Homemade Stealth Cabinet- Lots of pics!

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
dude really sick cabinet! very professional but i hope you don't have to move any time soon!
Haha!!!! You are soooooooooo right!!!
This thing is pretty damned heavy! What a pain in the ass that would be. I have been here since the mid 90s though so hopefully I will be here a while longer.
Thanks for the compliment!
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
Nice craftsmanship, I assume without ducting, you're having horrible heat problems. What I did with mine was fix the lights, and make adjustable shelving. That way, you can have the ducting properly positioned to keep the heat down. It's harder (not impossible) to do moveable lighting with ducting in a confined space such as a cabinet. It's much easier to move the plants up and down. I won't post any photos on your thread and steal your thunder, but you can check it out here and see what I'm talking about.
Hi Punk,
preciate it!
Actually, the heat is not a horrible problem...YET. I am now using a 400w hps with a cool tube which is ducted to one of the exhaust fans. I moved the carbon filter to the intake end of the Cooltube. It tends to stay between 78 and 82F in the daytime and goes down to about 75F at night. Part of this reading may be due to the fact that the sensor is closer to the light than the plants are. The sensor is about 10" away and the plants are about 14". I don't see any heat stress problems yet
so if I can keep it in that range I may be OK. I would rather have it from 72-75 but we all know this is nearly always a problem with small stealth cabs. If I do see any major problem with heat I can dim my ballast to 250w and/or move it up a little bit with the yoyos to make it easier on the girls while I remedy the situation. Heat will be my biggest challenge as rightfully noted by so many of you.
Adjustable shelving is certainly an option and a valid one. In my first grow I am using Autopots which means that I would also have to move the reservoir up a little too for water flow.
Good points dude. Gives me something to think about.
When I get a few minutes I will check out your link. I wanna see what you're doin.
Thanks for the input and for tuning in!
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
nice man looks like your set. idk about the diy filters but other then that it looks! good look with your grow
Thanks PC,
Yeah, the weak links will probably prove to be the filters and the heat. I am keeping a close eye on them both.
This is what I love about Rollitup!
There are so many experienced people out there that if you just listen to them you will know what to watch for and how to fix it. I value all of the comments and criticism that I receive.
Glad you could come by....come on back again.
 

hydroponichygene

Active Member
wow man looks like you put some time and money into this one , can't wait to see what comes out of it.any thought on a strain?? subscribed :)
 

SensiStan

Well-Known Member
Hey Munkee good work just read all 5 pages lol :D love ur setup im busy doing the same thing on a much smaller budget but shes getting there :P keep up the posts i wanna se how this one turns out !!
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
wow man looks like you put some time and money into this one , can't wait to see what comes out of it.any thought on a strain?? subscribed :)
Hey there HH,
Yes I did....a lot of time and TOO MUCH money. Hopefully, the money part is over for now.
I can't wait either, bud. I chose auto strains early in the game to make it a little faster and easier on myself on the first grow. I have started some auto AK47 and auto Blue Himalaya to begin with. Started germinating the AKs on 12 Mar and the BH on 20 Mar. I will have more on that a little later. Don't need to think too far ahead yet but waiting in the wings I have White Rhino, Northern Lights, 5 Mandala strains including Satori, and assorted freebies from attitude. There are more but these come to mind right away.
Thanks for joining in...glad to have ya.
 

7shane6

Active Member
First of I LOVE your grow box and I want to try to build one just like you to before the summer hits. I was wondering how much did you spend on the entire project. From start to finish thanks. Also if you could send me all the materials you used in a message or something I would REALLY appreciate it.
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
Hey Munkee good work just read all 5 pages lol :D love ur setup im busy doing the same thing on a much smaller budget but shes getting there :P keep up the posts i wanna se how this one turns out !!
Hi SS,
Looks like Family Guy is well represented here!
Glad you could make it.
Good luck with your project. If I was smart I could have saved money on this thing but sometimes I'm a bit impulsive and not too smart. I'm the kind of guy who goes to a car lot to buy an economy car and leaves with a sports car.lol
Stay tuned and I will post changes and details.
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
First of I LOVE your grow box and I want to try to build one just like you to before the summer hits. I was wondering how much did you spend on the entire project. From start to finish thanks. Also if you could send me all the materials you used in a message or something I would REALLY appreciate it.
Whassup 7shane,
Southern boy here!
Preciate the kind words. As for costs, I have a selective memory and prefer not to think about how much I have dropped for this. My brain is more like a sieve than a sponge.
I was just fortunate enough to be able to do what I wanted......but I am sure that the total cost is well over 1000. That would include some things that I bought and haven't used. I will try to think of everything that I am using or have used and send you a PM. I am sure that if you use your head you could save quite a bit and end up with much the same system. For example, If I had been able to find a second hand cab I would not have spent nearly 300 to get a new one. I just couldn't find what I wanted.
Anyway, I will try to make a sort of list and let you know when I get a few minutes.
Welcome to my thread... Cya soon.
 

7shane6

Active Member
Whassup 7shane,
Southern boy here!
Preciate the kind words. As for costs, I have a selective memory and prefer not to think about how much I have dropped for this. My brain is more like a sieve than a sponge.
I was just fortunate enough to be able to do what I wanted......but I am sure that the total cost is well over 1000. That would include some things that I bought and haven't used. I will try to think of everything that I am using or have used and send you a PM. I am sure that if you use your head you could save quite a bit and end up with much the same system. For example, If I had been able to find a second hand cab I would not have spent nearly 300 to get a new one. I just couldn't find what I wanted.
Anyway, I will try to make a sort of list and let you know when I get a few minutes.
Welcome to my thread... Cya soon.
Thanks I really do appreciate it but dang i wasnt looking to spend nowhere near 1000 dollars lol maybe i will try to build me a cheaper one I have a dresser on one of my threads do you think i could use that
 

SensiStan

Well-Known Member
Hi SS,
Looks like Family Guy is well represented here!
Glad you could make it.
Good luck with your project. If I was smart I could have saved money on this thing but sometimes I'm a bit impulsive and not too smart. I'm the kind of guy who goes to a car lot to buy an economy car and leaves with a sports car.lol
Stay tuned and I will post changes and details.
HAHA yea, nothing like sittin back to nice family guy or american dad with a nice reefer:joint:, just dont buy too much crap for the grow room :D just keep it clean and funcional like you are already doing very well. iv just finished construction of my cabinet today out of cannibalised shelves and stolen wood :D next phase is lots of mylar and fans cant F****** Wait im hoping to use any info i can get from ur grow cuz its so similar,and happy to share what i know :D keep rollin !
 

vh13

Well-Known Member
+rep. +subscribed.

It's been a while since I've been impressed by a start up grow. I eagerly await the results.

I've got a tip for you: run separate intake and exhaust ducts for your HID bulb hooked up to your cooltube. This way you can isolate the air space and you won't need to filter the air used for cooling your primary heat source. The increased efficiency of air flow will eliminate almost all of the heat generated by your HID bulb.

The plants will only need one exhaust fan, you could run passive intake if you want, and that's with twice as much filtration as you have now, and they'll still be fine. Plants respire far less then the cooling demands for an HID bulb requires.

I did this for my 250w HPS in a tiny little cabinet... I live in a hot climate, temperatures are extremely difficult to manage, but my girls are running super fat and happier 'n shit with tons of light and feeling almost no heat. :bigjoint:
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
Thanks I really do appreciate it but dang i wasnt looking to spend nowhere near 1000 dollars lol maybe i will try to build me a cheaper one I have a dresser on one of my threads do you think i could use that
That's usin your head. There are a lot of ways to not spend what I did. I would imagine that you could modify your dresser to make it work.
You might;
Use cheaper fans or an inline duct fan with passive intake. If using computer fans you could probably find a leftover DC converter somewhere.
Use mylar instead of IR Block
Get a more inexpensive light. I don't imagine that a 400w HPS is absolutely necessary for a small cab. You may even consider CFLs or HO T5s...less cost and less heat to worry about. Double savings!
Forget about the shower pan
Don't use the Autopots w/ coco. Use cheaper pots and good soil. You won't need the reservoir or tubing and fittings either.
Get a less expensive timer. There are some good ones out there that don't cost as much as the HTGS unit. With shipping, it was about 30.
Get a temp/rh sensor for less. I think they can be found for not much more than 10.
The plastic raceway and internal receptacles are not a must have. Savings would be about 50 for boxes, raceway, romex, etc.
You don't have to use yoyos or aluminum tubing to hang things. All these small costs add up.
Interior sheathing with assorted screws, paint, and caulk was over 50 I am sure. If you don't need it...don't get it.
Barrel bolts, camlock, and door sweeps ran somewhere around 40 or maybe more.
Hole saws were pretty expensive...about 30 or more for the 2 sizes. You could probably find another way to do it.
I could go on but you see what I am getting at. I haven't really touched on the things that make the system run.
I got these things to make my vision come to life. Over a period of a couple of months, a few bucks at a time didn't seem like such a big deal, but it does add up!
Let me know how it works out and I will be here to help in any way I can.
 

7shane6

Active Member
That's usin your head. There are a lot of ways to not spend what I did. I would imagine that you could modify your dresser to make it work.
You might;
Use cheaper fans or an inline duct fan with passive intake. If using computer fans you could probably find a leftover DC converter somewhere.
Use mylar instead of IR Block
Get a more inexpensive light. I don't imagine that a 400w HPS is absolutely necessary for a small cab. You may even consider CFLs or HO T5s...less cost and less heat to worry about. Double savings!
Forget about the shower pan
Don't use the Autopots w/ coco. Use cheaper pots and good soil. You won't need the reservoir or tubing and fittings either.
Get a less expensive timer. There are some good ones out there that don't cost as much as the HTGS unit. With shipping, it was about 30.
Get a temp/rh sensor for less. I think they can be found for not much more than 10.
The plastic raceway and internal receptacles are not a must have. Savings would be about 50 for boxes, raceway, romex, etc.
You don't have to use yoyos or aluminum tubing to hang things. All these small costs add up.
Interior sheathing with assorted screws, paint, and caulk was over 50 I am sure. If you don't need it...don't get it.
Barrel bolts, camlock, and door sweeps ran somewhere around 40 or maybe more.
Hole saws were pretty expensive...about 30 or more for the 2 sizes. You could probably find another way to do it.
I could go on but you see what I am getting at. I haven't really touched on the things that make the system run.
I got these things to make my vision come to life. Over a period of a couple of months, a few bucks at a time didn't seem like such a big deal, but it does add up!
Let me know how it works out and I will be here to help in any way I can.
I will defininately do that thanks. +rep.
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
HAHA yea, nothing like sittin back to nice family guy or american dad with a nice reefer:joint:, just dont buy too much crap for the grow room :D just keep it clean and funcional like you are already doing very well. iv just finished construction of my cabinet today out of cannibalised shelves and stolen wood :D next phase is lots of mylar and fans cant F****** Wait im hoping to use any info i can get from ur grow cuz its so similar,and happy to share what i know :D keep rollin !
Hey SS,
I'm afraid it's too late to not buy too much! lol
Now that the money is gone and most of the work is done, I can pay attention to functionality and fine tuning.
Congrats on your project. If you're anything like me there is a pride in doing something you really want to do.
The hardest part for me is starting now....actually growing something! This is where I have to do more listening than talking. Although I have grown a little in the past, It seems to be much more scientific nowadays. There is a lot of good information out there though and I intend to learn everything I can to make it work. I will continue to post my progress so stay tuned.:peace:
 

EvlMunkee

Well-Known Member
+rep. +subscribed.

It's been a while since I've been impressed by a start up grow. I eagerly await the results.

I've got a tip for you: run separate intake and exhaust ducts for your HID bulb hooked up to your cooltube. This way you can isolate the air space and you won't need to filter the air used for cooling your primary heat source. The increased efficiency of air flow will eliminate almost all of the heat generated by your HID bulb.

The plants will only need one exhaust fan, you could run passive intake if you want, and that's with twice as much filtration as you have now, and they'll still be fine. Plants respire far less then the cooling demands for an HID bulb requires.

I did this for my 250w HPS in a tiny little cabinet... I live in a hot climate, temperatures are extremely difficult to manage, but my girls are running super fat and happier 'n shit with tons of light and feeling almost no heat. :bigjoint:
Hi vh13,
Thanks for comin round and the comments. Much appreciated!
I think you've hit the nail on the head with the dedicated ventilation on the Cooltube. For now I hooked up one of the exhaust fans to the tube with a passive intake from inside the cab. I do have plans though to do what you suggested. I have plenty of room to add an exhaust and intake dedicated to the light. I will just leave the exhaust fans I have now and if I don't need 300cfm of exhaust, I can use the controller to turn them down to about 100 cfm or somewhere in between. When they are running at low speed I can not hear them at all on the outside of the cab.
Air flow right now is very good but I agree that it would be more efficient to cool the light separately. The Cooltube is actually not very hot when air is flowing through it. I can actually lay my hand on it for 10 -15 seconds.
Great suggestion!
 
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