Fridge Grow/Clone Box (with a twist)

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

Hello everyone.
I have been lurking here a while and just getting started on my first REAL grow.
I started this thread on another site but decided to move it here, seems like a lot of good friendly people here.
So… here goes, hope you all enjoy.

I wanted to find a non working fridge with the freezer on the bottom, but I couldn't find any so I picked this one up from a dealer for $20.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

So I gutted the compressor and all the fins from the bottom, which is why that hump is behind the crisper drawers.
That also makes for a small footprint on the bottom of the veg/bloom box.
And I also wanted the freezer on the bottom to use for a cloning area and for my nutrient reservoir.
So I had a set of legs in the shed that I bolted to the top of the fridge and flipped it over.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

Got the light mounted to the new top of the fridge and the wire ran out an existing port to the ballast mounted up (top).
Makes perfect use of the otherwise wasted space if the fridge were right side up.
400W LPS and MH

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

I have an AeroGarden I am planning to use for my germinating/cloning.
I broke one of the bulbs so I think I will lose the stock top light and wire up a couple sockets up as high as possible and use better grow CFL's

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

There are these three holes in the floor that go straight through to the freezer, the center one is around 2".
I Picked up a couple containers at Target today.The large container in the grow area will get a drain installed with a hose running the runoff nutes from the 6 plants being fed back to the res that will reside in the freezer area.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

I can adjust the legs I used on the cabinet to slightly lean to the rear to get all nutes to drain .
I Found the perfect sized container for the pump to go in, but I will have to paint it black.
Then just run a 1/2" line through a hole I will drill through the floor of the grow cabinet and create my water bridge with 6, 1/4" lines coming to a drip ring around each plant.
I am thinking of using 6 - 8" x 8" Rockwool blocks….???
Any thoughts guys?
FIRST build/grow here… I'm all ears.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

I will also need some input from y'all concerning ventilation/fans etc
There is a great place to exit at the top, just to the left of the light shroud.
Up behind the cabinet where the compressor was is a nice big area for a big charcoal filter.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

I think I will also cut the floor out and remove the insulation to fit the shape of the large tray to rest that tray directly on the hard ceiling of the freezer area.

This will gain me almost 3 inches in growing height.

Still thinking about this MOD ???

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

I want to do a SrcOG by inserting my screen frame above one of these ledges for the old shelving.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

Well, I won't gain 3" but I will gain almost a full 2" by cutting out the floor and insulation.

The "floor" already has a 1" recess, but I think I will go ahead and do it so I can lower my scrog screen a little more

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

OK… back to ventilation.

I saw a 6" inline fan I like @440 CFM $1

25

So, I did some figgerin.

Cut in a 6" hole as far to the inside left as I can going straight back to the compressor area.

On the inside, there will be a short extension coming straight at you then an elbow turning right and coming close to the light bulb.

With 2 intake holes located below the canopy, the air will be forced to pass right by the light bulb.

Then immediately on the outside, another elbow turning to the left (back view) directly into the inline fan then into a big carbon filter. (crappy sharpie drawing)

With a width of 30 inches, this should be a breeze to accomplish !

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

So I got a couple 6" elbows today from the hardware store and Laid out where to cut the hole to vent out to the fan & filter.

Because of the thickness of the insulation and case, I had to angle the hole upwards a little.

Made a cardboard template to trace on inside & out.

Cut the inside with a RotoZip and the back with a thin sharp chisel.

I started to do the back metal with the RZ but broke my last bit so...

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

The air, 240 CFM will have to pass right by the lightbulb

The grow cabinet is 14 cubic feet, at 440 CFM it will change the air in the box almost 30 times a minute !

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

And… while I was makin a Holy friggin mess, I went ahead and traced my large tray and cut it unto the floor.
This will give me 2" more to lower the scrog screen !
Things are really working out FAR better than I dreamed !!!

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

I read Bohbo's carbon filter thread with great exuberance till I realized it was designed to fit onto a 4" duct pipe.

So I look to my immediate left and I see the Pencil cage that Bohbo used for the larger piece.

I was thinking about using that as my inner sleeve and thought about my bait bucket or something to go on the outside of that then it popped into my head… cricket basket.

Looked it up on bass pro and said YES.

Went to my LHS (local hardware store) and picked up a cricket cage and a 6"

tabbed flange.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

Flattened all the tabs on the flange, carefully pulled on the top rim of the basket and got it off, drilled 2 holed in the tabs and attached with 2 screws.

You can see that there will be almost 3/4" thick layer of carbon between the 2 baskets.

Nice and compact too !

I still have to buy a pair of knee high stockings and the carbon bits.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

So… I get the carbon bits and...

Im looking at this filter thinking how I can fill it? You can't fill it from the inside then get the inner cage back in… impossible.

The inner cage is a little deeper than the cricket basket. so I took out the flange screws I had installed from the inside out and put 2 speed nuts on that rim of the cricket cage into the factory drilled holes and carefully put the top back on the cage.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

First the bottom of the cricket cage is taken off, the bottom of the inner cage centered and traced on it and removed with a dremmel or rotozip.

Put the stocking on the inner cage and insert it through the top of the cricket bucket, it's little lip/flange squeezes in-between the bucket rim and the tabs on the metal flange, screwed in this time from the flange side.

Set the filter on the metal flange and fill up the gap with carbon, leaving JUST enough space to push the altered cricket cage bottom back in place.

The bottoms of both the inner & outer cages are pretty much flush now.

fishdeth · Sep 9, 2014

The brush off all the little bits of carbon just barely poking through the outer screen and stretch a stocking up from the bottom and stop just before the yellow lip of the bucket.

Wrap with foil duct tape, then, pull the stocking all the way over the metal flange inward.

Then pull up the stocking that covers the inner cage up from the center and pull it over the metal flange to the outside.

There you have it !

Chronikool · Sep 9, 2014

Wow...this is really sweet....really good innovative work...being a while since i have seen something this cool...

I may have missed this....so is that the res on the left?

Fridge Grow/Clone Box (with a twist)

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member