My PC Grow Box Design

Heh guys,

Ever since deciding to do my own PC grow, I have had difficulty finding a decent size, cheap PC box to house my plants, so I have made the decision to build my own from good old MDF. I thought I'd post up my plans and see what you think.

She may not look like much from the front, but its whats in side that matters ;o)

PCG-2 Front.jpg
Side view with front panel removed....

PCG-2 Side.jpg

Round the back, I am going to make my own custom Carbon Filter, which should fit perfectly over my 2 120mm Exhaust fans. Low odour and super stealth is a priority and a must for me!!

PCG-2 Rear.jpg

Axonometric View

PCG-2 Axon.jpg

I am lucky enough to have access to a Laser cutter at my work, so all the pieces should be cut accurately and should fit together nicely.
 

mikmike

Well-Known Member
That looks bloody amazing just remember to lst your plant so you can get the most out of your plant
 

baskarz

Active Member
Dude that's a pretty freaking sweet design! Would be nice to have access to a laser cutter :) looking forward to this one getting built!
 
That looks bloody amazing just remember to lst your plant so you can get the most out of your plant
Yeh, I was thinking about making a little ScrOG screen, but have decided LST with string and wire will be better

Dude that's a pretty freaking sweet design! Would be nice to have access to a laser cutter :) looking forward to this one getting built!
The laser cutter is amazing, its accurate to like a tenth of a mm easy
 

shap3less

Active Member
looks friggin amazing, but just a few things i've learned from my pc build you may want to take into consideration.. 1) what are you doing for your carbon filter? i'm guessing you're going to be using pc fans? if that's the case, ideally, you want the fans to be pulling air through the filter. if you can get the filter about 1.5-2 inches away from the fan itself, you'll still be pulling air through the filter, but with reduced noise/back-pressure. i found that if i even put a plastic filter holder over the fan it increased noise and reduced airflow substantially. i am now using the diy pencil cup carbon filter, and because it keeps the filter medium a decent distance from the actual fan, it still moves air/heat through it, but with less noise/more airflow than if the filter is right against the fan. the problem is this is on the exterior of my box (not very stealth, but it's in a closet so it doesn't matter much) and the fan is pushing the air through the filter. but, it works. if you're using some higher flow fans, you may be okay, but then you run into issues with noise. 2) for your light, have you considered using 4-5 (depends on your space, but you could tweak that in your design) 23-26watt cfls on a powerstrip? that way you can still get near as much watts as the one bulb, but you could also have 1 or 2 alternate wavelength bulbs to kind of 'even things out.' i'm sure that's not completely necessary, but in my mind, it makes more sense. it looks like you have some sort of height adjustment mechanism, but with four 23 watt bulbs on a power strip and some magnets glued/duct taped to the back of the strip, it's super secure, easy to adjust up/down, and i can run just 1 or 2 bulbs if need be in the early seedling stages, which helped me keep the soil from drying out too fast. i guess you'd have to put some sort of magnetic stuff on your mdf, or you could just put some screws in at certain heights and use the screw hole things on the back of some power strips for height adjustment. 3) you could ditch the intake fan, or just move it to the end of the bulb housing. then you'd be moving air across the bulb, and towards the exhaust fans, helping to keep temps down. with proper exhaust fans, you'll have a natural negative pressure and there should be more than enough air naturally coming inside the box. i'd put some sort of filter over the intake holes though..i used some of that activated carbon prefilter sheets (you can get them at most big box stores). the amount of dust they've trapped is kind of shocking... 4) do you have planters already? i'd find the one you'd like to use, and then build to those dimensions. finding containers to maximize the space you have can be kind of tricky/frustrating. not trying to be a d!ck or anything, just some thoughts. the project looks freakin awesome. before you know it you'll have a happy lady or two (or more) growing in there edit: uhh..sorry for the wall of text. i tried to have it spaced out, but apparently riu posts it as one big paragraph...
 
Do you think it would be better having the filter on the inside, with the fans sucking air through it? rather than on the outside, with the fans trying to push air through??
 
looks amazing man :clap:

youll be able to adjust your lights height throughout the grow though right?
Yup sure will fella,will be a lot better than trying to lift the height of my pot by using DVDs lol. Should look a lot more professional, Im even thinking if all goes well, I may build another box and stick it on ebay. They seem to go for quite a bit, but Id try and keep my price low.
 

shap3less

Active Member
bet you could get a pretty penny (or shilling) for one of those on ebay..especially if you included everything. i'd just be worried about the legal ramifications of it..stand free, wherever you may be ;)
 
bet you could get a pretty penny (or shilling) for one of those on ebay..especially if you included everything. i'd just be worried about the legal ramifications of it..stand free, wherever you may be ;)
Im pretty sure there would be no probs from a legal point of view, certainly with regard to cannabis. After all, its even legal to buy and possess seeds in the UK, your only breaking the law when you germ. My only concern legal wise would be the fact the product wouldnt have a British Standard mark, also Im not sure how wiring up a phone charger to some PC fans with electrical tape would stand up in Brittish Standard test! Not great im guessing lol

Also I take it your a Dons man??? I am too lol, your probably not far from me then???
 

bohicular

Active Member
Nice design, I'm trying to think up a pc case now. In my stealth experience, I would agree with the above comment that blowing air across the light is a good idea. In a pc case, you don't have vert space, so adjustable height lighting is not worth the trouble, IMO (many household objects can be put under your plants- not to advocate books...)
What about isolating the cfl with a sheet of plexiglas with a fan pulling air across? Those bulbs are hotter than you think, especially in small spaces. I've found that a lot of the heat shoots out the vents in the ballast.
Also, i agree w/ the above comment - keeping the filter surface at least a few inches from the fan is essential, and ditching your intake fan for a circulation fan would be good! And with your intake grill, I think the grills/grates are more restrictive to air flow than light traps, which you can make slim versions of - I have tested this. With your laser, you could make some real nice traps with black plexiglas.
i also really envy your laser cutter! Put that thing to good use, and I'm looking forward to seeing your end product.
 
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