Help me fill this space, room under construction.

MGB508

Active Member
Hey guys,

This is my first grow, in soil, indoors. The final grow space will be under this workbench that bends inside a corner of the basement.



There is another leg that that light sorta blinds out that forms the L shape in the diagram i drew. Currently its all just out in the open under one side, but in the next couple weeks ill be contructing the bulk of the room.

It's gunna have a dedicated circuit on my breaker, and i plan to run 4 250 watt hps lights, two for each side of the L, Ill use the CFL's im vegging under for the inside rows, and cash permiting put flouros on the walls facing the sides of the plants.

Here is my initial concept for the room, excuse the crudity.



since this rendering i've had a few changes of mind. First, my main stealth concern is going to be the odor. I can keep this grow visually blended into its surrondings, and audibly quite enough for the unsuspecting visitor to let it go unoticed, provided it doesnt reak like a dispatch concert.

To accomplish this i figured id run all exhuast to 4-5 homemade carbon filters, and through silcone and weatherstrip seals with the inside under negative pressure, i should be okay.

What i can't decide, is how to orrient the airflow. Before i thought id just make one big windtunnel of an encloser, with more fans on the ass end, blowing into long Carbon filters, and like a set of intake fans with slightly less CFM on the other end as intake, all baffled for light protection. Now im kinda feeling intakes on both ends, and a shared exhuast area in the middle. This would allow light seperation so i could flower one group earlier, and when both are flowering, use alternating 12/12 cycles to keep the electric bill looking constant.

Any thoughts as to what would be better for heat control, overall effiency, and odor control? The straight through method, or having them meet at the corner and blow the air throught the filters out the top?


http://img2.putfile.com/main/5/13823355976.jpg
 

kahtn

Well-Known Member
you could use a can fan that pulls about 200cfm's and a can filter 9000 on one end/these combinde are only about two feet in length and dont take mutch room that will take all smell and lower heet in sutch a small space...then use like a box fan at the outher end...with a small 4inch hole behind it to have fresh air coming in... the can fan runs about 157.95 and the filter is like 70.00 bucks...if you have the money for it..
 

MGB508

Active Member
well the setup sounds like what i wanna accomplish, minus store bought. Im good with my hands and i can make Carbon filters wrapped around mesh for support so ill basically have can filters, as long as i blow my exhuast threw them and seal it all up it should function the same as the store bought methods minus the price tag.
 

kahtn

Well-Known Member
correct o....i wish i wasnt lazy i would do the same but any ways as long as its seald pritty good you should be fine...good luck...
 

MGB508

Active Member
Well, at 17, juggling a car payment, innsurance, and tuition, im financialy motivated to get creative. After seeing 150 watt hps setups inteded for security going for 60 a pop on ebay i might downsize my wattage a bit to save some loot.

Anyone have any thoughts on my wattage for a grow this sized? would a 600 watt total HPS, with some flouro augmentation produce decent yields, or would the 250's make a much more noticible increase?
 

Chronntec

Active Member
Man thats gonna be a Small space to grow. Your gonna have to open up the entire enclosure daily to check on plants, unless you wanna crawl over them, and that will stink come flowering time. And come the end of flowering time your days will be spent tying off branches to bend the buds away from the roof.

Not saying its impossible, just saying it may be difficult.

Good luck
 

kahtn

Well-Known Member
the 150 waters would do fine especialy if your using some floros for the sides and is cheaper on your pocket... 250's wouldnt make to mutch of a diffrenc but if you can aford it, they will give you more yield not mutch but more is better..
 

MGB508

Active Member
Chronntec i hadn't thought of that aspect of the smell. I had just planed on using rubber weatherstripping on plywood panels, with screws. Easy on easy off, sealed when closed, but when i open it, it will smell alright. Ill just air it out after i guess.

And yes, i plan on being able to get to everyplant by moving to more than one other plant in the process.

As for the lights, how much difference in yield are we talking, and what affects on potentcy? If its a difference of an ounce or 2 then whatever, if its qp's or so then it might be worth just getting 250s.
 

Chronntec

Active Member
The amount of bud, density of bud, all depends on lighting. With CFLs your gonna get lighter, fluffier buds, where as with HID lighting, like HPS or mercury vapor you would be putting out 5-10x more lumens per square foot which means bigger, denser, buds. If your going with CFL lighting you will want to add as many lights as possible.

If your worried about stankin up the place then you would have to seal the entire grow space and make some sort of air lock, because when those plants are flowering they are gonna fucking stink like you wouldnt believe. Even through homemade carbon filters. It will still smell a bit, they only help, they arent perfect. Then you would have to consider the entire space around the grow space, that area will have to be constantly monitored for odors. Gotta love febreeze in these situations.

Also you might need to consider a dehumidifier if the basement is wet and humid, your going to want it lowered a lot towards the end to avoid bud rot, especially under a workbench in a basement.
 

kahtn

Well-Known Member
the diffrenc between is less than an ounce im talking 3 maybe 4 grams extra per plant...but good luck...
 

FullMetalJacket

Well-Known Member
Being 18 im sure he can craw around... Do you live alone and do the people you are living with know you are growing? I would think that due to the amount of time you have to spend checking on them (opening door, causing smell) they would surely find out.
 

MGB508

Active Member
Hey guys, good call on the security problem call. One weekend of seasonal traffic and a memorial day visitor or two and im done with that location. Ima have to go outdoors with it. I got a couple spots staked out, we'll see how that goes. And as for the engineering aspect, i wanna go indoor with the CFL's i had, so i think im either going to do a PC case small grow, or do a Rubbermaid. Something i can hide real easy
 

kingpapawawa

Well-Known Member
you dont want to push air out thru the carbon. u want to pull air thru the scrubber.
suck fresh air into grow area.. pull air into the carbon filter and then blow it out into the world. fans create more pressure sucking than blowing
 

FullMetalJacket

Well-Known Member
.. pull air into the carbon filter and then blow it out into the world. fans create more pressure sucking than blowing
You know its bad when you ask your girl to play a fan for you for the sake of science and proving theories on RIO, when getting your knob polished.

I think i have a problem...
 
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