fans, odor scrubbers and lights. please help

Ok so im starting my build of a grow box. I opted out of buying a prefab due to the fact im very handy and like projects and saving money. The only down size is I dont know what im doing and as much reading as i have done on here it just keeps getting more confusing. I wanna do it right the first time. so here is where I am at.

I bought a metal storage cabinet of craigs list for 80 bucks. Its deminsions are 3 feet wide 1.5 feet deep and 5 feet tall (36" x 18" x 60"). Gives me roughly 4.5 square feet of floor space and 22.5 of cubic feet of volume.

I plan on putting a shelf one foot up to seperate the cabinet into 2 compartments one for cloning and vegging and the other for bloom.

I bought some carbon regular AC flat filter to cut a passive air intake into the center of the cabinet on the bottom end on the back. I know i want a carbon filter for odor controll and dimmable Lumatek digital ballast 250, 175, 150, for a HPS light (LK250).

Everything else is up for suggestions.

(1.) I would like to bloom 8 plants is this cabinet big enough for that?

(2) Should i run some type of cool tube to keep the temps down or will a cabon scrubber attached to a fan controll temps good enough with this light set up.

(3) I will be running soil for now eventually going to a superponics set up after i get the hang of this.

(4) Would like to run some type of duct silencer this set up will be in my closet next to my bed so quite is nessasary.

(5) What size and type of fan should i run to keep odors under controll and yet not be to loud. Its my understanding the fan size and carbon filter have to be compatable to work correctly and any bends in the ducting require more cfm's to compensate for air restrictions. Also the filter and silencers create resistance as well.

As i've said i've read till my eyes hurt and im falling asleep at the desk on many of nights i get up in the morning im trying to learn as much as possible so please if anyone has any suggestions please fill free to chime in I'll take all suggestions to heart please help me. Thanks for reading all this and sorry its so long. I plan on doing a build thread as soon as i start building so ill keep everyone posted on progress of constructions and the first grow.

Wow no one has any answers on this. TTT...

I've come up with a new question as well. I'm looking into getting a fan controller to help control temps in my stealth box. What im trying to figure out is? Is there a fan controller that will allow the fan/odor scrubber remain running on low for circulation and odor contol and if the temps reach above a pre determined temp increase the speed of the fan to bring temps down. Then after temps return to normal have the fan return back to a lower speed to maintain air circulation.

Has anyone done this or can someone point me to a web site that has a controller like that.

Ok. Here are the answers:

1. No, unless the plants are super tiny. I would say 4 tops
2. Depends..you never said what light your going to use. I would say a 400 watt. Yes, your going to want to use an AC hood. Cool tubes suck for reflection BTW
3. LOL. What in THE fuck is supersonics ??
4. Ummm ok
5. A quality 4" fan

Last question: no. Well they probably do but I have never heard of it and it would be expensive. Just use an on/off temperature controller on your carbon filter (exhausting) and then put put a flapper on a passive intake (down low in the tent, at LEAST 6" in diameter)
Why did you make it soo small? Why not use 2x2 and panda film and make any size you want for like $30

Supersonic = a hydro system invented by salt and pepper. Works awesome.

legallyflying said:

Ok. Here are the answers:

1. No, unless the plants are super tiny. I would say 4 tops
2. Depends..you never said what light your going to use. I would say a 400 watt. Yes, your going to want to use an AC hood. Cool tubes suck for reflection BTW
3. LOL. What in THE fuck is supersonics ??
4. Ummm ok
5. A quality 4" fan

Last question: no. Well they probably do but I have never heard of it and it would be expensive. Just use an on/off temperature controller on your carbon filter (exhausting) and then put put a flapper on a passive intake (down low in the tent, at LEAST 6" in diameter)
Why did you make it soo small? Why not use 2x2 and panda film and make any size you want for like $30

Click to expand...

1. Ok so 4 plants thats good info
2. The light i mentioned was the Lumatek LK250. I want to do the 400 but worried about temps.
3. SuperPonics is a set up that supercloset uses that involves DWC, bubble ponics, and a drip line. may be over kill but they say it works great.
4. Have read alot about DIY silencers should be pretty easy.
5. How many cfms should i use with a charcoal filter and a silencer on a 22.5 cu. ft. box. Not to mention ducting running from the filter to the AC hood and more ducting running from the light to fan out to the silencer.

Why did i make what so small. The cabinet I bought was already built and it fits perfectly in my closet. Its really as big as I can go its almost to big. Installing the flapper is a good idea but are they oder proof. I can have now smell in my closet. I have kids and a job that would not appreciate me coming in smelling like a grow room.

thanks for the advice and ill keep you posted.

just for the record they do make fan speed controllers, and no they are not expensive as hell or hard to understand or to use. i cannot provide specifics but i have one in my room right now i could get the maker and shit if u pm me, good luck with your grow, im sure if you google fan speed controller you will find what your looking for, i did. later

The dimensions of your cabinet are really strange. Your plants would have to be quite small, especially with a bloom and veg station in the same cabinet.

The cabinet i choose was a prefab metal cabinet. Its for a stealth grow. I've got a 4 bedroom house and would love to convert one of the spare rooms to a grow room but where would my kids sleep. Look up stealth cabinets on line, people use them to grow stuff all the time. The lower area is going to be for the clone dome and seedlings and the upper section will be for flowering. Ive seen pics of people on here using much smaller dressers for stealth cabinets so i think this one should be fine.

Well i bought my second item today to build my stealth cabinet. Yesterday i purchased a metal cabinet 5x3x1.5 (feet). It has a shelf in it for a divider to seperate my clone/seed/veg. section from my bloom setion. A buddy of mine says hes got a 400hps ballast fixture and bulb for me cheap but im yet to pick it up so im holding off buying a HPS light till i see what hes got for me. But today i bought a T5 lamp and bulbs. Its a 2 foot long fixture with 4 bulbs and 2 seperate switches so i can controll which bulbs i wanna run depending on heat.

Theres the link tell me what you think.

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/88237/PX-UGT524.html

Will this be a good bulb for clone germ and veg. The self will raise and lower in 2 inch increments as needed to get the light where i want it.

So far i've got 200.00 bucks total in my set up ill keep a running total to let everyone know what it cost me.

1. 80.00 Used metal storage cabinet off craigslist.
2. 120.00 New T5 2 foot 4 bulb 6500k flourecent fixture and bulbs.

aknight3 said:

just for the record they do make fan speed controllers, and no they are not expensive as hell or hard to understand or to use. i cannot provide specifics but i have one in my room right now i could get the maker and shit if u pm me, good luck with your grow, im sure if you google fan speed controller you will find what your looking for, i did. later

Click to expand...

Yeah a fan speed controller...DUH. One that automatically speeds or slows your fan in response to temperature? I don't think so but of you do have one I would LOVE to see that link