Hey everyone. I just want to see if I can get any pointers on my next project. This is my first year of greenhouse growing so I’m still learning. I have a 40’x 400’ building I want to convert into an indoor growing facility. My plan is to have a setup that will allow Me to harvest at least 30-50 plants every month. Right now I’m leaning towards the waterfall RDWC system but I’m still open for any suggestions. Thanks
Harvest 30 plants a month
- Thread starter Maman
- Start date
40x400 is huge. And 30-50 plants could mean a lot of different things. I've run 36 plants in an 8x11 room, but I've seen people run other plants where they only have 36 in a 500 sq ft room. Maybe desired weight would be a better way of describing what size grow your going to need to build.
I mean it would take a ton of money to build out a 40x400 so much so that I would hire an architect or someone to design that. If you just want to build out a few rooms inside that building and you have decent electric service and a water source near by then should be easy enough to figure out what size rooms your going to want to build.
I mean it would take a ton of money to build out a 40x400 so much so that I would hire an architect or someone to design that. If you just want to build out a few rooms inside that building and you have decent electric service and a water source near by then should be easy enough to figure out what size rooms your going to want to build.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
There are a LOT of ways to skin that cat. You can have 1 plant per light or 50 plants per light. On large scale grows the work is multiplied and it adds up so automation can really help minimize the daily man hours.
Equipment costs will be significant on a setup that large.
One may wish to consider building out multiple flowering rooms and a veg room that can feed them. This is the best way to do it as you can have plants in a room all be at the same stage of growth and the same strain (mono cropping is always going to perform better). If you were to setup flowering rooms that are say 50 x 35 feet ish, have 7 flowering rooms and a veg room. You can veg plants from the flowering rooms and have them ready for when the room is harvested and cleaned out. In a space like you have, one could easily figure on cropping 150 pound rooms every 10 days or so depending on strain.
You will need some employees to handle that much work.
I consult with many growers and provide facility designs and operational support. A building like yours typically requires so much investment initially, many choose to build out rooms individually, bringing them online one at a time. This allows the grow to pay for itself so to speak.
Equipment costs will be significant on a setup that large.
One may wish to consider building out multiple flowering rooms and a veg room that can feed them. This is the best way to do it as you can have plants in a room all be at the same stage of growth and the same strain (mono cropping is always going to perform better). If you were to setup flowering rooms that are say 50 x 35 feet ish, have 7 flowering rooms and a veg room. You can veg plants from the flowering rooms and have them ready for when the room is harvested and cleaned out. In a space like you have, one could easily figure on cropping 150 pound rooms every 10 days or so depending on strain.
You will need some employees to handle that much work.
I consult with many growers and provide facility designs and operational support. A building like yours typically requires so much investment initially, many choose to build out rooms individually, bringing them online one at a time. This allows the grow to pay for itself so to speak.
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
You are going to need professional help with this. You might be able to come up with the designs, but you will need an electrician and HVAC company to do climate control for you. This guy has several videos detailing his grow warehouse. Spend several days watching the last 18 videos he has put up if not all of his videos. https://www.youtube.com/user/medicropper/videos
Building out a 16,000 square foot space is going to cost BIG MONEY. You could fit over three hundred 1000 watt lights in there. 300 lights is going to run you over 600$ a day in electric. If you set it up right, the lights will heat the entire building even in sub zero winter days, but you will want to have a furnace big enough to heat the entire building to at least 55 degrees in case of a power outage. If you plant to run all this during summer, you will need 50-70 tons of air conditioning depending where you are. We are talking 2 or 3 of these units with many many heads in the building. https://iwae.com/shop/25-ton-10-2-eer-daikin-commercial-air-conditioner-package-unit-downflow-460-volt-ha16233.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw8pH3BRAXEiwA1pvMsW6DSziqssO-mJkkrMQCkINpsBCqkjG75b3He7o_cdUOhDtbzchOJBoCbMUQAvD_BwE
Total build out would be about a million dollars I'm betting. That being said, you could be pulling 3,000+ pounds a year out of a facility like that and literally seeing profit by the end of the first year of operation.
My number of lights is based on having lights for half the facility, leaving room for walkways in each room, a drying/processing room, and just a general amount of space to work. Renfro's plan builds it out as all grow rooms with a 5 foot walk way going to each on. No processing/drying/office/break room/extra space for anything which is fine if you plan to build an additional building for that stuff.
Building out a 16,000 square foot space is going to cost BIG MONEY. You could fit over three hundred 1000 watt lights in there. 300 lights is going to run you over 600$ a day in electric. If you set it up right, the lights will heat the entire building even in sub zero winter days, but you will want to have a furnace big enough to heat the entire building to at least 55 degrees in case of a power outage. If you plant to run all this during summer, you will need 50-70 tons of air conditioning depending where you are. We are talking 2 or 3 of these units with many many heads in the building. https://iwae.com/shop/25-ton-10-2-eer-daikin-commercial-air-conditioner-package-unit-downflow-460-volt-ha16233.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw8pH3BRAXEiwA1pvMsW6DSziqssO-mJkkrMQCkINpsBCqkjG75b3He7o_cdUOhDtbzchOJBoCbMUQAvD_BwE
Total build out would be about a million dollars I'm betting. That being said, you could be pulling 3,000+ pounds a year out of a facility like that and literally seeing profit by the end of the first year of operation.
My number of lights is based on having lights for half the facility, leaving room for walkways in each room, a drying/processing room, and just a general amount of space to work. Renfro's plan builds it out as all grow rooms with a 5 foot walk way going to each on. No processing/drying/office/break room/extra space for anything which is fine if you plan to build an additional building for that stuff.
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Renfro
Well-Known Member
How does the furnace run without power?
Honestly on a grow that large you want a backup generator. The generator will cost a LOT less than a lost crop. Running the facility on a flip (half the flowering rooms turned on at one time) will really help you minimize the size of the electrical service and backup generator.
There is a LOT more that goes into such a grow, dehumidification, co2 enrichment, water filtration, many many things to be considered and addressed.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
Load shedding can be used to a degree but most of our loads are considered critical so sizing the backup generator should be taken very seriously. One could for example have half the lights in a room ran by the backup generator, the other ones are shed when on backup power. Generators that run on natural gas or propane are generally the way to go as a diesel generator would require you hauling fuel and you also need to be concerned with the fuel staying good during long periods. Natural gas is just plumbed into your site so thats by far the easiest and most cost effective solution. A LP gas unit will at least delegate the hauling of the fuel to the company you buy from. Diesel has the advantage of generators lasting nearly forever.
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
Well i would run the furnace off a generator. A big natural gas/propane furnace can throw out a LOT of heat with very little electricity. But your completely right, a generator makes more sense. Didnt realize you could get something like this for only 30 grand. https://www.centralmainediesel.com/order/John-Deere-200Kw-Diesel-Generator.asp?page=JDO200
and Renfro is right again, propane or natural gas makes more sense. Costs more though
Yes it is a big building. I plan to build separate rooms for cloning, vegging, flowering, drying, and trimming.
Thanks for your advice. I like the individual rooms idea. It’s gonna be a biginvestment
It will be a gradual build. I’m probably gonna start out with 3 rooms first then go from there. I am
Luckily this is our recently retired commercial chicken house so yes it does have a diesel John Deer generator. Thanks.
12’
Thanks
Thank you
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
Again, check out the Medicroper videos on youtube. His latest 18 videos are basically exactly what you are wanting to do. He is slowly building out the facility.
We already have a diesel generator
Thanks
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
They arent professional videos by any standard but theres not many commercial growers out there who will point out all their flaws and everything they are learning as they go like he does.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
How many kilowatts? Is it 120/240 split phase? Is it rated "Prime"? Auto transfer switch?
It’s only been decommissioned for three months now so it still needs a lot of work... We’ve been busy with the greenhouses. Yes it’s a metal building with foam insulated roof but I’m planing to use spray foam for the walls and ceiling. The floors are dirt on both sides but has a 6’ center walkway. Because I’m working on a budget I’ll start with 1 veg room and 2 flowering rooms for now.