Below is an exchange that I had in my journal on that website...............
Originally Posted by watercooled
OK man... you are NUTS! I like it.
No to the insulation sandwich! Just put the roof and insulate the top.
Yes to relocating that twist fluorescent to inside the the room (should take 20 minutes) and changing it out for a green party floro. Something like this:
http://www.lightingsupply.com/SM11-GREEN.aspx
So you blow money here and there, why not just get a second A/C? As for a booster fan and carbon filter on the exhaust, I would worry about that since Carbon Filters loose effectiveness at higher temps. I assume the exhaust from the A/C would be higher.
As for your room being temporary... who are you kidding? That's not temporary! If you are serious about temporary, save yourself the hassle and cost. Buy as big of a tent as you can fit and cut your losses. If you come to terms with your permanent room, keep framing and get that garage door side of the room framed insulated and done!
Forget the Icebox ideas all together, you got too much going on!
You are spending SO much on this setup for PVC is it worth it?
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/grd/1883878812.html Set it and forget it! And in case the add disappears...
http://www.atlantishydroponics.com/D...-EcoSystem.asp
If you were my customer I would push you in that direction for a couple reasons, mainly you are loosing a lot of time and don't have much help for construction! I'm not sure you'll be done in time!
Here is what I recommend...
1.) Grow some moms meng!!! put those in some bigger pots and help them get bigger. You're going to need them big regardless of where Mr. Fickle takes you!
2.) Because you've already gone the route you've gone with A/C, stop f'n around and get a second one!
3.) Buy as big of a tent that will fit in your room. If needed, split into two smaller tents!
4.) Start growing again! Throw the two A/C's in the tent, drop the two eco systems in.
5.) Go to a psychiatrist to take care of your phonophobia, or just read up on duct mufflers... and while you're at it, get one in combination with a fan and charcoal filter:
http://www.horticulturesource.com/ad...e1ccff3f15da3f
5.) Turn the A/C's on. Put that filter in the garage and vent it the outside to create the negative pressure in the room so it will remove the smell issues.
6.) If you bought the tents, take the wood you bought and that door and fuel a fire pit.. but on a serious note, take the A/C Vents and dump them into the bigger garage room. Take the carbon filter and put it
NEAR the exhaust. Exhaust that vent to the outside somewhere.
AFTER you are up and running, go back to considering your sealed environment in the tents and decide if it's worth it over a bowl of freshly dried herb...
7.) Worry about what you will do to keep the room warm in a couple months when the lights are off! maybe run the two tents on a flop and maybe the heat from the lights would vent into the garage to help keep the space warm?
Once the room is up and running, spend 5 minutes on electrical sites and switch your own outlets to 220! Take pics of your braker box and go to the electrical threads on RIU or hit me up... Do this AFTER you are up and running!
Integra - still thinking about the floor, but I'm honestly leaning towards just scrubbing it as well as possible and filling in the cracks as best I can - you guys can not fathom how uneven that floor is, and any attempts to put something on top of it would be futile, IMO.
Watercooled, thanks for stopping in and the great ideas man - really, really appreciate it.
I'm gonna handle them in order, but real quick just to exphasize my fickle-ness - was tossing and turning last night until 6am considering different growing methods - went to horizontal aero scrog under light movers to horizontal sog, and then finally came back to (and settled) my original octagon idea at about 5:45am.
As far as the insulation goes, good to know - so "attic" (R-30, 6" thick) insulation laid across the ceiling "bare" would work pretty well for me? Just make sure it's pressed down well and I don't have to cover it?
As far as moving that ceiling light - hopefully that won't be much of a problem - not sure about how to move the "switch" to outside the grow room, but I assume I can figure that out - moving the actual light down should be as easy as unscrewing some screws.
Why do you think I need a second A/C? Last night (while tossing and turning) I realized that my idea of adding a 1K in there wouldn't work because of a lack of available power - so that's ~3000 watts (taking into account the veg tent and dehumidifier) being cooled by a 14KBTU AC - that should work, no?
Also, regarding the carbon filter - I agree that it sounds like a bad idea on the exhaust of the portable A/C, so here's the new idea:
Put my two ozone generators and the filter with fan in the garage where the dirty air gets exhausted to, and don't mess around at all with the ducting on the AC - allow it to dump "stinky" air into the small remainder of the garage, and have the filter and ozone generators located right where the exhaust comes out - sound like a plan with a reasonable chance of success?
I'm guessing that the "remainder" of the garage is ~600 cubic feet - what size fan would I need to make sure there's adequate negative pressure? I'd think a 170CFM fan would be sufficient, but I can step up to a 425CFM if that is needed.
Yeah, when I think about all the work I've put in (and the tons still to do), the word "temporary" doesn't seem to describe this endeavor - let's remove that word from our vocabulary. Gonna frame out and seal the garage door sooner rather than later.
Iceboxes are forgotten - too much work with too much risk of them not working.
Frankly, the building of the actual octagon should be pretty gosh darn easy - just cut PVC and glue the pieces together with the wye fittings - plus it'll be much cheaper (<$2K, no matter how big I end up going), and I'm starting to dig this DIY stuff - it's gotta make problems easier to solve if you've built it yourself, no? Long story short, sticking with the DIY octagon plan (for now
)
1) I'm trying with the plants, man - they were outside for a while and clones were taken VERY late in flowering, so they've been sickly from the start - however, the clones that rooted about 10 days ago are in dirt and doing great, so I think I might've gotten past the rough patch. The clones in the EZ look like SHIT, but they're from sickly plants and the water's too hot and the pH was outta wack for the first week because of a broken pH meter. In case anyone's wondering, yes, I'm wishing I wouldn't have bought that EZ - I'm drunk on eBay too much and linking your eBay to your Paypal so you only have to click your mouse twice and you've bought something is bad news for an impulsive person like myself.
2) Still waiting to hear about why you think I need a bigger AC - even though I have this one sitting in my kitchen, if there's a compelling reason it's not worthwhile, it's unopened and I can ship it back.
Also, for security reasons last night (and me thinking the AC could pretty easily keep up with the lighting), I was thinking of keeping the ballasts inside the grow room - guess I should definitely move them into the "empty" area of the garage, huh?
Honestly, still haven't totally given up on the idea of saying "screw" AC and going with a 6" 425CFM for intake and a 10", 1000CFM for exhaust - I wouldn't be able to keep the room in the same tight temperature band that I would with AC, but I'd also be saving about 1000 watts of power. The CO2 would get exhausted more often, but with a natural gas line in there, I'm not real worried about that.
3) Not sure what I'm doing with tents - might buy a 4x4 (even though I just sold mine like a dumbass) for my moms and clones - have them in a 2x4 right now but I don't think that's large enough mom area to get the # of clones I'm gonna need - gonna stick with a 400 watt light in either case, though.
4) I'm growing in my "workout" room right now in a 2x4 tent - it's all I've got available to me at this point - girl is not letting me take over any more rooms in the house.
5) Definitely gonna need a duct muffler regardless of what direction I go with for cooling.
6) I'm on it
7) That's kinda what I was figuring - with (hopefully) how well insulated the room will be and the 400 watts from the veg tent running and with lights off during the day (when outside temps will obviously be warmer), I hope to get by without a heater - doubt temps are gonna get much below 65F, and I'm almost certain they'd never get below 60F.
And as far as switching the outlets to 220V, IF that's something I can do (don't think it is, electrical scares me and I'm not sure if I have the necessary breaker slots anyways), that'd definitely be something I'd do sooner rather than later - wanna try to get as much of this done before any plants go in there as possible - not trying to do major structural/electrical upgrades between harvests if I can help it.
Holy fuck, that post has GOT to be some kinda record.
Sorry people.
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
....
As far as the insulation goes, good to know - so "attic" (R-30, 6" thick) insulation laid across the ceiling "bare" would work pretty well for me? Just make sure it's pressed down well and I don't have to cover it?
Don't Press it down. Leave it fluffy. If you wanted to you can go to HD, buy some spray in and rent the machine. It's a two person job and pretty messy, but it won't leave you itching.
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
As far as moving that ceiling light - hopefully that won't be much of a problem - not sure about how to move the "switch" to outside the grow room, but I assume I can figure that out - moving the actual light down should be as easy as unscrewing some screws.
Yup, the bulb is easy. As for the switch, make sure you turn the breaker off and then dissemble it. You'll need some wire nuts (most likely the yellow ones) and some wire (16/3 will work fine) Get those at home depot and you'll see what I mean.
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
Why do you think I need a second A/C? Last night (while tossing and turning) I realized that my idea of adding a 1K in there wouldn't work because of a lack of available power - so that's ~3000 watts (taking into account the veg tent and dehumidifier) being cooled by a 14KBTU AC - that should work, no?
You are over reacting to electrical work. You are capable of framing out a room, throwing insulation, growing cannabis so the electrical work is easy! Make sure you turn off the breakers and do it! Keep going back to HD as needed.)
Again, you are not only cooling the light, you are cooling a hot and muggy garage as well. Drop the IB's and pay for an A/C!
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
Also, regarding the carbon filter - I agree that it sounds like a bad idea on the exhaust of the portable A/C, so here's the new idea:
Put my two ozone generators and the filter with fan in the garage where the dirty air gets exhausted to, and don't mess around at all with the ducting on the AC - allow it to dump "stinky" air into the small remainder of the garage, and have the filter and ozone generators located right where the exhaust comes out - sound like a plan with a reasonable chance of success?
Yup! I would do it.
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
I'm guessing that the "remainder" of the garage is ~600 cubic feet - what size fan would I need to make sure there's adequate negative pressure? I'd think a 170CFM fan would be sufficient, but I can step up to a 425CFM if that is needed.
I like to oversize it. Go as big as you feel comfortable. The wattage difference is almost negligible.
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
... Long story short, sticking with the DIY octagon plan (for now
)
K
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
... I'm wishing I wouldn't have bought that EZ - I'm drunk on eBay too much and linking your eBay to your Paypal so you only have to click your mouse twice and you've bought something is bad news for an impulsive person like myself.
Impulse your way into a second A/C, a tent or two with a Carbon Filter and fan!
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
2) Still waiting to hear about why you think I need a bigger AC - even though I have this one sitting in my kitchen, if there's a compelling reason it's not worthwhile, it's unopened and I can ship it back.
I'm assuming you really won't do a split A/C. Because of that, don't return it, just get another one. Again, you are not just cooling the lights, you are cooling a hot muggy garage plus the lights. If you go with what I'm saying you won't even continue framing!
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
Also, for security reasons last night (and me thinking the AC could pretty easily keep up with the lighting), I was thinking of keeping the ballasts inside the grow room - guess I should definitely move them into the "empty" area of the garage, huh?
I think you said you are going digi's? If so, put them wherever you want! if they are magnetic, then yes, but them in the "empty" area.
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
Honestly, still haven't totally given up on the idea of saying "screw" AC and going with a 6" 425CFM for intake and a 10", 1000CFM for exhaust - I wouldn't be able to keep the room in the same tight temperature band that I would with AC, but I'd also be saving about 1000 watts of power. The CO2 would get exhausted more often, but with a natural gas line in there, I'm not real worried about that.
That's fine, but you aren't positive it will work AND you are compromising on your rooms temperature. If you are willing to not grow during the hot months, go for it!
You could always implement that after the first check or two since the cold weather would be here by then.[/quote]
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
3) Not sure what I'm doing with tents - might buy a 4x4 (even though I just sold mine like a dumbass) for my moms and clones - have them in a 2x4 right now but I don't think that's large enough mom area to get the # of clones I'm gonna need - gonna stick with a 400 watt light in either case, though.
The plants you took pics of in dirt need to be up potted as soon as the roots turn in those pots. Take a look at my album on RIU... To EVERY one that has a plant count issue, I tell them to use BIG pots. One mom in a big pot will give you more clones then you can use!
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
4) I'm growing in my "workout" room right now in a 2x4 tent - it's all I've got available to me at this point - girl is not letting me take over any more rooms in the house.
First...
THEN ask for the other rooms!
Originally Posted by Bobby Smith
...
And as far as switching the outlets to 220V, IF that's something I can do (don't think it is, electrical scares me and I'm not sure if I have the necessary breaker slots anyways), that'd definitely be something I'd do sooner rather than later - wanna try to get as much of this done before any plants go in there as possible - not trying to do major structural/electrical upgrades between harvests if I can help it...
Let me see if I can find some good electrical pointers for you.
All right, you've certainly earned your stripes for all your input today (sent you a PM - you've got a ounce-sized blunt waiting for you if you're ever in my hood), but I *think* I've made my mind up on a couple of things:
1) Not getting another AC
- I run my lights at night, which means the AC only has to keep temps in the low 80s as they run.
- During the day (when the sun is really beating down), the AC only has to keep a 140sq/ft room (HEAVILY insulated) at 75F (with intake air of 70F) - if the AC can't do that, then fuck it.
- This AC runs off of 1100 watts to cool lights of 2400 watts - if I need more than half of my energy devoted to cooling, than the economics of growing start to lose their appeal to me.
- If it turns out the AC simply can't keep up (would ONLY be an issue for the summer), then I have options like only running 1200 or 1800 watts (or just not flowering during the summer).
- One of my concerns is actually about my AC not running enough during the other nine months to provide the dehumidification necessary for the room - have a 25 pint dehumidifier, but I'm not sure that'll be able to keep up without the 100 pint dehumidification of the AC helping it out.
2) Not doing anything with the electrical (save for moving that green light)
- 2400 watts should be more than enough for my needs once I get it dialed in - looking to easily average a pound a month, and if I can't get that with that wattage and the system I'm building, than I need a new hobby
- Electrical scares me and if I don't need to do it, I'm not messing with it.
- Whereas I'm not a noob who asks if running a 250HPS is gonna have the cops beating down my door because of my high electric bills, 4000+ watts (AC, fans, pumps, lights) start to make a pretty high bill for a 3BR house (which also has tons of big screen TVs, stereo systems, central air, etc.) - not trying to be outrageous about my power usage.
Thanks so much again for you help man - can't wait to get this shit rocking and rolling.
Yeah, unfortunately ANY smell is unacceptable to me, so I've gotta get that figured out first and foremost, but I'm confident that I can throw enough filters and ozone at it (assuming the room is fully sealed) that I'll be able to handle it.
So, back to my lunatic self.........have decided that I'm gonna make the octagon 6 levels and 84 sites, and light it with 3 600s - plenty of lighting power for the size, and I should be able to pull 3 pounds off of that fairly easily.
Also going to hedge my bets and run a 600 next to it over an E&F table (one of my 2x4 trays, *maybe* - see below) using the SCROG technique - don't wanna put all my eggs in the vertical basket, and in the winter when the AC won't be running that much, I can add another horizontal 600 and my other 2x4 tray (if I so desire).
Or should I use both of my 2x4 trays for the 600? Even though it comes out to EXACTLY 40 watts/sq foot (the trays are only 44", not 48"), the fact that it will be next to the octagon and receiving light from that as well should give me sufficient light for that setup, no?
EDIT: Integra and/or Boom, you could help me out here - even though the trays are 2x4, I could make the screen any size I wanted, right? So I could do a 3x4 screen over a 2x4 table with a 600 pretty easily, no?
If I use both 2x4 trays, then I'd get a linear light mover and run it as a 2x8 table (I think).
I know I'm fucking nuts guys...........somebody help me out here with some direction so I can get some sleep and stop playing around with configurations in my head.