Fridge Grow 175w MH with CFLs

Originally Posted by sykemfs

i have 7 plants so you think thats enough light everyone is saying the lights should be right above the plant so i'm just thinking it's tough with 7 plants if i have four lights but maybe i'll pull one of the lights....thanks for the DIY link too. i have all but two sprouting tonight i'm pumped hope i do this good

Well as far as seedlings go, 2 plants per light is fine if the light is close. Once they get to be bigger and bushier you may want to consider throwin a couple more lights in there, but it can be done with what you have if your budget is pretty strict. Remember you will need siff lights for flowering too so dont break the bank on veg lights just yet.

KB

cool setup... +rep for you....

I like this grow man im subcribed, btw the one that has a broken stem will be fine give it a day or 2 and you wont be able to tell that it has ever been broken

keep it up

hey bro loving the fridge iv got a fridge going too im taking down my 2nd crop in it in 4 weeks check it out some time

DAY 5

Plant Stage: Seedling
Light Cycle: 24/0
Lights: 175w 4200K Metal Halide, 3x26w 6500K CFLs.
Medium: 3 Parts Sunshine Mix, 1 Part Pearlite.
Ferts: None
Strain: 8x Unknown Bagseed


This is a very exciting update for me. A friend and I brainstormed the heat, vertical bulb, lack of reflector and space issues and came up with a very interesting idea. I pretty much mixed every picture Ive seen of vented hoods, reflectors, & bulbs Ive seen and mixed up all together. We cut a hole in the partition between the fridge & freezer and installed a "window" made from 2 9x12 picture frames. More specifically one of the frames and 2 both pieces of glass, to make a rigged up 2 pane window. The idea was to trap some of the heat between the panes. This works perfectly with the exhaust I have installed, since the top freezer section is sealed off from the bottom all the high heat gets trapped up there and sucked out the back through a carbon filter. I took a couple before and after pics of the project.

Here are a couple pictures of the hole we cut from above and below. The holes that were originally cut for the bulbs were spaced a bit too far apart, but we fixed it with some duct tape


Here are a couple pics from the same angles after duct taping the window in place. When I saw white duct tape at walmart I kicked myself for not finding it sooner. In the 2nd picture you can see where I removed all the sockets, plugs and other plastic whatnot's on the inside of the fridge and taped over the holes with the white duct tape.


Here is how the lights are setup as of now. I plan on getting some brackets and mounting both bulbs to the hood, which would mean wiring the MH ballast separately from the bulb. The second picture is with the makeshift hood/reflector in place. We painted the inside of it white. I would like for a lot of the duct tape to go, it will just be a slow process haha. I didn't fee like waiting for the MH to warm up so only the HPS is on in the first pic.


Here are some pics of the inside after everything is was done. We rigged up a laundry shelf I had hanging around to extend the fridge shelf out another 6 to 8 inches, which made a nice difference. We zip tied it to the factory shelf.

Here is a better shot of the underside of the window. The white duct tape is not holding anything up. It is just there to make a seal and add a tad of reflectivity.

With the shelf extended, it makes it a LOT easier to put the plants where the light is optimal.


And last but not least the ladies. Lets start off with a couple group shots:


Plant #6 is the largest now, and my late bloomer #7 is the smallest.



So thats where Im at. I really appreciate all the comments and good vibes in this thread. As far as heat issues, when it gets blazing hot outside the MH may have to be shut off most of all of the day, but the HPS will be in full action dirung flower and this winter they will both be on as much as possible, I cant wait! I have 2 digital thermometers and after putting one in each section for a few hours the freezer reached 103F and the fridge maxed out at 83F. If you place your hand right under the window in the fridge it is not hot at ALL. I can touch the window and leave my finger on it easy. That is with both lights on. I may turn off the HPS, what do you guys think? Would it be good to have the orange spectrum or best to save it for flower? It may not last long either way with the heat.

Peace for now
KB

Just letting you know im subsciribed, hope you have better luck on this one than you did on your first. lookin good so far

iv got a 400whps in my fridge with a air cooled hood and i have no heat probs at all but you are looking fine

Originally Posted by josh4321

iv got a 400whps in my fridge with a air cooled hood and i have no heat probs at all but you are looking fine

What is the weather like where you live? Currently the highs here are low to mid 80s which keeps my garage at about 68-74 due to the fact that the house faces east and begins heating up at like 9AM. We typically have a few weeks each year where the outside temp will reach mid to upper 90s. Also is your fridge in a basement or a garage?

In the winter I will be packing lots of bulbs into that thing to keep temps up. I believe with 1 more 3" passive intake the airflow will be optimal considering I have a 4" exhaust. I can put together a 250W HPS for $75.99 with shipping or a 400W for $91.07. Both prices include a ballast, capacitor, ignitor, & mounting hardware. If a 400W would keep cool enough I would much rather go with that, but I need to get a better idea about the heat they put out vs. a MH and how much heat each wattage bulb puts out. Ill do some homework before committing, and I may not buy anything till AFTER this grow but I am very excited to try and go bigger.

I also called whirlpool to get a replacement gasket for my fridge, and when they told me it would be $120 after shipping I hung up. I spent 4 hours searching the internet and ofund a universal 32x42" magnetic gasket that will fit mine perfectly for $37 after shipping!! So it should be here in 2-5 days.

Temps are staying incredibly low, its like the MH isnt even on. When I crank the HPS on the temp will rise a bit but I havent seen anything over 84 yet and that was during a hot part of the day with both on. I think if I left both on for a long duration (12+ hours) with the door closed that the temps might get a bit too high. Its a good thing im always out there, I probably open & close the door 20 times a day at this point.

Plants were all watered for the 2nd time today just after the lights came back on. They are all perking up and just looking beautiful. I am just 100 times more pleased with this grow than my last, and thanks to everyone for tagging along!

Peace
KB