What up everyone I wanted to share my design of this CFL grow box, from lighting fixture to frame for the box, check it out and let me know what you think.
- The Box : The box dimensions are 4ft tall by 4 ft deep by 28in wide. The box frame was made out of 2x2 lumber ( or 2x4 could be used but is over kill. After cutting all frame pieces the panels for the walls, top and bottom of the box were cut out of 1/2in. Thick stran board. The boards were then painted flat white ( the most reflective color). After the paint dried and each panel was given 3 -4 coats of paint the box is now to he assembled, attaching the frame pieces to the panel pieces cut and using good wood screws to hold it together. The final panel, 28in. Wide by 4ft tall will be used as the door, 3 regular door hinges were used along with a stable hasp to lock the door. Wheels were added to the bottom so the box could be moved easier. The final steps to complete this box will be to add ventilation holes and fans, see the last section in which I cover this.
-Lighting- Since I am using CFLs for light I want to pack as many into the box as I can, to do this I modified a pre-existing popular design mounting 7 ceramic light fixtures to pieces of plywood hinged together, 5 are mounted in line 2 , 1 , 2 then attached to the central piece 2 more short wings with 1 socket to each side. This gives me a total pf 7 sockets, with each being hinged to the central piece, screw-eyes were attached to the ends pf each wing and 4 to the central socket board. Screw eyes were like wise installed in the ceiling of the box, 178lb. Coated metal cable and cable clamps hang the entire fixture allowing it to be raised and lowered indepently for best CFL light concentration. Using "Y" and T splitters I am using 16 bulbs, 3 200watt 2700kelvin, 3 150 watt 2700 kelvin, 5 100 watt 6500kelvin ( during veg.) And 5 2700 kelvin 100 watt bulbs. The total lumens being 44,550, using around 424 actual watts.
- VENTILATION-
For ventilation and fresh air intake its extremely important to get fresh cooler air inside while allowing the hot air produced by all of the CFLs to escape the box. To do this I installed both passive and fan intakes as well as a very large and powerful exhaust fan mounted at the top. To create negative air pressure which allows passive intakes to work the exhaust fan has to be large enough and push enough air to compensate, so I used 3 computer cpu fans as intake fans mounted on the side and rear of the box, using 4in to 3in. Reducers and a homemade mounting bracket. The passive intakes were installed at the bottom to allow cool air to enter from the bottom passing the plants then the lights then exiting the top, I put 5 3 in holes covered with fine screen then wire mesh to support the weight of the plants and pots. The fan is 9in. High velocity metal 3 blade mounted ontop in a 11in. Adjustabled galvanized metal tube which acts as a stack the fan mounted in the center, holes cut in the middle as well as grooves cut along the perimeter leaving 4 1in. Connecting points.
- the grow, now to the grow, I am doing a soil mix of fox farms ocean forest, with natural compost and manure with perlite, the plants growing are 1 mr. Nice guy which is 7 days older than the others and 3 irene kush. I am using general hydroponics set of nutrients as well. Let me know what you guys think.
- The Box : The box dimensions are 4ft tall by 4 ft deep by 28in wide. The box frame was made out of 2x2 lumber ( or 2x4 could be used but is over kill. After cutting all frame pieces the panels for the walls, top and bottom of the box were cut out of 1/2in. Thick stran board. The boards were then painted flat white ( the most reflective color). After the paint dried and each panel was given 3 -4 coats of paint the box is now to he assembled, attaching the frame pieces to the panel pieces cut and using good wood screws to hold it together. The final panel, 28in. Wide by 4ft tall will be used as the door, 3 regular door hinges were used along with a stable hasp to lock the door. Wheels were added to the bottom so the box could be moved easier. The final steps to complete this box will be to add ventilation holes and fans, see the last section in which I cover this.
-Lighting- Since I am using CFLs for light I want to pack as many into the box as I can, to do this I modified a pre-existing popular design mounting 7 ceramic light fixtures to pieces of plywood hinged together, 5 are mounted in line 2 , 1 , 2 then attached to the central piece 2 more short wings with 1 socket to each side. This gives me a total pf 7 sockets, with each being hinged to the central piece, screw-eyes were attached to the ends pf each wing and 4 to the central socket board. Screw eyes were like wise installed in the ceiling of the box, 178lb. Coated metal cable and cable clamps hang the entire fixture allowing it to be raised and lowered indepently for best CFL light concentration. Using "Y" and T splitters I am using 16 bulbs, 3 200watt 2700kelvin, 3 150 watt 2700 kelvin, 5 100 watt 6500kelvin ( during veg.) And 5 2700 kelvin 100 watt bulbs. The total lumens being 44,550, using around 424 actual watts.
- VENTILATION-
For ventilation and fresh air intake its extremely important to get fresh cooler air inside while allowing the hot air produced by all of the CFLs to escape the box. To do this I installed both passive and fan intakes as well as a very large and powerful exhaust fan mounted at the top. To create negative air pressure which allows passive intakes to work the exhaust fan has to be large enough and push enough air to compensate, so I used 3 computer cpu fans as intake fans mounted on the side and rear of the box, using 4in to 3in. Reducers and a homemade mounting bracket. The passive intakes were installed at the bottom to allow cool air to enter from the bottom passing the plants then the lights then exiting the top, I put 5 3 in holes covered with fine screen then wire mesh to support the weight of the plants and pots. The fan is 9in. High velocity metal 3 blade mounted ontop in a 11in. Adjustabled galvanized metal tube which acts as a stack the fan mounted in the center, holes cut in the middle as well as grooves cut along the perimeter leaving 4 1in. Connecting points.
- the grow, now to the grow, I am doing a soil mix of fox farms ocean forest, with natural compost and manure with perlite, the plants growing are 1 mr. Nice guy which is 7 days older than the others and 3 irene kush. I am using general hydroponics set of nutrients as well. Let me know what you guys think.
