70w or 150w hps stealth cab

[thecrackaddict]

1st post:

This is a simple 70w or 150w cabinet grow design using swc ( short water culture) scrog method that can be constructed for less than $200 My mspaint skillz arnt so great so just to make things clear the reflector is a remote ballasted hps light inside a homemade air cooled reflector using pc fans 1 sucking air in and one blowing air outside the cabinet. My other idea was two pc fans blowing air out of the reflector and using passive intake for the reflector. Intake is passive in the cabinet using the floor vents mounted on the back. The screen is 1 inch x 1 inch chicken wire and the frame that holds the screen is made of 1inx2in board. The only other things im gonna throw in that are not show is a fan to blow on tops of the plants, temp/humid gauge, power strip, a lock for the cabinet doors, and some flex tubing to the light from the exhaust fan so i can lower the and raise the light. Also i will be sealing the light reflector with a peice of glass, I hope this allows me to put my light closer to the tops of my plants.I will also be caulking the reflector to make sure i lose no pressure. I will be using advanced nutrients sensi grow part a+b for veg.

Cabinet - http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=37665-000077268-S02DR-1
Light - http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProductDetail.asp?ProductFamilyID=3&FGNumber=E-HC1H151Z

Any suggestions? thoughts? anyone feel free to use this design. One thing i was considering changing is moving the exhaust fan(s) to a corner where it would be more sturdy and less likely to vibrate the cabinet. Another idea i had was to put a small aquariam with airstones on top of it to hide the fan sound to make it stealth.

The genetics i will be using in this box is either biggie smalls or apollo 11. If anyone has any questions about this design either pm me or post it here.

Edit: cabinet and light links wern't working but i think all is well now

 

[mushupork5]

looking good. how much space do you plan to use for the SWC system (how tall is the rubbermaid)? how far will the screen be from the pots? how much height for buds?

you might want to supplement with some CFL lighting, too. never hurts.

 

[thecrackaddict]

looking good. how much space do you plan to use for the SWC system (how tall is the rubbermaid)? how far will the screen be from the pots? how much height for buds?

you might want to supplement with some CFL lighting, too. never hurts.

The rubbermaid will be about 6 inches tall and the space bettween the screen and the pot will be 8-10 inches and minus about 6-8 inches for the light and it will leave me with about a foot bewteen the top of the screen and the bottom of the light.

 

[GrowingHigher]

12 inches is cutting it close, my buds never seem to want to stop stretching, but i guess thats cause im stubborn and always seem to grow sativas...

might want to make the screen a V shape to get more even lighting.

 

[thecrackaddict]

12 inches is cutting it close, by buds never seem to want to stop stretching, but i guess thats cause im stubborn and always seem to grow sativas...

might want to make the screen a V shape to get more even lighting.

Yeah i was thinking the same thing but i figure with my air cooled hood i should be able to get my light within a couple inches of the tops of the plants so im pretty sure it will work fine.

I've heard making your screen in a v shape will increase your yeild by 20% is this true?? If this is so i might try it.

 

[Guest]

How do you plan on cooling the light?

 

[Jam Master Jaco]

You're mspaint skills rock pretty hard dude. Every time I've tried to draw a blueprint in mspaint it never turns out neat like yours has.

As for a light suggestion, I would go with a 150 watt hps. Obviously the more light the better, but if you're going to go the 70 watt hps route you'd definately need to be supplementing in some cfls to assure that you'll be getting quality buds.

Nice idea for a setup though, let's see if you can get that thing rockin'

 

[thecrackaddict]

How do you plan on cooling the light?

To cool the light i will use 2 pc fans blowing directly on the bulb and then on the opposite side of the bulb will be either a 4 inch bathroom fan or a pc fan sucking the air out of the cabinet.

You're mspaint skills rock pretty hard dude. Every time I've tried to draw a blueprint in mspaint it never turns out neat like yours has.

As for a light suggestion, I would go with a 150 watt hps. Obviously the more light the better, but if you're going to go the 70 watt hps route you'd definately need to be supplementing in some cfls to assure that you'll be getting quality buds.

Nice idea for a setup though, let's see if you can get that thing rockin'

Yeah i've decided to go with the 150 watt mostly because its like 3 dollars more than the 70 watt and you get double the lumens. Once flowering comes around ill probably throw 100 watts worth of cfls in there just to bulk up the buds.

Also if anyone has any suggestions for ventaltion or any cheap sites please post them.

 

[green_grow]

theres a 150w hps club here that you may want to check out . sorry, i dont know how to make a link. good luck with your grow !

 

[Jam Master Jaco]

150 watt hps club
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=20729

 

[Guest]

make it a 150!

the 70w is sure to disappoint you

leave plenty of room for fans and stuff!

 

[mtnjohn]

look like it will be very similar to my system

 

[thecrackaddict]

look like it will be very similar to my system

Nice grow! i read a couple of ur threads that told me that strain is apollo-11 now im really excited sorry for all the questions but im trying to get a good idea on how i should do mine.

Whered you get ur hps light/hood from?

What are you using to cool the hood/cabinet

What did u build ur cabinet out of?

How deep tub that the plants rest in?

 

[mtnjohn]

thanks for the compliment, yes that grow is apollo-11(a great scrog strain btw)

my light i bought from lowe's , it was a security light and i converted it to use as a grow light, it is a 150w hps

the hood was fabricated from sheet metal and bent to shape on a metal brake then screwed together, i use 2 80cfm comp fans one inside the box , mounted on the wall where the 3" flex exits the box, the other is mounted on top of the carbon filter which is behind the box.
the cabinet is an old stereo cabinet, i built a door and lid out of mdf and painted it
and attached them. the lid is removeable for access to the ballast area
soon i hope to upgrade to a larger c-13 style cab
the reservoir i found at "office max" i think its about 4gallon total capacity but i run my systemwith 3 or so gallons.

one thing i will say is that it took me quite a while to perfect this growcab
it had several different configurations before i settled on this design

temps are usually only 3-6 degrees above room temp
good luck with your project and if you have any ?s pm me
oh yea heres a few more pics

 

[mushupork5]

looks good. ezra has a post abou ta halfpipe of green, with a V style screen. ezra is currently in flower and has alot of great pics. good luck with the grow

 

[GrowingHigher]

im not sure about % increase in yield, but making the screen a v or u shape certainly helps prevent the center buds from shading the sides

 

[munkie]

Hey, new to the forums... This setup is pretty much what Im thinking of doing, I hope you keep us updated on your progress as I will be intently watching!

 

[thecrackaddict]

Hey, new to the forums... This setup is pretty much what Im thinking of doing, I hope you keep us updated on your progress as I will be intently watching!

Welcome to the forums munkie ill try to keep everyone updated as i go.

UPDATE:

I got the cabinet from fred meyers yesterday for $26. Now i think i have everything pretty well figured out except for one minor thing which is light proofing the door. The door doesnt have hinges but instead swings on a round dowel on both the bottom and top. If anyone has any ideas please post them ill get pics if i can.

Ill be ordering the light sometime this week and picking up the vents and everything.

I started my apollo 11 seeds and got a 7/10 germ rate first time starting seeds in rockwool. Right now they are under 160 watts of floro tubes : 80 wats full specturm and 80 watts cool white. I think what i shall do is once i get my cab setup i will clone my top 4 healthiest plants then flower them to find the females.

 

[Jam Master Jaco]

What are the dimensions of the cab that you got?

 

[mtnjohn]

there are sveral ways of light-proofing your grow. one way would be to build a frame inside your cab(you could use some doorstop trim), encircling the perimeter and have a second door of say, 1/4 plywood , that just snugs in between the outer door and the frame inside . you could use weatherstripping to complete the seal.
.....just off the top of my head