Pc grow case question

Hi guys/Gals.

Im new here and new to growing (though not smoking). I am thinking of desiging and building a PC grow case (stealth is a must as I have kids).

Im thinking of going for the largest size ATX case possible. My question is I am Unsure of what light to go with for this sort of space etc.

Anyone recommend a perticular type of light? I can if needed make the light ajustable (slide up and down) but am thinking this may not be needed as the space inside a PC is small. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I will be able to grow x3 lowriders within the case acording to what ive read.

My inital thoughts are:
ATX case
x2 fans (slightly larger than PC fans)
Light source
Power source (mabey mounted on top)
Reflective material for inside
Small carbon filter (need 2 reduce odour)
LCD thermostat (mounted in dvdrw panel)

Please supply me with any info you feel may be of assistance. I have never done a grow but have been smoking for a good 19 years so could do with any info from anyone with any expereince. All help appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Coffin.Filler


I am getting to the point where I am ready to order but need to be sure I am buying the correct light source etc. I can not afford to get this wrong and will be taking a gamble spending my "toking" money on the PC grow case so dont want to get it wrong.

i dont have any experience with the pc grows but if i were you i would check out some of the fre fab ones and copy it as best you can....thats my useless answer for the day

Mount your fans at opposite ends of the computer one high and one low. The low one is your intake the high one is your exhaust and again at opposite corners. Dayton 4" Axial fans will work great and can be found duper cheap on Ebay. Also a 150 CFL will work great for you, I would strongly reccomend going against a MH or HPS as these will produce alot of heat in that small area. The CFL should be height adjustable.

As far as Odor Control, when I did this I had one Comp next to another. They were connected with a small piece of 4" ducting that could only been seen if the two Comps were seperated from right next to each other. Inside the second comp I had a (Elf or Goblin) scrubber, can't remember which one but it was the smaller of the two. The exhuast dayton fan was ducted to the scrubber inside the second comp. so it pushed air though the filter worked pretty damn good too.

Good luck and make sure to go over everything twice before clicking that purchase button. I assure you once you grow your own you'll delete all the dealers #'s you have and only want to smoke what you grow. Its a great feeling.

DDub said:

Mount your fans at opposite ends of the computer one high and one low. The low one is your intake the high one is your exhaust and again at opposite corners. Dayton 4" Axial fans will work great and can be found duper cheap on Ebay. Also a 150 CFL will work great for you, I would strongly reccomend going against a MH or HPS as these will produce alot of heat in that small area. The CFL should be height adjustable.

As far as Odor Control, when I did this I had one Comp next to another. They were connected with a small piece of 4" ducting that could only been seen if the two Comps were seperated from right next to each other. Inside the second comp I had a (Elf or Goblin) scrubber, can't remember which one but it was the smaller of the two. The exhuast dayton fan was ducted to the scrubber inside the second comp. so it pushed air though the filter worked pretty damn good too.

Good luck and make sure to go over everything twice before clicking that purchase button. I assure you once you grow your own you'll delete all the dealers #'s you have and only want to smoke what you grow. Its a great feeling.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I have a couple of questions if you dont mind?

Lighting. Glad you recommend a 150 CLF as I thought a high pressure sodium would be too hot from what I have read. I saw a pic on here and that was a PC grow case but had 3 or 4 CLF lights mounted to top of case. How many 150 CLF lights do you recommend? (I thought 1). What did you do?

Your idea with another PC case for odour is a good one (very cleaver). I am unsure what a scrubber is could you explain? I would of liked it if it was poss to eliminate/reduce odour without the need for a scond PC purely down to space constraints. Is there a way to do this or is it going to need to be another case or attachment to PC case?

I am thinking of buying feminised seeds and pre treated soil. Do I need to consider buying various nutrients for the growth or is there a recommended solution for the whole grow life? What do you do? Are nutrients needed?

Thank you for all your help.. I will also take your advice onboard and double check before I order.

i actually think you should use lower wattage cfls. you could direct your light alot easier. just check your color spectrum. i think that the 26 watt ge energy smart general purpose cfl is a good place to start. 2700k color spectrum and 1750 lumens. not to mention u can pick up a six pack for like 20 bucks at walmart.

1 150W CFL is what I used in the past in a PC. As someone stated above you could go with multiple small watt CFL's for optimum placement, however I don't know if that person has ever grown in a small PC, its kind of a bitch. And especially to get almore than like 3-4 light sockets and cords in the PC and hang them very tight area to work with.

A scrubber is a small-large cylinder looking thing that contains carbon and an inlet to be connected to ducting. It will allow you to filter the air of the marijuana odor that is why its important to have one. Its usually hooked up to the exhaust and in the PC case for sure.


Here is a picture of one to give you a idea. This is much much larger than you will need and yours will not need to be kept in a box or anything, thats just how this guy runs his so he can collect the air from multiple areas, scrub it and then direct it where he wishes all with one big fan.

If you would like to go without a carbon scrubber there is other ways to filter the smell out of the air. I myself have never used any of these and can't personally tell you they will work. The first would be an ozone generator, google: CAP OZN-JR. Ozone Generator, it looks to be a good one and will fit inside the PC. Your second option I'm very weary of but its called Ona and it comes in a liquid, gel, and mist. Not to sure on how it works and have never used it. I would personally recommend a small carbon scrubber though, unless space is that tight. The problem with a scrubber is the smallest one I know of is called the Elf Carbon Filter and its 10" Tall and 6" in diameter with a 4" inlet for ducting. Now you probably could keep it inside the PC but you would lose alot of space.

Femenized seeds are GREAT! I'm personally not a fan of pre-treated soil, most soils hold enough nutrients to sustain M/J plants for 2-3 weeks. Then from there yoiu should use a fertilizer of some form. Foir soil I recommend Pro Mix HP and mix in extra Perlite for good draining 3/1 is a good ratio some say 2/1 though. A good cheap way to go for Vegetative growth is Fish Emulsion for a fertilizer. Get to that point and then look into a good orgainc floering fertilizer. Unfortunatley there is no one fertilizer you can use for the entire grow. The plant requires different nutrients at different stages of growth to get optimum results.

Coffin.filler said:

Hi guys/Gals.

Im new here and new to growing (though not smoking). I am thinking of desiging and building a PC grow case (stealth is a must as I have kids).

Im thinking of going for the largest size ATX case possible. My question is I am Unsure of what light to go with for this sort of space etc.

Anyone recommend a perticular type of light? I can if needed make the light ajustable (slide up and down) but am thinking this may not be needed as the space inside a PC is small. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I will be able to grow x3 lowriders within the case acording to what ive read.

My inital thoughts are:
ATX case
x2 fans (slightly larger than PC fans)
Light source
Power source (mabey mounted on top)
Reflective material for inside
Small carbon filter (need 2 reduce odour)
LCD thermostat (mounted in dvdrw panel)

Please supply me with any info you feel may be of assistance. I have never done a grow but have been smoking for a good 19 years so could do with any info from anyone with any expereince. All help appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Coffin.Filler


I am getting to the point where I am ready to order but need to be sure I am buying the correct light source etc. I can not afford to get this wrong and will be taking a gamble spending my "toking" money on the PC grow case so dont want to get it wrong.

Click to expand...

lol whatta ya gonna do when the kids go and try to turn on the computer hahha j/k...

past times said:

as a new grower i can tell you that this is going to be VERY difficult. You can read for days, but until you have screwed up a few times and seen the plant cycle, adding something like a ridiculously small space may be hard to overcome...that being said, it is possible

i have been growing for years in pretty small spaces, and over the past year have been running a side experiment with a pc case. To begin, ventilation is a tricky task in the small space, you need to keep temperature right, but too much air flow will dry your plants/soil too quickly. I started using 2 pc fans (1 in/1 out). this was way too much. i have found that a simple small outtake fan on the top of the case is enough. a larger size shuold probably be used if you are going to attempt a carbon filer (There is a small DIY carbon filter somewhere on this site that may be perfect...never tried it though). If heat is still too high, you can make a wind tunnel with plexi glass. cut the glass to the width of the case by the length of the case minus an inch or 2. have the open end at the opposite side of the fan. this will pull air from the plant area past the bulb and out the outtake fan.

Lighting...you can go with 1 big cfl, multiple small ones, or hps...pros and cons to each. with cfl you can adjust your light to cater to the cycle the plant is on (warm or cool depending on flowering or veg). Issue with this route is that the intensity will never truly be as good as hps for the same electric usage. i have used both, and now have a 70watt hps and am loving it. i am not even using the plexi glass, just the one fan the is on all the time pumping air out the top of the case ( the bulb i got on ebay years ago when i first started growing, and had to take it apart to fasten it to the top of the pc case). whichever option you choose, dont waste time with making them vertically adjustable. with the limited height already you are just going to have more headache with that route. Instead, just grad some 2x4 scraps or books or something and raise the plant to the bulb in the beginning.

POts/soil...you want as much soil while not sacrificing to much height. i use a rectangular Tupperware...if you do this paint the outside of the Tupperware so light cant get to the roots. soil, you don’t have to do anything too grand if you don’t have access to a hydro shop. organic miracle grow found at any home depot will work fine. i add perlite and vermiculite (2 part soil:1part vermiculite:1 part perlite) perlite for oxygen to roots and vermiculite for moisture retention.

the biggest issue now is controlling height. my pc is about 18inches tall. with 4 inches for bulbs/wiring, and about 5 inches for pot height, i am left with about 9 inches to fit a plant...I have tried tying and training, immediate flowering with now veg cycle, and now scrog. the scrog is by far looking the best, like phenomenally better. This method i have the screen about 4 or 5 inches from the bulb. i am 10 days flowering with this method and am very confident this is the best way to get the highest yield with the best quality of buds. I have to get ready for school but i can tell you a little more about the later and maybe try to figure out how to get a picture for you.

Click to expand...

How do you filter air in your setup?

actually ddub i am in the process of building a comp case as we speak. i am using a dell. i was just saying that inside a case the light dosent reflect efficiently. with the plant taking up all ur space. but my case is way smaller so i am just shooting from the logic standpoint though. u are very rite it is a bitch. i been planning and drawing for awhile. btw past times ur a genius man!!! scrog.. i was curious if it would work or not. awesome. what are ya growin??

Go to www.icmag.com and then to the forums section, then the growers forum, then the grow room section, and then the micro section. Look up a guy named "Mr. Micro" or look up a thread called "the Nanomachine".

**EDIT** here's the link: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=59654

Dr.Dope said:

i was just saying that inside a case the light dosent reflect efficiently. with the plant taking up all ur space.

Click to expand...

You could line the inner walls of PC with Mylar or Poly....

How are you planning on controlling odor? I found this to be the most difficult aspect in the PC. I'm really curious about the Ozone Generator but never would fork up 90 bucks for something I was skeptical of.

past times said:

as a new grower i can tell you that this is going to be VERY difficult. You can read for days, but until you have screwed up a few times and seen the plant cycle, adding something like a ridiculously small space may be hard to overcome...that being said, it is possible

i have been growing for years in pretty small spaces, and over the past year have been running a side experiment with a pc case. To begin, ventilation is a tricky task in the small space, you need to keep temperature right, but too much air flow will dry your plants/soil too quickly. I started using 2 pc fans (1 in/1 out). this was way too much. i have found that a simple small outtake fan on the top of the case is enough. a larger size shuold probably be used if you are going to attempt a carbon filer (There is a small DIY carbon filter somewhere on this site that may be perfect...never tried it though). If heat is still too high, you can make a wind tunnel with plexi glass. cut the glass to the width of the case by the length of the case minus an inch or 2. have the open end at the opposite side of the fan. this will pull air from the plant area past the bulb and out the outtake fan.

Lighting...you can go with 1 big cfl, multiple small ones, or hps...pros and cons to each. with cfl you can adjust your light to cater to the cycle the plant is on (warm or cool depending on flowering or veg). Issue with this route is that the intensity will never truly be as good as hps for the same electric usage. i have used both, and now have a 70watt hps and am loving it. i am not even using the plexi glass, just the one fan the is on all the time pumping air out the top of the case ( the bulb i got on ebay years ago when i first started growing, and had to take it apart to fasten it to the top of the pc case). whichever option you choose, dont waste time with making them vertically adjustable. with the limited height already you are just going to have more headache with that route. Instead, just grad some 2x4 scraps or books or something and raise the plant to the bulb in the beginning.

POts/soil...you want as much soil while not sacrificing to much height. i use a rectangular Tupperware...if you do this paint the outside of the Tupperware so light cant get to the roots. soil, you don’t have to do anything too grand if you don’t have access to a hydro shop. organic miracle grow found at any home depot will work fine. i add perlite and vermiculite (2 part soil:1part vermiculite:1 part perlite) perlite for oxygen to roots and vermiculite for moisture retention.

the biggest issue now is controlling height. my pc is about 18inches tall. with 4 inches for bulbs/wiring, and about 5 inches for pot height, i am left with about 9 inches to fit a plant...I have tried tying and training, immediate flowering with now veg cycle, and now scrog. the scrog is by far looking the best, like phenomenally better. This method i have the screen about 4 or 5 inches from the bulb. i am 10 days flowering with this method and am very confident this is the best way to get the highest yield with the best quality of buds.

Click to expand...

Very good advice!

past times said:

I have to get ready for school but i can tell you a little more about the later and maybe try to figure out how to get a picture for you.

Click to expand...

As in middle school or high school?

beginningbotanist420 said:

Go to www.icmag.com and then to the forums section, then the growers forum, then the grow room section, and then the micro section. Look up a guy named "Mr. Micro" or look up a thread called "the Nanomachine".

**EDIT** here's the link: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=59654

Click to expand...

Its on page 4 of the Micro section. And I must say that it is the most thought out and effecientley running PC I've ever seen. The way he filters air is pretty ingenius, I don't understand how he used apoxy to connect the scrubber to a ziploc bag, but that thing is impressive. Never seen one that light tight, theres ones on Ebay for a couple hundred and they SUCK compared to the Nanomachine.

DDub said:

how are you planning on controlling odor?

Click to expand...

i heard o.n.a. was a good choice for stealth operation.

haha, im a teacher but growing since college.

the nanomachine has mine beat on light tight. i just painted the inside flat white and some duct tape which is pretty good but leaks a bit out the back where there is passive air intake (will work if kept in closet or cabinet or something. i have it in my flower room on the same cycle so wasnt really concerned. his built in wall is pimp too. also, i did cheat on the veg, which was about 4 weeks (topped at 3). i had it in a veg room with a 2 foot t5. i am a firm believer that fluoros are the best lights for veg b/c you can have the plant almost kissing the light. if you are just growing 1 plant you could set up just one or 2 cfls for the first 4 weeks it would be best.

https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/58871-2-minute-cheap-easy-carbon.html
https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/118805-modifing-pc-fan-zens-carbon.html

couple filters that might work

i have blueberry mixed with g13 haze. my last harvest something went hermi (think it was the g13) and pollinated the other girls. nothing crazy, like 20-40 seeds a plant. supposedly they are going to be feminized. the first one was girl so i might plant some for my main room and see what happens. BB is my favorite i have grown so i am pretty pumped to see the results.

day off, wake and bake

or ozone machine or something like that in the room

a few pictures from 10 days flower.