Keif's - DIY Micro 150w Cool Tube Hempy Box

[Keif]

Hello everyone! Some of you may remember me, some may not, I havent been around in a while.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The old cab is gone, but I have made a new veg / flower cab.

I am going to do

Lighting-
Flower Cab-
150w HPS in a cool tube.
Veg Cab-
125 CFL in veg

Flower Cabinet-
Ikea cabinet
4" SP fan - on order
4" CF - on order
5" Cool tube
5-4" duct reducer
4" ducting
4x4 two gang outlet for in-cab sockets
Hardware area at the top stores ballast, fan and circutry
2x 4" Passive intakes

Veg Cabinet-
Ikea Nightstand
4" PC Fan
Vert 125w CFL

Nutes-
I made the switch from FF to GH nutes and i am LOVING IT
3-2-1 system and I feed everyday with a flush at the end of the week

Medium-
Hempy Buckets (Solo cups in veg coffee containers in flower)
Switched from Rapid Rooters to rock-wool and I am enjoying it

Strains I have now-
2-Hawaiian Punch (from some bomb bud I picked up from the club) 9/7/2013
2-Madman OG, 1 is a runt, one is going NUTS 9/1/2013
2-(BBxBUB)x(GDPxHB) (9/19/2013)

All my old seed stock is having trouble popping and I havent had any success. So sad to see hundreds of dollars worth of C99 F2's, Deep Chunk, Deep Chunkolate and Resin Bomb down the drain.
[/FONT]

 

[Keif]

Flower Cab Build-
The flower cab is still being built and slowly but surly the supplies are coming in.



You can see this cabinet has glass doors, these will be covered with mirrors and a mirror on top. It should actually look pretty nice when done. I also plan on getting some funky knobs and making it look a bit vintagy.



The inside is already flat white so I dont think I will be putting my mylar up because that shit is just a bitch to work with and hang. My old cab you could hear it blowing from my fan as well.

I started by assembling the cab from ikea, just like it should be. I however flipped the rear panel 180 degrees so the hole for cords is on the bottom. I will be patching this over and caulking to seal it shut.

I then caulked all the interior walls of the cab, this ensures no light leaks and it should be pretty air tight.



The upper shelf that the ballast, fan and ducting will be above needs to be modded to accommodate the cord to the cool tube and the ducting from the cool tube -> the fan -> out the back. I plan on cutting a hole out from the side. Once everything is mounted, I will caulk around the hardware area as well.

Here it is with the cool tube mocked up. There will be a carbon filter attached to one end and ducting on the opposite going through the top shelf to the fan in the hardware area. I have not cut this hole yet.



Thats it for now, I will update later after I install the fan outlet and the passive intakes.

 

[Keif]

RESERVED FOR CAB BUILD UPDATES

 

[Keif]

RESERVED FOR CAB BUILD UPDATES 2

 

[Keif]

RESERVED FOR CAB BUILD UPDATES 3

 

[hush]

Dude, I really like your plans for that cab, like with the mirrors and funky knobs and stuff. I actually really like that cab, too! I'm going to have to check IKEA out when I need a new grow cab. What are the dimensions?

 

[Keif]

Thanks for stopping by Hush.

The cab needs to look good for the lady and be light proof, those were her only gripes. I have been into sprucing the place up for a while, so why not do it with my grow cab at the same time!

I figure it will blend in more and be stealthy as well.

29 1/2" wide
36 5/8"tall
16 or 19 inches deep

85 dollars before tax and shit. 50 for the cab and 35 for the glass doors.

 

[fatigues]

I approve of the no mylar decision, btw. While Reflectix might gain you 4-5% increased reflectivity (bringing the total to 96% instead of the 91% or so that you now have), it's a very small gain and there is something to be said for the ease with which flat white can be kept clean -- and how it reveals things which need to BE cleaned.

With a 150 HPS you'll have more than enough light in there as it stands. 2.5' x 1.5' is a good dimension to use with a 150. I do think you would be *much* better served with a reflector over the top of that cool tube though.

I look forward to seeing more as your build progresses.

 

[hush]

EDIT

fatigues, that cool tube does have a reflector clipped on to it. You can see it in that last pic Keif posted there. That reflector works fine, I don't see the need for him to fashion another one together. I have that same mini cool tube, and the reflector is perfectly fitted to it.

 

[fatigues]

EDIT

fatigues, that cool tube does have a reflector clipped on to it. You can see it in that last pic Keif posted there. That reflector works fine, I don't see the need for him to fashion another one together. I have that same mini cool tube, and the reflector is perfectly fitted to it.

My bad -- if he has a batwing or wrap over reflector on that, it's all good.

[Goes to check...]

Yeah, he's using an in-tube reflector. Better than nothing, but personally I don't think they do all that great a job. YMMV.

Certainly it's something he can change if he finds he is having a problem on a second run. In a cab that small with a footprint that small, it's not likely to prove that much of a problem either way.

 

[hush]

Nope, it's not the in-tube reflector, although there is one of those too. It's a clip-on batwing style reflector that goes over the top of the tube. I can see it in that last pic of his, but I admit it's hard to discern from the head-on angle of the shot, and I only recognize it because I have this exact cool tube.

 

[Keif]

I approve of the no mylar decision, btw. While Reflectix might gain you 4-5% increased reflectivity (bringing the total to 86% instead of the 91% or so that you now have), it's a very small gain and there is something to be said for the ease with which flat white can be kept clean -- and how it reveals things which need to BE cleaned.

With a 150 HPS you'll have more than enough light in there as it stands. 2.5' x 1.5' is a good dimension to use with a 150. I do think you would be *much* better served with a reflector over the top of that cool tube though.

I look forward to seeing more as your build progresses.

I think I will take the risk without mylar. I dont think it will matter too much.

I calculated the footprint of the light and the size of my cab and it is perfect for the 150. I am pretty stoked! Thanks for stopping by brother.

Anyone recommend a fan? I have been leaning towards the TD100 from S&P but I just watched a video and it seems to be a bit loud. This needs to be pretty stealth and now I am at a loss for what to do.

The setup will be - Carbon Filter - > 6" duct - > Cool Tube - > Duct - > Fan - > Out the back of the cab

 

[Epiphyte]

That looks like the perfect size box for a 150! I rock a 2x3 but have the light over 2x2. The other 1x2 give me enough space the push plants that are finish(ed)ing off to the side while I continue to cram...I find this very useful and thought you might as well! Looking so far!

 

[Keif]

Thanks man!

 

[fatigues]

I think I will take the risk without mylar. I dont think it will matter too much.

I calculated the footprint of the light and the size of my cab and it is perfect for the 150. I am pretty stoked! Thanks for stopping by brother.

Anyone recommend a fan? I have been leaning towards the TD100 from S&P but I just watched a video and it seems to be a bit loud. This needs to be pretty stealth and now I am at a loss for what to do.

The setup will be - Carbon Filter - > 6" duct - > Cool Tube - > Duct - > Fan - > Out the back of the cab

100x or a TD150 on a fan speed controller. Try to get more than you need and then dial it down with the controller. Add a 4" Phresh Duct Silencer for stealth before you exhaust out the back - cuts back on noise by more than half and they are cheap at about $65.

I have several TD100x and a TD150, too. Great fans and about as quiet as they get.

 

[Keif]

How noticeable would they be inside of a cab? I guess its more the air you hear rushing out from what I hear. Any ways to muffle it without a huge duct muffler? Maybe a screen of airy foam over the exit hole or something?

 

[fatigues]

Really, if noise is the issue, use the duct silencer

If you want more noise reduction than that, use insulated ducting. Then, in your utillty chamber (chamber with your fan, ducting and silencer) when you got it all squared away smiled and dialed in (NOTE: make sure your fan speed controller is mounted in a place outside of that chamber where you can get to it) then pack that chamber all nice and tight with Fibreglass pink.

That's about as much as any man can do.

 

[DrZin978]

Hey man, I love your concept! The form factor is super inconspicuous and very stylish ... Otherwise I see some parallels with my micro setup. We both have a 150 Watt HPS setup, and we both have GH food. I like your design a little more though mainly because of how inconspicuous and low key it is. The tube reflector is also clutch- I have an all in one 150 Watt HPS light with no glass, it gets way too hot.

For your fan, have you considered using a bathroom vent fan? This is what I'm using. They are relatively cheap, and come with a cubic feet per minute rating along with a sone rating for how loud they are. Really quiet ones are available at the local DIY store. The only downside for your setup is that you'd need to build a manifold to connect the outflow tube from the reflector. This wouldn't be that hard to make, however, I bet you could work something out with an outflow duct vent and a hole in your shelf.

Just a thought. I can't wait to see how this all turns out!

 

[Keif]

Really, if noise is the issue, use the duct silencer

If you want more noise reduction than that, use insulated ducting. Then, in your utillty chamber (chamber with your fan, ducting and silencer) when you got it all squared away smiled and dialed in (NOTE: make sure your fan speed controller is mounted in a place outside of that chamber where you can get to it) then pack that chamber all nice and tight with Fibreglass pink.

That's about as much as any man can do.

Yeah, thats true. I think I will grab the 100x, it should fit in there and should deff be enough air for that small cab. Ill have to figure out sound when I have it in front of me.

I would be worried putting fiberglass insulation all around the ballast and stuff though, wouldnt it get super hot? Granted, I havent really let my ballast run and see how hot it would actually get yet. Just turned it on and warmed the bulb up once.

Hey man, I love your concept! The form factor is super inconspicuous and very stylish ... Otherwise I see some parallels with my micro setup. We both have a 150 Watt HPS setup, and we both have GH food. I like your design a little more though mainly because of how inconspicuous and low key it is. The tube reflector is also clutch- I have an all in one 150 Watt HPS light with no glass, it gets way too hot.

For your fan, have you considered using a bathroom vent fan? This is what I'm using. They are relatively cheap, and come with a cubic feet per minute rating along with a sone rating for how loud they are. Really quiet ones are available at the local DIY store. The only downside for your setup is that you'd need to build a manifold to connect the outflow tube from the reflector. This wouldn't be that hard to make, however, I bet you could work something out with an outflow duct vent and a hole in your shelf.

Just a thought. I can't wait to see how this all turns out!

Thanks for the reply man. I appreciate it.

I have considered the panasonic whisper line fans but I need something inline, like you said, for my carbon filter / cool tube setup. The whisper line that I could use is too big to fit up there.


Basically, I was going in between the S&P fan or the Panasonic and narrowed it down to the S&P. All this noise shit has made me want to go back to computer fans lol..


EDIT: TD100x wont fit. Only the TD100 will. The space up there is only about 6.5 inches high.

 

[fatigues]

I would be worried putting fiberglass insulation all around the ballast and stuff though, wouldnt it get super hot? Granted, I havent really let my ballast run and see how hot it would actually get yet. Just turned it on and warmed the bulb up once.

I didn't say to pack the ballast! I was pretty particular when I listed ducting, fan and silencer. Don't put anything else in the area you want to pack with pink.

You might want to rethink your utility distribution if sound is the issue. I do think you would be better off with a 100x than a 100 -- and it's only a small price increase. (1.5" bigger though) in terms of horizontal space, so there's that. Plus, a more powerful fan dialed down is quieter than a less capable fan that needs to be turned up under static pressure. I don't know how big the noise issue is -- only you know that for sure under normal use in your typical living conditions.