building first grow cabinet

[niggle]

ok so I've been looking for a suitable cabinet to grow in, i recently found a cabinet that was tall enough and i could work with.

right now I'll be using :
2- fabric grocery bags as smart pots with coco
1 - 6" inline fan
1 - 4" inline fan
4 - 42 watt cfl bulbs
4 - 20 watt cfl bulbs
2 - 120 mm pcu fan
X sq.ft. panda paper
X sq.ft. e-dead sound deadening

i have so far built the false floor where the fans are located, i built the fans permanently into the floor, the 4" fan is blowing air into the cab and the 6" is sucking air out. i have a DIY carbon filter with a 120mm computer fan that will blow the air into the 6" fan for better air flow. To help the carbon scrubber with the smell i will be adding a ona smell block thing into the air duct outlet.

the 4 42watt cfl lights will be separated by plexi-glass and i will have 2 120mm fans in the lighting area, one blowing in, one blowing out to keep the temperature down. i have seen in the bc grow cabs they add small t5 lights under to increase the harvest from under the scrog, so i will be adding the 4 24watt cfl's underneath.


before i added the sound deadening i caulked every seam i saw for no light leaks or excess smell. the sound deadening is both for sound and insulation , i have a roll left over from working on my car and can spare it or else i wouldn't be using it lol.... i will be putting panda paper over the e-dead as a final layer inside.

 

[niggle]

and more pics

 

[niggle]

and more.... the last for now

 

[niggle]

nothing?

 

[lemonbud]

quite a project here niggle! better be proud of your self! what strain do you plan on running in there? screen of green, or other style?

 

[niggle]

ill be growing white widow, the same seeds have grown me 7ft plants outdoors so im going to try them inside, i will be cutting the white metal shelf to make a permanent screen to control the height.

 

[lemonbud]

very cool! i'll be watching this one! who is the breeder of said white widow?

 

[niggle]

seedman....

 

[niggle]

Its been a while since i posted progress, so here are some new pictures, i attached the door with a raised panel that has panda paper on it. the raise panel comes out about a 1/2" and fits the grow space.the panel has a flap of panda paper that will cover the hinges , it will be glued down first and then the interior layer will cover the glued down flap.

I still have to find the right kind of lock, then I will add the mounts to help hold the door in place on the lock side.


there are light leaks but i have both padded weather stripping and rubber door weather stripping. the padding will go on the top and bottom of the door where there are proper backings to create a seal. the rubber door stripping will be on the right side of the door.

 

[5th]

edead...gonna wrap my fan with that I think, thanks.

 

[coloradomedical]

Looks good man, I am ready to see the color green added to that cab.

 

[niggle]

so another update:

i wired up two fans to my transformer but found out the transformer is not working ... but they are wired in so i just have to change out the transformer... I didnt finish the carbon filter but i mounted the inside guts, i have a few more things to finish the filter but thats a secondary project....

i glued the panda paper in except for the floor which i will waterproof then paint white. i have the plexi glass ready to go in and once its in and the wires are put away the cab can get its door again and it will be done :O.....

 

[Dopeboy668]

Nice work.

 

[someotherguy]

high man, just wanted you to know that you should
prepare yourself for the possibility that you'll need
more air flow, i've built 3 cabs over the last few yrs
and every single one i needed to enlarge my intakes.

btw, i like what you're doing, i'm just afraid your air
flow with be too restricted.

here's a couple pics of my cabs so you can see i've
wrestled with these problems myself.

bud chamber



mother box



clone box


anyway, good job, the work looks clean and you've
done your homework so kudos bro!

peace, SOG

 

[niggle]

Looks good man, I am ready to see the color green added to that cab.

lol i have a guerrilla grow going right now and i wont start a grow while im drying a 1/2lb in my place lol.... but once its done i will have a white widow plant ready to go....

 

[niggle]

high man, just wanted you to know that you should
prepare yourself for the possibility that you'll need
more air flow, i've built 3 cabs over the last few yrs
and every single one i needed to enlarge my intakes.

btw, i like what you're doing, i'm just afraid your air
flow with be too restricted.

here's a couple pics of my cabs so you can see i've
wrestled with these problems myself.

i figure that's the largest fear i have too, if its for heat i hope the plexiglass separating the plants will help keep the heat down. i have the 120mm fan glowing out in the light compartment. i can turn them on longer if they need to be on more...

thanks alot for the comments, I dont have the money for a large store bought one and i grew with mcgyvered systems. i wanted to build one that would last and would be clean enough to not need alot of maintenance.

i still have to build the lower scrog system, i have 4 small 24watt cfl bulbs and i will be mounting two on each side and then have a screen/grill covering them to tie the plant to.... then a grill horizontally to help with heights.

 

[someotherguy]

i figure that's the largest fear i have too, if its for heat i hope the plexiglass separating the plants will help keep the heat down. i have the 120mm fan glowing out in the light compartment. i can turn them on longer if they need to be on more...

thanks alot for the comments, I dont have the money for a large store bought one and i grew with mcgyvered systems. i wanted to build one that would last and would be clean enough to not need alot of maintenance.

i still have to build the lower scrog system, i have 4 small 24watt cfl bulbs and i will be mounting two on each side and then have a screen/grill covering them to tie the plant to.... then a grill horizontally to help with heights.

well, just stay flexible and open to new ideas 'cause if
you're anything like me you're gonna find that there
is a shitload to learn so your grow, and your cabs, will
be in a constant state of evolution until you really get
it dialed in.

also, i grew with CFL's for nearly a year and a half so
i can tell you that while you will definately grow some
nice bud, you will always wish for more, you'll get some
quality but not much quantity.

if you can save all or at least half of what you would
have spent buying the bud you grow you can use that
to upgrade.

anyway, don't mean to put the cart before the horse,
let's get this puppy up and cookin' for ya first, lol

peace, and stay safe, SOG

btw, do a search for 'DrBudGreengenes', he is a gifted
grower doing some amazing things with CFL's alone.

 

[coloradomedical]

Agreed with the Dr. Green genes, he is the master. Thunderkul also has a nice Dr. GG grow going. There is also a Dr. GG made simple in the link forum, it breaks it down nicely. Though, I am not a fan of some of the nuts... They would definitely work out though.

 

[niggle]

so the cab is finished, I will install a lock later and still need to cover some of the light leaks but its done. tomorrow its coming into the apartment and it will be sitting for a while. since money is tight, ill just be using soil and a smart pot like bag.

once i figure out the pot size and location i will put the scrog materials in, i will have a mesh on the sides were the lower lights will be and the screen horizontally to make the sog.

there's a pic of the scrog setup i will build. its been on for the last 3hrs and its running smooth.....

here are some pictures of the cab finished, ill admit there are a few things i have to touch up but its basically done...

 

[niggle]

heres a vid took it with my bb so sorry for the shitty quality, and im not a camera man lmao. in the vid i tried to show the black out vents for the lights.

the power box is running my computer fans while i test them out, then i will wire in the true transformer. note how quiet the cab is. during th video there is a 4" & 6" inline fan, and 2 120mm computer fans. you hear more noise from my fingers. as for heat, i wouldn't take a guess till i get my thermometer batteries replaced. but the plexiglass is helping separate the air as the hot air flows out from that cool reflector setup.