# Stealth Cabinet Build (78Hx48Wx24D)



## DenseBuds (Sep 25, 2009)

*Backstory:*
I've been growing for a bit over a year now with two Growbright tents I purchased from HTGSupply. They're the small size (20Dx36Wx64H). In the veg tent there's a shelf and two 4-bulb T5 units which allows me to be veg'ing around 16 plants in 1.5 gal containers. In the flower tent, I've got a 250-watt HPS and can stuff 8 1.5gal containers in there (though it is REAL tight).

This works ok, but the problem we've run into is that the wife and I just CANNOT seem to keep ourselves from harvesting way too early. When we're out of bud to smoke and fiending, we have been known to cut a plant down at 4 weeks of flower to get high for a night or two. It's ridiculous really.

So.. after much contemplation, I've decided that the only real solution is: *Grow More!*  Hopefully we'll still be able to pick a few early, but allow the majority to fully finish. To do this, I'll need a new cabinet. Lets get to that...


*Cabinet Details*:

First off, I need to give credit where it's due.. I had been procrastinating for quite a while, until I came across this thread. I'm not doing aeroponics except when I clone (cuz it gets CRAZY hot here and I don't know how I'd keep my res cool without spending a ton of $$), and I'm only doing one cab at the moment, but cruzer101's setup is my inspiration.

Now, on to the parts...

Cabinet w/ shelves ($362 on-sale/shipped): 





*Steel Double Door Storage Cabinet (requires shelves), 48w x 24d x 78h, Black*
SKU:TNNJ478BK
UNIT PRICE:$214.49
WEIGHT:134.00 lbs(s)
*Four Shelves for Steel Double Door Storage Cabinet, 48w x 24d, Black*
SKU:TNNJ24SBK
UNIT PRICE:$126.49
WEIGHT:80.00 lbs(s)

*FAN ($77 shipped)* :
TD-100 S&P TD Series Inline Fan. For 4 inch round duct - 101/97 cfm (high/low).
*I have a 5" and 6" TD series fan and LOVE them. They are very very quiet, which is key for me.

*Filter ($55 + shipping)*:
CanFilter 2600 w/ 4" flange

*Ballast ($139 + shipping):*
Lumatek 120v 400watt HPS/MH (w/ cheap bulbs)

*Reflector (cheap):*
Bake A Round from ebay.


After a grow or two with two flower areas to get ahead, I plan to retire my current tent and flower only in the new cab. I also may eventually want to condense down all the way to a single cab for veg & flower, so my thought is to install one shelf as high as it will go and hang the light from that. I will also cut my cooltube/filter vent about halfway down the back of the cab on one side. Was thinking I'd mount the filter on the outside and blow into it with the fan on the inside of the cab sucking through the cooltube.

I figure that by doing this the exhaust sound I hate with my current tent setups will be muffled by the filter and if I do eventually decide to veg up top and flower below, I could just lower the shelf the light hangs from... we'll see.


So, that's it for now. All the equipment above was ordered today and should be here within the next week or so (hvacquick.com actually shipped this afternoon! Love that place). Will post pics and progress reports as things move along.

I'd love to hear what thoughts people have re: my setup. My main limitations are stealth and the single 15amp circuit I have in my office.

Thanks!


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## cruzer101 (Sep 25, 2009)

Congrats Man!

Ya did it alright, and you did it in a size that should yield you 6 to eight Oz's per harvest. 
Keeping girls in veg means you can get that every couple months.

I doubt you are going to have any problems finding a bowl when you want it.
Tough part will be (as you know) waiting for the first harvest.

I am excited for you, This is awesome.

Your ideas sound great. Those filters can take up precious flower space.
First time around you can use the MH to veg with too. Heres an idea, if you want to instead of buying an expensive bulb you could easily switch between bulbs during flower, HPS 4 days and MH 3 days... just an idea.

You know that I will follow along. You are growing in soil right? I have considered soil, this is perfect I can learn from someone who has the same setup as I do and vice versa.

Very Cool.


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## DenseBuds (Sep 25, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Congrats Man!
> 
> Ya did it alright, and you did it in a size that should yield you 6 to eight Oz's per harvest.
> Keeping girls in veg means you can get that every couple months.
> ...


Thanks for the feedback cruzer, glad to have you along for the ride.

We're thinking along the same lines re: using a 400watt MH bulb the first time and I did order one as well. My cloner only has 8 sites and I don't really want to make a bigger one just yet, so I figure I'll let them sit under the 400watt MH until I've got the sucker full, then switch over to the HPS.

If my yield is anywhere near what you predict, I may repeat this each go-round as I will have enough to smoke and not have to make such a quick turn-around.

In an attempt to get all the way through the first harvest, I'm going to keep my current setup going and pick at that while the new cab does its thing.

I am using soil. Fox Farm Ocean Forest. It's all I've ever tried and haven't found a reason to change. Will post more details in a forthcoming grow log once everything's up and going.


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## DenseBuds (Sep 25, 2009)

Ok... so here's what I'm working with right now. As I said above, the plan is to keep this running (and fully stocked... need to work on that part) while I do my first grow in the new cabinet. Eventually I want to consolidate everything (including cloning and storage) down to two cabinets... maybe even one.

Pictures are of my clone area which is just a small aeroponic cloner (Daisy Cloner 8 site) sitting on a file cabinet in the closet. I have a single T5 above it. I've various strains in there... Mixed up some seeds a while back, so that's why some say "?" while others have the actual strain name ("Avalanche").

Then I have my two tents. The one on the left is veg and flower on the right. To the right of the flower tent is our storage/watering station. We have a tub under the rack and we put the plants on the bottom shelf to water. Drains right through and when we're done w/ all the plants, I dump it in the bucket and take it outside. Eventually we're going to put in a sink in our laundry room so we don't have to buy water or dump it out back.

Then I have a shot of the flower tent open and finally the veg tent w/ shelf and dual T5s. Note on the flowering tent... we don't usually go to flower w/ such small plants. We're playing around at the moment with some things.


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## DenseBuds (Sep 29, 2009)

First equipment for new cabinet came today! Soler & Palau TD-100 fan.

Ballast and cordset arrive Friday... cabinet & shelves shipped yesterday. Coming by freight, so not exactly sure when they will be delivered.


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## cruzer101 (Sep 30, 2009)

My shipment took about a week.


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## DenseBuds (Sep 30, 2009)

Thx. Should be perfect timing as we have houseguests this weekend who are leaving Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to start building by middle of next week.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 1, 2009)

By the way, nice choice on the fan. I was looking at that exact one, well that and there TD 125 
I think it makes less noise then any other inline fan on the market.

Then I got cheap and bought a 4" duct booster at 110 cfm. I can hear it but it isnt that bad.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 1, 2009)

They are great. I remember going to the local shop when I was considering growing, the guy plugged in a 4" Vortex fan and I about had a heart attack with how loud it was. Thought I'd never be able to do this and keep it stealth enough. It's not really any louder than the computers I have sitting next to my tents.

Cab Update: Freight company called today! Cabinet being delivered tomorrow. I have house guests through Monday, so I don't think I'll get much done. Will post pics as things arrive and I have time.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 2, 2009)

Got some deliveries today!

Arrived:
Cabinet
Ballast w/ cordset
HPS and MH bulb
Carbon Filter

The only challenge I see is that the MH bulb is FAT. Not sure it'll fit in the bake a round (should be here early next week). So I'll have to see what I can do there. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I go HPS-only as that was the original plan and the MH bulb was a cheap afterthought, but it would be cool to veg a bit before switching. 

Have houseguests through Monday so I don't expect to be able to start the build before then, but will try to sneak a few box-porn pics tonight.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 2, 2009)

Box-porn... RIGHT ON!!!


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## DenseBuds (Oct 2, 2009)

Ok - here's some shots of the equipment. The blury brown boxes are the cabinet. Note the MH bulb... I think it'll be too fat to fit in the bake-a-round. Trying to find specific measurements on-line. Bake-a-round should be here early next week. If it won't fit.. maybe I could just mount it somehow in the cab and have the exhaust duct sucking right next to it. Not sure if that'll work or not.

Should be able to start the buil mid-next week.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 2, 2009)

Bake a rounds are 4 inches across, Sorry to tell you that football is not going to fit in there. Standard cool tubes are six inches across.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 3, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Bake a rounds are 4 inches across, Sorry to tell you that football is not going to fit in there. Standard cool tubes are six inches across.


Ya, I didn't think so. Oh well, I'll have to see what I can do. I do have a regular 6" cooltube, but it's in my flowering tent right now with my 250 hps. Not sure I want to go through the hassle of changing everything so I can veg for a couple weeks under MH. I may end up just running the HPS in the DIY coolube on 18/6 till I've got all my cloning finished and I'm ready to switch to flower. Save the MH bulb for down the road once I condense my current flowering tent into the new cabinet. Then replace the DIY with the "real cooltube".

Are all wattage MH bulbs that fat?


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## cruzer101 (Oct 3, 2009)

Naw, There are a few companys that make them in smaller sizes heres a link:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/metalhalide400.html

My opinion is the time in veg to prepare for flower isn't worth the trouble. 
If I was growing 5 or 6 foot plants well ya then it may be worth it but floros will veg a plant to a foot tall nicely. 
Then if I want more size I veg with the HPS. Works fine.

If you were going to flower in all three areas and wanted to veg them all together then ya I would use it.
I just figure it is a back up in case the bulb burns out. I have a cheap reflector for mine.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 5, 2009)

Ok.. houseguests are gone, planted some rooted clones for the current flowering tent this afternoon and I'm moving on to re-arranging furniture in the room I'm using to accommodate the new cabinet. 

Hope to get that done tonight and then start putting the cabinet together tomorrow or Wed. Bake A Round showed up and as we noted, will not fit the MH I bought. To make things easy, I'm going to proceed with configuring the cabinet with the 4" DIY cooltube and HPS.

Feels like I'm going in slow motion! I want to be up and running so bad.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 5, 2009)

Make sure you pick a wall to mount it against. Its not a free standing job.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 5, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Make sure you pick a wall to mount it against. Its not a free standing job.


I had thought about putting the cabinet at an angle in a corner of the room to give some more space for air behind the cabinet. It won't stand up by itself??


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## cruzer101 (Oct 5, 2009)

Well you could angle it but you need a brace of some sort. 
Sure it will stand by itself but I had trouble with the door swing until I mounted it to the wall. It has levelers on the bottom but I couldnt get it right. (i am kinda picky) Beside its much safer.

The solid welded cabinets don't have this issue but they are $700 and up.
Actually I didn't realize it until after I got it but still a bracket isn't much.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 5, 2009)

Thanks for the tip! I will get something similar to what I used to secure the large furniture in kids rooms to the wall. Like a strap or bracket that secures to the cabinet and a wall stud.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 7, 2009)

Tomorrow should be the day I can actually begin the build. Did everything right up to the point of actually putting the cabinet together tonight:

Next round of clones taken - Check
Desk, Tents moved - Check
48" wide wire shelf placeholder for cabinet in place - Check
Cabinet Boxes open and ready for action - Check
If all goes as planned tomorrow, we should have it standing before going to sleep.

The amount of new space I'll have for flowering really hit me tonight when I saw that wire shelf sitting there. And that's only like 17" deep. Can't wait!


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## cruzer101 (Oct 7, 2009)

Yea and putting it on an angle like that is going to take up a pretty good amount of space dude.

I remember when I first set the new cab. Once it was in place I went and set up my old cab right next to it. When I looked in the old cab I thought, I grew that much weed in this little box? DAM. 

T minis 9 and counting...​


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## greenearth5 (Oct 7, 2009)

sweet. subscribed


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## DenseBuds (Oct 7, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Yea and putting it on an angle like that is going to take up a pretty good amount of space dude.


Ya, i'm not sure that it will stay at an angle like that. Right now I did it thinking that it will afford me some hidden space behind the cabinet. When I finally tear down my current flower tent, I was thinking I could use the 6" fan/filter to clean/exhaust the whole room. We smoke in there and right now it tends to drift through the house because I'm not currently exhausting outside plus we sometimes run the portable a/c when it's hot. Hoping to eliminate the positive pressure.

Will have to see how things play out.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 7, 2009)

greenearth5 said:


> sweet. subscribed


Welcome! Glad to have you.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 8, 2009)

It took a while, but the cabinet is together. Tomorrow I plan to sit and stare @ it a while to finalize my plans before cutting. If all goes well, I should have things up and running this weekend.

Excuse the shitty pictures. The cabinet is so fucking big I couldn't get far enough away from it to take a decent picture .


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## cruzer101 (Oct 8, 2009)

DenseBuds said:


> It took a while, but the cabinet is together. Tomorrow I plan to sit and stare @ it a while to finalize my plans before cutting. If all goes well, I should have things up and running this weekend.
> 
> Excuse the shitty pictures. The cabinet is so fucking big I couldn't get far enough away from it to take a decent picture .


LOL

Its a fucking monster isnt it.

Bravo!


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## DenseBuds (Oct 8, 2009)

Hey Cruzer - what voltage/speed/power is your drill?? I picked up a 4" hole saw but I'm not sure if my current drill is up to the task. It's a 14.4v.

Thx


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## cruzer101 (Oct 8, 2009)

That will do it. I borrowed my friends 14.4v to cut the 4" hole. I came up with a better way to support stuff up top too.

I used the ledge above the doors. I went straight back with a shelf bracket and drilled a small hole in the top and ran a small bolt through. Its holding my light right now. i am going to run two more and suspend the fan I have. 
I can take a pic if you want to see.

What have you come up with for a brace? Or are you going to suspend it with strapping tape like I did.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 8, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> I came up with a better way to support stuff up top too.
> 
> I used the ledge above the doors. I went straight back with a shelf bracket and drilled a small hole in the top and ran a small bolt through. Its holding my light right now. i am going to run two more and suspend the fan I have.
> I can take a pic if you want to see.


That would be great, thx.



cruzer101 said:


> What have you come up with for a brace? Or are you going to suspend it with strapping tape like I did.


Haven't figured that out just yet as the cabinet is currently away from
the wall in the center of the room while I work on it. May end up being one of the later things I tackle. I see what you mean about it being a bit wobbly though. Will have to see how it feels once it's loaded up. We don't have earthquakes to deal with or anything like that, so it'll just depend on how stable it is on it's own.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 9, 2009)

Just before, I thought to myself "wow, the socket is really in there tight!".  Oh well... I placed a Cool Tube order today. I have a spare 6/4 reducer around here somewhere so it should still work fine with my fan/filter.

I guess I'll get to use that fat MH bulb after all .


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## cruzer101 (Oct 10, 2009)

Ouch,

Hurricane glass works too. They sell it at arts and crafts stores and stores like Michaels or pier one. People use them to put around candles, They are shorter but I think you can find a 4 inch round by 10 long for like $10 or so. May have a bubble in the center but who cares.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 10, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Ouch,
> 
> Hurricane glass works too. They sell it at arts and crafts stores and stores like Michaels or pier one. People use them to put around candles, They are shorter but I think you can find a 4 inch round by 10 long for like $10 or so. May have a bubble in the center but who cares.


Thx. I think I'll just go with the cooltube though. My current one has worked well and no worry about breaking it.Plus it let's me use the MH bulb.


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## TechnoMage (Oct 10, 2009)

Looking forward to watching this come together. I'm looking for a new cab myself but I'm looking for a wood (wood product) cab instead of metal.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 10, 2009)

TechnoMage said:


> Looking forward to watching this come together. I'm looking for a new cab myself but I'm looking for a wood (wood product) cab instead of metal.


Welcome! I expect to have some progress by wed-thurs. Cool tube should arrive around then. I welcome any questions/suggestions.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 11, 2009)

Hey,

I got a shot of the brace I was talking about for the top of your cab.

Its a 2x2 mounted above the doors on that shelf. 
I notched for the shelf brackets and I drilled a hole so the doors latch would work.










On the back side I drilled holes in the top and used small nuts and bolts.
It works real good and stealth.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 11, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Hey,
> 
> I got a shot of the brace I was talking about for the top of your cab.
> 
> ...


Cool. Thx!


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## TechnoMage (Oct 11, 2009)

DenseBuds said:


> Just before, I thought to myself "wow, the socket is really in there tight!".  Oh well... I placed a Cool Tube order today. I have a spare 6/4 reducer around here somewhere so it should still work fine with my fan/filter.
> 
> I guess I'll get to use that fat MH bulb after all .


Ouch. Hopefully you didn't cut yourself.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 11, 2009)

TechnoMage said:


> Ouch. Hopefully you didn't cut yourself.


Luckily no, it just "popped" and came apart in two large pieces.


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## crfman88 (Oct 12, 2009)

hey looks like its gonna be a very nice setup im subscribed. hey will the cab be light proof?


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## DenseBuds (Oct 12, 2009)

crfman88 said:


> hey looks like its gonna be a very nice setup im subscribed. hey will the cab be light proof?


Glad to have you. It will be light-proof. I stood inside the other day and had my wife shut me in. There are a few spots in the corners where I'll have to do some touch up with tape or Mylar or something. I figure I'll wait until I have the light, fan and whatnot mounted before taking care of the remaining light.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 12, 2009)

Did some additional ordering today... some Mylar (2 mil), a 21"x48" wire shelf & 4 shelf posts, and a new Rapid Rooter pack (plugs and tray). Most everything should come this week... should be able to start mocking up things and cutting by mid week I think. We have some house guests next week and then leave for a trip a week after they leave which will cut into my "hobby time" so my goal is to have the cab built and run it w/o any plants for a few days to make sure everything's running well before starting my grow log around the first week of the month.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 13, 2009)

Dam I wish I knew you were looking for a wire shelf, I just found a white one at Lowes 20" by 72" for like eight bucks. I was surprised. Now I just need to going to cut it down.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 13, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Dam I wish I knew you were looking for a wire shelf, I just found a white one at Lowes 20" by 72" for like eight bucks. I was surprised. Now I just need to going to cut it down.


That is a good deal. This one was only like $20 so it's not to bad. I need to stop shopping though till after I get the light and fan up at least. The wait is killing me and my wallet .


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## greenearth5 (Oct 13, 2009)

hey dense buds... how much does one of those black tents cost.. if i set that up in my room is anybody going to know what its used for? I got minimal traffic but need something stealth and that tent looks like a closet to hang shirts (ive seen something like it at wally world)


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## greenearth5 (Oct 13, 2009)

I checked out HTG for that tent but there in the process of moving and sold out of them.. so theres no info on there website about prices and diff tents


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## DenseBuds (Oct 13, 2009)

greenearth5 said:


> hey dense buds... how much does one of those black tents cost.. if i set that up in my room is anybody going to know what its used for? I got minimal traffic but need something stealth and that tent looks like a closet to hang shirts (ive seen something like it at wally world)





greenearth5 said:


> I checked out HTG for that tent but there in the process of moving and sold out of them.. so theres no info on there website about prices and diff tents


Well, if you take some steps to light-proof them a bit and you don't have anyone super suspiscous around... I think they could pass as a warbdrobe. They have vent flaps for exhaust and whatnot though so you would t want anyone to get too close to them. These two were about $150 a piece new from HTG. They are the "small" size. When they were moving their warehouse a bit a go, they had a blowout sale on them ($80) as they have moved on to a newer model that is lined with Mylar. They are pretty good little tents. Cheapest I've found w/o making my own or getting a used one.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 14, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Hey,
> 
> I got a shot of the brace I was talking about for the top of your cab.
> 
> ...



I went looking for a suitable shelf bracket today but couldn't seem to find one big enough. I was trying to find one that was 24", is that right? Home depot only had 18". I need it to go from the back of the cab to the front... Bolted through holes I would drill in the back of the cabinet and resting on the 2x2 above the doors right?


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## cruzer101 (Oct 15, 2009)

Now I got those plants out of there I was able to make those changes.

Here, I got some better shots.








and here is how I did the back, through the roof.







Woops, looks like I need that duct tape after all.


Here is what the cab looks like now,









Home depot didnt have the 24" weird. Lowes has them for sure. 
So does OSH but yea 24" and you will need to cut like 1/4 in off the end to make it fit.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 16, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Now I got those plants out of there I was able to make those changes.
> 
> Here, I got some better shots.
> 
> ...


Cool, thx for the extra pictures. Now I have a better idea of what shelf brackets you're talking about I think. Those look like the kind you run down the wall and slide miltiple shelves into. I was looking for the wrong thing before.

Question on cutting the exhaust hole: from the inside out, or fro
the backside in? Not sure if it matters any.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 17, 2009)

Got the Cool Tube today! 

Threw the reflector on it & hooked it up to the fan and ballast for a test run with the MH bulb. It's been on 5 min and so far the top of the Cool Tube and Lumatek ballast are cool to the touch. My Digital Greenhouse 250-watt ballast gets fire-hazard hot  in under 15 min. Hoping Lumatek can stay cool without multiple fans pointed at it.

Bottom side of Cool Tube and beneath the lamp are warm as expected. Air coming out of the fan is not even lukewarm. Looking good. 

Will run it for an hour or so to see if the temps change much.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 17, 2009)

After 90 min, temps were pretty much the same. Lumatek is warm to the touch, but I can hold my hand on it without any pain. WAY better than the Digital Greenhouse! Tomorrow I will begin cutting and hanging in the cabinet hopefully.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 17, 2009)

That sounds like a defective ballast, the old one. 
Those things are not suspose to get that hot.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 17, 2009)

Ya, I think so too after getting the new one.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 18, 2009)

Alright... this is progressing slower than I had hoped. I have a habit of starting projects at the most inopportune times. Anyway, I was able to get a few min to work on the cabinet tonight. I drew out my plan on the back and did the 4" hole for the exhaust. Never used a hole-saw before.. pretty cool! 14.4v worked just like you said it would cruzer. Thx for that.

Here are some pics. I was going to secure the flanges on the inside & outside of the hole, but I realized I should probably get some foam/insulation to ensure a good seal first... like when you're attaching a flange to a carbon filter. So I need to pick some of that up tomorrow.

That's it for tonight, hopefully I can move forward a bit more tomorrow before I head out of town for a couple days.


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## greenearth5 (Oct 18, 2009)

that cooltube looks just like the one i got... your hookin you 400 up to the tube, right? keep up the good work dude


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## DenseBuds (Oct 18, 2009)

greenearth5 said:


> that cooltube looks just like the one i got... your hookin you 400 up to the tube, right? keep up the good work dude




Ya, it's the hydrofarm one. Got a good deal through cheaphydroponics.com. 400 watt MH/HPS will be in cool tube. One end of tube will be open and the other will connect to a 6"-4" reducer, then to a 4" 97 cfm fan, to the exhaust hole in the cab and into the can filter on the back of the cabinet.


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## greenearth5 (Oct 18, 2009)

I got that cooltube for a hundred bucks locally and a galaxy 400HPS/MH digital ballast for 180 bucks. Are you going with a computer fan? If so I might have a better method for hooking the fan up to the cooltube. But if your using the regular squirll cage then the 6 to 4 reducer is a good method... 



DenseBuds said:


> Ya, it's the hydrofarm one. Got a good deal through cheaphydroponics.com. 400 watt MH/HPS will be in cool tube. One end of tube will be open and the other will connect to a 6"-4" reducer, then to a 4" 97 cfm fan, to the exhaust hole in the cab and into the can filter on the back of the cabinet.


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## greenearth5 (Oct 18, 2009)

I guess I should have read your last post. How much does a good fan run that can clean out a grow tent.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 18, 2009)

greenearth5 said:


> I guess I should have read your last post. How much does a good fan run that can clean out a grow tent.


Depends on how big your space is, but usually < $130 for a tent/cabinet setup. 

Here's the formula:

_Effective treatment requires the exchange of air in the growing area in a period of 5 minutes. Compute your requirements by multiplying the width times the length times the height of your growing area to obtain the total cubic feet. Divide this number by 5 to determine the proper filter size needed._

_For example, if your growing area is 8 feet long by 8 feet wide by 8 feet tall, it contains a total of 512 cubic feet. To treat this area in five minutes, you would need to use a fan with a CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating of approximately 102._


I have the 6, 5 & now 4" models from S&P. They are plastic and ultra quiet. Love them. Bought from www.hvacquick.com. They are all overkill for my spaces actually, but that's not a bad thing when you're talking about heat and odor. I started with the 6" in my tents and have been steadily getting smaller ones each time I expand to get more grow space. I figure I'll end up using the 6" to clear out my smoking area down the road. The "clean your air every 5 min" formula says it will take care of the smell for an entire bedroom.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 19, 2009)

Picked up the insulation and finished the exhaust port today. Worked out pretty well I think. Hope to get to mounting things later this week. Here's some pics.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 22, 2009)

Got the fan mounted. Ended up resting one end in the exhaust port, taped it w/ duct tape and used some of that strapping tape for support on top (bolted onto the back of the cab). Pretty sturdy.

Hopefully I can mount the ballast and cut the cable-hole tonight.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 23, 2009)

This evening I mounted the ballast (400-watt) on the back of the cabinet. I put a small steel spacer in to get some additional air movement behind it. It's on there very tight but it causes the back of the cabinet to pull out slightly due to the weight. Check the pics... do you think I need to worry about another set of screws? I'm tempted to leave it as is since it's not coming loose or anything.

Also was able to cut the hole for the fan and light cables to go through. I decided to go with a 2.5" hole saw and got one of those desk cable-organizer grommet things. The two cables (maybe three once I get side-lighting) will take up most of the hole and I can throw some tape over the rest to keep the light in/out. Took advantage of the cabinet screw ends and looped some strapping tape around the fan power to keep it up out of the way. That strapping tape stuff is great!


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## DenseBuds (Oct 23, 2009)

Tonight I got my filter mounted. I chose to use two L brackets to support the weight and then used some strapping tape to keep it attached to the cabinet. Worked out pretty well. It's SOOO stealth. I could barely hear it running when I was standing right next to it. Way better than having the fan exhaust openly. I'm going to have to reconfigure my tents like this too.

I've got some Nag Champa burning in there now to see how well it filters.

Tomorrow I'll get to work on the light, electrical strip, mylar & shelf (both cabinet & wire).

Note for those less familiar with tools (like me): Pick up some Black Oxide drill bits for cutting through metal. The first few holes took 10-15 minutes of pain in the ass drilling. With the new bits, 30 seconds tops!


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## DenseBuds (Oct 23, 2009)

So I smelled the Nag Champa after about 10 min. Took a look and the dryer vent attachment I used wasn't put together all that well. Took some tape to it and the smell decreased significantly. Now I only smell anything if I stick my nose to the filter, and even then it's a muted smell. Nag Champa is strong stuff, so I think I'll be ok now.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 24, 2009)

Got the 250 up along with it's fan (for some reason, it's super hot). This is actually the ballast for the tent which will sit next to this cabinet. Also ended up adding two more screws to support the 400 watt ballast and mounted the electrical strip/timer. 

Should have some time to get the light up tonight. Stay tuned.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 25, 2009)

Made some more good progress this evening:



Hung the lamp
Hooked the ducting to the Cool Tube & fan (w/ 6"-4" reducer)
Put wire shelf together
Slid plastic tub to catch drainage under shelf.
Ran the cabinet (along with veg & flower tents) with bedroom door closed for 90 min to get a sense of temps.

Something happened with the plastic tub while it sat in my garage for a few days after being delivered. It cracked on one end. My family swears no one did anything to it, so it must've been the heat or something. Going to place an order for another one and hope it doesn't happen again.

Also, I think I'll end up lowering the wire shelf one notch in addition to lowering the cabinet shelf one or two levels. As you can see from the pics, I do have room for the light to go up some, but the plant I threw in there to get a sense of the size of things is 18" or 24" w/ container (Avalanche, same as I plan to grow). I'd like to be able to have plants ~ 40 inches, so I'll need to make an adjustment there.

As for the temps, I'll need to make an adjustment there too, but it's not related to the cabinet itself really. I grow in an office/bedroom in my house and exhaust the tents/cabinet into the room to avoid a bunch of ducting across the room to the window. I'd rather not move my grow spaces to the window because then they'd be visible from the hallway when you open the door. We have family come stay with us from time to time so I'd prefer that you only see the desk/computer from the hallway.

Anyway, with the door closed, the room temp rose to like 90 F and the cabinet was 87 F. Of course this is way too hot. So I think what I'm going to do is pull the 6" fan/filter out of my flower tent and set it up next to the window. I'll use it to exhaust the room out the window and when we have certain people staying with us, I'll just remove it from the window and use only my T5 lights like I do when I go on overnight trips. It's usually only for a few days at a time and there's really only certain visitors that we even worry about, so it shouldn't be an issue but once or maybe twice a year. This should have the added benefit of sucking cool air in under the room's door from the rest of the house (which we keep @ 75F). Will also keep smells/smoke from wafting out to the rest of the house while we smoke. So I think it'll work out well.

Tomorrow I should be able to make some of the changes mentioned above as well as working on light proofing and putting up the mylar.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 25, 2009)

Hey man,

Things are coming together I see.
I am a little confused, It looked like you put both the 250w and the 400w ballast in there.
Do you plan on two growing chambers or one?

I have an idea for you in regards to ventilation. Obviously the best would be a fresh air intake constantly as well as exhaust but without ducting thats not possible. So the next option is to keep the air in the room fresh. I just picked up this dual fan that fits in the window at wall mart for like $20.00 on close out. They are out of season right now and the best time to buy one. It is reversible and has a thermostat built in.

Its made by Sunbeam. I can send you a pick if you dont know what I am talkin about.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 25, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Hey man,
> 
> Things are coming together I see.
> I am a little confused, It looked like you put both the 250w and the 400w ballast in there.
> Do you plan on two growing chambers or one?


Thanks man... I finally feel like I'm close. One chamber. The 250w is for my current flower tent which sits right next to where the 400w cabinet is going. The wire rack the 250w ballast was mounted on is moving out of the room to make space for the cabinet. I don't really have another good place to mount it.



cruzer101 said:


> I have an idea for you in regards to ventilation. Obviously the best would be a fresh air intake constantly as well as exhaust but without ducting thats not possible. So the next option is to keep the air in the room fresh. I just picked up this dual fan that fits in the window at wall mart for like $20.00 on close out. They are out of season right now and the best time to buy one. It is reversible and has a thermostat built in.
> 
> Its made by Sunbeam. I can send you a pick if you dont know what I am talkin about.


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into them. As long as it's a pretty powerful fan it might work. It gets to like 115/120 here in summer.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 25, 2009)

OK, I got ya now.

Yea, that fan has two six inch fans moving a lot of air. It has two speeds.
Sounds to me like running your lights at night is the only way to go.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 25, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> OK, I got ya now.
> 
> Yea, that fan has two six inch fans moving a lot of air. It has two speeds.
> Sounds to me like running your lights at night is the only way to go.


Ya.. we do run our flower tent @ night. It's insane here.. in the summer it frequently doesn't drop below 90F all night! . I need to move to N. Cali.

Gonna go out later today to see if I can find that fan.


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## bringnthenoise (Oct 25, 2009)

Hey Dencebuds, I have been following your thread for a couple days and i think im going to buy the same cabinet as you but i have a couple of questions maybe you could answer for me. 1 is it nessecary to buy the shelves or could i go without them? also are you complety satisfied with the shelving unit, have you ran into any problems with it thus far in your build? 
Your thread is vary informative. I have wanted to do a stealth grow for some time now and trying to figure it out myself. your thread has given me a visual, thanx.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

bringnthenoise said:


> Hey Dencebuds, I have been following your thread for a couple days and i think im going to buy the same cabinet as you but i have a couple of questions maybe you could answer for me. 1 is it nessecary to buy the shelves or could i go without them? also are you complety satisfied with the shelving unit, have you ran into any problems with it thus far in your build?
> Your thread is vary informative. I have wanted to do a stealth grow for some time now and trying to figure it out myself. your thread has given me a visual, thanx.


Hey BringTheNoise, glad to have you - You need the two pieces. One is the shelves and the top (bottom is one of the shelves) and the second is the sides and back of the unit. Without both, you wouldn't have a complete unit. So far I have been pleased with the cabinet. It's relatively sturdy, yet still you can modify it with normal tools. No real issues with it so far that I can see. 

If your not planning to vent outside, you may want to consider that. I had a 250watt before this 400 and the heat difference is significant. I'm going to try to get away with exhausting through my filter like I have it now and then using a bigger fan to exhaust the room out the window. If that doesn't work though, I may need to run some ducting from my cabinets exhaust, behind my desk and out the window. Trying to avoid ducting stretching across the room at all costs.

You might also want to check out Cruzer's thread. His was my inspiration.


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## bringnthenoise (Oct 26, 2009)

/You Mentioned you where useing a cool tube.... is it the water cooled model or a diffrent one. I live in a cold climate my house temp is about 65f in the winter. Do you think i will still have a problem?


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

bringnthenoise said:


> /You Mentioned you where useing a cool tube.... is it the water cooled model or a diffrent one. I live in a cold climate my house temp is about 65f in the winter. Do you think i will still have a problem?


This is the model I bought:
http://cheaphydroponics.com/store/view-all/hf-19-air-cylinder/prod_20.html

I assume you're asking if you'd need to exhaust outside even though your house is 65F? Not sure how hot it'd make a 65 degree room. It brought my avg size room up 5-10 degrees over a few hours. The air coming out is like a warm hair dryer. You could point it at your face and it wouldn't hurt or anything. But it is definitely warm. If you have good circulation between the room and the rest of the house, or if it's a very big room, you might be ok.


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## greenearth5 (Oct 26, 2009)

water cooled??? i have never heard of a hood that gets cooled off by using water lol


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

greenearth5 said:


> water cooled??? i have never heard of a hood that gets cooled off by using water lol


Check em out. Pretty wild.

http://www.growlightexpress.com/water-cooled-lights-8/


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

So as I mentioned, I have a minor heat issue in my room with the new cabinet running. To remedy, I'm going to split off the exhaust port I had already in place for my A/C and hook up a whole-room exhaust (with the possibility of chaining tent/cabinet exhaust off the same duct down the road if needed).

I set out to complete this tonight, but encountered one significant oversight. I need dampers! When I run the A/C and nothing else, the exhaust comes right back in the room. Pretty stupid huh?? Thankfully it's only supposed to be in the mid 80s tomorrow and low 60s tonight.

Anyway, I'm looking to see if Home Depot/Lowes sells dampers that I can pick up tomorrow and if not, I'll be ordering them.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

No such luck. Ordered from HVACQuick.com. They've always done right by me. Should be here in a few days. Will work on lightproofing until they arrive.

*Order details* item description each QTY total FY 664 Fantech "Y" Sheet Metal Adapter. 6" x 6" x 4" Y-connection. $16.75 1 $16.75 RSK 4 Fantech Spring Loaded Backdraft Damper. For 4" Round Duct $16.80 1 $16.80 RSK 5 Fantech Spring Loaded Backdraft Damper. For 5" Round Duct $21.60 1 $21.60 RSK 6 Fantech Spring Loaded Backdraft Damper. For 6" Round Duct $22.40 2 $44.80 
*Order sub-total* *$99.95*


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## bringnthenoise (Oct 26, 2009)

You said you where growing in soil, I was wondering how many plants you think you can grow inside the cabnit and about how tall do you think they will grow... considering how much room your light and pots will take up?


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## aKa sWaZi sKunK (Oct 26, 2009)

Awesome cab. Can't wait to see this in action.


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## greenearth5 (Oct 26, 2009)

dude... a water cooled light???? better hope it doesnt break... otherwise its really awesome


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

greenearth5 said:


> dude... a water cooled light???? better hope it doesnt break... otherwise its really awesome


Ya, not something i'd ever go for but I guess it'd work pretty well. Like the water cooled computers.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 26, 2009)

aKa sWaZi sKunK said:


> Awesome cab. Can't wait to see this in action.


Me either!!


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## DenseBuds (Oct 27, 2009)

bringnthenoise said:


> You said you where growing in soil, I was wondering how many plants you think you can grow inside the cabnit and about how tall do you think they will grow... considering how much room your light and pots will take up?



Good questions... I'm really not 100% sure myself yet to be honest with you. What I do know is that I'm going to start with 8 plants from seed in these pots. I'm sure a couple will go male on me, so that should free up a bit of space, width/depth-wise for flowering.

With the light as high as it'll go, I have roughly 39" from the wire shelf to the bottom of the light. The pots themselves are 8.5" tall and I figure I'll want to keep the tips at least 5-6" below the light... so that leaves me with ~ 2ft vertical room for plant in the current configuration. 

I'm already thinking that I may want/need more than that. But that's the beauty of a setup like this. I effectively have another 2 ft of "emergency" vertical space by removing the wire watering shelf (1st step, ~ 7") and then removing the storage shelf (final step). That'd give me close to 4 feet, which should be plenty.

I took some pictures to show some measurements and how things might look with pots/plants. Those are my two Avalanche currently in flower (heading into week 2). Same strain I'll be growing in the cabinet. Seed site says they can get to 4-5 ft w/ 5 weeks of veg and 10-11 weeks of flower under 1000-watt.

Side question: Has anyone ever seen their ducting develop little pin-size holes? I noticed this evening that mine seems to have. The filter is currently on the outside of the cabinet, so its not really a huge deal if it doesn't get any worse.. just interesting. Maybe I need some better quality stuff??


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## bringnthenoise (Oct 27, 2009)

Cool. Thanx for those pics. Will you train your plants? Have you tried this? And how long did you veg those plants
?


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## DenseBuds (Oct 27, 2009)

bringnthenoise said:


> Cool. Thanx for those pics. Will you train your plants? Have you tried this? And how long did you veg those plants
> ?


We have done LST and topping in the past. Worked well but the LST can be a pain. For my first grow in this cabinet, I don't think I'll do anything more than maybe topping them. One of the reasons I got such a big cabinet was to avoid the tedious work of LST. I may try SCROG for second grow though. That looks cool and less work.

These plants have probably vegged for 3-4 weeks. I wasn't really keeping track like you would for a grow log, so I can't be sure.


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## bringnthenoise (Oct 27, 2009)

Not to be a pest but what is SCROG?


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## cruzer101 (Oct 27, 2009)

Yea, you will be fine in regards to height, You dont want your lower buds any father then 18 inches from the light. So, you may want to tie the main stalk down so the side ones catch up. Grow a hedge.

SCROG stands for Screen Of Green


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## DenseBuds (Oct 27, 2009)

Cool. Thx for the tip!


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## cruzer101 (Oct 27, 2009)

Sure man. 

When you grow like that it is refered to as LST Low Stress Training.

The great part about it is that it dosent matter how many plants you have. If you only have a couple then just veg them longer, being tied down keeps the main stalk level and the side shoots produce more side shoots. Kinda like SCROG without the screen

There is another pruning techinic called super cropping. All it is is bending the stak untill it folds over. It takes a couple days for it to straighten up again and durring that time the lower growth catches up. If you do it and tie it, the plant will grow an elbow and now your growing horizontal.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 27, 2009)

Ya, we've done LST in the past. Was hoping SCROG would be less work.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 29, 2009)

Did some light proofing tonight. We started down the path of using cardboard to affix Mylar to, which went so-so. It was a bit of a hassle and we realized that if we covered up the walls, it'd be a pain to hang side lights and to make any adjustments during the grow. So in the end, we opted to cover up the slots on the back with Black Gorilla tape. Shit is really thick and strong. Bettert than duct tape I think. Also covered up the bigger holes on the tops of each corner. That got rid of 95% of the light issues. There is still light which bounces out some of the door cracks which is visible if you have the cabinet running in a pitch black room, but I don't think it's enough to cause any problems for the plants. None of it is direct an it's minimal.

We may revisit reflecting light at a later point. Probably by painting the inside white. For now, I'm going to leave it as is. 

I threw my two flowering Avalanches in there tonight to see how things go. Will post a pic or two later.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 29, 2009)

At this point, I think I'm going to move the cabinet to it's position in the room this weekend. As I mentioned, I threw two Avalanche in this evening as a test run before I start fresh with seeds around the 9th of next month. Will post some pics of the cabinet in its final position and then a link to grow log once I get started. 

Here are a few pics from tonight. The cabinet running in the dark room (so you can see what remains of the light... I may get some lightweight foam to help) and the two plants I've got in there.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 29, 2009)

Used some weatherstripping foam in the door cracks to finish off the light proofing in the front and some Black Gorilla Tape to take care of the back panels. That shit is amazing. Replacement watering tub arrives tomorrow.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 31, 2009)

Here's what I've done tonight:



Moved the cabinet to it's final location in the room. Fits like a glove.
Set the replacement full size watering tub under the wire shelf
Re-did the exhaust with a much smaller reducer.. check the difference in the pics!
Made a first attempt at side/vacation-lighting. Definitely open to any suggestions. Do you think the T5's alone will be enough to get plants through 3-7 days w/o the 400watt?


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## cruzer101 (Oct 31, 2009)

Well its true there are cloudy days and all but why would you want to just run T5?


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## DenseBuds (Oct 31, 2009)

cruzer101 said:


> Well its true there are cloudy days and all but why would you want to just run T5?


This would only be while I'm away for multiple days. On vacation for example. Don't feel completely comfortable with the HPS running all by itself for that long. I'm hoping the decreased light won't be much of a problem for up to a week as long as I keep the same 12/12 schedule.


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## cruzer101 (Oct 31, 2009)

I dont think its a good idea really. I run mine when I am on vacation, what can happen inside a metal cabinet? Thats one of the reasons I went with a metal cabinet. Its fire retardent. The reason I wouldnt want to do it is without proper lighting I believe the plants will stretch. Its up to you. To answer your question, yea, they will survive on the side lighting but will probably not do well and stretch some.


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## DenseBuds (Oct 31, 2009)

You make a good point about the metal cabinet. I guess the worst that would happen is the fan would stop working but the light keeps working. They're on the same circuit so the fan would have to break itself. If that happened, then the bulb might bust but that's inside the cool tube and then to your point, inside a metal cabinet without anything flamable nearby. I'll give it some thought and bounce it off the wife. Thx


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## Fred Flintstoner (Nov 25, 2009)

DenseBuds said:


> You make a good point about the metal cabinet. I guess the worst that would happen is the fan would stop working but the light keeps working. They're on the same circuit so the fan would have to break itself. If that happened, then the bulb might bust but that's inside the cool tube and then to your point, inside a metal cabinet without anything flamable nearby. I'll give it some thought and bounce it off the wife. Thx


Hey bro, as a safety measure if you are truly worried (like I was) then you can buy these nice little power outlets that can be set to shutoff if a certain temperature is reached. You just plug your light into this outlet and set your temp to the desired level, this way if a fan goes out you at least will have a safety kill for your lights once the temp starts soaring.

Here is one from bgyhdro, this once is nice too because if you have a brown out or short power outtage, then it will not turn your lights back on for 15 mins after power is restored to protect your light.

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdesc.asp?ic=AACCHLC3E&eq=&Tp=


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## DenseBuds (Nov 25, 2009)

Thx man. Appreciate the suggestion.


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## Fred Flintstoner (Nov 25, 2009)

subscribed btw


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## DenseBuds (Nov 30, 2009)

In the past few weeks, I've been testing the cabinet on a couple plants. Based on those tests, I made the following modifications:



Outdoor venting - Venting the 400watt into the room just wasn't tolerable (for me or the plants). It frequently got up to 95+ in the room and low to mid 90s in the cabinet. I now have a seperate fan through the cooltube and out the window. Had to use a lot of ducting and 300CFM to make it happen, but it works. Now the room hits 85 and the cabinet usually doesn't crack 82. The intake is connected to the exhaust from my 250watt tent which sits right next to the cabinet. Doesn't seem to be much impact to temps when I have the 250watt light on.
Removed the T5 lights/ Added CFLs - They were 24" long plus the power cords and didn't fit well horizontally. Perhaps I'll add them back vertically in the future, one in each corner. But for now, they're out. Added two 100W equivalent CFLs and a power strip inside the cabinet hooked to the timer strip on the back. There are warnings about not hooking two strips together, but as I understand it, this is just to prevent people from overloading. If you know what watt/amps you're pulling and you're below the limit on BOTH strips, you're fine. May eventually hook up a fan or two to blow the air around a bit more when the lights are on.
Lowered/removed the shelf - I had a totally untrained/trimmed Avalanche plant I was testing with which grew to about 40" not including the pot. The tips of the leaves began to burn even with the light basically touching the roof. Getting rid of the storage gives me ample room. I think that once I try my hand at scrog or maybe even do some LST, I'll put it back.
Added a webcam to the cabinet. Able to check on things via laptop or iPhone. Note: I've got this secured from external access via VPN or SSH tunnel and appropriate wireless encryptions for in-house use. I don't recommend this unless you're confident in your configuration. The last thing you want is some kid down the street taking a peak at your grow!

Future: 

I plan to get a MiniGoose 2 after the holidays. Will allow me to have temp (and hum. if I like) sensors in my two tents, the cabinet, the room they're all in and outside. Will sample/trend every few min and log. Will also alert me at certain thressholds. 

That's it for now, pictures to follow below. I expect to move my seedlings into big pots and into the cabinet tomorrow or the next day if everything goes as planned. Will post growlog URL too. 

Thx,
DB


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## DenseBuds (Nov 30, 2009)

Cabinet Front, Outdoor Venting & Cabinet Back


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## DenseBuds (Nov 30, 2009)

Removed T5s/Added CFLs
Added Power Strip
Added Webcam (Will end up re-mounting onto a magnet so I can get it in closer to the plants w/o a hassle as they grow. Kind of a shitty angle atm)
Removed Shelf


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## DenseBuds (Nov 30, 2009)

So I took a pic of just the CFLs on, then the 400watt only (MH bulb), and finally one with both. It doesn't look like it makes a ton of difference, but the CFLs do get into some of the area where the 400 isn't so strong.

Then there's a shot of the seedlings I'm going to replant and move into the cabinet in the next couple days.

And finally a shot of the cabinet in a browser and on my iPhone.


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## DenseBuds (Dec 1, 2009)

Started my first grow journal tonight. Check it out:

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/279210-densebuds-400-watt-hgs-avalanche.html

Thanks!


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## jamesbond420ny (Dec 12, 2009)

Great details.
I like the cabinet you picked.
What are the interior dimensions?
I'm going to use T5's and grow scrog.
Heat is a big concern for my location.
Would like to split the cabinet into a veg area ~ 28Hx48Wx24D and flower 50Hx48Wx24D.
The T5's are very close to 48 inches wide.
What are the dimensions of the shelves:SKU:TNNJ24SBK?
I think I read you could slightly smell your plants.
Would you recommend a larger carbon filter?
If so, would you suggest using a larger fan?

Please keep posting.
I checked out your grow and all your details are very much appreciated.
Thx to Cruzer101 as well.


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## DenseBuds (Dec 12, 2009)

jamesbond420ny said:


> Great details.
> I like the cabinet you picked.
> What are the interior dimensions?
> I'm going to use T5's and grow scrog.
> ...



Hi - shelf dimensions are 22.75" deep by 48" wide. The door jam takes up some of the depth. The interior height with the bottom shelf installed is 72.5". You could get more height if you remove it like cruzer did, but you'll need to brace the bottom somehow. The shelf provides stability to the cabinet. After ensuring I had no leaks in the system, the filter is working great. The only issue I have is with heat, but that's more of an issue with using a 400watt. If I put my T5s in here, it wouldn't be a concern. Let me know if you have any additional questions.


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## jamesbond420ny (Dec 13, 2009)

Thank you for the info and the fast reply.


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## Kavika68 (Dec 31, 2009)

Hey DenseBuds. I told you I would check out your grow. Man you got it going on. 

I will come by here more often to check it out. I am guessing you are liking the new shipment. Was this something from Santa. LOL.

Later dude!


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## DenseBuds (Dec 31, 2009)

Kavika68 said:


> Hey DenseBuds. I told you I would check out your grow. Man you got it going on.
> 
> I will come by here more often to check it out. I am guessing you are liking the new shipment. Was this something from Santa. LOL.
> 
> Later dude!


Thx for stopping by. My new pc case was indeed "from santa" . Just unwrapped it. Need to find a good small thermometer w/ a probe that I can affix to the outside.


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## billdo (Jan 2, 2010)

First off, great cab!

So, you would say that your S&P TD100x isn't enough to cool both your room and your lights? Did you try setting it up like this?

filter>lights>fan>exhaust

I am just curious, as I just ordered a TD100x for my 4x4x2 cabinet... and wanted that one fan to be the exhaust for my sealed light hood and the room as a whole.

Thanks dude,
BILLDO


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## DenseBuds (Jan 2, 2010)

billdo said:


> First off, great cab!
> 
> So, you would say that your S&P TD100x isn't enough to cool both your room and your lights? Did you try setting it up like this?
> 
> ...


Hey Billdo, thx for stopping by. The exhaust out of the cab is not the issue, it's getting the exhaust out of the bedroom the cab is in so the room doesn't heat up and increase the inlet air temp. 

The window is way across the room, so I have some inneficient ductwork extending quite a ways. I think if I had the cab right next to the window/room exhaust vent, it'd be just fine. 

I did have it setup filter -> light -> td100 fan -> exhaust, but the 100 couldn't push the air all the way to the window. So I figured I'd seperate the filter from the light exhaust and use my 6" TD to push the hot air from
the light across to the window. Works a lot better, but it's still letting heat escape on the way. 

Thinking of putting a 4" inline closer to the window and insulating the ducting. All this would be a hell of a lot easier if I just had the cabinet closer to the window, but for various non-grow-related issues, I can't do that.

Hope that helps?


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## billdo (Jan 3, 2010)

DenseBuds said:


> Hey Billdo, thx for stopping by. The exhaust out of the cab is not the issue, it's getting the exhaust out of the bedroom the cab is in so the room doesn't heat up and increase the inlet air temp.
> 
> The window is way across the room, so I have some inneficient ductwork extending quite a ways. I think if I had the cab right next to the window/room exhaust vent, it'd be just fine.
> 
> ...



That totally helps! I really wish that my wife would "allow" me that much space to my favorite hobby! I am jealous.

Thanks for clearing that up about your fan situation. My reading comprehension engine was apparently on the fritz.

What do you think of that S&P fan? Do you have a speed control on it, or do you just let it rip full blast?
How is the noise?

Stay green,
BILLDO


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## DenseBuds (Jan 3, 2010)

I work from home so it's kind of my room really. It is nice, but I do plan on scaling back a bit once I get a substantial harvest or two out f the way so I have herb on-hand. 

As for the fans, I have them on the lower speed setting. They are certainly one of the least noisy fans. The 100s I can hardly hear standing in front of the cab. I don't buy any other brand.


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## billdo (Jan 19, 2010)

I just got a 2x3x5 grow tent, and have both a td100x and a td100.

I was thinking about this

TD100x
filter>hood>fan>out

TD100
active intake fan low on the tent.


Do you think this would work?


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## DenseBuds (Jan 19, 2010)

billdo said:


> I just got a 2x3x5 grow tent, and have both a td100x and a td100.
> 
> I was thinking about this
> 
> ...


My only concern would be that the intake fan would kill the pressure created by the exhaust fan and you may have some smell escape? Is the 100x more cfm? I would only use the one fan unless it pulls harder, and then I might still only use the one fan.


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## billdo (Jan 19, 2010)

DenseBuds said:


> My only concern would be that the intake fan would kill the pressure created by the exhaust fan and you may have some smell escape? Is the 100x more cfm? I would only use the one fan unless it pulls harder, and then I might still only use the one fan.


Yeah, the TD100x is 135 cfm, whereas the TD100 is 101 cfm.

Ok.. here is another idea.

What if I arranged the setup like this:
Scrubber>td100>Light>td100x>exhaust

Would the extra boost from the slightly smaller fan ensure that I am indeed getting enough CFM out of the tent? My thought is that the scrubber is going to cut the cfm way down... so the extra BOOST could get the cfm back up to at least 100.

Thoughts?


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## DenseBuds (Jan 20, 2010)

I say give it a try and monitor the smell/heat. If it isn't hot and you can't smell anything, you're good.


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## billdo (Jan 20, 2010)

Word.
Started testing using ONLY the TD100x pulling through the carbon scrubber and light... and have been pleased for the most part.

84ºF in the middle of the night so far. Yes, it will get warmer around here in the summer (no AC)... but never so hot as to kill the plants... and during those months i anticipate only running night cycles to minimize the shift.


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## DenseBuds (Jan 20, 2010)

Cool. Post a link to your build/grow log when you get it up and I'll check it out.


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## billdo (Jan 20, 2010)

Dudes.
Here is an update.
I set the tent up like this:
scrubber>insulated duct>light hood>insulated duct>TD100x>out

I then slid the tent another inch away from the wall (it sits in a closed without a door)... and now my temps inside the tent are locked in at 77ºF!
The temp of the outside room is 72º.

+5... kick ass!

I have a curtain that serves as a "closet door". When that is almost completely closed the temps only rise to 79º.
This is now a livable grow closet!

Anybody want to buy a used for literally 5 minutes TD100?

(thanks for letting me hijack this thread, DenseBuds. it has been a big help.)


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## DenseBuds (Jan 20, 2010)

Glad everything's working out.


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## Jman49 (Jan 27, 2010)

Hey DenseBuds, I am just about to undergo the building of the same cabinet, although I am going to try and separate it to 2 chambers (1/3 for clones and short veg cycle on bottom and 2/3 for the flowering). I had a few questions: 
1. does that cabinet have key locks? 
2. Where did you make your intakes and are they passive or fan powered?
3. How did you make your intakes light proof?
4. I see you went from pulling the box air through the light to a separate system for light and box vent. Specific reason? Heat?
5. How are the smells when you are pushing through the can filter? 
6. Does it seem like air flow through box is enough, or would you bump up to the S&P TD150 if done over.

You have a great set-up and I hope you don't mind me biting some of your style!


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## DenseBuds (Jan 27, 2010)

Jman49 said:


> Hey DenseBuds, I am just about to undergo the building of the same cabinet, although I am going to try and separate it to 2 chambers (1/3 for clones and short veg cycle on bottom and 2/3 for the flowering). I had a few questions:
> 1. does that cabinet have key locks?


Yes, comes with two keys.


Jman49 said:


> 2. Where did you make your intakes and are they passive or fan powered?


I actually didn't cut any intakes. The cabinet is not air-tight, so the gaps in the doors and whatnot allow air in.



Jman49 said:


> 3. How did you make your intakes light proof?


See above re: intakes... for light proofing, I grabbed a role of Gorilla black tape and stuck it anywhere I saw light. 




Jman49 said:


> 4. I see you went from pulling the box air through the light to a separate system for light and box vent. Specific reason? Heat?


Ya, initially I had it open -> cooltube -> fan -> carbon filter (outside, on the back of the cabinet). It was quieter but it was exhausting all the heat out of the filter into the bedroom I have the cabinet in. I underestimated how much heat the 400 put out and it heated up the room quickly. If I were to do it again, I'd probably do the traditional carbon filter (inside) -> cooltube -> exhaust ducting -> outside of the room. Even with the light all the way up, there is definitely room for the filter inside. No real need to have two exhausting systems if you do it that way I don't think. Live and learn .




Jman49 said:


> 5. How are the smells when you are pushing through the can filter?


No noticable difference vs pulling through it really. Works just as well. Their website says that both applications are acceptable but that pulling through the filter may save your fan some unecessary dirt build-up.




Jman49 said:


> 6. Does it seem like air flow through box is enough, or would you bump up to the S&P TD150 if done over.


I think it's fine, but the 150 wouldn't hurt.




Jman49 said:


> You have a great set-up and I hope you don't mind me biting some of your style!


By all means! Heck, I took most of what I've done from cruzer101


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## DenseBuds (Feb 14, 2010)

Ran into a situation where I had one plant with 3 weeks left in flower and realized most of my cabinet space was going to waste.

So I built a shelf out of PVC to raise up half the floorspace closer to the 400watt. Seems to work fairly well and it's not glued together so I can easily alter the height (once I buy more PVC... I ran out). I don't see it blocking any light with my current plants but I think I'll switch to another type of material for the shelf. It's just scrap wood and I think I could find something that lets some light pass through. Perhaps thick plexiglass even.


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## Fred Flintstoner (Feb 23, 2010)

DenseBuds said:


> In the past few weeks, I've been testing the cabinet on a couple plants. Based on those tests, I made the following modifications:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


OpenVPN? You are ssh'ing into your private network from the outside and then you have your webcam on a static that can be accessed? Dood you got balls!


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## DenseBuds (Feb 23, 2010)

Fred Flintstoner said:


> OpenVPN? You are ssh'ing into your private network from the outside and then you have your webcam on a static that can be accessed? Dood you got balls!


I was but switched over to VPN on my router.


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## Fred Flintstoner (Feb 25, 2010)

DenseBuds said:


> I was but switched over to VPN on my router.


As an I.T. guy, i gotta give yah some rep for that


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## DenseBuds (Feb 25, 2010)

Fred Flintstoner said:


> As an I.T. guy, i gotta give yah some rep for that


Heh it's always a bonus when my two favorite hobbies collide like that.


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## DenseBuds (Jul 3, 2010)

New project I'm helping with : https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/345468-free-grow-software.html


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