Grow Cabinet Build

[synax]

The purpose of this cabinet is to produce enough medicine for 2 users. The cabinet will go in our bedroom so of course stealth is required.

I had been searching on CraigsList for an armoire for quite some time and found one but we couldn't get it up the stairs in our townhouse so the search continued. I found a cabinet that was pulled out of a small mansion, it was in a cubby off the hallway. The cabinet Measures 55L x 44H x 23D on the outside. Now the cabinet is broken into 2 area's. The smallest area was set up to house 6 drawers but came with an extra cabinet door so the drawers will be removed and replaced with the door. I picked up the cabinet for $50.

Had to put a back on the flowering side and it will need a new top, I'm thinking either a kitchen cabinet top or I might try and find a slab of granite on CraigsList.

The interior dimensions are a bit different.

Flowering:
- 34" Wide
- 22" Deep
- 38" High

Utility/Veg/Mother:
- 17.5" Wide
- 16.5" Deep
- 38" High

For flowering I will be using a Digital Lumatek 250W MH/HPS (Trying to decide if I will suplement with CFL on the flowering side)
For the Veg/Mother I will be using 3-6 CFL's

I purchased a S&P TD-150 for ventilation which will be put on the top section for the utility/veg/mother area (waiting on shipment).

Also, the interior will be getting painted with a flat latex paint.

On the Veg side, I am going to use some of the rollers that were on the drawers so I can have a rollout shelf. I think I might do this on the flower side too just to make working with the plants a little easier.

 

[Deputy]

It's coming along real well. I'm impressed! I'm envious, as well...gotta love Lumatek!

 

[synax]

The reflector is taking up too much space. I want to build a cooltube for this. Does anyone know where to find 6" tubing? All I see are these cheapo hurricane candle shades and the Pyrex Bake Round which is too small. I really want to keep everything in my system 6" on the ventilation as my fan is a 6" and it doesn't seem right to me to constrict that especially at the beginning of the run.

When using a cooltube is it better to run its own ventilation path? So in and out sealed from the grow area - I wouldn't need to run it through the filter then.

 

[synax]

It's coming along real well. I'm impressed! I'm envious, as well...gotta love Lumatek!

Thanks Deputy, I can't wait to get this thing going, been on the boards here and ICMAG for months now just absorbing data.

 

[Sp1cyMchaggis]

That's awsome man! Nice DIY

 

[Hulk Nugs]

nice your going to make a door with all those drawers ?? got some work to do....so get back to work i wanna see it finished .......loooking good im on for the ride

 

[synax]

nice your going to make a door with all those drawers ?? got some work to do....so get back to work i wanna see it finished .......loooking good im on for the ride

No, the cabinet actually came with an extra door - just need to chisel out the part for the hinges (as they need to be set in the frame) and the veg/utility area is good to go.

Wednesday night will be the next big push as my fan will be here so I can start playing with the ventilation. Plus payday is Thursday.....

 

[synax]

Update: 01/18/09

Well I got some work done on the cabinet this weekend. I added a shelf to the utility side, framing it in so I can make it air tight (I think I'm going to add a hinged door to the this upper section or it will just be a piece of wood that fits into the framing. I added the 3rd door to the utility side getting rid of the drawers that were there previously.

Also when I got the cabinet there was a hole in the counter top about middle of the grow area so I put a piece of 1/4 plywood in there. Eventually I'm going to get a marble slab for the top of this.

I'm finding it difficult to do a lot of this work with inadequate tools. - For my next cabinet I'll make sure and have a skill saw/table saw and maybe a miter saw. The dremel and cordless skill saw just didn't cut it for 3/4in teak wood.

Waiting on the caulking to dry now then I'm going to paint and install the pvc elbows for the ventilation.

I got my S&P TD-150 on Tuesday - its a little louder than I was hoping for but thats without any ducting hooked up. I also picked up a cooltube and a Can 9000 from my local hydro shop this weekend.

Here are some photo updates:

 

[synax]

Due to the length of the cooltube I think I'm going to run it length wise in the cabinet - if I run it front to back there won't be any room for duct work so I think I'll hang the carbon filter and cooltube parallel in the cabinet the to the utility cab where the S&P is to pull the hot air out.

 

[token211]

Due to the length of the cooltube I think I'm going to run it length wise in the cabinet - if I run it front to back there won't be any room for duct work so I think I'll hang the carbon filter and cooltube parallel in the cabinet the to the utility cab where the S&P is to pull the hot air out.

post pics on how you do it cause i'm having the same problem

 

[diggitydank420]

Nice work so far, subscribed!

Don't forget to paint everything inside with a few good coats of flat white paint.

 

[synax]

Nice work so far, subscribed!

Don't forget to paint everything inside with a few good coats of flat white paint.

Yup, I've got a gallon of flat white latex paint waiting to go in. I need to go to the hydro shop again and get 2 Filter Flanges to mount the ducting to the wall. I couldn't find them at lowes/home depot.

 

[synax]

Started on the duct work tonight - I wanted to get the light and scrubber installed so I could run a temp test. Hooked everything up about 20min ago and I am staying within 1 degree of my ambient temp 66 degrees. the duct work is not complete in the utility cabinet but this should give me an idea of temps. I think I may actually try my fan controller once everything is hooked up permanently.

I'm trying to decide where to put the carbon scrubber - I am thinking about hanging it behind my cooltube or just leaving it where its at. The store bought cooltube is very large - I may still build my own for this application.

What would you guys recommend for the placement of my cooltube?

Here is a photo of the duct work in the flower chamber.

 

[synax]

I'm going to get some clones from a buddy next week so painting will be done tomorrow or Friday night then this weekend is the final touches. I think I'm gonna try for 6-8 at a time in this cabinet - the plants will be a bit smaller but I want to see if I can get it to where I am pulling 2 every 2 weeks and adding 2 more. I think I'll keep 3-4 bonsai moms in the veg chamber all different strains so I can rotate. I need some strong strong stuff for my partners nausea and some lighter stuff for my attention span (helps me slow down so I can focus).

 

[Ramona's]

that looks pretty.....it looks even prettier than any sold online....because its stealthy and hand made by one of us.

bravo

 

[token211]

Started on the duct work tonight - I wanted to get the light and scrubber installed so I could run a temp test. Hooked everything up about 20min ago and I am staying within 1 degree of my ambient temp 66 degrees. the duct work is not complete in the utility cabinet but this should give me an idea of temps. I think I may actually try my fan controller once everything is hooked up permanently.

I'm trying to decide where to put the carbon scrubber - I am thinking about hanging it behind my cooltube or just leaving it where its at. The store bought cooltube is very large - I may still build my own for this application.

What would you guys recommend for the placement of my cooltube?

Here is a photo of the duct work in the flower chamber.

is the air coming in from behind the light? where is the exhaust? let me go back and read again. maybe i missed it

 

[Hulk Nugs]

yea thats what i was looking at..........it looks like the intake is hooked up to onse side of the light then the other side of the light is hooked up to the fillter..... is that how it is ???

 

[dontpanic]

sucks air thru the filter thru the light and thru the fan out the box i think... correct me if i am wrong.

 

[synax]

air comes in from the bottom of the cabinet in the utility room and in the flowering room carbon scrubber to cooltube to utility cab then the fan sucks the air out back into our bedroom.

Here's some more photos to help explain a bit better.

 

[token211]

ok i think i understand. i'm not saying your wrong about your set up. i'm just getting a general idea of what is going on as i will be doing the same type of box and i'm wondering about heat issues. are you relying on the fan in the utility room to pull the air through? or do you have an inline fan to do that. and if so where is at.