My 2 Grow Cabinet Build

What's up everyone? I am putting the finishing touches on my 2 grow boxes, figured I'd finally post the build thread. I wanted to post as I went but was too into the work itself to stop for computer time. So here is most of it and I'll update as I do the final touches. Big thanks to those who answered my many questions and to everyone who posted how-to's in the past that helped me.

Starting with a small portion of the tool

Working on the base of the box


Frame of box done

Carbon Filter done. Sorry I didn't post during pictures, its the basic setup: duct, cap, screen, filter, elbow


When attaching walls, I used wood glue before screwing panels down to help give a better seal/strength

Couple Pictures of the Box essentially done


Expanding foam into every joint to prevent light leaks and air escaping

Filter installed into box

Here's a drainage grate from lowes that I used for exhaust. I got 2 with 4" piping and just hammered the inside grates out with a chisel. Place the fan on top of one, put the other on top of the fan, tape and seal the middle chamber, and you have a very small exhaust fan.

Inside the "inline fan"

Finished Product

Installed

I hung another computer fan across from the exhaust for circulation. Speaker wire wrapped through eyelets at the top and bottom of the cab allows me to easily raise and lower the fan. I can now recommend 2 of these fans (105mm I believe) if you are trying to reach across a 2-3 foot cab. Any more than that and they won't be worth it. Also, if you are trying to seriously cool the cab with these fans, you won't have much luck. But they do a good job of keeping some circulation.


Plants inside the box

Here is my late veg/flower scrog cabinet. The box measures 3x8x5. The current setup includes a u-shape scrog screen. Although the box is 24 sq ft, with the u-shape, I'll be able to extend the screens footprint to 33 sq ft.

The box was built with 2x2 framing throughout and covered with 1/2" waferboard. It came out extremely sturdy, my buddy and I can both be on top of it working.

Here's a component list:

2 - 600w hps lights, 1 ultrasun and 1 ushio bulb
2 600w digital ballasts, 1 nextgen and 1 hydrofarm
2 unknown hoods, both air cooled with glass
Homemade carbon filter, cone shape 8"-6", 32" long
6" ducting throughout
2- honeywell tabletop fans ($15 at target)
2- 4" personal fans ($6 at walmart)
4 - Leftover computer fans, 90-120mm
Hydrofarm 6" 440cfm inline fan in the mail now

I really didnt get many pictures during this build, I had 2 other people helping me and didn't really want to tell them to stop so I could take pictures. I'm afraid they would take a toke break and never come back, so I kept cracking the whip instead.

This is the earliest I took pictures, the frame was built, several panels on, and this picture shows the center screen frame. My dog really wanted to help too.


2 intake holes on the left side of the box, across from the exhaust filter. There's also one smaller hole on the bottom of the right side.

One of the frame before we put on the roof. Each 2x2 crossbeam has a screw through it to hold the light so its weight is spread between 2 of them.

Lights hanging

Being that the box is 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide, I just used a 4x8 sheet and then cut a 1x8 to attach above it. I also ran out of white paint before I got this panel in. I'm just going to wait until I can get enough stain to do the ceiling, all the way down the sides, and the top panel. Being that the bare areas are above the lights and below the screen's canopy, I don't foresee too much of a loss in reflectivity. Hole for exhaust is cut into this as well

Left side of the cab coming along

Right Side

Pots are in, awaiting plants.

More pots

Computer fans, power strip and shelf all mounted

4" fans mounted

Portable ac on top of my box. Room temps were getting to 93. Some exhaust blows back in because I haven't gotten my exhaust fan which will push the ac exhaust out the window with it. I've gotten room temps down to 79 with this ac running as well as leaving the closet door open for the central ac to cool the room. I'm rerouting a duct this week to put a vent directly into this room, hopefully that will bring room temps to 72-73.


Any advice/criticism/kudos is greatly appreciated. I'm going to be starting a grow journal, I got my clones sunday. Purple Kush, Strawberry Cough, and Super Silver

No one cares I guess?

I'm a big fan of cabinet builds, very nice. I cut a square out of mine and used a window a/c though, very effective.

Thanks. I would like a window ac but its a walk in closet window, narrower than any ac ive found. Plus my exhaust fan has to go out there unless i route it into the attic. I should mention that i took the filter off the smaller box. Plants barely smell at all and i needed more airflow through the box. Pc fan flows a lot better without that drag

Nice job, I've found proper ventilation is the key to growing in a box.
In my case I cut a hole in my floor and exhaust out a window.
By running the lights at night I keep it a few degrees cooler too.

Thanks for posting this. This is probably how I'm going to have to grow at first if I can't find a place with a proper basement.

Looks good!

So far so good dude, I'll chime in again soon to see your progress - STELTHY

Thanks guys. Waitin on the inline fan, installing a/c vents into the room tomorrow, and I'll be fully operational. For now, all I need is the smaller grow box. Grow journal just started is in my sig. I'm psyched to have this goin, it's been a couple years since I've even helped with a grow!

So I just got done showering after coming out of my attic from a ducting adventure....so much fun. I now have my central ac pumped directly into the room. Should bring the temps down a couple degrees and I no longer have to keep my door open with a box fan pulling the attached room's ac into it. I'll take some pics in a few minutes of the completed job. No during pics, I just wanted to get the hell out of the attic, I live in the desert and it was getting up to about 97 degrees outside, attic was starting to bake with me in it.

And here it is. May not look like much, but thats a couple hours of baking in my attic worth of work. I forgot how much I used to hate doing ducting or any ventilation in houses. Been a long time since I've had to do it too thankfully.

Alright so pretty much right after I posted about getting the a/c all hooked up, ups dropped off a present for me: my exhaust fan. Again, no during pics (I always forget to stop to take pictures until I'm done).

After I got the fan installed, I put my screen in. Now I'm just waiting on my plants to get ready for transplant!!

Tested the room out today, inside the box gets to 84, ambient stays 81. Once fall sets in ill be able to keep it at 75 or so.

Nagmier -thanks, I'm excited for this run. You can check out my journal in my sig.

Oh and no basements here either (ca)

Niceee , would love to see some big ass plants in there

So just completed an 18 hour temp test. Screen level got up to 96, top of pots got to 93. I'll be using co2 in the box(was told it allows plants to tolerate higher temps, if not thrive in it), and will be setting my central ac 1 degree cooler so I assume the box will drop about 1 degree also. But still, will 92 and 95 be too hot? My hand is comfortable less than 6" from the lights, and the screen is about 18" from them. I really cant drop my central ac any lower than 1 degree because it will start to rape my electric bill...too big of a house for cent. ac. My portable air conditioner helps, but room temp stays around 78. Any ideas/suggestions?

My first thought....

[video=youtube;25TXzPuje7I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25TXzPuje7I[/video]

thanks for posting those pics! it is really helpful especially because I am going to be working on a grow box of my own in the next coming months.

Tons of info on this site got me going, definitely glad to be able to help someone else. Good luck!

Finalized product...I ended up getting a 5000 btu window ac(its the biggest that fits in a walk-in closet window lol. I routed it straight into the main box, and let my central ac keep the room cool enough for the clone/early veg cab. That cab only gets about 5 degrees higher than room, and I'm upgrading the fans next go-around, so I'm not worried about it. Screen level sits mid 80's at 20" from lights, pot level is 77. This is with the lights about 8" from the ceiling, so I can raise the lights to make the screen level about 77 when I need to.

I was using that window to exhaust the cab, so I had to get another way to exhaust it. Well, I already cut one, so why not make a second hole in the ceiling? The wife says this got out of hand fast... It started as a 3x4 single 600w design but if some is good, more must be better right? All because some guy wanted to sell me both his 600 hoods & ballasts w 3 new bulbs for less than 1 new setup costs...

Pics from the day


ac


These thermos act up sometimes...idk which one to trust so I average lol.
Exhaust