Help me with my set up!

Hello everybody,

I just ordered a 6" CoolTube with reflector and 400w HPS/MH + electronic dimmable ballast and am awaiting its arrival. In the meantime, I am trying to nail down some plans for my grow cab. I have a weak little veg box that I have been keeping some seedlings in, but I would like to focus on a flowering cab. So..

I have an area about 2' deep, 3' wide, and 6-7' tall. I was planning on constructing a 2-door cabinet that looks just like that - a plain old cabinet. The ambient temp in my apartment is around 78-80 this month and probably for the next couple, maybe average around 76-78 during fall/winter. Extreme ambient temps should not be a problem, hopefully. Now here is where I want your guys help - I am still in the research & development phase of the cab so I need all the help I can get.

Lets get to it:

- I think it would be best to pull external air thru the cooltube and over the light and then exhaust it out externally, too so the "light heat" will never be exhausted into the chamber. From what I've been reading, people are suggesting a carbon filter for cooltube exhaust since duct and/or cooltubes are not air-proof and smell will leak. What size fan would I need to cool a 400w HPS? What size carbon filter? Should the set up be intake->cooltube->inline fan->carbon filter? I'm thinking of putting the filter on the top of the outside and disguising it with a box or something similar. Is this my best option for cooling the light? Should I run filter->cooltube->exhaust? Some other configuration?

- Since it is a 6" CoolTube, I am thinking a 6" inline fan for exhaust near the top of the cab, pulling through a carbon filter - Is this the optimal set up? What CFM rating should I be looking for when I factor in the loss due to the carbon filter? What size carbon filter would be best? For intake, I was thinking 2 (or more) 6" diameter holes near the bottom to allow cooler air to be pulled in. Possibly some holes on the floor, and then put a drip pan in the bottom of the cab as well?

- I plan on getting some Panda Plastic to help lightproof the cab, is this my best option? Any ideas on application? (I've read some people using velcro - I'm thinking about making a 2 layer "door flap" for the front to insure no light leaks

- I plan on installing a few shelves or bars to support additional CFL lighting and fans. Ideas on prime placement?

- Ideas on what my optimal set up would be? (hydro, soil? I was looking at DWC with 5g buckets, but I think I might stick to soil for 1 or 2 runs until I get the hang of everything. Keep in mind I am a novice - haven't had a harvest yet). What would my optimal number of plants be (aiming for quality and yield, this is for personal medicinal purposes)? I would like to start a perpetual harvest - I have been doing a little reading on SOG, ScrOG, LST, etc - is this feasible with my set up/area? What would be optimal?

- Ideas on what to use to prevent/minimize light leaks from the intake holes?

- Ideas for a small attached/adjacent cloning/vegging chamber (for perpetual harvest)?

- Ideas on ballast and equipment placement?

Anything I missed? Suggestions, comments, feedback? Any and all help is appreciated, thank you!

6" fan should be just fine. can find em for like $50 on ebay i think and a second-rate brand will do just fine.

panda plastic is awesome. for small walls you can even tape up the stuff and it wont fall off so long as you keep the temps in order.

carbon filters dont reduce CFM's very much.

if i was you i'd run 1 5gallon bucket DWC like this guy, his set up is a lot like yours and he did an amazing job http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=12653

some mesh netting will probably keep out a decent amount of ambient light, just tape it over the intake holes. or get some ducting and have it bend in a 90 degree angle

try and get the ballast outside of the room, or at the very least mount it to the ceiling (most ballasts have little holes that screws/bolts will hold up if you can find a stud).

hope this helped

UPDATE! I know someone who is getting rid of an old freezer/fridge combo (top bottom). Would this be a better choice for a grow space? I've heard of people converting them I think, but is it better than a wood cab? Should I take the fridge or go with a wood cab?

go with the wood cab fuck trying to ventilate a fridge

I'm in the process of looking at materials for my perm grow cab (using a cardboard box that's 15" x 15 1/2" x 48" for seedlings) and www.horticulturesource.com has some "blackout canvas" that looks pretty damn nice. I hate to plug their site but it's the only place I've found it.

mrjagtara said:

I'm in the process of looking at materials for my perm grow cab (using a cardboard box that's 15" x 15 1/2" x 48" for seedlings) and www.horticulturesource.com has some "blackout canvas" that looks pretty damn nice. I hate to plug their site but it's the only place I've found it.

Click to expand...

Flat black paint does the job for a lot less $'s...

I talked to a friend and he suggested running carbon filter -> duct -> cooltube -> duct -> fan -> exhaust. Can anyone see any problems with this? I thought I read that the CoolTube will most likely leak some smell so I thought an "independent" exhaust for it would be better, although more expensive and space consuming. He also pointed out that elbows and bends are fans worst enemies, so having my exhaust near the center will minimize the angle of the duct out to the exhaust due to light height changes (if that makes sense). My CoolTube is approx 24" without any duct, I'm looking at carbon filters and most 6" are looking like they are between 14"-24", is that about the standard size of filters? I'm starting to think having my filter, CoolTube, and fan all in a straight shot is gonna be impossible, so how should I set it up? My friend also has a 24" x 30" SCROG screen that he is going to let me use, so I plan to kind of modify my dimensions a little to fit that inside the cab.

UPDATE! I bought an $80 grow tent on ebay - I figure if its cheap/flimsy, I can just spend another $20-40 improving it. I was thinking that building a cab from scratch would probably be $30-40, and this tent will be a lot easier to move around if I need to, less construction time, etc. Tent should be here a day or two after my new light and CoolTube. What I'm wondering is, do I need a nice (for example) 6" vortex in line fan (~$150) or would I be able to get away with something like this? Maybe a booster for intake and booster on exhaust? What do you guys think? My tent is 2' x 4' x 5', so 40 cu ft. I was thinking of going with a 200cfm fan just to get maximum airflow and ensure there's enough "pull" after I get and attach a carbon filter - Would the 2 boosters be an acceptable substitute? How loud are the boosters vs. say a vortex? I don't need anything SUPER whisper quiet, but the quieter, the better obviously.

edit: The more I read around, it is looking like booster fans are not strong enough to work with carbon filters on their own. I have found a tutorial of a DIY fan+filter and it uses boosters. Looks like I'll probably have to invest in a better fan - should I stick with 6" or would 4" be suitable? Input?

could build wooden cab but more important is kepping temp's at optomum! heat stress= hermie's...jack built both for $255.00 including Co2 and light, fan, and carbon filter...not using...found ac on craig's list was too heavy for retired woman to move or install...gave her 50.00..were both happy!gheto build easy disassembly and cheap cheap..emergency blanket's instead of mylar cheap seedling/clone room home depot 22" T5's 14 watt ea. times 14 lamp's+2 200watt cfl's..THE BUD'S SMOKE SWEET AND THE WHOLE THING NO MATTER HOW MICKEY MOUSE PRODUCE'S YIELD'S i HAVE ONLY READ ABOUT!!JACK!View attachment 2217446

Well my light should be arriving today but the tent won't for another couple days. In the meantime, I am thinking of modding a Uhaul Wardrobe Box to house my light and plants. It's 24" wide and my CoolTube is supposed to be 24" so it might be a perfect (temporary) fit. If anyone has any other temporary ideas, just so I can get some light on my baby autos - please share!

I will be receiving my electronic switchable dimmable ballast, and I am wondering if I should bother switching in the MH bulb - I have 2 healthy, and 1 sickly looking autoflower babies and I am thinking that since they are autos they don't really need much veg time and I should just set up my light with the HPS. Does anyone recommend against this? I've read vegging with HPS can work fine, just produces somewhat stretched plants perhaps? Also - since I only have really 2 healthy plants (not sure if this other one is going to pull through) - should I dim my light down? I was thinking somewhere around 100-200w because the full 400w on my 2-3 baby plants would be overkill I think. Any reason I should or should not dim my light?

Sandie - that is a bad ass set up man, I WISH I could build something that nice and solid. I'm working out of a corner in my living room in my apartment (that I rent) so I can't have my rack of nutes and an AC unit hanging out of a room I built, you know? Haha I'm hoping my grow tent will be stealth enough - I don't need it invisible but I don't need people asking questions about what they see/smell when they enter my house (the tent will be visible when a person enters about 5-10' in my apartment) - Can't wait until I have a house and backyard to mess around with, then I'll be doing indoor and outdoor for suuure

Just be careful with cardboard for fire...and do not use tin foil or you will be asking for one!! understand need but be safe above all my brother!! and as for the stealth part...find something that is big enough (BOX) to put in front of and mark camping...plywood on top and put a lamp on it for look's from the side..ignore and no one will ask..grow a type that has blueberry smell's or honey all I ever hear is your house allway's smell's so fresh!!can cove tent with large tablecloth hanging down with nice print...no zipper's ect..There's allway's a way necessity is the mother of invention...be smart plan ahead have Box big enough to box up plant's for a short visit or in an emergency!!Think ahead and stay safe! I'd put them in bathroom with light until tent show's up! BE SAFE!! wishing you the best! Jack by the way been ther done that!! landloard was ass hole!!Understand throughly your situation..and your reading the wrong book! HPS stopps streching when used to vege that's how 15 foot sativa's get to grow like mine 5 foot top's..Maybe I'll send you a real good bible..honey smell and killer hit only one! all you need.Turn light down 1/2 should be good for a week or so.

Woo that looks frosty, Jack. I actually went to the U-Haul store and it turned out they had wardrobe boxes but someone had just come and bought all the wooden rods for them so I figured I would just wait another day or 2 for my tent. Well I finally got my light and tent set up, just waiting for another pay day or 2 so I can get an exhaust/filter set up. I started a grow journal so I'll be posting in there from now on.

Melon>>>Awesome will be watching!! Remember this is real life!! No rush...no problem's...great yield!! Enjoy the grow! I'm sure a lot of people will be watching!! GOOD LUCK!!!jack