hey man u do have full spectrum right?

This is a terrible first post, but I'm glad you're not an electrician. I am...although it wouldn't take an electrician to read his post and see that he was planning on using TWO 42 watt cfls per fixture. They sell 42 watt cool bulbs at Lowe's; I believe that is what he is referring to. The tiny 13 watt is what they call "equivalent" (complete bs) to a 40 watt so i believe the OP was referencing the actual watts on his bulb. 2 x 42 = 84. That exceeds the rating for the socket by more than 35%. Would you put honda civic wheels on an F150? Don't put 84 watts in a 60 watt fixture. Those ratings are there for a reason, there is a real fire hazard when overdrawing for 18 hours at a time in a confined space.

Sorry to resurrect this thread but it has been a great resource and I want people attempting to build this at home to have a safe experience.

Also:

full spectrum bulb guy: you want the 6500k "cool white" or "daylight" style bulb. Cool/daylight/natural etc are just marketing terms. Any reasonable bulb should have the kelvin marked on the ballast (base of the bulb) or on the back of the box. It's better to know because some are in the 3500 range (you want lower) or 6000 range (you want higher) Also good resources are the GE, Sylvania, and Bright Effects (Lowe's house brand) websites. Bright Effects has gotten some pretty negative reviews and is only $2 cheaper. Sylvania is around 3000k for the warm and 6000k for the cool. GE is 2700k warm and 6500 cool. Something like 8 or 9 bucks at Wal - Mart. The full spectrum I believe is the terrarium/aquarium/plant bulb stuff....more $$$ than standard bulbs and not much better.

Rawtunes - Duct tape is your friend. If you're like me, it might be your ONLY friend. Forget glues, they don't fill wide holes and provide support. Make a tighter collar with cardboard to give the glue something more to adhere to if you must go that way. I'm not totally convinced that silicone caulking would destroy plastic tubs, either. In fact I think you'd be okay using white silicone general purpose stuff. I wouldn't use one meant for say, cement or wood. Also in Lowe's or Home Depot they have rolls of weatherstripping caulk that is like clay rope. Fills in fairly large gaps and easy to work with. Also, it's cheap. I use it in subwoofer enclosures among other things. Non-reactive (won't melt ur plasticz dood) but does stain a bit.

Foil tape guy - Foil tape is with the other tapes at Home Dizzle or Lowe's, don't get the stuff with writing on it, get the blank kind obviously. Use the widest size you can (less rows) they had 2" and 3" near me. I chose to use white spray paint.


White spray paint - works well, doesn't bunch up like foil. Blindingly bright. I don't believe there is much of a difference between the two in practical applications. The foil tends to crinkle and cause valleys. Not sure how detrimental this actually is, but layering foil tape sucks and spray paint is a cheap buzz. Okay, ignore that last part...but if you do use spray, get Krylon or Rustoleum plastic - specific paint. Otherwise you need to sand the plastic with some 100 grit or so first (just rough it up, don't chunkify it with 60 grit or it'll take 4 coats of paint to get it smooth) Avoid the crap plastic paint they sell at Lowe's; it's fairly chip resistant but goes on poorly and is extremely thin which causes drips if you don't go super slow. No matter what you use, you'd better baby your walls, plastic paints kinda suck. Roughing it up might help as was mentioned earlier, I am lazy and didn't do that (paint directions don't call for it either, just a wipe which I did)

Ducted fan guy -- Home Depot carries inline ducting fans. They are with the household ducting/heating supplies. They are used to get more hot/cold air to a distant room in the house. Available in 6, 8, 10, 12 + inches. I'd go for 8 probably, the 6 is only 160cfm or so. Like a desk fan (but more expensive at 30$) The suncourt brand seems to be the low end. Poor reliability ratings, but the Fantech (mercedes benz of the inline duct fan world) models start at $100; so the suncourt is not without it's charms for someone on a budget. FYI lots of online hydro shops sell in line duct fans as well, for about the same prices. I don't bother with all that but it's an option if you don't have a local home store. I buy local so if my cheap plastic crap happens to break I can bring my receipt and get a free one.


Hope this helps those of you still checking out this thread! It's an excellent resource! Just keep the temps down.....

Peace~~~

uppin this piffery

this is a noob so bear with me. say if u wanted to add a scrubber to the grow box where and how would u add one

about the lining on the inside.? well what is that shiny stuff, tin foil.?and how do you get it in there so perfect.?

Bodom Children Of, just in case you check back on this thread, I want to thank you for the great how 2s. Thanks to this thread I'm getting a new hobby.

im new to this hole thing i need a friend to help me out ,i live in chicago so i cant grow outside so im thinking about a rubbermaid box and yours sound easy ///////can you help me along the way

is a 425watt sun lamp to hot for a rubbermaid box

I used this design and made 2 boxes. Slight modifications but essentially the same. I used white spray paint for one. It worked but the paint did start to chip in the corners from lifting the box. The other I used white duct tape. Took something like 4 rolls to complete. That box runs a little warmer too. Also instead of buying the 3 socket fixture I bought individual ceramic fixtures from walmart and used those. They have them with or without on/off chains, so you can turn off the lights individually if you don't want to have all 6 lights going. I also found an awesome fan at walmart but they don't carry it anymore. It looks like a small version of those industrial blower fans. I put a spy window in one of the boxes also. A few inches below the lights, so I could peak in without opening the box. I also put in 2 fixtures at the bottom of the plant to get more light to the lower branches (but this might have just been overkill).They both work great, but the temps are always on the high side. I only used each box once, although a friend of mine is using one of them now. The buds were airy and light but I did get a decent harvest. I think about 3 ounces the first time(was almost 2 years ago so I don't really remember). Not great but it was a bag seed and I really didn't know what I was doing back then. I also cut a large number of branches off of it a few weeks before flowering because I was worried it was too compact and might start molding. It was a sativa (i think from the look and high, plus it flowered for around 87??(if i remember correctly) days, although it was a major dwarf. nodes were about 1.5 inches apart from each other). Turned out better than what I can usually get my hands on though.

I am currently working on another box. This time I am using 2 of the round deep containers. Like the kind people keep beer in at parties. I am currently looking for a new fan for this one. Since the other ones I have are no longer made. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated Also I think I will only put 4 fixtures in this one. Less light but better temps. Although with this one the lights will be pointing down towards the plant instead of being on the side of the box. Is this as efficient? Would it be better to have lights on the side rather than the top of the box?

And what can I do about light shing through the box? Duct tape works but the more layers I put on the hotter it gets. In a closet it is pretty stealth but if the room is dark anyone can notice the light coming from it. Closing the closet just makes it too hot.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

well, since this thread has been brought back, i must say that the OP's post regarding needing the exhaust to be bigger than the intake is totally wrong.

will it still work? yes.

will it kill your fan faster? yes.

can you still achieve negative pressure with a larger intake than exhaust? yes.

so what should i do, golden? intake 2x the size of exhaust. got a 4" fan? 8" intake, or two 4" intakes.

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So i'm new to this forum and quite honestly i'm sick of messing with the erm, sales represntatives we all so comonly are forced to associate with.

My question might have already been asked, and even more so, perhaps answered, but i didnt see such when i skimmed through the thread.

Can i build this box, and cut out the bottom, sealing the top half to the bottom, making a taller rectangle like lid, that could then be placed on top of a stealth hydro box? this way its given 6 inches or so of more room fromt he lights, and given the oportunity to grow hydroponic in what seems ot be a good box.

My other concern comes from the exaust fan, is there a way to place a carbon filter on this design simply, efficiently, and still cleanly, so it won't break or be knocked around when removing the lid?




I figure if i make the box, i'll get ducting hose to run out of the closet(or bathroom) this thing'll sit in and get air from the other side of the room. Then duct all the exaust, after through the carbon filter, up into the attic, or to a dryingmachine as much as possible.

I also wanted to know if by chance you know what the average yeild you get out of this box is per harvest/per plant.


Thanks in advance,
Sid

Looks like a pretty easy way to grow, i like the idea and design good job man cheap too at that lol by the way i liked the way your thread was because you explain how to build it step by step and it makes it alot easier for us bearly starting lol thanks man

is this to big or will it work?

would one be able to use the bottom box as a ebb and flow system also? put a few inches of expanded clay pelets and a plant in rockwoll, set it up like a normal tray but have the sides much higher, and use the top the same way.just have a third tub for a watertank with a small pump?

if it would work i might try this out, i found a hydro fert kit for 30 dollars that includes everything Harrys Hydroponic Garden Center - hydroponics nutrients indoor lighting pumps are cheap and tubing is cheap so i dont see how this would be to much more expensive than this box setup.

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Quick question , which I didn't get from this thread though I see it was asked before.
Provided you have a carbon filter in something about this size, will there still be some smell and if so , is it considerable ?

TIA
SA

It's a misnomer to say a carbon filter gets rid of the smell. A more correct statement of a carbon filter is it diminishes the smell or masks it, so that it isn't as potent.

The only way to have a completely smell free room is to get a strain that is low smell ( afghan has little to no smell) and/or to exhaust the room outside. Even still, you might have a lingering smell.

If smell is a problem, I'd rethink growing.

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I do not smoke weed. I do not sell weed. I do not grow weed.

I do like to play with bubble wrap.

Everything I post is made up.

i'm talking about maybe 4-6 plants but I'm sure you are right about the odor.
Then there is also the issue with harvesting. Does the curing bud also give off a strong smell ?

I'm 100% sure about my claims. Activated carbon works, its in countless products that most people don't even know contains it. For mj though, it makes the smell not as potent and masks it. It does not completely get rid of it.

Depending on the strain, 4-6 plants, females, will put off a pungent smell, and will be hard to "hide" unless you don't mind the smell perfuming your place or exhausting it somewhere else.

When you say harvesting, do you mean drying or curing? When the plants are hanging trying to dry, the smell isn't as strong as it is while growing but there is a small amount of smell. Curing on the other hand means having it in a sealed container for a X amount of time. So, when the container is sealed, theres no smell. When you open the container to "breath" it, let fresh air back in and let the moisture escape, that doesssssss smell. While you 'breath' you jars for say 15-30 min's twice a day, the smell will perfume your place. It's pungent.

__________________
I do not smoke weed. I do not sell weed. I do not grow weed.

I do like to play with bubble wrap.

Everything I post is made up.

Maybe last question, what about air purifiers, ionizers, ozone generators. I've dug around a bit and know how to google, but anyone with a bottom line. Perhaps having both carbon scrubber and air filter nearby would bring it down to almost nothing.

You need to do a lot of research on air purifiers/ionizers. You get what you pay for. The good air purifiers are normally the most expensive. Also, ionizers have been speculated (hell maybe proven) to be bad for your health and I have also heard, not for sure though, that having an ionizer close to your plants may affect the smell. Like I said, do a lot of research.

Your best bet, if you aren't going to vent outside, is to use a carbon scrubber and an air purifier in the living space. But most growers will tell you, it is VERY difficult to have NO smell at all. Those who do, vent outside.

There are strains that are very good shizz that have very little smell. I'd search for those. I know afghan, at least the afghan I had, had almost NO smell. I didn't even need to use a carbon scrubber.

__________________
I do not smoke weed. I do not sell weed. I do not grow weed.

I do like to play with bubble wrap.

Everything I post is made up.

I made a carbon air filter with the design used by this guy. It's in his signature I think. It worked great. Towards the middle of flowering though it definitely started to smell. Maybe multiple filters would work. Or The carbon might have been getting used up. The smell wasn't too bad but was noticeable. I wouldn't have wanted a cop knocking on my door. That's for sure.

I love DIY projects. Thanks so much for sharing your project...it's great. Now what does the final product look, taste, and smell like?

Thanks again

I should have said how much was your yield not what does it look like...Sorry.