[krustytheclown]

Okay, here is a rundown on how to make your very own Rubbermaid stealth grow. This design was based on
Red_Greenery's instructions , with some modifications I made.

Here is a list of materials you will need and where you can get them:
2 22-gallon Rubbermaid Duratotes, measuring 25.4”x16.9”x 18” (64.5x42.9x45.7 cm), Wal-Mart
1 3-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck, measuring 16” x 10.7” x 7”, Lowe’s
Aluminum tape, Lowe’s
Mylar, hydro shop (an emergency blanket can be substituted, too, which you can get at Wal-Mart in their Sporting Goods department)
1 roll of weather-stripping, any hardware store
1 3-bulb vanity light, Lowe’s
3 Y-connectors for lightbulb, any hardware store
1 sheet of window glass, measuring 18”x 12”, any hardware store
2 computer fans wired to be plugged in a wall outlet, Radio Shack
6 40-Watt CFL bulbs, from lighting stores (this may be difficult to find at this wattage)
1 Shop knife/box cutter/exacto knife, any hardware store
2 air pumps, any pet shop or at Wal-Mart
2 air pump hoses, any pet shop or at Wal-Mart
2 airstones, any pet shop or at Wal-Mart
1 package of pantyhose, wherever you buy women’s clothes
½ pound of pelletized carbon (used for aquariums), any pet shop or at Wal-Mart
1 5/8” drill bit, any hardware store
Drill, any hardware store
1, ½” Inside Diameter (I.D.) rubber grommet, any hardware store
1 ribbed, 90-degree PVC tube, ½“ diameter, any hardware store
~2 feet of plastic hose, ½” diameter, any hardware store
1 cork which can plug ½” diameter tube (optional), Lowe’s
25’+ of plastic-coated wire, Lowe’s
4” PVC duct coupler/connector, Lowe’s
1 Dryer exhaust hood, Lowe’s
A bunch of 1.5” wood screws, any hardware store
A bunch of 2.5” wood screws, any hardware store
4 pieces of Ferring Strips at 13” long, any hardware store
2 pieces of Ferring Strips at 12” long, any hardware store
2 pieces of Ferring Strips at 14-16” long, any hardware store
Some duct tape
2 3” net pots, any hydro store

First, trace the sockets for the vanity light on the underside of one of the 22-gallon Rubbermaid containers. This will be the top of your grow chamber. Using a box cutter or exatco knife, cut a hole just inside the traced circle. Then push the sockets through the holes and lay the back end of the light bar on top of the Rubbermaid. If you want to be more stealth, you can drill 3 holes in the bottom of the tub: 2 for bolts which will be used to secure the entire light bar inside the tub, and 1 to thread the electrical wires through to connect to a cord.



Now that we have the light attached, cut out a square on the side of the other 22-gallon Rubbermaid tub as close to the bottom as you can; this will be the intake for your grow chamber. Remember, for maximum air exchange, you want to make the intake 2 times larger than the exhaust. See below for instructions on how to accurately do that.

Next, you will want to cut the exhaust hole for the grow chamber. In order to do this, you need to screw in the Y-connectors to each of the light sockets and screw in all the light bulbs. Factor in 1-2 inches below the lights to establish the uppermost part of the exhaust fan for the grow chamber. Then, trace the hole for the exhaust fan, and cut it out. Don’t install the fan yet; we are just getting all our holes cut before installing anything so we can cut the mylar and tape it to the tubs.

Now, we have set up intake and exhaust for the grow section of our chamber. Next, we want to set up ventilation for the lighting area of the grow chamber. These two sections will be separated by the window glass as we see later.

As before, cut a hole with 2 times the area of the exhaust fan that will be used on the side as close to the bottom of the Rubbermaid container as you can. On the other side of the container, trace the exhaust fan’s blade path and cut out the hole. These two holes can (should?) be directly across from each other, creating a wind-tunnel effect for maximum cooling.




A word about properly measuring and cutting the intake/exhaust holes:

You will need to find the area of the exhaust fan, which can be found by placing a pen through the blades, and tracing the outer edge of the fan blade’s movement. Measure the diameter of the circle you traced, divide it by 2 and you get the radius.

Then you use that pesky geometry formula you learned in high school:

The area of a circle=p*R squared, where p=3.14 and R=radius. Or, put another way, A=3.14*R*R.

As an example, if the complete width of the fan blade’s travel was 3”, its diameter is 3”. The radius of a circle=Diameter/2, or ½ the diameter. So, in this case, the radius is 1.5”. Next, you use the following equation: 3.14*1.5*1.5=7.06”. This means the area of the fan’s exhaust is 7.06”. And remember, the intake must be twice the area of the exhaust. So, 7.06*2=14.12” total area of the intake. To find the dimensions of the intake, find the square root (you’ll need a calculator with the Ö function). In this case, the intake can be a square with 3.75” to a side for maximum air exchange.

Now, you’ll want to determine where/how to support the glass shield to keep the lights from making the grow too hot. All you have to do is make 4 holes in the container with the lights where you’d like to have the glass and screw in some wood screws to support the glass or you can insert 2 dowel rods to run the entire length of the container.

Then, apply the weatherstripping to the lip of each of the 22-gallon Rubbermaid containers for a better air seal and to prevent light leaks.

Next, size, cut and tape the Mylar to the inside of the tubs, cutting out holes where necessary. I thought this was a pain in the ass and in retrospect, I’d have rathered to paint 1-2 coats of black spray paint on the inside of the tubs and 2 coats of white spray paint instead.

Next, you want to install the fans. For the lighting section’s fan, is you use 1.5” screws through both holes in the fan’s frame, it should still have just enough length to penetrate the tub’s wall and secure the fan in place. Make sure to run the fan’s wires to the outside of the tub to attach to the electrical cord (see pic above).

Then, install the exhaust fan for the grow section of the tub, but this time, only run the screws through the holes closest to the tub wall, so most of the screws are sticking out the other side. It is best if you splay the screws away from the hole, because you will fit the 4” duct coupling over these screws and the more tension to hold the coupling on the better.



You’ll want to wrap the coupling in aluminum tape to cover any holes in it on the half closest to the tub only.

Then, attach just the dryer exhaust hood to the coupling. The snaps on the coupling should secure the coupling and dryer exhaust hood together. Don’t forget to remove the aluminum piece initially attached to the plastic hood.



Next, get some pantyhose and cut off a 5-6” piece from the toe. Fill it up with activated charcoal and tie off the open end. Now, the pantyhose looks kind of like a water balloon.


Next, assemble the coupling, exhaust hood and pantyhose with charcoal. This is your exhaust scrubber. If you did everything right, the tension from the screws sticking out of the tub should hold up the scrubber. If not, find a way to support it.





The grow chamber is complete. But we're not done yet! The next step is to make the DWC.

Wrap the 3-gallon Rubbermaid container with aluminum tape, including the lid. Cut a hole in the lid just big enough to support the 3” net pot. Then use the 5/8” drill bit and cut a hole in the side of the tub as close to the bottom as possible. This will be for draining the tub and possibly checking the water level. Insert the ½” Inside Diameter grommet into the hole and then insert the ½” 90-degree pipe. The 90-degree pipe is “barbed” to it creates a snug fit into the grommet and prevents it from popping out.
Attach the ½” ID hose to the other end of the pipe.



And finally, drill 2 holes into the lid of the 3-gallon tub so you can run air pump tubed through.





Here is an option for you as well: buy two 3-gallon tubs and use the other tub’s lid with 2 holes in it for 3” pots to grow 2 plants. You can also turn the extra tub upside down and use it as a support to bring the DWC tub closer to the lights when the plant needs it, usually in the beginning of a grow.

Finally, you need to build the screen. I don't have any pictures right now, so you'll just have to use your imagination. Maybe when I finish out my test grow, I'll post some.

I used 1”x2” Ferring Strips, but you can use anything that is best: pvc pipe, stiff wire, etc. Screw the 12” and 14” lengths together to make a rectangle using the 1.5” screws. Then screw the 13” lengths into the rectangle as legs using the 2” screws. I made the rectangle so the 1” side was horizontal and the 2” side was vertical; hence the need for 2.5” screws to attach the legs.

Finally, I drilled holes 2” apart through the frame’s rectangle and threaded the plastic-coated wire through. Make sure the holes are straight across from one another so the grid you make with the wire is square and even. It will make a grid with 2” holes for you to train the plants to make your scrog.

This grow works best when the whole chamber is elevated off the floor to make it easier to drain the DWC tub. When you want to drain the tub, pull the hose through the grow chamber’s intake hole and rotate the 90-degree pipe downwards so the water flows out. Make sure you have something to catch the water. When done draining, rotate the pipe and drain tube so they stand up, to prevent further drainage of the water.

To refill the tub, pour water/nutes through the netpot until you reach the desired level. You can either guess the level or use the drainage tube as an indicator of the water level.

And that’s how you make a Rubbermaid DWC grow!

[growinontario]

why you growing cfl when you have hps?

[krustytheclown]

Originally Posted by growinontario

why you growing cfl when you have hps?

Because I don't have a girlfriend.

[stickyickyicky]

GO KRUSTY!! those TUB\FAN pics look like mine! see your following RED too! good luck w\the grow take a peek @ my GROW leave your

[Mr_Micro]

Nice lookin setup Krusty!
What kinda girls have you been growin in there? Any chance for some full flower pics?

[krustytheclown]

Well, I pulled what I believe to be a female out of a Waterfarm (I had 3 sharing one waterfarm, pulled 2 and kept one that is definitely a female) a couple of days ago and set her in the chamber. It was a particularly traumatic event for her, so I'm unsure if she'll make it.

Once she livens up, I'll post some pics. I won't do a full diary of the grow, since the grow is about halfway done, but I will post some flower pics and give yield once the plant has been harvested and dried.

BTW, nice mod to your fan, stickyickyicky!

Originally Posted by krustytheclown

Because I don't have a girlfriend.

Hahahaha, good comeback!!!

Looks like you've got it nearly complete!

That's a different way of mounting the lightbar on the outside. Is it secure or just sitting there? I drilled 3 holes and mounted it inside.

Your dryer exhaust pipe looks like it was easy to install but I think you will have problems with your scrubber. That big ball of charcoal will block all the air flow. You want a large area, that's why I have the big box. I tried blocking my vents with homemade filter pads but that just killed the airflow.

Check out page 5 at the Lodge for some of my experiments...
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.p...5&page=5&pp=15

Securing the glass is a real good idea. It's much heavier than acrylic and you don't want it to fall down on your buds!

I was thinking that the emergency blanket was easier to put on. LOL
I shoulda had you come over and paint my tubs. I got a dent in my finger from using 4 spray cans!!!

[growinontario]

lol I dont get it :P

[krustytheclown]

Here are some pics of the grow in action.

I took the interior pic through the intake hole for the light area; you can see the glass reflecting the lights.

[pieceofmyheart]

Wow Krusty, excellent work. We have a great group of micro growers here, I'll watch yours grow from the sidelines.