Please critique my planned grow cabbinet..

worksucks79 · 03-04-2007, 12:29 PM

Hi EVERYONE.....
I am planning a CFL/SCROG grow (first grow, I know I will make mistakes...) and decided to use an old cabinet I had.
I don't have my ventilation or drip tray setup in this drawing, but I have a good idea (I think) how to implement them....
I will be using different lights for VEG/FLOWER (blue/red).
Anyone have comments or suggestions?
I will be painting walls flat white, and making it light tight.....
Soil grow, and probably 27W cfls (4 above screen, 1 below)

BTW, google sketch up is a great program, and after watching a couple tutorial vids, I was able to draw this out in about 25 minutes...

thanks in advance,
ws79

**Pharm Girl** · 03-04-2007, 04:46 PM

If you can put the closet near a window, then i have ideas for exhaust/ventilation.

Maybe you have it in the basement.......great ......

If you can make two 3 inch holes up high in the cabinet to exhaust with the help of small fans.......and make another 3 inch hole at least near the bottom where you will be able to draw in fresh outside air.

Closets are great......just gotts keep the temps down otherwise the BUGs come marching in.........and not one by one.
Ideally if you can keep 'er under 23 celcius......and no lower than 13 celcius when in bud.

You can use the fan above your stove and the one in the bathroom......though they need a 5 inch hole.......

Blippy The Slug · 03-04-2007, 05:03 PM

Woo hoo! Build one for me, too! One thing, you mentioned 5 x 27W CFL, and that looks like 4 plants/side. From personal experience, yer gonna want about 100W CFL per square foot: I'd recommend making the top ((4 x 42W) + (2 x 27W)) and 2 x 42W on the bottom. That would give you ~300W/side to play with.

Also, CFLs do produce some heat; you're going to want ventilation.

worksucks79 · 03-04-2007, 07:17 PM

hey, thanks for the responses, I have a an excellent location as far as ventilation goes..

Directly behind the cabinet (in basement) there is a removable panel to get under the addition on my house... fresh, cool intake air, and a great place for exhaust to disperse.

I will just take off the panel, and replace it with a piece of plywood with some ports cut into it.

Blippy... thanks for the input. I think I will beef up the wattage a bit..
I better go do some electrical homework.......

ws79

========
EDIT-

Here are the ports...nothing special, but will probably use PC fans, and maybe some sort of light blocking setup.....
I am talking about the square holes..... the round ones you see are the screw ends of the lights sticking through, don't know an easy way to get rid of them yet...
OH YeaH... I bought the cabinet at staples a few years back.....

smallarmsfire · 03-04-2007, 07:31 PM

keep in mind the size of compacts.. they are longer than incandescents because of the miniballast they have attached to the bulb.
they run about 8" or so screwed into a fixture, and i'd recommend that mounting the fixtures 20-21" across from eachother is probably a little better than 18" although you could likely get away with it.. you're just going to have more heat building up in a gradually expanding hot ball at the ceiling.

another tip, just for wiring ease, would be to mount the lights only on the two opposite longest walls.. could still use 4 per chamber, it might just provide you with a cleaner setup.

if you want cheap, simple llightproof ventilation, buy a bathroom fan for each section, and mount them in the ceiling. homedepot should have 75w models for like $10
otherwise 6" duct boosters can be picked up for about $30 a piece, and move more air.

use drywall for the ceiling or walls if you want something easy to cut through that won't warp over time and result in lightleaks.

design looks cool.

smallarmsfire · 03-04-2007, 07:35 PM

were you planning on using those plug in adapters for the CFLs?

wiring can be easy, and not having extension cords running everywhere is nice.

worksucks79 · 03-04-2007, 07:42 PM

wow, the great tips keep on rolling in..
thanks a lot!!
-----------
Nice, just saw your second post SmallArmsFire....
That is what I want to do...
I have installed several lights in my house myself (clap for me!!), but I am hesitant about doing it my self, because I don't know how to figure out how many lights to run in a series without it being too much...
I guess that info is on here somewhere, I will go do some searching...
What gauge wire is needed, I almost bought some the other day, but wimped out...

worksucks79 · 03-04-2007, 07:56 PM

Just found this....
http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/724.htm

How many lights/watts can I put on a 15 Amp service?

The rule of thumb is to only load a breaker up to 80% of its capacity. On a 15-amp service with 14/2 gauge wire one should only load it up to 12 Amps MAX. Since most lights will draw 1 amp per 100 watts a 15-amp breaker can handle one 1K light each. This brings up another point in home growing. That it is always good practice to have the fans and the light that they cool on the same breaker. That way if the breaker is somehow tripped (Murphy's Law) then both the light and its cooling system are down. Instead of the cooling system for the light going down and the light still blazes away because it was on another breaker.

Note: above figures are estimated based on 110V supply.

Nietzsche recommends purchasing a CAT III meter before doing any electrical work. It will allow for safe testing of the circuit before commencing work. A clamp meter is also handy for testing how many amps the circuit is drawing without having to break the circuit to do so, great to see if you get a peak when your lights first come on or just how many amps a given device is using.

Blippy The Slug · 03-04-2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by worksucks79

because I don't know how to figure out how many lights to run in a series without it being too much...

Series? you mean parallel.

Check the lighting section at Home Depot. You may find 3 & 4 bulb bathroom fixtures prewired, where they say 60W/bulb max. Since the CFLs are well below 60W each, they're prefectly safe. Most fixtures designed for incandescent bulbs have more than double the capacity needed by CFLs.

Right now I'm running 250W of CFL on "regular" extention cord, and thats peachy keen.

You can draw up to 500W on a single outlet through a standard "granny" extention cord without danger, so if you total 300W a side, just have each side on its' own power cord.

Blippy The Slug · 03-04-2007, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by worksucks79

How many lights/watts can I put on a 15 Amp service?

Watts = Volts * Amps

Assuming 120VAC

120 Volts * 15 Amps = 1800 Watts

Since ballasted lights "peak" or "surge" (depending on how you define it) on startup, allow about a 20% "slop factor". If you try to run 3 x 600W HPS (1800W) on a 15A breaker, you'll trip the breaker on startup every time.

worksucks79 · 03-04-2007, 08:17 PM

great info again, thanks...
and yeah, I really thought I meant series, but it was a (almost) total guess... so I guess I meant parallel....
=]

PigE · 03-05-2007, 01:22 AM

And they say were not motivated

03-04-2007, 12:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
worksucks79 Rookie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Please critique my planned grow cabbinet.. Hi EVERYONE..... I am planning a CFL/SCROG grow (first grow, I know I will make mistakes...) and decided to use an old cabinet I had. I don't have my ventilation or drip tray setup in this drawing, but I have a good idea (I think) how to implement them.... I will be using different lights for VEG/FLOWER (blue/red). Anyone have comments or suggestions? I will be painting walls flat white, and making it light tight..... Soil grow, and probably 27W cfls (4 above screen, 1 below) BTW, google sketch up is a great program, and after watching a couple tutorial vids, I was able to draw this out in about 25 minutes... thanks in advance, ws79 Last edited by worksucks79; 03-04-2007 at 02:25 PM.

03-04-2007, 05:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
Blippy The Slug Der Bongmeißter Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Aquarium Posts: 1,369 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Woo hoo! Build one for me, too! One thing, you mentioned 5 x 27W CFL, and that looks like 4 plants/side. From personal experience, yer gonna want about 100W CFL per square foot: I'd recommend making the top ((4 x 42W) + (2 x 27W)) and 2 x 42W on the bottom. That would give you ~300W/side to play with. Also, CFLs do produce *some* heat; you're going to want ventilation. __________________ I am currently not on air, but SpikedTeaRadio is! SpikedTeaRadio! Putting our dicks in the mashed potatoes since 2005! THURSDAYS 8pm-? EST/5pm-? PST IRC: irc.p2p-network.net #spikedtearadio http://www.spikedtearadio.com

03-04-2007, 07:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
worksucks79 Rookie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	hey, thanks for the responses, I have a an excellent location as far as ventilation goes.. Directly behind the cabinet (in basement) there is a removable panel to get under the addition on my house... fresh, cool intake air, and a great place for exhaust to disperse. I will just take off the panel, and replace it with a piece of plywood with some ports cut into it. Blippy... thanks for the input. I think I will beef up the wattage a bit.. I better go do some electrical homework....... ws79 ======== EDIT- Here are the ports...nothing special, but will probably use PC fans, and maybe some sort of light blocking setup..... I am talking about the square holes..... the round ones you see are the screw ends of the lights sticking through, don't know an easy way to get rid of them yet... OH YeaH... I bought the cabinet at staples a few years back..... Attached Images Last edited by worksucks79; 03-04-2007 at 07:26 PM.

03-04-2007, 07:31 PM	#5 (permalink)
smallarmsfire <3 veg vigour Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: (x, y, z) Posts: 503 Thanks: 43 Thanked 210 Times in 130 Posts	keep in mind the size of compacts.. they are longer than incandescents because of the miniballast they have attached to the bulb. they run about 8" or so screwed into a fixture, and i'd recommend that mounting the fixtures 20-21" across from eachother is probably a little better than 18" although you could likely get away with it.. you're just going to have more heat building up in a gradually expanding hot ball at the ceiling. another tip, just for wiring ease, would be to mount the lights only on the two opposite longest walls.. could still use 4 per chamber, it might just provide you with a cleaner setup. if you want cheap, simple llightproof ventilation, buy a bathroom fan for each section, and mount them in the ceiling. homedepot should have 75w models for like $10 otherwise 6" duct boosters can be picked up for about $30 a piece, and move more air. use drywall for the ceiling or walls if you want something easy to cut through that won't warp over time and result in lightleaks. design looks cool. __________________ i have a motto, sort of. i jotted it down in a schoolbook diary: i aspire. i don't know why i chose those particular words; they're odd, and i like the ambiguity.. do i aspire to heaven or hell? -truman capote

03-04-2007, 07:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
smallarmsfire <3 veg vigour Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: (x, y, z) Posts: 503 Thanks: 43 Thanked 210 Times in 130 Posts	were you planning on using those plug in adapters for the CFLs? wiring can be easy, and not having extension cords running everywhere is nice. __________________ i have a motto, sort of. i jotted it down in a schoolbook diary: i aspire. i don't know why i chose those particular words; they're odd, and i like the ambiguity.. do i aspire to heaven or hell? -truman capote

03-04-2007, 04:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pharm Girl Weeding the Garden.~ Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,534 Blog Entries: 13 Thanks: 2,996 Thanked 1,176 Times in 894 Posts	If you can put the closet near a window, then i have ideas for exhaust/ventilation. Maybe you have it in the basement.......great ...... If you can make two 3 inch holes up high in the cabinet to exhaust with the help of small fans.......and make another 3 inch hole at least near the bottom where you will be able to draw in fresh outside air. Closets are great......just gotts keep the temps down otherwise the BUGs come marching in.........and not one by one. Ideally if you can keep 'er under 23 celcius......and no lower than 13 celcius when in bud. You can use the fan above your stove and the one in the bathroom......though they need a 5 inch hole.......

03-04-2007, 07:42 PM	#7 (permalink)
worksucks79 Rookie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	wow, the great tips keep on rolling in.. thanks a lot!! ----------- Nice, just saw your second post SmallArmsFire.... That is what I want to do... I have installed several lights in my house myself (clap for me!!), but I am hesitant about doing it my self, because I don't know how to figure out how many lights to run in a series without it being too much... I guess that info is on here somewhere, I will go do some searching... What gauge wire is needed, I almost bought some the other day, but wimped out...

03-04-2007, 07:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
worksucks79 Rookie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Just found this.... http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/724.htm How many lights/watts can I put on a 15 Amp service? The rule of thumb is to only load a breaker up to 80% of its capacity. On a 15-amp service with 14/2 gauge wire one should only load it up to 12 Amps MAX. Since most lights will draw 1 amp per 100 watts a 15-amp breaker can handle one 1K light each. This brings up another point in home growing. That it is always good practice to have the fans and the light that they cool on the same breaker. That way if the breaker is somehow tripped (Murphy's Law) then both the light and its cooling system are down. Instead of the cooling system for the light going down and the light still blazes away because it was on another breaker. Note: above figures are estimated based on 110V supply. Nietzsche recommends purchasing a CAT III meter before doing any electrical work. It will allow for safe testing of the circuit before commencing work. A clamp meter is also handy for testing how many amps the circuit is drawing without having to break the circuit to do so, great to see if you get a peak when your lights first come on or just how many amps a given device is using.

03-04-2007, 08:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
worksucks79 Rookie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	great info again, thanks... and yeah, I really thought I meant series, but it was a (almost) total guess... so I guess I meant parallel.... =]

03-05-2007, 01:22 AM	#12 (permalink)
PigE YaHookan Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 55 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	And they say were not motivated __________________ Piggy

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