Fridge Grow/Clone Box (part deux)

Tim Fox

Well-Known Member
organizer of things on the freezer door is a nice touch too.
Sweet video, I finally had a quiet moment to listen and watch it, your right it does sound like a normal running refridgerator on the outside, I need to see just how quiet I can make the DWC hydro if I am going to use it in my cab, I was able to make the old school single eb flow / flood drain that I built pretty quiet, but the set up is rather tall, maybe 20 inches or so, and If i used a storage tub simular to the upper res your using I could cut that height down allot, but I would not have a lower res, I dont think i need to use one as heat isnt an issue where I live in Oregon. but While I wait for my wife to get a diagnosis, I have time to ugrade my light, and explore using dwc hydroponics instead of fox farms and grow bags, although the soil would be so very quiet, , hydro is what i used years ago, and hydro is what i know, besides, I am not one of those guys who is touchy feely with the soil , I would prefer to use the meters and testers and adjust accordingly, ya know. I need to stop into some large aquarium shops where I can see those air pumps and stones in action and find a really quiet one, I have a feeling the airbubble sound is knocked way down when you have the net pots in place?
 

Zoltan32

Well-Known Member
I was pretty impressed when i started running across these refrigerator grows, this is truly a stealthy setup. I was hoping mine would be much quieter, I haven’t insulated my reservoir section at all, like i did for the top. The most noise that comes from my box is from the air bubbles in the reservoir. The air pump itself is pretty quiet. For my last grow, I maintained a small fish tank right next to my box, which really disguised the sound. I may implement that again.
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
I was hoping I didn't have to report this, I was hoping it wasn't that bad but about a week ago, I really hurt the plants.
Well at least 2 of the 3.
I turned the exhaust fan off because it was quite cold one night and I set the alarm to get up in time to get the fan on right before the light comes on.
Alarm didn't go off and I missed it by about 25 minutes.
In that time the temps rose to a high of 127* F.
Some of the leaves were actually crispy in spots.
Most of the ones that were damaged were the big fans and growth that would soon be trimmed, or so I thought.
A couple of the tops are real weird and twisted looking.
I will give them a few days to see which ones might recover and produce, and the weak ones will be culled out so as not to drain energy from the plant for basically a lost cause.

So... there will NOT be 24 colas as planned.
One little brain fart and look what happens.
It is what it is and now I will strive to get as much as I can from them.

One of the 2 Amnesia Haze seems to be unscathed and doing fine.
Will update with a pic or 2 later.
 
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fishdeth

Well-Known Member
I was pretty impressed when i started running across these refrigerator grows, this is truly a stealthy setup. I was hoping mine would be much quieter, I haven’t insulated my reservoir section at all, like i did for the top. The most noise that comes from my box is from the air bubbles in the reservoir. The air pump itself is pretty quiet. For my last grow, I maintained a small fish tank right next to my box, which really disguised the sound. I may implement that again.
Fish tank diversion.... Brilliant !!!
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Lights just came on a little while ago and I grabbed a couple pics
The AH on the left is doing just textbook as far as the mainlining. 1st pic
Doesn't seem to be affected at all.
Upon closer inspection, Jack Herer is not deformed at all, it has 8 very clear tops now and they seem to be popping a little. 2nd pic
they are just stunted a bit.
The 2nd AH has some def damage.
I havn't even topped it to 8 yet.
I will let it veg a little, I do see a little new growth there.

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fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Looking better after their "day" last nite.
Jack has almost twice the size trunk and "arms" as the other one.
It should rebound OK.
Everyone seems to be responding well to the fresh & stronger nutes.
A little darker green this AM.
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
AFTER normal lights out I changed the lamp from Metal Halide to High Pressure Sodium.
AND I turned the lights back on, manually till the next on time, 7 PM then i will switch the timer back to auto at 16/8.
This will give them a normal 16 hr day PLUS 24 of HPS before the next nightfall for them.

Now they will really start to stretch.
Maybe a week or a little more with this friggin heat bomb and the switch back to the CDM and flip to 12/12.

AND I not only have a Dwarf, it is a Dwarf Tard,
This thing had been topped to 4 and then the damage occurred and its almost like the damage topped them for mr except the right & left branches are not popping side by side, symmetrically, they are coming out one to the right then one to the left.
If I WANTED to top it again, I wouldn't know where to cut....?
VERY weird...
I thought about pulling it, but it's not hogging any light or nutes, so I'll probably leave it topped to where it's at and see what I get from "IT"
That's it !
It will be heretofore known as IT !
(wifey says I can't say dwarf tard any more.....:-)
I'll get some good pics of it tomorrow
There's that nasty yellow light...
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fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Anyhow, I just solved the heat issues.
Just ordered a portable air conditioning unit.
I will plumb it to feed cold air right past the res, and you can duct the heat it produces to the outside.

Nearing perfection now !
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
I'll disconnect the inlet hose that feeds outside air to the res area from the floor.
I'll fab something with a soft foam gasket to bungee over the opening of the A/C unit and feed the cool air via that hose to the res area inlet, right onto the res.
Then it will travel up through the fridge area, cooling everything and out past the light and thru the filter.
I will remove the other 4" inlet hose from the fridge area and block that opening and pump the A/C created heat out of that hose thru the floor and out of the building (Unit comes with a 4" hose to exhaust heat).
Perfect!

I will most likely fabricate an intentionally loose fitting or small collector to capture the cold air as this unit is 10,000 BTU and will cool 300 sq ft.
This is supposed to be freakin WINTER DAMMIT!
Well... i'll be prepared for anything now, it even has a heater....... Perfect!
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Shoot Fish your plants have it better than the people down at the senior center, LOL
LoL !

Till the A/C gets here I stocked up on a couple bags of ice.
I first added some of my own ice from the house.
I was in need of a gallon add back and the PH was dipping a little low.
So I added about a gallon of my ice, my tap is about a 7 PH so when it all melted and circulated, the soup dropped from 80 to 72 and the PH rose right up to about 5.9... Perfect!
They are really eating now, the PPMs were kinda low this eve, NEXT add back will be a 1 gallon full strength slushy! :D
I also just sat a small tub of ice in the freezer area next to the res.20150311_190840_resized.jpg
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
When the lights shut off tomorrow am, they will have been on for 38 hours strait.
16 on MH and 32 on HPS for a real blast.
They are vegging along quite nicely now.
Tomorrow I will let the timer take them back to 16/8.
 
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fishdeth

Well-Known Member
I mixed a gallon of full strength nutes and stuck it in the freezer this AM.
As soon as it slushes up good, I'll add it to t the soup.
Got a tracking number for the A/C unit.
Coming from Kansas.
Delivered BY Monday... or sooner?
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
I just checked the PPMs right after lites on, 7 PM, and these plants are really eating now.
I added that slushy this AM at 10 and you wouldn't even know it.
I have been trying to stretch res changes to every 2 weeks instead of 1.
Maybe I should switch back?
10 gallons is a lot to toss every week but the plants around the house are looking great, for the middle of winter!
Girls are starting to bush up real good.
That freak in the middle was topped to 4 but I CANNOT tell what 3 of those tops are going to do.
The 4th one has survived and has been growing somewhat normally.... so...... I CUT THE BITCH... nice, right?
I went ahead and topped that one so at least the plant will have 2 equal sized colas.
Might not be a bad thing??? They could get HUGE ?

I might just trim off the 3 other tops in question and run with the 2, maybe top each of those one more time.
Hell, the trunk on that one is still formidable and should support that option easily.
I'll give "It" a few more days to a week then I will decide.
Like I said, not hogging any light or nutes... well maybe nutes.

The other 2 have taken off and are pretty much textbook examples of Mainlining.
8 colas will be standing tall on each of those 2.
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Here "It" is...
Just three leaves on 3 of the tops, and there are no discernible growth shoots coming out beside any of them....?
You can see the one normal top and where I just topped it.
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fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Changed the nutes out yesterday.
A/C unit will be here Monday, not a minute too soon either, it is unfreakinbelievably WARM here for the middle of winter.
If I can get these temps under control and regulated, maybe I can get some serious veg on and get to the flip !

Removed the growth tips and shade leaves on the first node of all 16 colas.

This is the Amnesia Haze.
You can clearly see all 8 tops in that last pic.
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