. i would really like to get a small LED ufo for the veg, i used one for a clone operation i set up for a buddy out in cali when i went in october for the big harvests =] anyway that thing was amazing, i have my eye on the ones that have 2 specific settings for veg and flower, one day i will buy/borrow one and run a side by side, i would absolutely love to get rid of the HID, but untill LED shows me it out does my hps ill keep this ol girl.

ive also got a large 4 inch aixial fan like that, but its ac powered. i found it in an old aquarium hood when i helped my friends dad clean out his storage unit (we used to run saltwater reef tanks together) and he let me take it because it was missing its power cord. i took it home, took out the plug prongs and wired right into it and installed a on/off switch.(a speed controller would have been much better but i dont know how to make them and couldnt find a tutorial online except for thermostatic one)

 

[420ish]

even the cheap ebay leds veg great!you still need an exhaust fan though!a cheap 90 watt ufo should be enough!

 

[heady blunts]

you've got all the right parts.

i'd have to agree that using a cool tube or otherwise air cooling the light will be important for maintaining temps in there.

according to DHF's golden rule of 50w/sqft, you're gonna want to shoot for a footprint around 8sqft.

it's also important to consider your light pattern, since it looks like you're going for a rectangle rather than a square. you'll want your light oriented perpendicular to the longer dimension of the flower cab so you plants get the most light penetration.

the 4" axiel fan is perfect for your light and cab size. nice job refurbishing the fan. i had to buy mine new, but it seems like the type of equipment that will run forever -- a good item to get secondhand.

i'd love to encourage you to try organic soil, but i won't push my luck!

check out my last grow if you need some inspiration. i'm also running a 400w. currently gearing up for round three. the link's in my sig ("cab").

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

thanks for stopping by heady, ive veiwed your cab a few times recently.

i would rather have a more square room to work with, but i have a small bedroom, so making it a little narrower and also making it act as a computer desk and bookcase, thats just the utilitarian in me=]

to my calculation my rooms footprint for flower was around 7sqf, i was going to say "good enough" but i decided to make kind of a "V" shape screen, so it will be like stadium and scrog.

good heads up on the bulb position tip. i did already know that, but i feel too many people dont understand bulb placement, even when they turn the light on and one side is clearly getting more haha.


GAME CHANGER (kinda)
so i plugged my air pumps in, they are loud man.... i dont care if others can hear them, its me at night while im trying to sleep lol.

this might mean i go back to fake aero, which is easy for me to do, i can use the same tub for a rez, same net pots and rocks, i already have pvc, fittings and the ez clone mist heads (alot of them) and water pumps. i wanted to try something new this time, and this method isnt exactly 100% quiet, but compared to the humming of those air pumps....

jeeze heady maybe youll get your way, some day lol. open to all suggestions, but remember that i want to try out the K.I.S.S. lucas formula with maxibloom for its simplicity, effectivness, and low cost. keep these concepts in mind with your suggestions on what to do.

just a thought as i search options.
maxibloom lucas + hempy? seems ultra simple, anyone doing this?
or i can just put the pump in the basement and follow the cable lines holes.... duh.... haha

 

[chiroman]

I run Maxibloom with bubble buckets for my Blue Widow SCROG. The pumps aren't loud if you hang them in nets in your cabinet with the door closed.

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

I run Maxibloom with bubble buckets for my Blue Widow SCROG. The pumps aren't loud if you hang them in nets in your cabinet with the door closed.

thanks chiroman, last night i did some toying around with the pumps and decided to just run the airline down into the basement, i live in an old house owned by my bestfriend, i told him the trouble i was having and showed him how loud my temp veg cab makes the humming and he says

"why dont you just put the pump in the basement? if you cant find a hole in the floor already just make one"

so i did just that. maybe after i build the fulll cab and get the grow going my net project will be a large hood over my bed with a 4inch vortex fan pulling pot smoke from the air and pulling through a carbon filter running outside so he cant smell it.

my roommate/ bestfriend is very pro growing, but doesnt smoke and doesnt always let me smoke indoors, which sucks in winter but its cheap rent and i get to grow haha

 

[rollinmachine]

hang the pumps with some bungee cords or somthing thats flexible. this will cut the pump vibration noise by 75%. another noise maker is having the side of your bucket/tub touching the side of your room, so instead of the bucket absorbing the vibrations from the bubbles the wall does.

also you can use maxi-bloom in anything. lots of people use maxi in hempys as its prolly the easiest form of hydro minus the watering frequently if your using a small pot. also i noticed the other question you asked and the most common bloom booster used with maxibloom is koolbloom(liquid & powder) and a sweetner. some need cal-mag also depending on conditions and plants needs.

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

hang the pumps with some bungee cords or somthing thats flexible. this will cut the pump vibration noise by 75%. another noise maker is having the side of your bucket/tub touching the side of your room, so instead of the bucket absorbing the vibrations from the bubbles the wall does.

also you can use maxi-bloom in anything. lots of people use maxi in hempys as its prolly the easiest form of hydro minus the watering frequently if your using a small pot. also i noticed the other question you asked and the most common bloom booster used with maxibloom is koolbloom(liquid & powder) and a sweetner. some need cal-mag also depending on conditions and plants needs.

good tips on the pump problem, my bucket is actually sittin on foam and not touching anything, ill just throw the pumps in the basement and not give it another thought haha.

the maxibloom+hempy question was really for an idea i have for a very good friend of mine living with MS, hes stuck in his ways growing but his yeilds are sad for the potential his space and equipment should provide.

so maxibloom, koolbloom and a sweetner.
i know i use the 7 grams per gal with the maxibloom from start to finish, but what about the koolbloom? and the sweetner i just use in the last 3-4 weeks before flush right?

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

also, i have been trying to figure out how to PM someone all day. it says i dont have permission when i click the pm button by names on my contact list, and i cant find any reasoning for it in the FAQ.

 

[fungzyme]

also, i have been trying to figure out how to PM someone all day. it says i dont have permission when i click the pm button by names on my contact list, and i cant find any reasoning for it in the FAQ.

I think you need a minimum of 50 posts to have PM capability.

 

[rollinmachine]

yes 50 posts for pm.

liquid koolbloom is used in the begining of the flower cycle and the powder is used at the end of the flower cycle(most i see use powder 2 weeks before the flush). i would only use at at 1 tsp a gal as its some strong stuff. also you could use sweetner all the way threw flower if you like, thats up to you as theres lots of opinions on that subject.

 

[Kaptain_Kronic]

yes 50 posts for pm.

liquid koolbloom is used in the begining of the flower cycle and the powder is used at the end of the flower cycle(most i see use powder 2 weeks before the flush). i would only use at at 1 tsp a gal as its some strong stuff. also you could use sweetner all the way threw flower if you like, thats up to you as theres lots of opinions on that subject.

thanks guys, guess i better go check out the new growers section and do a good deed or two =]

whats the difference between the liquid and powder (other than the obvious) and at 1tsp per gal that would make it the same 7grams per gal as the maxibloom that id be useing from day 1 to done?

and sweetner from 12/12 yes, i think i will. my lady loves that shit