Hanging Gardens - Floating 1200W Stealth Cab Under Kingsize Bunk-bed

lilindian

Well-Known Member
Originally posted in the Grow Room Design and Setup section. Last time i was on RIU properly i swear they never had a cabinet section. Even my last build was logged in grow room design and setup. I think this build will be more appreciated here...

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Hanging Gardens - Floating 1200W Stealth Cab Under Kingsize Bunk-bed
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Hello community,


Haven't been here for a while, but I am back to log my build of a 2m x 1m cabinet. At the time of writing this, I don’t quite have enough funds to pay for the 100% completion of this project. But I have enough to get pretty far!

Background info:


Rollitup taught me most of what i know, so i thought it's only right i give something back to you guys. The rest of my knowledge has come from working in the industry. This isn't the first cabinet i've made, examples of previous builds can be seen below. This one however is my latest, and all the knowledge and experience i have gained throughout the years has gone into its design. I would like to state that I by no means consider myself an expert, just a very passionate hobbyist, who loves building and growing stuff!
Previous Cabinet
Pictures below are a few from my last build. It was approx a 1x1x2.5m Cabinet comprising of 4 sections, one for air in + heaters+ pots, one for plant growth, the next one up was ventilation and electrics (behind the black board is a 5" PK temperature controlled fan pulling air FROM lower section, through main section, through the fan, through the veg section up top, back down and through the lights, and out), and a veg/mother/clone section right at the top. It worked a treat, and was soundproofed until it was silent.

Air in was a 5" inline fan passing through a 5" particle filter.

The whole grow pulled out so i could easily access stuff at the back and inspect the plants easily.

There was also a drainage system so all the run off from the pots drained directly outside.

The 2 green tubes are bar heaters, for chilly days.

Lighting came in the form of 2 5" cool tubes and x2 4/600W lumatek digital ballasts.

Up top was a 4 Tube 2ft T5 Lightwave

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DSC04723.JPG
DSC04726.JPG
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DSC04734.JPG
 

Attachments

lilindian

Well-Known Member
New Cabinet:


Whilst there is an amazing array of technology out there for the hydroponic community such as Dimlux Digital Dimmable 400V Ballasts, infra-red sensors for light controllers (measuring leaf surface temperature) and hydroponic undercurrent systems, I am someone who a.) is not rolling in money and b.) generally likes to keep things simple and natural. Therefore I won't be pouring loads of cash into equipment and technology, but instead make do with what i already have. Having said this, the spec of the new cab can be found below.



Lighting:


Ballasts:

- x1 600W Lumatek Digital Dimmable Ballast
- x1 1000W Lumatek Digital Dimmable Ballast

- In the future I will upgrade each light to a 315W Ceramic Discharge Ballast/Reflector with according bulbs for Veg/Flow


(Timer and 4 Gang Contactor Used)





Reflectors

- x1 Parabolic (silver)
- x1 Parabolic (white - which i believe to be better than silver)





Ventilation:

- Intake 6" Air Force II Acoustic Fan (now known as ISOMAX)
- Outtake 8" TD Silent Acoustic Fan





Fan speed controller:

- Variac transformer fan speed controller -

(The advantage of using a Variac transformer to manage your fan speeds is in a variac transformer, the output wattage going to the fan is adjusted. In normal fan speed controllers, they adjust the fan speed using the voltage going to the fan. The result of using voltage over wattage is an on-off-on-off hum the fan gives off as you reduce the speed. This is due to the “voltage regulator” essentially turning your fan on and off slower and slower the more you turn the speed down. It is a constantly interrupted signal, where-as a variac transformer sends a constant power feed to the fan, just at reduced power.)

Hope that made sense… that’s my spin on it anyway.




Ducting:

- 200mm x 90mm Flat Channel Ducting (connecting onto fans with flat channel connector - 6" Spigot adapter)


- 6” Adjustable air outlet valve’s (intake and outtake) to balance ventilation.




Reflective Sheeting:

- Orca Grow Film


- This will be stuck using spray glue, before the edges are sandwiched in construction as the sides are put together.
Edges will be sealed with Orca Tape




Right, here for the details.....





The Hanging part:


So I plan to have the whole cabinet hung on 2 rails, allowing me to move the cabinet back and forward approx. 0.5m. This is for 2 reasons, firstly to allow access to the radiator behind the cabinet, if… it ever gets fixed. But secondly to allow access to the fans and electricals, which I plan to place in the alcove of my room, and then box up with plywood and insulation. Plus, it’d be kinda cool to have it hanging!


The way I’m going to do this, is to use door hangers, usually used to hang warehouse doors, and stuff like that. Each of the Hangers has the capacity to hold 250kg’s, and I’ll have 4, and I doubt the cabinet fully loaded and watered will be anywhere close to 1ton.

So I should be good!





The Doors:


The doors will be made of 18mm ply, with 4mm mirror glued to that. Each door will be supported by 600mm garden gate hinges. Each door will be a full length mirror, edge to edge.




Door closing mechanism:

In my previous cabinet builds I’ve used everything from wooden blocks to make a latch, to cabinet slide catches. I had always wanted to use magnets similar to those sometimes found in bathroom or kitchen cabinets, but found they were always too weak for my intended use. Recently an idea came to me. Why don’t I use neodymium magnets? They come in various shapes and sizes, and have a degree of different pulls. I looked them up and to my surprise found exactly what I needed. I plan to use magnets with around 10kg of pull, hopefully enough to seal the doors tightly against the frame/seal.




The seal around the door:

In previous builds I have used draught seal strips to seal the door shut when closed, however whilst doing the job well, I have felt that there is a better solution to this.


This time round, I am giving Neoprene a try. I’ve handled a lot of the stuff, need to do a bit more research into the different varieties available, but pretty sure this is the route I’m going down.





The Cabinet:

The Cabinet must be strong, but light. Therefore I have opted to use 9mm Ply for the walls, and 50x50 timber for the frame. I would have gone for thicker ply for better acoustic insulation, however considering it will be hanging, and it is quite a large cabinet, I thought the 9mm will be strong enough. If it is too loud for my liking, the design of the cabinet allows me to add insulation around it and box it in. I am hoping I won’t need to do that, but if I did, it would be dead silent.

Sitting on the bottom face of the cabinet will be 2 platforms if you like, each just under 1m x 1m. Each platform will be on a set of heavy duty runners. The idea behind this, is that when i want to attend the plants in the cabinet, instead of leaning into the cabinet and sticking my head under the light to see the ones at the back, i can just pull each platform out and have full access to 2 sides of the grow (would be 3 but the cabinet is in the corner!). I employed a similar technique in my last build that worked a treat. The runners however are very expensive, for the time being i will build the cabinet without this feature. It can always be added.


Another design I was looking at was a closed loop system, with air cooled lights, co2 unit, humidifier/dehumidifier, but I think I’ll save that for next time, when I have a bit more space to play with, and a bit more cash!
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
The Design:
(drawings are proportional)


Front View With Cupboard and TV.png
  • Wardrobe on the right, T.V ontop
  • Ledge sticking out on the left is the mantlepiece
  • Height between mattress and ceiling is 1m.
  • Cabinet internal dimensions are 2m wide, 1.7m high, 1m deep.

Front View Ventilation Runs.png

(Above you can see the ventilation runs)

  • Note how i have designed the runs in such a way, that the run to each of the intakes is the same length, and each of the outtakes is the same length. This is to ensure even airflow, and to make my job of balancing each outlet easier. All ducting will run behind the back face of the cabinet, leaving only the outlets visible such as in the first drawing.
  • I do not run Carbon scrubbers so do not need to make room for a filter. If i were however, i'd use an inline ozone scrubber, so still wouldn't have to make space for a filter.


BirdsEye Cabinet.png

  • This is essentially the footprint of my cabinet, or a birds eye view if you like. Very simple in construction.
  • Each face will be constructed separately, and then put together.

BirdsEye Frame + Cabinet.png
  • The above picture shows the timber frame i will need to build to support the cabinet. How the cabinet hangs underneath can be seen.
  • Where the rails will be hung, i have added extra support. These supports will also stop the ply from flexing under any weight.
  • The brown ledge bottom left is the mantle piece. As you can see its a very tight fit!
  • Red hatched out square bottom right is the vertical upright.
  • The horizontal brown hatching up top is to illustrate the timber going into the wall and screwing into the studs. I have had to cut out a slice of the wall for the timber to slot into and sit against the studs at the back.


BirdsEye Frame PLY With Cupboard.png
  • The drawing above shows the sheets of 12mm ply that a thin bedframe will rest on, and the mattress on that.
  • Big square on the right is the top of the wardrobe, that will be made into a little media station.


As the cabinet will be hanging from the underside of the bed, that platform has got to be strong. I am no structural engineer, but I am pretty sure what I got going on should be good enough. The timber supporting the platform will be screwed into about 8 vertical joists going along one wall, with the other wall's timber being screwed into brick. The Ply platform will then screw into this. The rest of the timber on the frame should support the ply sheets and stop it from bending/deflecting in any way. I did not want to add unnecessary weight to the design if it could be avoided, therefore did not go for thicker ply for the frame. The 12mm ply making the platform will essentially be supported from 2 sides/walls, with the opposite corner having a suitable chunky upright.


I have included beading in the middle of the cabinet, in-between which i can slot a sheet of plywood, in the event that i want to run 2 different light cycles, or just one light in 1mx1m, maybe rebalance the ventilation and use the other side for drying.

I will made a ladder to get up to the bed in the near future out of wood to keep with the general theme of the build. To the right of the frame/cabinet will go a wardrobe, ontop of which i will make a little entertainment station for TV, Xbox, Hifi, that will face the end of my bed.

I am no CAD expert, I learnt Autocad to design this, get all the measurements and timber sizes, so don’t quite know how best to illustrate the drawings to others but will give it a go.


So far, everything aside from the Mirrors, and Ventilation and runners have been purchased, as these are things I can sort out once I got some cash, and they don’t interrupt the rest of the build
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
So, 2 weeks later and its pretty much built.

Everything aside from the ventilation, mirrors, and magnets (need stronger ones) is done. The fans have been boxed up and stuffed with insulation and all is super quiet.

The plywood that was delivered was slightly warped. As a result the doors aren't straight. I'm currently straightening them using clamps, and a bit of moisture therapy. It's amazing how quickly plywood warps... you can almost watch it. For more info, see:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/tips/flattening-warped-plywood.aspx


The good news is, the frame takes the weight! The cabinet is fully constructed and floats, AND, i can stand and essentially jump inside it. No cracks, no creaks. I added plenty of extra timber to the frame on top of what is seen in the plans using off cuts ect.

The Neoprene Seal i ordered turned out to be perfect for the job, very happy with it. I opted for the 5mm thick one i think, and as a result the doors are slightly harder to close, and therefore require stronger magnets, but the seal will be tight, which is the most important thing. Even if there was an air gap, the cabinet would have negative pressure. It's more for light leaks.


Screen Shot 2015-12-10 at 16.29.25.png

(The Ladder - before the doors were put on - it is not fixed to the bed so can be moved when opening the cabinet doors)


(Doors on but clamped shut - the magnets purchased were not strong enough to hold the doors tight against the seal. This is partially because i hung the doors without putting the seal on first to give it an extra tight fit with the seal, and secondly because the plywood sheets came warped!)

(4mm Mirrors will be stuck to each door in the future)

(IT FLOATS!)

Screen Shot 2015-12-10 at 16.29.35.png
(Little entertainment station to box in the space up top a bit - also prevents the TV falling back)

Screen Shot 2015-12-10 at 16.29.12.png
(This is the alcove where the 2 acoustic fans have been boxed up and stuffed with insulation. The rest of the space will house the contactor/ballasts, and any extra will be storage for growing tools)

(The whole cabinet pulls out about 60cm away from the wall, which creates this gap for me to walk behind the cabinet and access this space)

DSC06857.JPG
(Orca taped all the edges to make it completely sealed - 2 edges left to do, near side top and bottom, but i have run out of tape, used 75 feet!)

DSC06860.JPG
(This is how the lights will hang - they are touching the sides of the cabinet, left and right, with approximately 1cm in between. This 1cm is for the sheet of ply that will slide in between and made it 2 separate grow spaces)

(The black strips left and right are the seals. I have put them on to try and straighten the doors a bit. The top and bottom seal will go on once i have installed the magnets)

(The doors will be covered in Orca, same as the rest, once i'm happy with how straight they are)


DSC06866.JPG

SO, can't do anything more until i have the magnets. Once i've sorted out the doors, the only thing left will be the ventilation.

All timber will be painted once i decide on a colour scheme to go with. Detailing on the timber is also missing, but i'll purchase beading and architraves when i have some cash.

The 10kg pull neodynium magnets are no-where near strong enough, so i'm now looking at the 50kg pull ones. But.. they're a lot more expensive, £34 a magnet, and i want approximately 10... might just go for 25kg pull ones and compromise...

I know what you're thinking but... i'm only going to build this once!



 

Attachments

bf80255

Well-Known Member
So, 2 weeks later and its pretty much built.

Everything aside from the ventilation, mirrors, and magnets (need stronger ones) is done. The fans have been boxed up and stuffed with insulation and all is super quiet.

The plywood that was delivered was slightly warped. As a result the doors aren't straight. I'm currently straightening them using clamps, and a bit of moisture therapy. It's amazing how quickly plywood warps... you can almost watch it. For more info, see:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/tips/flattening-warped-plywood.aspx


The good news is, the frame takes the weight! The cabinet is fully constructed and floats, AND, i can stand and essentially jump inside it. No cracks, no creaks. I added plenty of extra timber to the frame on top of what is seen in the plans using off cuts ect.

The Neoprene Seal i ordered turned out to be perfect for the job, very happy with it. I opted for the 5mm thick one i think, and as a result the doors are slightly harder to close, and therefore require stronger magnets, but the seal will be tight, which is the most important thing. Even if there was an air gap, the cabinet would have negative pressure. It's more for light leaks.


View attachment 3563565

(The Ladder - before the doors were put on - it is not fixed to the bed so can be moved when opening the cabinet doors)


(Doors on but clamped shut - the magnets purchased were not strong enough to hold the doors tight against the seal. This is partially because i hung the doors without putting the seal on first to give it an extra tight fit with the seal, and secondly because the plywood sheets came warped!)

(4mm Mirrors will be stuck to each door in the future)

(IT FLOATS!)

View attachment 3563566
(Little entertainment station to box in the space up top a bit - also prevents the TV falling back)

View attachment 3563564
(This is the alcove where the 2 acoustic fans have been boxed up and stuffed with insulation. The rest of the space will house the contactor/ballasts, and any extra will be storage for growing tools)

(The whole cabinet pulls out about 60cm away from the wall, which creates this gap for me to walk behind the cabinet and access this space)

View attachment 3563568
(Orca taped all the edges to make it completely sealed - 2 edges left to do, near side top and bottom, but i have run out of tape, used 75 feet!)

View attachment 3563569
(This is how the lights will hang - they are touching the sides of the cabinet, left and right, with approximately 1cm in between. This 1cm is for the sheet of ply that will slide in between and made it 2 separate grow spaces)

(The black strips left and right are the seals. I have put them on to try and straighten the doors a bit. The top and bottom seal will go on once i have installed the magnets)

(The doors will be covered in Orca, same as the rest, once i'm happy with how straight they are)


View attachment 3563570

SO, can't do anything more until i have the magnets. Once i've sorted out the doors, the only thing left will be the ventilation.

All timber will be painted once i decide on a colour scheme to go with. Detailing on the timber is also missing, but i'll purchase beading and architraves when i have some cash.

The 10kg pull neodynium magnets are no-where near strong enough, so i'm now looking at the 50kg pull ones. But.. they're a lot more expensive, £34 a magnet, and i want approximately 10... might just go for 25kg pull ones and compromise...

I know what you're thinking but... i'm only going to build this once!



you plan on sleeping on the bunk bed? hows that going to work out with the increased temps and constant buzzing from the bulbs and an exhaust fan?
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
you plan on sleeping on the bunk bed? hows that going to work out with the increased temps and constant buzzing from the bulbs and an exhaust fan?
Of course, not all just for show you know! I plan to see how the temp situation plays out. I keep my room at roughly 24/25C anyways, and my cab will be at 27C, so we're only talking a 2 degree difference... The cab isn't gona get THAT warm, not warm enough to give me problems a simple fan cant solve.... and the ORCA reflective material is also thermal reflective. The top of my room is a lot warmer than the ground floor level, so i'm already using a fan when it gets warm up there. Basically i highly doubt this is going to be a problem.

And Bulbs buzz isn't all the time, and i can hardly hear it when using tents, i wont hear them in this cab...

The exhaust and intake fans are both acoustic fans, and have been boxed up and stuffed with acoustic insulation, you can't hear a thing... they're running at the moment and are quieter than my 5" RVK!

I've been sleeping with the sounds of my fans as background noise for a looooong time now, i'm so used to it, it feels strange to be lying in bed in silence...
 

bf80255

Well-Known Member
Of course, not all just for show you know! I plan to see how the temp situation plays out. I keep my room at roughly 24/25C anyways, and my cab will be at 27C, so we're only talking a 2 degree difference... The cab isn't gona get THAT warm, not warm enough to give me problems a simple fan cant solve.... and the ORCA reflective material is also thermal reflective. The top of my room is a lot warmer than the ground floor level, so i'm already using a fan when it gets warm up there. Basically i highly doubt this is going to be a problem.

And Bulbs buzz isn't all the time, and i can hardly hear it when using tents, i wont hear them in this cab...

The exhaust and intake fans are both acoustic fans, and have been boxed up and stuffed with acoustic insulation, you can't hear a thing... they're running at the moment and are quieter than my 5" RVK!

I've been sleeping with the sounds of my fans as background noise for a looooong time now, i'm so used to it, it feels strange to be lying in bed in silence...
I was just curious because it looks like the room you use as a primary "bedroom" if it doesnt bother you than it aint no thang ;) Been growing indoor in my primary bedroom for years lmao
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
I was just curious because it looks like the room you use as a primary "bedroom" if it doesnt bother you than it aint no thang ;) Been growing indoor in my primary bedroom for years lmao
This room has been described as a cave. I sleep in my cave, I grow in my cave, I live, in my cave :) kinda pushed for space you see, and i've been given this room to "express myself". Plus, i'm kinda in the routine of checking on my plants first thing when i wake up, so it works out well
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
What is the white material you lined the box with? And what did you seal the seams with?
I put the same light reflector inside my fridge... LoL
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
Kudos sir !
That is some fine craftsmanship !!!
I am def watchin this one.
What is the white material you lined the box with? And what did you seal the seams with?
I put the same light reflector inside my fridge... LoL

Thanks very much, its not 100% perfect but close enough...


It's Orca Grow Film

https://www.orcagrowfilm.com/


orca-alt-1.jpg

It really is as good as the picture suggests. It's been designed specifically for plants, and there's actually quite a bit of sciencey stuff thats gone behind it.

I used it in my last cabinet, sold it to hundreds, and would never suggest using anything other than this stuff. Really can't recommend it enough. AND, its thermal reflective :) not to mention strong, and easy to work with.

It's much pricier than regular mylar or even diamond stamped mylar, comes in at £70 for a 10m roll, 1.6m width or something.

The edges and corners and stuff was sealed with Orca tape, first time i've used this product, quite happy with it. £30 for 275 feet.... and i'm like 15 feet short... damn.

The difference in the brightness of a cabinet or room lined with orca is ridiculous... really worth every penny.

In terms of reflectors, parabolics, in my opinion, are the way forward. Much less heat directed towards your canopy, and therefore can be placed much closer to the plants than reflectors with horizontally mounted bulbs. I want 2 whites ones though :( lol you must've had to trim it down quite a bit to stick in a fridge! haha. Just had a quick look at one of your fridge grows, really impressive man, some of the best ingenuity i've seen in a while! Gona poke my nose in ur threads a bit more when got some time.

Anyway thanks for stopping by!


Updates so far?
Yes, updates..

So, magnets have been ordered, i went for the 25kg pull ones not the 50kg pull ones, hopefully they'll be enough, i'd be surprised if they're not...

The ventilation's adjustable inlets and outlets have been ordered, but not the rectangular ducting. I need the cabinet up and running ASAP, so only essentials are being purchased right now.

Only things left are mirrors (about £150-200) and the rest of the ventilation (£200)

And paint..
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Thanks very much, its not 100% perfect but close enough...


It's Orca Grow Film

https://www.orcagrowfilm.com/


View attachment 3570606

It really is as good as the picture suggests. It's been designed specifically for plants, and there's actually quite a bit of sciencey stuff thats gone behind it.

I used it in my last cabinet, sold it to hundreds, and would never suggest using anything other than this stuff. Really can't recommend it enough. AND, its thermal reflective :) not to mention strong, and easy to work with.

It's much pricier than regular mylar or even diamond stamped mylar, comes in at £70 for a 10m roll, 1.6m width or something.

The edges and corners and stuff was sealed with Orca tape, first time i've used this product, quite happy with it. £30 for 275 feet.... and i'm like 15 feet short... damn.

The difference in the brightness of a cabinet or room lined with orca is ridiculous... really worth every penny.

In terms of reflectors, parabolics, in my opinion, are the way forward. Much less heat directed towards your canopy, and therefore can be placed much closer to the plants than reflectors with horizontally mounted bulbs. I want 2 whites ones though :( lol you must've had to trim it down quite a bit to stick in a fridge! haha. Just had a quick look at one of your fridge grows, really impressive man, some of the best ingenuity i've seen in a while! Gona poke my nose in ur threads a bit more when got some time.

Anyway thanks for stopping by!
Very cool,
It reminds me of the white plastic material on the inside of the fridge.
I need to get some of the tape tho.

You can see where I needed the height, I took out the plastic and foam in the res area and I would hope the orca tape would seal it up good ???



And the parabolic reflector,
I loosely bolted the reflector fins to the top plate, then threaded a length of fishing line through the bottom holes and cinched it up till I got 28".
The overlaps were all different so I averaged the distance of all then drilled 8 holes and bolted it all up.

Added BONUS !
When I ordered this, it was the $42 cheapie with the silver aluminum finish.
The deluxe WHITE model ($20 more and the best reflectivity) is what was in the box!!!
20151223_135322_resized.jpg20151223_135305_resized.jpg20151223_135238_resized.jpg
 

fishdeth

Well-Known Member
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack this awesome build thread of yours.
Just got real excited when I saw TWO parabolics (:
 

Buschmasta420

Well-Known Member
I really like your lofted bed grow box. Im actually in the process of building one under my queen sized bed. Yours looks allot cleaner cut than mine probably will.
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack this awesome build thread of yours.
Just got real excited when I saw TWO parabolics (:
Hey man,

Your fridge grow is epic! Done a seriously good job... Like how clean and stuff everything is lookin, solid ducting elbows and what not. The parabolic looks really good, it almost looks like its meant to be that shape and size! IF you end up running out of room, ditch the side fins and just use the lamp holder part. In a space that small, and white, the light is going to be reflected around the place regardless of a reflector or not, but at the moment its nice to try and direct that light as much downward as possible. Make sure you flower em nice and early!

I see what you're trying to seal up, in my opinion the orca would be a little bit excessive, i'd personally use some silver aluminium foil tape, seems like you've already used some elsewhere, not got any lying around? The Orca would be stronger, thicker, harder to accidentally stab a hole through... but like x8 the price...


I really like your lofted bed grow box. Im actually in the process of building one under my queen sized bed. Yours looks allot cleaner cut than mine probably will.
Thanks man, i've never seen another "lofted bed grow box" before, would love to see what you come up with. The only thing i'd consider changing in mine is the amount of head height i got when sitting in bed. I'd want 20cm more, but then i'd have to sacrifice 20cm of grow height. Make sure you get the height right!

I actually had a dream last night i knocked the vertical upright, and it slid out and the whole thing collapsed.... ha

Go overkill, and drill before screwing!
 

Buschmasta420

Well-Known Member
Ill post some pics when I get it finished although it wont be for a few weeks (out of town). Im limited on funds so my materials will be lower grade but should do the job just fine. Im using osb for the walls and painting over them with a white reflective moisture resistant paint meant for stuff like roofing on RV's. What im really concerned with is ventilation. I plan on getting one of those vortex s-line fans for stealth as well as some insulated ducting and a filter. Still trying to figure out the best fan speed controller to pair it with that wont make a buzzing noise. Like you I plan on sleeping above it.
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
ALL SYSTEMS GO!

Finally, after a dreaming about this project for a few years, and spending a month building and designing and stuff, i now have a super bright, well ventilated box to sleep on top of!

Inside the cab, its pretty much finished. I just need to get 2 wooden poles and hang them from the top in 2 corners for the clip-on fans. The pole hanging from the top will not take up floor space, and it allows me to move and fans up and down as the plants grow.

For the moment i have connected standard 6" ducting to the outlets and fans. This will be replaced by rectangular ducting in the future.

I have decided to only mirror the right door, i feel this should be enough and both doors mirrors might look a bit tacky. Will be purchased soon.

DSC06875.JPG
(Secret access to behind the cabinet and the alcove)

DSC06873.JPG (With the cabinet pulled out, this is the gap created behind, with storage and fans at the very back)

DSC06877.JPG
DSC06878.JPG
(Duct Runs)

DSC06881.JPG
(Ballasts)

DSC06882.JPG
(Contactor)

DSC06889.JPG

(How far the Cabinet pulls out)
 

Attachments

lilindian

Well-Known Member
DSC06891.JPG
DSC06892.JPG

(The adjustable air inlets and outlets arrived - they are made from metal and are very well designed, i can pretty much close each one off completely and the air diffuses well)

DSC06893.JPG

(Air Out)

DSC06894.JPG

(Air In)

DSC06895.JPG

 

Attachments

Last edited:

lilindian

Well-Known Member
Dude, that's "Tits on a Ritz"!!!
Thanks man, just organising the cuts and mothers and stuff, gotta see what i got lying around to throw in there, don't worry, it's coming soon to a screen near you.

One more build post later this week once the mirror is installed and stuff and the final post will be once the rectangular ducting has been fitted but that won't be for a while.

Not quite as many build pictures as i took last time but i hope you guys enjoyed it anyway! Very happy with how everything turned out. The cabinet's been running for a few days now, 1 small light leak in between the doors but that will be taken sorted out by the overlapping mirror door. Other than that no issues... fans are running @ 50% at the moment, so it's all super quiet :D
 

lilindian

Well-Known Member
Ill post some pics when I get it finished although it wont be for a few weeks (out of town). Im limited on funds so my materials will be lower grade but should do the job just fine. Im using osb for the walls and painting over them with a white reflective moisture resistant paint meant for stuff like roofing on RV's. What im really concerned with is ventilation. I plan on getting one of those vortex s-line fans for stealth as well as some insulated ducting and a filter. Still trying to figure out the best fan speed controller to pair it with that wont make a buzzing noise. Like you I plan on sleeping above it.

Had a look in your thread, done a decent job for sure! It works man, thats all that matters, long as the job gets done! Looking forward to seeing the finished product of the cab and stuff. OSB should be fine for the walls, and moisture resistant paint sound fine, just make sure its not gloss! I've never painted anything but i seem to remember people saying it should be painted matt not gloss, i could be wrong.

Anyway, ventilation. IF sound is an issue, in my opinion a silencer is one of the most effective things you can use. I have tested both flexible ones and solid ones in the past and found the solid ones are a FAR superior silencer. I also tested an 8" airforce fan (high air movement) with a silencer on both ends, and i could hardly hear a thing, i had to put my ear on the fan to check it was running. That being said they can take up a decent amount of space. If you got the space, get silencers and acoustic ducting and box it all up once its in place. With acoustic ducting, you have to make sure both ends of the ducting are sealed.... i.e. you must fasted or tape the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve, and it must be SEALED. Otherwise air and smells will escape, more of a problem if you don't use a filter like some....

The other thing you should do is get a fan speed controller. I've stated in a post above somewhere what controller i'm using and why. But yeh, a controller can make a big difference with noise. I always like to over spec my fans, and then run them on 50% or something. It makes for a much quieter set up depending on the fans used. I'm using 2 acoustic fans so it works well. Things to think about..

Check my post about my fans and fan speed controllers..
 
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