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micro grow #2: stealth cabinet, 5x 36w pl-l

well i figured i would go ahead and start this since it's getting to be about time for me to start another grow and my cab has changed so much. my first grow (in my sig) served as a very good learning experience, showing me things like how tough these plants really are and how to water/take care of them. i'll be running bagseed again, but this will probably be my last run with bagseed since i'll probably be ordering seeds. the whole reason i'm starting a new grow is because I'M MOVING! :jump: always good to start right when you get there, even though i'm using pl-ls, better safe than sorry. i've been adjusting and changing the cab and though i'm still going to fix a few things, it is more or less finished. i'm running heat tests right now (too high :p) and then i just want to get some real black/white poly instead of my makeshift curtain, add a carbon filter, and i'm ready to go.

lights in the room on, lights in the room off, the sheet i made from black plastic and white vinyl...it needs to be replaced. hopefully when replaced with real black/white poly, i can get no light leaks! :D


yeah man rockin the pl-ls i have SO much more room now...i'll never use CFLs again!

my adequate space. i want to make that stand there a drawer but i can't find one small enough. the black strip you see there is to keep much of the light out of the top.

the hole to my top compartment right now. this is part of my heat problem, i'm sure; it's only a 2x3" cut. i think i'm going to cut a hole big enough for a 120mm fan, put that right above the sockets (the hottest part) and put a carbon filter over that.

utility compartment...ballast is screwed in up there, fan, power strip and the hole for air from the bottom

in case you don't want to browse through the old thread, here is what it used to look like:

and then this is the one before that (thinking of using it as a mom cab if i decide to perch a bit)



any questions please ask, i can't wait to get started!
 

BC Chronic

Paging Dr.Greenthumb
Veteran
Just AWESOME!!!that cab looks great bro!! yeah if you put a fan with all the electrical stuff, the heat should go down alot...
glad to have first row seats!!!!on with the show....
I'm going with pll's in my new cab too!! plus a 150 watt hps!!
keep up the great work..
take care
 
thanks guys, i'm adding another fan and adjusting the lights since my idea for a carbon filter changed. hopefully my temps will go down a bit, 86 isn't acceptable!
 

Ghostwolf

Pirate & Cherokee Warrior for Freedom and Cannabis
Veteran
Great job so far Happy. Glad I got here at the start of this.
 

Dimebagg

Member
Your cab looks great bro, nice and clean. PLLs are becoming more and more convincing. Id love to find a good deal and replace my mother chambers CFLs with some more compact PLLs.

I'll be keeping my eyes on this one brother
 

new way to hang my bulbs...using wire.

new electronics panel. everything is screwed down and looking nice now. i just need a carbon filter for that fan on the left

just a picture of what the inside looks like
 
bagseed for now...i may eventually order some seeds but for now i'm just going to make sure i can keep plants alive in a better environment before i go blowing $50 on seeds :)
 

Green Smoke

Member
Do any temperature tests yet? I'd like to know what the temps are like after about 5-6 hours with lights on. I'm headed in the same direction you are with the pll's, I just worry about the heat.
 
mine gets up to about 4 above ambient with my closet door open, but here soon i'm going to make a pseudo AC and do some more tests and see how it goes. it was around 10 above ambient with the closet door closed; i'd like to keep it around ideal temperature with the closet door closed. i'll accomplish this by using the method displayed in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2s_1A8Sc20 but instead of putting it on a fan, i'm going to put it on my intake so that the air coming by will be cool. at least, that's my theory.
 

micro420guy

Member
I don't know if that AC idea will work. Theory behind AC is called latency of evaporation and latency of condensation. Meaning the refrigerant in a AC unit starts off as a hot high pressure gas, then its changed to a low pressure liquid. This change from a high pressure gas to a low pressure liquid is what cools the air. For example... lick the back side of your hand then blow on it.. feels cold right? Thats the same theory going on in any AC unit.

Not only is the water in that system not going to change state from a gas to a liquid but the pump is going to also heat the water if left on for long periods of time.

Im not trying to be a buzz kill... just trying to help you save some $$$.
 
the water doesn't have to change from a gas to a liquid. i know it will be less efficient, but i don't need it to be supremely efficient...my cab runs 2 degrees above ambient but i want to be able to run it with my closet door closed if need be. i dont plan on running this thing continuously, it'll be set on a timer to run for like 15 minutes every half hour or something, depending on temps. i know that the water will eventually be too hot to be usable, but i'll just open up the reservoir and drop some ice cubes in there. i'll have an overflow drain at the top of the container so spills aren't a problem.

thanks for the concern but it's like a $20 project...i've had more expensive ones fail before! like the whole first two grow cabs i built...
 

micro420guy

Member
In refrigeration and AC the refrigerant DOES need to change state... thats the whole theory behind Air Conditioning!!!! If you read some of the reply's on that DIY video you posted you will see everyone says it didn't work for them either.

Is there any way to duct the air out of your closet will a small fan? That will most likely be the best way to cool the closet.
 
In refrigeration and AC the refrigerant DOES need to change state... thats the whole theory behind Air Conditioning!!!! If you read some of the reply's on that DIY video you posted you will see everyone says it didn't work for them either.

Is there any way to duct the air out of your closet will a small fan? That will most likely be the best way to cool the closet.
to put it quite simply, i don't think so. i live in an apartment, making holes is a no-go. i guess it really was too good to be true. any ideas for a small AC or another way to cool my cab? cool-tube is almost out of the question due to size constraints.

that's very disheartening that my AC idea won't work. thanks for the info tho...i didn't really bother reading the comments. too bad i already have the water pump; at least it was cheap.
 

micro420guy

Member
I know you can buy very small ac units but they draw a lot of power and will cost a couple hundred bucks.

Do you have access to dry ice? a block of dry ice on a plate with a small fan blowing on it would cool the closet during hot days. It would also flood the closet with CO2. Just don't touch that stuff without gloves on.
 
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