[Pipedream]

Thanks for all the kind words.

[TheMedicalStone]

You my dear sir, are ingenious.

This is exactly the kind of grow enviroment I want to build myself.

I have a few questions though, some might be redundant because people already asked and you answered but I've been going through all the pages for a few hours now and kind of reached a "tl;dr" point lol. I will continue later though haha, lots of great info.

So, for my questions:

1) Did you ever share how much wattage the entire system costs (pumps, fans, exhaust etc.)? I can guesstimate a bit but it's kinda hard because I don't know what pumps and such are in there.
The weird thing is that buying all of the stuff isn't a problem, it's the electric bill that is so I don't want to go too high (call me paranoid but I'm sick, I can't do jail lol).

2) Did you ever share those pics of a filter? I need to buy/build one since it'll pretty much be right inside my appartment lol, people come over all the time so it has to be pretty stealthy and smell-less.

3) What kind of pumps can you advice? And do you maybe have a link or whatever of something (on ebay or whatever since I'm not in the US :P). Or just brand names/model numbers?

4) Did you ever measure the heat it emmits? Or do you know if the box is hot or? They just bought fancy rayguns over here so they're actually checking temperatures inside peoples houses... If I can make it stealthy enough and disperse the heat properly it shouldn't be a problem though.

5) Since it's in the livingroom, I do have lights on at night, and I refuse to go to bed when my plants do (lol) so did you ever find a way to properly seal the lighting?
It's not like I have full sun on it or anything, just natural light and whatever lights I have on at night.
Next to that, if I just painted it white instead of using mylar uhmm, I have no idea how to get it to really close up then so no light comes in/escapes or smell just creepes through the cracks. Maybe with rubbers or something?

6) It houses 6 plants right? And about and ounce per plant? so that's roughly a gram a watt? That's freaking awesome.

7) I'm going to grow indica's and CBD strains so most of the stuff won't really stretch is that a problem in this kind of setup? I'm not really going to SOG or SCROG or such.

8) Could you advice me on what kind of balast to use for a 150 HPS, I seriously have no idea what to get. And is there a specific bulb that's better then the one in the fist post hidden somewhere in the 50 other pages?

9) Are the bubblers always on or are they timed?

10) How loud is everything, because it's in my livingroom, I don't mind hearing it but if people come over... I have to silence it some way so it's not noticeable. Closets usually don't make sounds sooo that would be kind of awkward to explain on a birthday.

11) If you could link to any pump that would be great, I've been checking ebay but there are sooo many pumps I have NO IDEA what I could use best lol. I've seen a 20w single diaphragm pump with a 6 outlet connection but *shrugs* idk, I really don't.

That should all I need to know I think haha.
Thanks in advanced, and again, it looks so awesome!

[Pipedream]

1) the entire system costs less than a dollar a day to run, and that includes all notes and the electricity.

2) sorry but I never took any pics of the filter.

3) I would skip the mechanical pumps that I used to use. Just go with any dual diaphragm dual outlet pump. Ideally, use two of them. They are less than 20 bucks each. Don't use a single pump with multiple outputs. They devide the available cfm and do not output enough.

4)the box itself only gets slightly warm. No need to worry about someone picking up on a heat signature as it doesn't read any higher than a standard 150-200 watt reading lamp that millions of folks have in their homes.

5)I just used some very inexpensive self-stick foam insulation in long strips. It's made for around air conditioners and is available anywhere like Walmart.

6) yes, but don't expect that on your first few cycles. It takes a while to get a system dialed in

7) no issue at all. Just set your growing shelf height based on the strains you are growing, or hang the light a bit lower or higher.

8) get the cheapest security light you can find and use the cheapest bulbs. They will both work fine.

9) they run 24x7

10) fairly quiet as long as the doors are closed. It sounds like a computer while running high demand processing. You can easily disguise the sound by just standing a small aquarium next to the cabinet, or something similar.

[TheMedicalStone]

Awesome thanks but what is your kWh price over there because I think it's like 0,05 cents or something, mine is 0,23 Euro cents per kWH :P. Slightly different lol.
That's why I'm going for equipment with the lowest possible power rating. I don't mind actually running it but my power usage is going to double so I can still sell that but if it gets any worse I can't :P.

I might go with a real tube exhaust that only uses 23w or something like that and maybe shove a muffler over it. That would remove all noise, I'd have to have a look and see how I'd fit it though, I could just place a Rhino carbon filter on it that way.

Oh and I've been looking for pumps but I've never had an aquarium hobby or something like that so I'm having a really really hard time finding something useful...
Is this something?
https://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Whisper-A...N%3DB00CAZTGJ4

or

https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Diaphragm...N%3DB003AKRUSW

I seriously have no idea what I'm looking for lol, help a brother out, keep in mind that we use 220v here and that we use different wallplugs so it's fairly safe to assume I can best go with a EU wallplug instead of cutting the US one off and DIYing a new cable like I usually do lol.

excellent setup

[OttawaGreen]

I have to start checking garage sales for the $20 hardwood cabinets now! My cabinets cost more and are pos particle board with white laminate

[Pipedream]

TheMedicalStone,

I'm paying a converted rate of about 17 euro coins per KWH for my power.

Both pumps are an excellent choice. However, if I was building the setup I'd purchase two of the less expensive ones you and I wouldn't give the bigger much consideration.

Here is why....
1) Using two of the smaller pumps you get 1 diaphragm dedicated to each outlet. So if one blows out, you have less chance of a total pressure loss through a back-feed.

2) With a single pump, if the electromagnetic driver dies, once again you have a total pressure loss. With two pumps, everything has a backup.

3) The price for aquarium pumps are dirt cheap because they are so ubiquitous and manufactured & sold by the millions. Once you label it "Hydroponic" it becomes a specialty item and the price is artificially inflated.

Many pumps, even in the 15 Euro range or below, have user replaceable diaphragms. Its an excellent feature to look for, and keeping an inexpensive spare on hand wouldn't be a bad thing.

If you live in a metropolitan area, take a trip to a large pet store that sells lots of fish supplies. See what they have on the shelf, read the boxes, talk to a knowledgeable salesperson, then look for the best online price.

BTW - I must have a dozen different pumps in a plastic box just waiting to be used, and I didn't buy a single one of them. Aquarium supplies are one of the most common things to thrown away in the trash and you can always find them on big-trash-pick-up-days around here. Make dumpster diving a hobby, its good for your wallet and the planet!

[Irael]

Greetings Pipedream, very very nice and professional grow man.

I loved to read it, keep it up.

Greetz

[TheMedicalStone]

@Pipedream so I should look for simple single outlet pumps with single diaphragms sooo something like 2 of these? https://www.dx.com/p/3w-aquarium-fish...220-240v-53281

Just a random example I quickly found.

[Pipedream]

Don't get "analysis-paralysis". You can't over-think every decision, these things are so cheap its not worth loosing any sleep over. Just pick one and run with it. If it turns out you don't like it, buy another and put this one in the junk box. If you stick with growing as a hobby it will get used eventually.

One Love