My grow cabinet (finished)

Hey guys I had this thread as a blog in indoor growing, but I thought I'd post my last thread to get your opinions on my growbox.



Well... it's done! ....for now I have it running right now and in 12 hours I'm going to check the temperature and see how hot it's running. Then I will go from there. I decided to only install 1 exhaust fan just to see what the temps are like. There's a lot of air comin' out of that little guy. If it's too hot of course, I will cave in and add the other. The only other I thing I have left to do is light proof the doors (as you can see form the picture). That's gonna be fun... no idea how I'm gonna do it. Any suggestions?

Here are the pix...


The inside of the cabinet...
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab13sl0.jpg

The grow space with the 70w HPS on...
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab14mo7.jpg

View of the grow space from the plant's view...
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab11hf2.jpg

View of the intake and exhaust fans...
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab12gb9.jpg

View of the side of the cabinet...
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab16nw0.jpg

View of the back of the cabinet...
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab15pf3.jpg

Case closed.
ImageShack - Hosting :: cab10ku0.jpg


Thanks for all the help guys. Please feel free to let me know what I should be adding. I think I'm going to need some carbon paper for the exhaust and intakes to filter out some of that light???

Oh and my temperature/hygrometer gauge is in the mail.

hummm... what is that reflective substance you have in there? is that foil? looks weird. About light proofing, you could just throw something over it.. large towel, or whatever, leave exhaust uncovered though, just an easy suggestion. looks cool though man, feels good having it all done dosnt it : )

Nice! You may want to pick up a remote temperature and humidity sensor and a receiver (comes in one package, made so you can check the temperature outdoors). Most hardware stores sell them for around $30. As for the light issue... worst case scenario, you could just duct tape it. Get a couple of rolls so you can reseal with fresh tape after each time you have to open.

Thanks for the input guys. The reflective material is Reflectix, a reflective insulation. Blocks heat from being trapped. I'm hoping it will work well. We'll see in about 8 hours when I wake up and check how hot it is in there!

nice job man,
good luck

whats that mini white fan on the right of the cabinet on the middle shelf?
is it oscillating? and if so, where can i get one? (im from uk)...

Donnie, nice job. One observation, though and I don't mean to rain on your parade but I think you have the intake and exhaust fan too close. Looks like they are about 6" apart. I would have installed them on opposite sides of your box to promote good air circulation. With the 2 fans so close, as the intake pulls fresh air in, a good percent of that will be immediately sucked right back out. You won't be extracting enough of your hot air and pulling cool air to cool that box down enough. Let me know what your readings are when you check the temp later. Good luck.

nice box man!

very nice little fan!

I was going to mention the same thing about your intake fan. But other than that I like it! good work and good luck!

Hey, cool looking box! I am thinking of making something like that myself. What are the dimensions of the box? What is Reflectix, where did you buy it, and how hard was it to attach to the inside of the box? Did you say a 70 watt bulb - will that be enough?

welp 12 hours later and my setup is running at a cool 72 degrees! its more comfortable in there than it is in my entire apartment! i put my hand right under neath the bulb and barely felt any heat at all! looks like this may be a really successful cabinet... i might even be able to add a few cfls for optimum lighting on the sides of the cab.

as far as your questions go... there are intake pipes on the opposite side of the case. the little fan is not oscillating but it is movable and is pretty neat. it's a boston 4" personal fan i got for peanuts from amazon.com. i was thinking about getting another one. i think the 70w bulb might be enough. i want to grow more than 1 or 2 plants in there so i think i might get 2 42w cfls (because the temperature stayed so low last night) and put them in the cabinet on opposite sides. the dimensions of the box are 38x38x16 and it is a rubbermaid. reflectix was purchased from a local hardware store but i believe it is also available at lowe's for about 19.99 for a large roll. it's a type of insulation and i suspect that is part of the reason my box stayed so cool last night. all i did was cut the pieces to scale and used aluminum foil tape to attach it. real easy. as far as the intake fan goes, i was thinking it may be a problem (Which is why i attached it with zip ties) but given the fact the cabinet stayed so cool last night i think i'll just leave it there.

That looks real good... Im think of making one of those just for veg..

that reflectix insulation will be the cheapest at home depot, they carry 3' and 5' rolls of the stuff and also sell the reflectix tape as well.