New Cabinet Grow - 9'x4'x18" - Complete Build Journal - Lot's of Pics
- Thread starter jsgamber
- Start date
Sorry I'm late. The plan for tonight:
Seal all cabs.
Mylar all cabs
Vent the new flower chamber
run ventillation in the back
Build and install second passive intake register and install
Clean up electrical before I kill myself or someone else
Last 45 min:
Clean out cabs vacuum and wipe down
1st pic shows new mother chamber and how it's sealed with aluminum tape
2nd pic shows orig mother chamgber with duck tape...it sucks and fell apart
3rd pic the white strips are a new mold/mildew resistent shelf liner. It's flexible and won't let the tape tear if under stress. Helps to block air and light
4th pic assembly line, adding tape
5th pic installing
Back in a bit
Seal all cabs.
Mylar all cabs
Vent the new flower chamber
run ventillation in the back
Build and install second passive intake register and install
Clean up electrical before I kill myself or someone else
Last 45 min:
Clean out cabs vacuum and wipe down
1st pic shows new mother chamber and how it's sealed with aluminum tape
2nd pic shows orig mother chamgber with duck tape...it sucks and fell apart
3rd pic the white strips are a new mold/mildew resistent shelf liner. It's flexible and won't let the tape tear if under stress. Helps to block air and light
4th pic assembly line, adding tape
5th pic installing
Back in a bit
Attachments
This is working for me and keeping me moving. I've got at least 20 hours under my belt so far and I need to get this done for this reason:
My "supply center" in the middle of the garage floor. Everyone walking around and not happy.
My workbench is out of hand with build crap
This hours progress. Need just a bit more tape to seal everything up. I LOVE this aluminum tape. The only downside is that it's a bit hard to peal the backing off so it just takes up time. After this is done, it's Mylar time!
My "supply center" in the middle of the garage floor. Everyone walking around and not happy.
My workbench is out of hand with build crap
This hours progress. Need just a bit more tape to seal everything up. I LOVE this aluminum tape. The only downside is that it's a bit hard to peal the backing off so it just takes up time. After this is done, it's Mylar time!
So much for 45 min. But you guys already bailed anyways. 
Well I'm still ticking.
There was more taping up to do than I thought last update, but it's finished.
The Mylar is up in the middle cabinet. Next is the lower.
pic 1 - 3M Adhesive for hanging Mylar. Very forgiving and let's you retack many times. Just watch overspray on neighboring Mylar.
pic 2 - cutting. This pic looks very strange
pic 3 - Hung. Still need to cut the vent holes
Next update Lower Mylar and hopefully some major ventillation work!!
Well I'm still ticking.There was more taping up to do than I thought last update, but it's finished.
The Mylar is up in the middle cabinet. Next is the lower.
pic 1 - 3M Adhesive for hanging Mylar. Very forgiving and let's you retack many times. Just watch overspray on neighboring Mylar.
pic 2 - cutting. This pic looks very strange
pic 3 - Hung. Still need to cut the vent holes
Next update Lower Mylar and hopefully some major ventillation work!!
Well as it goes the spirit and mind are willing but the body is saying "fuck you". Way to much bending, squatting, stooping, getting down, getting up after everything else this weekend. I have to remember that I'm 50 with arthritis so I need to be a bit more moderate.
I think I made great progress and things are turning out spif. Now that most of the "dirty" part (wood cutting, metal cutting, spray adhesive) is done, I can get to some of the "fun" stuff. The Mylar had to go up so I can insert all the duct work without having to wrap the mylar afterwards. Even though I won't be in the lower cabinet for another month, all of the duct work is conjoined and in order to make everything "closed" it has to work together from the beginning.
Here are the final cab shots for tonight. After taking them I went ahead and used a razor to cut out all of the holes. I still have to do a water change and Larry needs a hair cut.
Since I'm working with the ladies, I'll send my updates to my grow journal so head on over there for a bit. Since the camera is handy, I'll give you some good root porn shots.
Plan for tomorrow...build this. This is the ventillation design plan. We'll see if I can pull it off.
peace
PS. I shouldn't have sat down to write this. My body said done so I'm off to bed. I'm usually up by 6:00am so let' see what we can finish.
I think I made great progress and things are turning out spif. Now that most of the "dirty" part (wood cutting, metal cutting, spray adhesive) is done, I can get to some of the "fun" stuff. The Mylar had to go up so I can insert all the duct work without having to wrap the mylar afterwards. Even though I won't be in the lower cabinet for another month, all of the duct work is conjoined and in order to make everything "closed" it has to work together from the beginning.
Here are the final cab shots for tonight. After taking them I went ahead and used a razor to cut out all of the holes. I still have to do a water change and Larry needs a hair cut.
Since I'm working with the ladies, I'll send my updates to my grow journal so head on over there for a bit. Since the camera is handy, I'll give you some good root porn shots.
Plan for tomorrow...build this. This is the ventillation design plan. We'll see if I can pull it off.
peace
PS. I shouldn't have sat down to write this. My body said done so I'm off to bed. I'm usually up by 6:00am so let' see what we can finish.
bgsixxxniner
Member
nice ima try that...what kind of lights r u using?
bgsixxxniner
Member
hey that cool..i like tha mylar...i think ill try just mylar and skip tha painting step...like u said when u get old ur body just says NO on its own....smokin does help get me motivated though....
In the mother chamber I'm using 250W MH HID lamp. In the flowering chambers will be 430W HPS HID lamps.
Me too. I've used that adhesive spray on other projects and I love it. It's very forgiving as far as lifting and repositioning. However watch for overspray getting on your newly hung pieces. I use a large piece of cardboard to cover and protect the mylar. Regarding the paint, I only primered the wood (actually I had my kid do all the painting). I just didn't like the idea of unprotected wood in in a hostile environment especially when humidity takes off. Thanks for joining in bgsixxxniner!
As far as the update, my body needed to take a break tonight. Also I needed to get the water changed and then take cuttings for new clones. Larry OG won't fit in the cab anymore. This morning I woke up and took care of the water change. I figured that would let the water sit through the day and stableize before putting in a bunch of new clones.
Check out the updates in my grow journal for clones.
peace
SensiStan
Well-Known Member
Wow cabinet overhaul ! 
all iv gta say is rather you than me buddy although iv had my fair share of dog work. i had people in my room to come treat the damp issues in my apartment building so at 7am i had to be up and moving an entire grow to another room 
somehow the girls survived and everything is still intact and flourishing but what a goddamn job (and i have to do it again on weds cuz thats when theyre coming to actually do the work ). im gna be doing a lot of "adjusting"" in the near future to to compensate for my rapidly expanding indica bushes lol. well donw on all the good work tho, id help if i could but im very very far away
all iv gta say is rather you than me buddy although iv had my fair share of dog work. i had people in my room to come treat the damp issues in my apartment building so at 7am i had to be up and moving an entire grow to another room somehow the girls survived and everything is still intact and flourishing but what a goddamn job (and i have to do it again on weds cuz thats when theyre coming to actually do the work ). im gna be doing a lot of "adjusting"" in the near future to to compensate for my rapidly expanding indica bushes lol. well donw on all the good work tho, id help if i could but im very very far away
CabinetBuds
Active Member
WOW!! I am subbed!
Your Cabinet looks great! I think you have put a tonne of work and thought into this! I think it is a little too complicated for me but I really like your res! The whole thing is awesome and I think once you get through your first grow you will really start to see results!!
Keep up the great work and all the pics!
Later
+ Rep
Your Cabinet looks great! I think you have put a tonne of work and thought into this! I think it is a little too complicated for me but I really like your res! The whole thing is awesome and I think once you get through your first grow you will really start to see results!!
Keep up the great work and all the pics!
Later
+ Rep
Hey SS, Well as you say the "dog" work is done...hopefully. Did you check out the ventilation plan? I'll be working on that today and I bought all the parts for my DIY Humidifier. You'll sh*t your pants when you see it!Wow cabinet overhaul !
Hey Cab thanks for joining and thanks for the rep. Back at you for the wonderful job you are doing on your grow.
This is one of those "forest and trees" deals. The cabinet is the sum of it's parts. Even though, over all, it seems complicated look at the details that work for you and plagerize all you want! Look at Danielsgb grow and you'll see how he took my cool tube idea and made it better which forced me to go back and retrofit my design to his! It's total collaberation!
Building "coolers" around your reservoirs is a matter of buying a 4'x8' sheet of rigid foam insulation from Lowes, cutting it up into sides and and a bottom. I used toothpicks to hold it in place until I taped it up. Instant custom cooler in less than 30 minutes!! That is as long as you are having water temp issues like me.
peace
I've already measured the dimensions and cut out the parts making sure to add an extra 1/2" on the bottom edges to create "bending tabs" to screw the unit to the back of the cabinet.
On one end you will have the point where the duct extension will attach. To cut down on leaks, measure a perfecty 4" hole in the center. Use a large drill bit in the center to drill a "starter hole" for your jigsaw or tin snips and then make several cuts along the radius and remove as much material as you can. If you have better tins snips you can cut the hole directly. Mine are too big so I ended up creating multiple cuts to the circle and bending away the excess leaving a perfect hole.
Insert duct extension, bend back all the tabs and tape it up. Don't forget to tape up the seam along the duct extension to stop air leaks.
For the sides, I didn't think I could get a really good straight corner by bending the entire length. Instead I made a cut along the edge leaving 2" inches. This is enough to bend nicely and holds it shape nicely while taping everything up.
Bend back the 1/2" tabs along the bottom, pre-drill holes along the tab and mount the sucker on the back of the cabinet.
peace
On one end you will have the point where the duct extension will attach. To cut down on leaks, measure a perfecty 4" hole in the center. Use a large drill bit in the center to drill a "starter hole" for your jigsaw or tin snips and then make several cuts along the radius and remove as much material as you can. If you have better tins snips you can cut the hole directly. Mine are too big so I ended up creating multiple cuts to the circle and bending away the excess leaving a perfect hole.
Insert duct extension, bend back all the tabs and tape it up. Don't forget to tape up the seam along the duct extension to stop air leaks.
For the sides, I didn't think I could get a really good straight corner by bending the entire length. Instead I made a cut along the edge leaving 2" inches. This is enough to bend nicely and holds it shape nicely while taping everything up.
Bend back the 1/2" tabs along the bottom, pre-drill holes along the tab and mount the sucker on the back of the cabinet.
peace
Under the staircase.
This is the wall directly behind the cabinet. Use a stud finder to see where the studs aren't. Drill the hole, install a connector, then wrap an blue ice block around the hand you just strained.
I suffer for a form of arthritis called Schleroderma, which roughly translates to "hard skin". Basically it's tightening up all the connective tissue in my arms and legs and reducing my "range of motion". With arms, hands and fingers outstretched I can only bend my wrists back 10* where normal is 90*. I can't wipe off counters (normally, I have to use my fist to grasp the rag) or do "palm" type push up. Occaisionally when I trip and fall forward I'll try to catch my fall with my hands only for them to become hyperextended and pulling on everything all the way up to above my elbow where all the forearm tendons and synovial tissues attach themselves.
In this case, I was using the hole saw to cut the 4" hole in the wall. I was in an awkward position and when the saw got caught into the wall it caused the entire drill to torque around taking my hand and wrists around the world. I didn't bawl or anything but I had some big ass tears coming out. OWWWWWWWWW!!! Once I taped my hand up with some blue ice, I finished off by spinning the drill around and bracing it against my body. Then went and took a huge hit of home made hash oil. Great Pain Killer!!
This is the wall directly behind the cabinet. Use a stud finder to see where the studs aren't. Drill the hole, install a connector, then wrap an blue ice block around the hand you just strained.
I suffer for a form of arthritis called Schleroderma, which roughly translates to "hard skin". Basically it's tightening up all the connective tissue in my arms and legs and reducing my "range of motion". With arms, hands and fingers outstretched I can only bend my wrists back 10* where normal is 90*. I can't wipe off counters (normally, I have to use my fist to grasp the rag) or do "palm" type push up. Occaisionally when I trip and fall forward I'll try to catch my fall with my hands only for them to become hyperextended and pulling on everything all the way up to above my elbow where all the forearm tendons and synovial tissues attach themselves.
In this case, I was using the hole saw to cut the 4" hole in the wall. I was in an awkward position and when the saw got caught into the wall it caused the entire drill to torque around taking my hand and wrists around the world. I didn't bawl or anything but I had some big ass tears coming out. OWWWWWWWWW!!! Once I taped my hand up with some blue ice, I finished off by spinning the drill around and bracing it against my body. Then went and took a huge hit of home made hash oil. Great Pain Killer!!
Let's get some ventilation going. This night I bit off more than I can chew with the goal of being able to vent out under the staircase before bedtime. Just as a temporary measure, I used the flex tubing to make the run but this will all be replaced with PVC. But I'll tell you one thing, even the flex tubing has a huge impact on reducing the noise level of the fans. Now when I walk in the garage, all I hear is the air pump!!
pic 1 - 5/4 reducer which is one end of the cool tube. Looking inside.
pic 2 - 5/4 reducer attached to inside of cabinet
pic 3 - 4" PVC Tee. I forgot to re read my plan so this is supposed to be a Wye in order to better direct the airflow so this will change a bit. Basically the 5/4 reducer comes out the back where I slide over a 4" PVC connector, next with a fan assembly, next followed by the Tee.
pic 4 & 5 - Temporary ducting in place. The duct going to the wall is the cool tube exhaust and the other duct is running cool air off the concrete floor to the cool tube intake.
Since this setup is stable for now, I'm gonna go build my humidifier. The humidifier will be attaching to all of my passive intakes. More pics to come!!
peace
pic 1 - 5/4 reducer which is one end of the cool tube. Looking inside.
pic 2 - 5/4 reducer attached to inside of cabinet
pic 3 - 4" PVC Tee. I forgot to re read my plan so this is supposed to be a Wye in order to better direct the airflow so this will change a bit. Basically the 5/4 reducer comes out the back where I slide over a 4" PVC connector, next with a fan assembly, next followed by the Tee.
pic 4 & 5 - Temporary ducting in place. The duct going to the wall is the cool tube exhaust and the other duct is running cool air off the concrete floor to the cool tube intake.
Since this setup is stable for now, I'm gonna go build my humidifier. The humidifier will be attaching to all of my passive intakes. More pics to come!!
peace
SmeLLyTreeZ
Well-Known Member
Damn bro thats very impressive! I really like some of the ideas you have on here, shit all of the ideas actually! I'll be improving my cab next grow and definitely putting some of your ideas to use!! Hope you don't mind
I was trying to go through and get an idea of what you've done so far. So say for the top cab, you have 3 4" holes in the bottom that lead out to that passive intake box you made. "is that gonna be pulling air from anywhere special?"
Three 4" exhaust holes at the top of the cab, one for the cool tube which is vented by a 120mm and two 80mm fans for the two corners, then you basically vented those exhausts with ducting into the wall? I'm just trying to get the idea down in my head, I know this is a vague description comapred to the work you actually put in lol.. I kind of just threw my box together and didn't really plan ahead like I should of but thats going to change next time around!! I'm gonna have to look through your whole thread again tomorrow for now time to light up! + Rep for such a great DIY thread!!
I was trying to go through and get an idea of what you've done so far. So say for the top cab, you have 3 4" holes in the bottom that lead out to that passive intake box you made. "is that gonna be pulling air from anywhere special?"
Three 4" exhaust holes at the top of the cab, one for the cool tube which is vented by a 120mm and two 80mm fans for the two corners, then you basically vented those exhausts with ducting into the wall? I'm just trying to get the idea down in my head, I know this is a vague description comapred to the work you actually put in lol.. I kind of just threw my box together and didn't really plan ahead like I should of but thats going to change next time around!! I'm gonna have to look through your whole thread again tomorrow for now time to light up! + Rep for such a great DIY thread!!
This was a fun little project. Early on I had purchased a 32 gal rubber trash can which I was planning on using to "prep" water like we do the fish tank. Since I'm now using straight tap water, I was going to take it back until I repurposed it.
So some basic principals. Evaporation requires energy (usually in the form of heat). As water evaporates it "steals" energy (it's why your body feels cold when it's wet). The more evaporation, the more heat is "stolen" and the end result is cooling. However, this all works well as long as the air is dry, allowing the surrounding air to "collect" vapor. However, once the surrounding air becomes "saturated" with water vapor, the process stops and actually begins to reverse a bit. When you start to see condensation, that means air is too moist. The process of going from vapor back to water will actually add heat back into the process!! This we don't want to happen.
So the trick is to get warm dry air to pass through something moist. As the air passes through the moisture, it causes the water to evaporate into the air causing the air to reduce in temperature as it rises in humidity. So how do we do this?
Since I'm not using the lids that came with my reservoirs, lets see what we can make. We need to build a frame that will hold the wetting medium in place. Pics below show "before" frame, "Hogs Hair" filter (1/2" thick) and poly filter, and what it looks like when cut out.
Temporarily fit the frame to the inside of the trash container to draw the cutout holes and then make the cut!
Here's all the parts. We are ready for assembly!
Voila!
So how does it work? I have a 5 ft water pump ($21 at ACE Hardware) which sits in the bottom. I used clear 3/8" ID tubing, 3/8" barbs and Tee's and hose clamps to make the connections. I ran the tubing up from the bottom to a Tee and then ran a ring of tubing around the top of the container. I was going to use some spray emitters in the tubing to wet the pads, but the pump doesn't have enough static pressure to push the water through so it just dribbled. Instead I drilled 1/64" holes in the tubing and that works perfectly!
I added a fan to help "pull" the moist air through. I may not need this as the negative pressure in the cabinets should do the trick as long as everything is air tight. I added foam strips under the lid along the edge to create a seal once the lid is put back on and snapped down.
It's hard to see, but you can see the water running through the "Hog's Hair" filter. But it doesn't leak!! Next pic shows the pump on and water spraying onto the pads.
And now to hook it up! The flex tubing is temporary until my main duct system is in place. But it's now hooked directly to the passive intake on the back of the cabinet.
The end result. Cabinet started at 79* and 44%RH. After 30 minutes, the temp was 74* and 55%RH! It works!!
So after using this for over a week, it's interesting to note that it does't always drop the humidity. A lot of that is dependent on external ambient conditions dealing with dew point, air temp, etc. But overall it keeps the humidity up anywhere between 3% to 12% higher than the surrounding air.
I probably won't hook this into the flowering chambers since mold in my buds wouldn't be good. But it fits the bill for the mother/clone/veg chamber. In fact it works a bit too good since I have some powdery mold starting to show up on my leaves. This is probably a combination of the humidifier and me spraying the plants. Now it's a matter of dialing it in with the proper fan speeds and such.
What do you guys think?
So some basic principals. Evaporation requires energy (usually in the form of heat). As water evaporates it "steals" energy (it's why your body feels cold when it's wet). The more evaporation, the more heat is "stolen" and the end result is cooling. However, this all works well as long as the air is dry, allowing the surrounding air to "collect" vapor. However, once the surrounding air becomes "saturated" with water vapor, the process stops and actually begins to reverse a bit. When you start to see condensation, that means air is too moist. The process of going from vapor back to water will actually add heat back into the process!! This we don't want to happen.
So the trick is to get warm dry air to pass through something moist. As the air passes through the moisture, it causes the water to evaporate into the air causing the air to reduce in temperature as it rises in humidity. So how do we do this?
Since I'm not using the lids that came with my reservoirs, lets see what we can make. We need to build a frame that will hold the wetting medium in place. Pics below show "before" frame, "Hogs Hair" filter (1/2" thick) and poly filter, and what it looks like when cut out.
Temporarily fit the frame to the inside of the trash container to draw the cutout holes and then make the cut!
Here's all the parts. We are ready for assembly!
Voila!
So how does it work? I have a 5 ft water pump ($21 at ACE Hardware) which sits in the bottom. I used clear 3/8" ID tubing, 3/8" barbs and Tee's and hose clamps to make the connections. I ran the tubing up from the bottom to a Tee and then ran a ring of tubing around the top of the container. I was going to use some spray emitters in the tubing to wet the pads, but the pump doesn't have enough static pressure to push the water through so it just dribbled. Instead I drilled 1/64" holes in the tubing and that works perfectly!
I added a fan to help "pull" the moist air through. I may not need this as the negative pressure in the cabinets should do the trick as long as everything is air tight. I added foam strips under the lid along the edge to create a seal once the lid is put back on and snapped down.
It's hard to see, but you can see the water running through the "Hog's Hair" filter. But it doesn't leak!! Next pic shows the pump on and water spraying onto the pads.
And now to hook it up! The flex tubing is temporary until my main duct system is in place. But it's now hooked directly to the passive intake on the back of the cabinet.
The end result. Cabinet started at 79* and 44%RH. After 30 minutes, the temp was 74* and 55%RH! It works!!
So after using this for over a week, it's interesting to note that it does't always drop the humidity. A lot of that is dependent on external ambient conditions dealing with dew point, air temp, etc. But overall it keeps the humidity up anywhere between 3% to 12% higher than the surrounding air.
I probably won't hook this into the flowering chambers since mold in my buds wouldn't be good. But it fits the bill for the mother/clone/veg chamber. In fact it works a bit too good since I have some powdery mold starting to show up on my leaves. This is probably a combination of the humidifier and me spraying the plants. Now it's a matter of dialing it in with the proper fan speeds and such.
What do you guys think?