Mini Fridge Stealth Design.. need tutorial

[greenearth5]

So, I have a 400MH/HPS that i have running and almost got busted by the maintence a while back... now im cosidering the fact that i probably should grow with stealth because i have no idea if and when anybody will come back to do maintence or a yearly checkup of my crib.

So, I have a mini fridge that I want to turn into a stealth setup using some cfls or whatever else. I know i can not fit my 400 setup in there and it would be impracticable so Ill figure something out for the later. But i do need to start someplace so im going to start with the fridge.

The fridge is very small and I need to know the stuff to turn it stealth. I know ill need a computer fan or two, some cfls and wires, the fridge.. but whatelse do i need and do you have any blueprints on what to cut.. where to cut... how to set this up. I tried to search a mini fridge on this site with barley any luck. I have little idea on the planning and preparing to pull this off.

Anybody have any ideas or experience with it? Do i need to gut it all out until i hit bare metal? or leave the plastic interior and motor and wires?

 

[Michael Phelps]

Why dont you just build a grow cabinet? The maintnence people arnt going to open it, just put a lock on it or something.

 

[greenearth5]

What would it look like and be made out of? Im keeping every idea open right now... I am semi-short on funds, no power equipment (so ill go buy it if i half to), and materials.... I have thought about buying an old cabinet or dresser from craigslist so i can use it for my 400 .. but i will need 2 stealth setups (i think)... one for a mother... one for the clones from clone to harvest

 

[Michael Phelps]

Well im not an expert in the subject but i think just doing 2 stealth dresser/cabinet design would be easier then trying to convert that fridge.

 

[Stgeneziz]

I think the dresser is a much better idea.(with a lock) As for the fridge, I don't foresee you doing more than starting seedlings or rooting some clones in there. Build a wood box with doors, stick it in a closet, make sure to have passive and active ventilation in it, something simple.

 

[greenearth5]

sorry people.. i forgot to mention that i was considering building the mini fridge just to house a small mother plant... and then a dressor or cabnet of somesort to put the clones/full grow small plants.

 

[greenearth5]

anybody.. bump... it would be cool if i could lay a line of weed down and snort it and get high lol

 

[greenearth5]

bumppppppp .. i know someone has a min fridge setup but just hasnt seen the post yet to help me out

 

["SICC"]

how tall is that thing? we need specific's

 

[greenearth5]

Here is the fridge that i got... i just posted another thread "INSPECTION NOTE POSTED" cause it was just posted a few hours ago... but ide like to keep this thread open... here is the fridge that i got.. and here are the dimensions: 18x18x18 on the ouside of the fridge.. i want to rip this thing apart on the inside and make it a mother chamber... if possible, i bet it is using cfls or something similiar.

 

["SICC"]

not too much room to work with, gonna be a tiny mother if anything, CFL's for sure,

anything would be ventilation

 

[greenearth5]

I got a small place to live and small space to grow so i want to keep it small.. it would be awesome to do one of these big 1000 or 4000 watt grows but im not in the right place for that.. i figured if i kept a small bonsi sized mother in the fridge then i can get a armori (dressor) to put a few clones in... even that might be to much for this place.. i hvae random inspections and its making me paranoid so i gotta get some sort of stealth system setup .. the sooner the better

 

[Anjinsan]

your heat would SOAR in a mini-fridge.

I did one.

Even with cfls and using alot less total wattage than you...i had to leave the door ajar and put a blanket over the top at "night"
If I forgot to remove the blanket 30 minutes or so before the lights kicked back on...temps soared.

ventilation would've been impossible w/o major surgery to the fridge...so yet another reason why i had to leave the door open like 6 inches.

THEN the damn plant outgrew the fridge!!! I had her tied down like a professional Japanese bondage queen...still i was bumping against walls and the ceiling everywhere.

It's just a no win situation which is a shame as the white interior was PERFECT in the reflectivity department.

 

[greenearth5]

Did you take out the motor and plastic lineing? I think it would work good if i could perfect how to keep it small and if i got some computer fans attached to the back of it.. i would probably need some metal cutters to cut some circles but if its possible to turn this mini fridge into a mother chamber then im going to try it .. unless someone comes up with a better idea.. cause i have seen mini fridges on here that hold small plants

 

[Anjinsan]

Now a full sized fridge...with an inlet vent hole cut and an outlet fan cut...might work.

You would need to draw the heat off the hps and would need your outlet hole to be near and level to the hps.

 

[Anjinsan]

Did you take out the motor and plastic lineing? I think it would work good if i could perfect how to keep it small and if i got some computer fans attached to the back of it.. i would probably need some metal cutters to cut some circles but if its possible to turn this mini fridge into a mother chamber then im going to try it .. unless someone comes up with a better idea.. cause i have seen mini fridges on here that hold small plants

my motor was on the back of the mini-fridge...not in the grow area.

unless you vent it HARDCORE...a 400 watt hps in that small an areawill have temps at about 110 degrees in about 30 seconds flat.

 

[greenearth5]

the 400 is going in an armori .. im putting some cfls or other type of small veg light into the mini fridge...

 

[Anjinsan]

the 400 is going in an armori .. im putting some cfls or other type of small veg light into the mini fridge...

You only have about 2' tall x 2' wide x 18" deep of workable area. The lights and cords n stuff take up the rest.

So really no plants over 20" tall in there and you'd only be able to fit one.

 

[Anjinsan]

you could probably do a fast autoflower strain in a mini-fridge.

 

[greenearth5]

hmmm ill work out the bugs and maybe scrap this idea... theres gotta be another piece of furnuture that i can use to get this done