Micro CFL Grow Box

[SlimJim503]

So im new to this site the forums kept poping up during google searches on info about grow box's and you all seem to have your heads on straight so....... HERE I AM

My Box "I dont have pics but will be buying a cheapo digital so i can post pics to get better help and advice.

Specs
Height=29 1/2 inches
Depth= 18 inches
Width= 17 1/2
Door=13 inches Wide/25 inches Long

Okay so im looking to Build this bad boy into the ultimate CFL "NO ODOR" STEALTH BOX.

My Ideas are as follows
Fulling automated fans Thinking about this from cooler guys.com they have a duct system that could work nice with a carbon scrubber also its fully programmable and has a thermal probe that shuts the fans on and off due to temp inside the box.
Fan Combo "can run up to 4 fans"
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556091639.html
Duct
http://www.coolerguys.com/cgfvdt120.html

Im thinking i will put intake at the bottom ,exhaust at the top. common sense.

Now for the duct and scrubber setup. The setup will involve two scrubbers one at intake"Inside the box" and one at exhaust"Outside of box".
Intake scrubber box design ideas
Specs
Length= 8 inches
Width= 6 inches
Height= 6 inches
Top=10 inches by 8 inches
Make a wooden box large enough to mount 120mm fans".
second leave the top or bottom larger in size for this lets say the top is larger. Now the Top must be sealed but removable to be able to change carbon filter. Also the top must be bigger for mounting reasons. Now cut a hole for the 120mm on the bottom"smaller side" then to one of the 6 inch sides. Panty hose and carbon on the inside. Mount it to the Inside of the box at the top so that it is removable and the the side hole is facing down. The mount fan on the side blowing in and a fan on the bottom blowing out. Then mount the Duct to the fan on the bottom of the scrubber facing exhaust the one that's blowing out then mount the other side of duct to the exhaust fan. Then a Cone style carbon filter on the out side of the exhaust.


Now i need HELP with LIGHTS plz and any thought on the exhaust odor killing system i described above.


The box was a movable work bench and there was a wooden self at a Height of 16 inches i removed the shelf opening the full 29 1/2 inches leaving the wooden self support alone i think its 1/2.


Thanks
Slim

 

[newgrower19]

Hey whats up slimjim i recently joined rollitup too because they seemed like the most helpful. I plan on starting up my grow. I am big on the NO ODOR thing, because I live in an apartment with no vents running. Im going to be using a dresser that I will modify to make it as airtight as possible. Im going to be starting as soon as I recieve my next pay check on the first of april. It seems like you have the same ideas I got going on. I might be using cheaper equiptment though. I want to start out with one plant, I have already ordered 10 feminized seeds from nirvana, the strain I ordered is called crystal a ww/ northern light hybd. I am looking foward to ur pics as I am a new to growing and stealth is my main concern. I will be posting pics and info as soon as I get started. Good Luck BRo!

 

[SlimJim503]

Im interested in Cheaper i know $200 is steep for a vent system, What kinda stuff are you gonna stick in your box. The only reason i was thinking of the coolerguys.com system was that fact i dont want to burn down my house and also you can mess with your fan settings till you have the ideal growing temp inside the box without so much headache and from the outside panel. I know i Could get cell phone chargers and wire up 120mm computer fan and even get a little controller for them but they would be on ALL the time instead of when it just needs to be vented. My thing is Complete Stealth and 4 or 5 120mm fans running 24/7 is hard not to notice.

Whats kinda lights are you gonna use right now im running 2 26 watt 6500K on some seedlings and i plan to add all the goodies to my box as they grow. I did the paper towel and baggy trick for germination they were really old and random seeds i got from some smoke a year or two back. I put 30 or 40 of those little SOB's in the towel and they all popped on me so im in a pickle now way to many plants. Ive grown before and multi plants per bucket i find works for me so i planted 6 to 7 per party cup. They are all doing great and some are even working on their second set of leaves and its only been 4 days sense i planted them under the soil about half a inch. I moved one set into a 1 gallon pot and have already started LST training with paper clips to hold them down and direct the seedlings growth. I plan on Flowering when they get around 10 to 15 inches tall. This grow is just for fun right now and learning about CFL stealth grows.

 

[dsnutts]

Yo slim, if you only have 29 inches you want to flower those girls at like 3-6 inches or you gonna run out of room... For your lights you are going to want the 6500K for veg and 2700k for flower. Read this Thread from Dr.Bud on micro growing....http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=69713&page=5

 

[SlimJim503]

I know they still grow in bud but im LST training from week one all the way to end. I plan on building a cage shelf to keep them down and out of the lights when they are bigger.

Does anyone know anything about maxlite brand CFL bulbs it looks like you can get up to a 80 watt 5000k/2700k that pumps out 5,500 lumens for $33.54 and they fit standard e26 socket. They also have giant bulbs 200watt at 12,000 for around $80. I think im just going to go the surge protector route. They make socket to outlet plug so you and just mount your power strip and plug you bulb in. Also Y socket splitters so i can put multiple bulbs per plug on surge protector and all zip tied together of course for my girls safety Does anyone have any experience running lights like this? Also going to add a strip of 23watt bulbs "maybe two strips" to go in the middle of the plants on the floor of the box to give upwards light

 

[SlimJim503]

Just ordered my vent system From coolerguys.com dual fan can adjust the on off temp with LCD panel. Also ordered 2 80 watt 5000K 5500lum 5U CFL'S and some Y socket adapters so i can run my 23 and 80 watt on one corded socket. No odor control for now but have a bunch of solid ideas.

Ok so now i have succcsufully transplanted 3 of my party cups "full of seedlings" and they all have made it and are happy to be in their new home. Happy to say im the proud owner of a three leaf seedling dont know what it means but she's unique and i like her glad she made it So now i still have 3 party cups full of girls just waiting for more room to spread. Also i LST the seedlings in their own spot in the pot meaning paper clip them down to promote growth away from each other. The trick is i put my light extra high from the baby's for "ONE DAY" to promote upwards growth then once they were tall enough to bend in the direction wanted i did so and used paper clips to hold them down. Then i put my lights back to the just a few inches over them and they all have turned heads up to face my lights. Also 90% have started their second set of leave's some even close to 3/8 inches long not bad for one week time in miracle grow potting soil, distilled water and 2 23 watt 6500K 1650lum CFL'S. Also i plain on keeping them small so i keep my lights really close 3 to 5 inches above any higher and they stretch. Next i need to find a way to the hydro store and get foxfarm 3 stage superthrive for foliage spray azamax for foliage/pest spray and call her good till things come up or get stinky hope i get a female or two out of the lot mainly just doing it for shits and giggles.
Been thinking i could put them in bud cycle and when they show kill the males and then clone the girls. Wish i could just get the balls and order seeds from Attitude seed bank so i wouldn't have to deal with the not knowing.
Running low on funds still shopping around for a cheap digital camera will get pics up soon i hope.

 

[SlimJim503]

Just ordered Fox farm trio pack for soil, SUPERthrive for added plant health and Azamax for pest control. Got everything super cheap off of amazon.com and with FREE shipping expect them to come in next week along with my lights and vent system oh boy i can wait neither can my girls If i like amazon im going to use them alot they have some super deals and offering free shipping on the item you want it you look most of the time but you might have to pay a little higher price but your still saving if you do the math! Cant wait till my stealth box is hovering around 76 to 86 degrees and to hear those fans turn on automatically to cool my babies down will be music to the ears

 

[lkymnky77]

Not in micro cab.. But new to site, first grow, all that good stuff.. I started the only three seeds I found in some good mids.. Sprouted in paper towel, one grew inch tail in 24 hrs. It was quickly planted. Other two just a day behind.. Bout five weeks old.. Was three leaf, now five.. Thinking preflowers are showing.. Lights 18/6 2 23wt (100watt equiv) sylvania cfls.. Just lost seed leaves.. Started ferts week three. Half strength, double weekly.. Haven't doubled this week..feed water water feed.. Hempy party cups, will transplant this weekend when I see more preflowers. Plan is six weeks veg, six weeks flower.. Start two new clones every three weeks... 2 plants harvested every three weeks.. If this works out.. I have pics on profile.. Haven't quite figured this site out yet....

 

[LEGO' of me]

As far as CFLs go, anything above 60lumen/watt is great. Can't comment on the brand though.

One thing I would comment on, however, is ventilation. Scrubber will have a big impact on the cfm going through those 120mm fans. CFLs are relatively cool, but certainly not heat free. Even with two inline 120mm fans, it'll be well short of that 45cfm rating (people with better experience of scrubbers can hopefully give you a better idea). I forget the rules on posting external links. Hopefully it's ok, but a useful airflow guide here:

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/how-grow-marijuana/71082-how-do-i-design-fan-powered-cooling-system-my-growbox.html

Main reason I mention this is that whilst those 2x 23W CFLs can get you through veg, you'll want more to flower really, and that'll bring those temps up.

(I'll mention this just in case, but 20db fans is a good level to aim for. At that level you'll get an average 45cfm on a 120mm fan, 60-65cfm on a 140mm. Remember that to your ear, a 10db increase sounds about twice as loud.)

 

[SlimJim503]

When i have to add the scrubber i will keep all this in mind thanks buddy

It has the option to add two more fans as there is 4 plugs on the unit if i get a splitter i could add another 4 fans. One in and 4 or up to 7 on the scrubber system if i need to add that many to push the air through my scrubber. Also been thinking about venting my grow box into a near by cabinet or a box on the top or back to add a scrubber with a duct fan but like i said noise and smell are my two big worries. I have all my nutrients vent system and lights coming this week 2 more CFL's 80 watt 5000K 5500lum

So right now this is my setup.
2 "26" watt just checked thought they were 23 watt
I lined the lower half of my box with plastic then a emergency blanket.
I moved the shelf up 6 inches cut a hole in the shelf back left hand corner and installed a 6 inch fan blowing upwards. Then i took foam borad and cut it to fit the door opening leaveing from the shelf up open to vent the grow chamber and cut a 3x3 square out of the foam boar towards the bottom. With the 2 120mm fans i shouldnt have a single problem with heat it as they only turn on when the temp is hot enough and with a fan inside running it should stay at the right temp. Now i need a water tester and some other gauges looking for ideas. I can run both lights without fan and door shut and it stays cool so i actually need more heat cus when i get the vent system i am opening the full 29/12 inches and mounting a circulation fan

 

[SlimJim503]

Plant update, The three leaf is still growing in threes as its second set are in three Second leaves are all like half inch long and shooting up Nothing like a box full of bat wings to make you smile!!!!! Could be wrong but when they look like a bat wing that means their happy and that makes me happy

 

[SlimJim503]

inky get TWO Y socket adapters and get another two lights on those babies the more light the better. Also from all that i have read lums dont add up meaning if you have 6 1600lum bulbs you have 1600lum so it is key to get the higher watt CFL's to get the higher lums. Im going to run 2 1600lum and 2 5500lum and i'll let you know how they seem to like it. Also going to review all the supplies ive bought like SUPERthrive Fox Foarm trio and Azamax also the vent system from coolerguys.com. If this all goes nicely im going to be making another box one for veg and one for bloom.

Also CFL's are to be placed close to the plant not way above if that helps i keep mine 3 inches above its week one i have 7 or so to a gallon pot and they are all working on their second set of leaves and are less the 3 inches tall all of them so NO stretching at ALL.

Hah and also thought i would just had someone in my room and they didnt even know i had plants growing hah now thats some cool stuff right there

 

[LEGO' of me]

I don't know where you read that lumens aren't cumulative, but that is not true. Assuming the lights are shining on the same spot, then two 500 lumen lights would be theoretically equivalent to a single 1000 lumen light.

I think it would be fair to say that the majority of CFLs overstate their actual lumen output (particularly some of the cheaper brands). This said, from what I've seen, the better lumen/watt seems to be in the 20-40watt category. Anything 60lumen/watt or upwards is all good though , so if you've found a good bulb then that's cool. I've read that some of the new higher watt CFLs actually put out less heat than multiple small ones, but I've not experienced it first hand. Either way you'll be able to spread them a bit to minimise shadowing (though LST helps with that anyway).

 

[SlimJim503]

Ive spent hours and hours reading on this subject on every forum searched high and low and this is what ive come up with, putting two lights next to each other doubles the amount of light that reaches surfaces not doubling the orignal light output hints why you place your CFL's around your plants to add to the amount of usable light the plant receives not total amount of overall lumen out. Take a tactical flashlight rated at 120 lumen and your blind yourself looking at it look at a 23 watt CFL rated 1600 lumen and you can still see and thats due to how to lumens are used and directed. when i get my 5500 lumen light and Y adapters i will buy another 26 watt the three of them should be just about as bright as just one of the 5500 bulbs if your correct Now no more on this on my thread i wont speak of it again until i run my test and i might just make a statement about how much brighter the 5500lum is then the two or three 26 watt around 1600lum each because i know that there is a big fight over this and no one has proof so i will run my own tests.

 

[LEGO' of me]

I don't know where you read that lumens aren't cumulative, but that is not true. Assuming the lights are shining on the same spot, then two 500 lumen lights would be theoretically equivalent to a single 1000 lumen light..

This part is important. You're confusing lumen and lux. A lumen refers to the output of light, but doesn't take into account the area over which it is spread. Lux on the other hand takes into account area as well. Lux is the number of lumens per square meter. A great big bulb emits light in most directions. A flashlight is focused onto one small area. In the case of the flashlight, that means lower lumens, but higher lux.

Lumens / m^2 = lux. In the case of your grow box the area is the same regardless of which lights you use, so as long as the number of lumens is the same, then so will the lux.

 

[SlimJim503]

Ordered my vent system on sunday and it came today!!!! +1 to coolerguys.com for the speedy shipping!!!! Intstaled the exhaust fan just in time for my power tool to die on me so i will have to wait to put the intake fan on. Man this little setup is pretty cool cant wait to have it all instailed and my new lights thrown in the box to see how the fans cool things down. So i gutted my box took the shelf out opening her all the way up so now i have the full 29 1/2 minus 6 inches or so for the bulbs if i let my plants get that tall i will just run the lights up to the ceiling. Still trying to figure out best way to light the box meaning were and what kinda sockets to place to get max room and light. Anyways i took foam board and made another door leaving a inch or so at the bottom for vent. The exhaust i put up in the back top left corner and i plain on running intake in the bottom right hand corner on the right side or the box. So with two 26 watt and then box sealed besides the 1 crack for intake and the box isnt even running exhaust but the temp is around 76 not bad Oh my intake will have a light trap blowing the intake to the front of the box to get the air to circulate. Also my fans are rated 46CFM and 20.4 DB you cant even hear the damn things. Also if i ever need more exhaust i can switch to a higher CFM 120mm or even a 140mm its a work in progress but its coming along nicely!!!! Just got a update on my bulbs they are suppose to come in next tuesday I paided a little more then i should have around $35 each but i get the most bang out of the wattage 80 watts at 5500lum vs. the 125 watt 7000lum i almost bought. If i dont like then then i will be putting a 200-250 watt CFL and go from there.

 

[SlimJim503]

Plant update..

Still getting some good growth most all of them have their first "one leaf" and second "three leaf" and 90% of them are working on the third set. I just have to get them big enough to sex and clone them then the real fun starts should be in another 2 weeks or so as im going to start nutrients no later then a week from now if i get my expected fox farm trio by then. Also am working on a small stealth veg/clone chamber built into my computer desk Its going to be REAL small 18 inches wide 13 inches tall and most likely a foot and a half deep. Planing on closing up and sealing the back as it stands now its a open box for paper work and such. Install a exhaust in the back and then a intake on the inside next to my leg also i think im going to go with making a magnet attached door to kill all light exit except from fans then i can even make light stops for them so it could be 100% stealth. Its so much nicer now not to have to vent my box and maunally monitor my box and my girls are leafs up and growing like weeds Also i put clogged up the intake to see what would happen keep in mind i ave a small 5 inch fan going inside the chamber its still right at 76 been 3 hours and exhaust fan hasn't been on one minute"just peaked it dropped to 70 with door open and like i said they all are smiling just like me"House is around 65 degrees"

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly excepted and appreciated!!!!

 

[SlimJim503]

Had to move another batch of "girls" as they started rolling up the tips of their leaves to try and save water "I think" root system couldn't keep up with the evaporation of water from their leaves so they curl to conserve water? Anyways i moved them last night still using MG soil but i picked out all of those little nutrient balls and 90% of the moss type moisture control crap. Looked at them this morning and they all have perked up except one but its just a matter of time. Everything is still growing good except a little stretching due to a lack of light "come on fedex my girls need those 11,000lums and their food darn it. Still haven't gotten the intake mounted but i got it rigged up to stay right at 76 they seem to like that right now once they get more healthy i will raise temps a little maybe.

Any comments welcome and appreciated

 

[SlimJim503]

Ok now i have gotten my nutrients "Fox Farm Trio" My added plant health "SuperThrive" and my pest control "Azamax". Just got my Maxlite 80watt 5000k 5500lum bulbs and man are they bright and "BIG" hahaha im going to have to figure out a different mounting method then hanging these bad boys works for now but the lights have been on for around a hour and all plants are now perked up and fan leaves pointing up to the lights I just made up a batch of water, my tap water is around 6.0-6.5 ph so its good to grow with not the best tho. I just a brieta filter and ran each gallon through the filter twice then poured them all in a giant ceramic bowl to sit for 24 hours or so then i will test the PH again. Ive been using distilled water but i dont ant to buy water anymore so i will do a test run on one pot of plants for 2 to 3 days and see if anything comes up from using my tap water. Then if all goes as planed i will start mixing in my nutrients pest control and superthrive. Any suggestions on how to go about mixing up my water and additives i know to start WAY less then the suggested doze but i don't know what one i should do first.

Im thinking i want to run fox farm grow big for around a week then switch over to budding as there getting big and i just know with the 11,000 lums i added they are going to explode with new growth. Also another note about the bulbs they run pretty hot and i have to figure out some cooling for them. Im thinking a 2 outlet timer with a fan connected in the box pointing at the ballasts that way it turns on and off with the lights. Its coming alog but not even close to being done still have to paint and seal the inside make light traps install intake figure out odor control and socket wiring then once i get the right temp in the box i should be good to go.

 

[SlimJim503]

Growth seemed to be real slow where on the taller plants closest to the lights so i reduced the lums back down to around 6000 down from 16,000 ran it overnight and bam seems to have fixed the problem i was having. Also ive feed them with superthrive then 2 days later feed with FOX farm Grow big and BIG bloom. So the food a reducing lights helped alot here in another week i will raise the Lums and see what happens. Tallest plant is around 8 inches tall and on its 6th set of leaves nodes are half inch apart And they look so lushish green sense feeding mhhhhh and i was worried i would burn em hahhahahaha