3-stage Full Service 4' x 8' Enclosure with A/C

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Well its been awhile since this project was started and it has been through many phases of development but now it is nearing completion so I decided to post some pics.


The Unit:

This is the enclosure it is 4’x8’x7’ with a small 2’x2’x4’ add on.
It was constructed using 2”x4” top and bottom caps & corners, with 2”x2” studs. Press Board was then used as a ridged shell for the outside. The Inside walls ceiling and floor of the enclosure is 1” Foam Insulation that has been completely sealed via lots of white duct tape.

The First Layout/Crop:
These two pictures are taken from the doorway (left) leaning into the doorway (center) leaning in to the left but higher (right) looking straight into the doorway

The original layout of the room was one large area built with the intention of purchasing clones and going straight to flower with them. In the center picture you can see the indoor AC used to moderate the temperature (it gets hot here).

Need more room?:

After a few issues acquiring new clones the decision was made that more room was needed to become self sufficient. To accommodate this need the area was split in half and then tiered to ecentaly provide three spaces. It was at this point that the 2’x2’x4’ addition was added to accommodate the AC.
More shots of the space in the configuration:

^Looking in the dividing door down on the second tier under construction.

^CFL lighting for propagation.

^Some baby’s vegin out under the MH.

^Waiting for work

^Working.

Almost there:
After a few runs with this configuration I have some words of advice “Don’t put the access to your veg & clone room in your flower room” I’ll leave it at that.

^Here the tier in the left side has been removed to make way for flowering and you can kinda make out the shelf that was added to the new veg & clone side.

^This is the configuration now an additional tier has been added to the veg & clone side to accommodate the new Aero Cloning system =).

MORE POWER:
^With rising demand for power and a sever lack of on the circuit it had been run on things got expensive.

^Here is the board that was mostly assembled outside the running room.

^A new 40Amps 240Volt circuit was added to the houses main panel it runs to this sub panel in the garage that has 4 20Amp 120Volt breakers.

^A few regular sockets were added to the garage as well as two 30Amp 125Volt Twist Lock sockets. In the picture you can see the two 10guage 3wire cables exiting the roof that plug into the two twist lock sockets for easy removal.

Air Conditioning & Ventilation:
With summer in full swing and an aging unit it was due time for some maintenance.

^This is the Intake, 24”x14”x1” normal house A/C filter holder makes changing the intake filter a breeze.

^The old floor standing A/C was replaced with this much better window unit that was then 6”ducted over to the flowering side and 4” ducted out of the intake box resulting in much better temperatures throughout the rooms.

^The A/C is mounted on the back side of the add on section. The heat exchanger fan on the A/C actually draws air from the bottom of the garage past the intake and then blows its heat up into the attic area.

^As well a squirrel cage was installed in the garage as the heat from the window A/C couldn’t be ducted out as the previous inside-type AC could.

The new table:

^Isn’t she pretty. The room has never been specifically designed for a table and I don’t think it could have been a tighter fit; it was the smallest available at the local shop.

So this is where it’s at:

^Just cloned mums on top clones in propagator on bottom.

^Clones now Babes and in the tray, Mums on the side regenerating.

^Babes are done vegging and moved over to the flowering side, Mums almost ready to do their final deed.

Things on the veg & clone are all good,

Now to finish up the flower.
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Ok, right on. This looks sweet to me. I was thinking of a very similar set up in my own garage. I was wondering, what kind of temps are you reading in there now that it's summer? And do you think you'll need a space heater in February?
This Summer, 2008, was a hot one here in central California. With the old floor standing A/C it was getting to warm, high 80s, after the window A/C I can keep it too cold, low 60s. It is now well regulated at 72.

I keep my total room circulation around one exchange every 5-10 min. This is a slow enough rate that the lights are more than sufficient to warm the room in the cold months.
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Got the new 1000w installed today. Still have to put in a shelf for when the hydro tray goes in. Pics to come.
 

OregonMeds

Well-Known Member
Nice...

So the window A/C just sits in that box and is passively vented out that large grill? No extra fan for cooling? I ask because I am thinking about taking my A/C out of the window and putting it directly in my grow room similar to your setup. Not having to buy more ducting and another fan would be great.
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Nice...

So the window A/C just sits in that box and is passively vented out that large grill? No extra fan for cooling?

The large vent is actually the intake. I use a small <150CFM fan for the exhaust, as well as a temp controlled high flow exhaust on the flower side.

The unit is a 8000BTU and works GREAT even when the temp in the garage got up to 115-120 Fahrenheit the unit was set at 70 and kept the room around mid 70s. Now that its cooling down I kicked on the energy save and the room is always nice.

With the 1000watt HPS I just got I was able to get the hood down to 1.5ft from the canopy while maintaining a 80 degree leaf temp. At 2ft temps were par with the room at mid to low 70s.

Also worth noting is that I previously used a 400watt HPS with an open hood and the temp controlled fan used to turn on quite often to flush the heat. The new 1000watt has a closed hood that was installed properly, sucking air from outside room and venting it back out, and the high flow exhaust hardly ever turns on.
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Updated Pics

^ Clones have already done their time in the EZ-Clone and are starting their Rockwool rooting period. On the far right is the two clones chosen for new mums, the orange container is sealed and just in the tray to be under the light.


^ Here is one of the old mums hangin around till the new two take, as well as the two new ones.
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Well after a LONG night and two pissed off wives, bed at 5:00AM, me and my bro finished the flower side and it now has a platform for the 3&#8217;x4&#8217; tray, insulated ducting on the 1000W hood and A/C line, and overall air exchange system was altered.

I don&#8217;t really know where to start with this so I think I&#8217;ll give a rundown on the new ventilation equipment and accessories.
NEW PARTS
500CFM 8&#8221; Booster fan (Boosts A/C line to flower side register and provide circulation between rooms when A/C isn&#8217;t running)
1 x 6&#8221;x6&#8221;x6&#8221; T splitter (Combines 1000W and 250W hoods heat)
1 x 6&#8221; to 4&#8221; reducer (To duct from 250W hood)
25&#8217; Insulated 6&#8221; Ducting (Used for heat and cooling)
6&#8221; x 10&#8221; square to 6&#8221; Duct (Exhaust fans Housing)
12&#8221; x 8&#8221; square 90degree to 6&#8221; Duct (Flower side register housing)
12&#8221; x 8&#8221; 3 way register (defuses air over the tray)


Hood & Circulation Ducting

^Here is where the T combines the two Hoods and exits the roof.

^The heat controlled exhaust and its sensor with a DIY activated carbon filter.

^This is the top of the enclosure where the exhaust fans are housed. The fans are industrial grade axle fans made for exhausting large power cabinets. The two in the back are side by side into the 6&#8221; x 10&#8221; square to 6&#8221; Duct.

^K this is where it may get confusing. In the upper right is the exhaust from 250W hood, the black hole is the same tube that you can see the other end of hanging above the light. The grill is just a passive vent that I didn&#8217;t want to patch.

^On the far left is the new unfiltered inlet for the 1000W hood, in the middle is black hole tube, in the upper right is the T to exhaust.

So there are the pics this is the circulation of the room.

>Fresh air is brought in right in front of the A/C
>the A/C takes it in and splits it to a 6&#8221; (now insulated) and 4&#8221; ducts
>the 6&#8221; duct, now with a 500cfm always on booster, feeds the air into the flower room via the new 12&#8221; x 8&#8221; 3 way register.
>Air then has three exits.
1-The black hole tube collects warmed air emitted from the hood and puts it into the veg side, this is the only unrestricted path.
2-The BS grill I didn&#8217;t patch, gives additional area for the Heat Exhaust to pull from.
3-If temperatures get to hot the large exhaust kicks on to draw additional air from the veg side and directly vent the hot air instead of recycling it. That fan mostly has a filter on it to keep out bugs since it doesn&#8217;t constantly run.
>Air comes from the black hole back into the veg side.
>Air comes from the A/C via 4&#8221; duct into the veg side.
>They mix and some is taken back by the A/C.
>The250W hood intakes air from the top of the veg side.
>The 250W hood is now the Main Exhaust and mixes with the 1000W hot air before hitting the dual exhaust fans.


Tray Holder/Seat

^Works Great. Only little snag was that the res was full of nutes and doesn&#8217;t fit through the door right side up, so it was placed on the veg side and a 2&#8221; hole was cut to feed the tubes through. This actually ended up being pretty nice seeing as the main door is on the veg side and nutes can be checked lights on or off.
:bigjoint:

So that&#8217;s the rundown let me know what you think!
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
My testing gear.


PPM meter

This thing works great and for only $120

PH tester

General Hydroponics kit from Home Depot. I am going to be getting the Truncheon PH stick now that I have finally went hydro on flower.

Infrared Temperature Gun

This handy tester was only $90 at a local electrical store. It makes it easy to tell how close the light can be while maintaining good leaf temps. But I use it all the time for random stuff.
 
T

THseaman

Guest
Are you an electrician? I would burn my house down if I tried modifying my electric panels like that lol...
 

MEANGREEN69

Well-Known Member
hey 420..ur room is looking good..im all most done with my room..so what are ur goals for this room?? as far as production??? ill be watching..good luck, be safe,peace....
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
So far I have been able to keep my Purple Kush around in this room for 6 generations so I think the goal is to keep a few mums; have room for clones in a separate from flower tray to supplement the EZ Clone; and have enough smoke to provide me my wife and my dad for who I am a caregiver.
 

-=4:20=-Guy

Well-Known Member
Made some new light hangers to replace my old pulley and rope.
hardware was about $20 and the room would have to fall down for the light to fall.



 

groputillor

Active Member
Holy mother of grow boxes! This shit is amazing. I've been consumed with planning how to move my grow out of my closet for the next round. Even had my roommate use his blueprint program to make a sketch, but I can't upload it. I'm too tired to get into everything now, but 4x3x6 1/2 is the basic layout. AC like your old one within. No seperate compartments. I'll just get new clones every time and start over. Makes more sense for my vertical space cause I'll only be able to veg a couple weeks anyway. Hope it's cool if I cruise by with a few questions now and then. Nice work. Peace.
 
Top