here is what i would get: 150w hps, 4" inline fan, 4" carbon filter, 4" ducting, soil, perlite, a veg nute, flower nute and micro nute, panda film or mylar, small circular fan, timer, thermometer and hygrometer. i think you would be more happy with the results from an hps vs what you get with cfls. whatever you choose, make sure you have good ventilation. good luck.
Building a Grow Wardrobe - Help & Advice Appreciated
- Thread starter smil3y
- Start date
resinousflowers
Well-Known Member
ive
grown in a similar
wardrobe,but not with cfl's
.a 400w hid light with a good quality fan to suck out the excess heat.i either grew 4 plants in 11 litre pots,or 5 or 6 in 6 litre pots.i made a hole in the top for the outtake fan.i made some small holes in the side near the bottom so air can get in,and i put some
reflective
sheeting inside for obvious reasons.i made some brackets out of wood and screwed them to the inside of the sides of the wardrobe so i could move the light backwards and forwards,plus lower it.and i tied the reflector
to the rail with a shoe lace so i could move the light from side to side aswell
.and ofcourse
i had a small clipon
oscilating
fan in there too.it was a pretty basic setup,but i had no problems and got good yields and good quality bud each time.
resinousflowers
Well-Known Member
oh and i used plagron light mix and hesi nutrients.
wannasmokeweed
Active Member
Sorry Bro, i know NOTHING about ballasts so I would not want to offer any advice.Its pounds but i imagine the wiring is the same herethanks for pics I think ill understand it better when i've got it in front of me, What do you think about using the Ballast I linked with 80w or 55 w tubes x 4
smil3y
Active Member
Im really lost in what to do for lighting CFL's T5's HID's etc etc what you think I should get for my type of setup I can see a 400w HID setup for £100.00 should I go for that or the ballast and t5's or try just using cfl's am so confused and the more I read up on this stuff the more confused I get. Someone help??
K21701
Active Member
It is all a matter of preference and how much $ you have at your disposal....I veg under cfl's and currently purchased a 150w hps to flower...my grow area is small so this light is more than sufficient for my needs. Below is a link to a system that uses both MH/HPS...you can use mh for vegging and switch over to hps for flowering....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTIMATE-250-watt-HPS-MH-GROW-LIGHT-SYSTEM-250w-w-sun-/390117297497?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad4cd8d59
http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTIMATE-250-watt-HPS-MH-GROW-LIGHT-SYSTEM-250w-w-sun-/390117297497?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad4cd8d59
get a hps light. do not waste your time with cfls. cfls are good for vegetative growth but we are more concerned about the flower growth, which an hps is much better for. so if you care about the quality and size of your buds, get a hps. get the 400w but you must make sure you have proper ventilation for it. this is just as important as the kind of light you use.
wannasmokeweed
Active Member
The only advice I have is with HPS or MH, you are going to have a bitch of a time keeping the heat under control in that cabinet. It is a small space and those lights are HOT !!Well I bit the bullet last night at 4am and decided to get a FL with Sunmate Powerplant Reflector size: 300w spectrum: dual cost me a fair bit but think it should be worth it.
I wanted to keep heat to a minimum thats why I didnt want HPS (cant wait for it to arrive now)
mrbreckles
Member
I know it might sound crazy. But if you can't learn to wire up electrics using guides on the net, it might be worth investing in a course. Even just a short day or 2 course. The money you spend will be invaluable, especially if you decide to grow again/expand.
smil3y
Active Member
Went into shopping centre today and got some sockets for my E27 20w CFL's - I know there not powerful but will be adding them near bottom of wardrobe for extra light and using the powerplant reflector suspended from the top. things are coming into shape and I even learnt about wiring - GO ME ! 
Soon it shall all piece together MUHAHA!
Soon it shall all piece together MUHAHA!
wannasmokeweed
Active Member
Got any photo's of the project so far?
gumball
Well-Known Member
Yeah post up some pics!!
I can tell you CFLs are a good choice to get your feet wet with growing. But they are a lot of work, and they still produce a good deal of heat. A simple 150 HPS would be great for that space, and a 250 may be ok too.
Put it like this, 300 watt of CFL, aint that what your going with, will be hotter in there than the HPS. And with the HPS you only have one bulb to cool and move. You will learn these pros and cons as you work through your first grow.
I can tell you CFLs are a good choice to get your feet wet with growing. But they are a lot of work, and they still produce a good deal of heat. A simple 150 HPS would be great for that space, and a 250 may be ok too.
Put it like this, 300 watt of CFL, aint that what your going with, will be hotter in there than the HPS. And with the HPS you only have one bulb to cool and move. You will learn these pros and cons as you work through your first grow.
smil3y
Active Member
Thanks for comments, I do hope heat is not too much of an issue, If it is I will add more ventilation/fans. I havent really setup anything as of yet, I've just taken apart the wardrobe to modify, and wired the fans so there ready to go. I've made a lil diagram showing what I want it to look like... comments & questions appreciated
I'll post up some proper pics when I get all my bits and pieces
I'll post up some proper pics when I get all my bits and pieces
K21701
Active Member
Well as for ventilation, if you have a problem with heat I can suggest these fans...
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=5920220
The first reason I choose these is because it is a tabbed fan and uses an actual plug....purchased separately but it was a plus for me!! These fans are so strong that I had to unplug the intake fan as I had trouble keeping temps high enough!! Exhaust fans draws out so well the blades of the intake fan still move even though I have tape over the opening!!!
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=5920220
The first reason I choose these is because it is a tabbed fan and uses an actual plug....purchased separately but it was a plus for me!! These fans are so strong that I had to unplug the intake fan as I had trouble keeping temps high enough!! Exhaust fans draws out so well the blades of the intake fan still move even though I have tape over the opening!!!
gumball
Well-Known Member
looks like a good plan. you may only need 2 20 watts lower down.
in all my experience, ANY active air pressure being forced into the cab makes temps difficult to control. i think the air gets swirled around and you get hot spots, so makes it difficult to dial your environment in. What my thoughts are is to strategically place a few different holes in the bottom so the exhaust fan will push the air through the plants and then pass over the light, cooling it down. I modified the picture you included. hope this helps. this should be a great grow cabinet, just dont rush it, a lot of grows start off with problemsdue to rushing in. i speak from experience
View attachment 1283780
in all my experience, ANY active air pressure being forced into the cab makes temps difficult to control. i think the air gets swirled around and you get hot spots, so makes it difficult to dial your environment in. What my thoughts are is to strategically place a few different holes in the bottom so the exhaust fan will push the air through the plants and then pass over the light, cooling it down. I modified the picture you included. hope this helps. this should be a great grow cabinet, just dont rush it, a lot of grows start off with problemsdue to rushing in. i speak from experience
View attachment 1283780
smil3y
Active Member
Hmm, You mean like setting up a bit of wood or something at an angle so the case fans are blowing up from the bottom of the plants up towards the exhaust? - Good idea
The 20w CFL's are only a temp solution at the minute until I get everything up and running and can monitor the conditions, May upgrade them to 42w later on for my second yield or something.
I've got the exhaust running out into the crawlspace to my attic, I'm thinking of attaching some ducting with a homemade carbon filter, but that can wait till payday as I dont imagine smell will be an issue for first 3 weeks.
Thanks alot for all your help guys, I really cant wait to get it up and running and to show you guys my work
The 20w CFL's are only a temp solution at the minute until I get everything up and running and can monitor the conditions, May upgrade them to 42w later on for my second yield or something.
I've got the exhaust running out into the crawlspace to my attic, I'm thinking of attaching some ducting with a homemade carbon filter, but that can wait till payday as I dont imagine smell will be an issue for first 3 weeks.
Thanks alot for all your help guys, I really cant wait to get it up and running and to show you guys my work
gumball
Well-Known Member
no, i meant no case fans blowing air in. those are just holes at the bottom. intake fans screw up air flow and make temps unstable in certain situations. and i stated I would only use 2 of the 20 watts, not 4. this will allow you to decide if the temps are good or if you would make things worse by adding more lights.
gumball
Well-Known Member
The exhaust fan will cause all air in the cab, and the smell, to only go through that hole. This is another drawback of intake fans, that if you don't have a perfectly sealed box, they could push smell out of the boxs through tiny leaks, and your carbon filter won't do anything about it. Anything you use from a bag make sure it isn't kept outside in the rain and harsh conditions. Look for something in a store, and was maybe just put on a shelf. It is a good idea to add perlite so the soil doesn't stay too wet.