Will this type of intake/exhaust work for my setup?

quazis

Member
I've been doing tons of reading, way too much that my brain is about to explode, and I think I've got everything right except my passive intake.

This grow will be inside a custom cabinet, that's going to be air tight and hidden (no one will know what's going on inside.)

This is what I have:



It's a really tiny space, about 35 cubic feet with only one plant to start off with, white widow (fem) seeds.

I've decided on the following setup:
  • Active Air Inline 4" Fan 165 CFM
  • Active Air Speed Controller
  • Mountain Air 4" Carbon Filter
  • Philips 250w HPS bulb
  • Philips 250w MH bulb
  • Lightspeed Digital Ballast 250/400w
Seeing as it's only 35 cubic feet, my calculations conclude I need about 17 CFM to exchange the air once every 5 minutes (this amount according to the Ventilation 101 thread.)

My question is, since I want it to be extremely stealthy, can I use the following setup as my intake?



Where there is a "T.", I will add a T-joint as behind the black tarp is a cement pillar that's always cold. Adding a T-joint will hopefully suck in more cold air, not from just the roof above the drywalled ceiling. Each pipe will be a 2" PVC pipe, that extends to a separate joist (labels 1 to 4) giving more air if needed. At the base, there will be a 90° elbow that will direct the intake inside the box. I could add multiple T-joints to each PVC pipe to improve more air flow also and thinking about it now, I should stagger them.



I can add two or three more intakes on the opposite side as there's a 1.5" lift and underneath is just concrete flooring and each intake could even be 3".

The carbon filter will be at the rear, with a duct making a 90° turn towards the front where it will attach to an inline fan and exhaust out under a L-shaped desk that's going to go there.



Oops, I lied. The fan has to move lower, but that's no problem.

I can add a small oscillating fan by the 4 main intakes to further improve air flow.

My biggest concerns are odor and stealth, it seems overkill for such a small area but I believe this is the only way to truly contain anything. I'm also going to line the interior with Safe N Sound to keep any sound inside, followed by reflective mylar.

(The pink insulation will not be going back in, those were earlier pictures I took.)
 

Diabolical666

Well-Known Member
Looks nice! I'm excited you have done your homework and came up with this....looking forward to seeing the final setup. GL
 

NorthernHize

Well-Known Member
good for you quazis. The math sounds good. I would say for future cabinet designs you don't need so much framing and bracing, it would free up some space for growing.
 

tomascat

Well-Known Member
u are completely sickening ... man that's better than great, sonofabitch ..theory is good, over kill on framing but ya went top shelf. you wont have a problem
 

tomascat

Well-Known Member
looked again,... that's pitiful to make shit like ...makes the rest of us look bad. if I were young id use these pics to show my spouse what it takes, haha
 

weedenhanced

Well-Known Member
So small of a area why not just get a tent man wood equals mold
U could just tent it but Iam interest in ur first grow look forward to seeing how it goes I'd make a scrog under that as hight will be a issue your system seems fine
 

quazis

Member
Awesome, thanks for the replies!

Regarding the excessive framing, this little box wasn't supposed to be a grow box from the beginning, I only decided to make it one this past weekend which is why I have to engineer around what's already there :(

I never thought about the heat and humidity effecting the wood, so I can remedy that by putting in some vapor barrier to all interior walls.

Looks like I have to go buy some more stuff.. thanks again!
 
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WeekendSupervisor

Well-Known Member
Panda film - low density poly plastic sheet (couple mils thick), black on one side, white on the other. White side goes towards the plants. aka visqueen plastic sheet
 

xSwimToTheMoon

Well-Known Member
When you think you're ready, do a dry run. (with no plants) that should tell you what you need to know. Do you have your thermometer and hygrometer? (Humidity)

I'm impressed by what you've done. Rock solid foundation dude.
 

quazis

Member

quazis

Member
I thought I'd give a little update. After doing some further reading and some suggestions regarding height, I made a few but significant changes.

I completely tossed the 2" pipe idea, the air between the joists will be stale air and hot, not fresh and cool. So I'm going to add a decorative vent that will take in fresh air from the basement and in to the box.



I also got rid of the 1" plywood at the bottom and replaced it with 1/4" dry wall to give me some more height.

I also removed the middle support 2x4 and will add 2x4's on top to give me a total of around 4" of height which I think will be important since I'm growing white widow!



I'm also going to dry wall the inside with 1/4" dry wall and paint it all flat white to make the best use of my light and hopefully reflect it everywhere.

Damn excited to get this up and running!
 

Rentaldog

Well-Known Member
Looks like a super badass setup quazis :D very handy, impressed! I just recently started remodeling my house and fixing some cracks in the walls on an addon, I can see my quality of work has a ways to go!

Keep us updated!
 

WeekendSupervisor

Well-Known Member
Looks awesome, good luck. Just saying though, the floor of the box will get wet, often. Do cover up that drywall on the floor with plastic, or get a small flood table to fit the box. The paper on the drywall will allow mold to form once wet.
 
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