how do people
now my outdoors are down and i've only got my mini box on the grow i want to set up a little bit bigger in a loft space i've been offered
now i was decided on a dr80 but the loft owner is a bit uneasy about a tent being uninsulated (loft is bare , not kingspanned or p'boarded) . ive done some maths and a box measuring 700x800x1600 internal that is plasterboarded in and out with 2in extratherm between will cost about £80 (dr street being £70) then there's the hassle of building it and the fact that 6x3 plasterboards won't fit through the hatch in one piece you can see where this is going

im not a big believer in this thermal chopper bollocks BUT im in no way qualified to say 100% that a flimsy tent with a 400hps couldn't be seen in a loft that is quite cool.

so how many of you are doing just that? uninsulated loft in a busy residential area with a tent?

cheers

i'm in a budbox 75x75x160 with a 400w. my room is basically one end of a loft and it can get pretty warm in here. i live in the middle of nowhere so it's not much of an issue. also i have the luxury of half a velux window. you might want to think about some sort extraction from the loft. as it's uninsulated then the heat should disperse fairly quickly but i do know that when the pigs in space have nothing better to do, they get their IR cam out... a 400w really shouldn't cause that much heat but better safe than in custody.

i'll be extracting into the chimmney so the loft getting hot isn't a worry
main thing is not wanting the bother of building the box and actually using a box , a tent would be nice so it can be brought down and thoroughly cleaned if needed or moved somewhere else one day.

think i'll have a measure up and see how much it would be to xtratherm the whole loft

"better safe than in custody" .... if it was my place i wouldn't mind but with it being someone elses your'e spot on there

fuck it , in typical me style i've answered my own question
if i use 2inch thick xtratherm which will leave a 1inch air gap between insulation and felt it will cost about £55 to do the whole loft (apex to perlins) .

now do i go for a dr80 or drs80 ??? hmmmm

i had a similar choice to make regarding tents in the loft, eventually i decided to build a growbox up there instead (no tent had the dimensions i needed) check my sig out - nearly there

if you can build aa box and you plan to grow for a while then knock one up i say

building one wouldn't be a problem as i build/renovate houses for a living and ive always made boxes for my grows but tbh i can't be arsed the mess and p'board dust is enough and then theres light proofing a door , water proofing the floor and corners ....

deffo decided on insulating the whole loft and going for a tent just want to know if the dr80 is worth the extra over the drs80 ???

Get the DR80 - not the street. I am doing exactly what you are but the loft will defo need to be insulated (2 x1 at homebase/B andQ) I insulated the loft for 50 GBP and plastic sheeted. still need oil rad in there to give lights off a boost.

Insulate it or you will regret it.

i went for the budbox as it's way more solid and i tend to break stuff. it's still in one piece so it must be good. my brother has a dark room tent and they're a good option but the zips are pretty cheap and i can't see that they're a good long term investment. of the two though definately the DR80... the street looks even less durable.

got the xtratherm ordered and dr80 will be ordered later in the week cheers

from what ive read the budbox has crap zips i'll go with the dr anyway , it'll be safe up there

Hi,

although 2 inch insulation is better than nothing, you would be much much wiser to get a 6 inch or even 9-12 inch insulation. If your putting it into the rafters get an insualtion thats as deep as the rafters, usually 6-9 inch is about right, you wont need to board over the top. really important to try not to squash the insulation down to much.

If you want to save money build your own box, its simple, 1/2 inch baton, a drill/driver, a few meters of total blackout, some velcro for the door, basic stuff really, plus you get a custom built growroom.

dont think you get it that thick mate. rafters are only 3 inch deep and you want an air gap too building regs would only spec 4-6 inch and they go way over the top! if i was using the whole loft as a gr i'd probably use 2 inch between rafters and 4 inch over the top just to be safe

don't like wood exposed so when i make them theyre lined inside and out , like the idea of something all made and ready to put up this time

If youve got 3 inch rafters you better get out of the house mate, you dont need an air gap between the insulation, the insualtion IS the air gap, it holds air and stops the movement of air between it, thats how it works. 2 inch insualtion is onlt good for 2 inch cavaties mate, thicker the better.

But your whole roof is full of timber, and if you line it properly it wont show the baton, just trying to point you into an easier and cheaper direction.

ive built a box (check my sig) and was going to use 50mm kingspan to insulate it, its in an uninsulated loft (rafters are bare) im using a 400w hps - do you forsee any probs with that?
Thanx

just nipping out, will answer you when I return mate

i build for a living i know the house is safe
the insulation isnt an air gap , its solid board (kingspan/extratherm) . its cut bang on to rafter width and tapped in so no air gets past and i wouldnt push it right up to the felt cos i want air flow to make sure theres no condesation forming. cavities are irrelevant as its not a floor or wall that needs doing

tworoach , 2inch will be fine mate even better if its covered in plasterboard

well its gonna be a chipboard box with kingspan on the inside - the chip board will be 9mm thick on the walls and i was thinking 12mm for the roof? is there any point in doing this or will 9mm on the roof be ok?
cheers mate

wont be much difference. be carefull with chipboard some have had offgassing due to it , my mini box is laminated chipboard and ive had no problems though

Offgassing???? i could use MDF if i wanted to just that the chipboard is much cheaper- what im reall asking is does the roof need to be thicker than the walls and what thickness would you reccomend using 9mm/12mm/18mm?
ta fella

some manufactured woods give off toxic gasses when they get hot due to glues/chemicals used making them. i don't know what temps are needed or which woods are the worst but its something to read about.

as long as the structure is stable the top can be the same as the sides. with kingspan inside how are you going to fix lights/filter up? using long screws to hold a baton up? hooks wont be long enough on their own. carefull with chipboard as it will sag if there arent enough bracings

im leaving a baton of 2x2 running along the peak of the roof (for my light) the kingspan will be flush with the 2x2 by the time ive done it so thats all covered for now - i was gonna cut the vents and filter holes after the walls have been put up.

should be sweet mate , are you making a frame and then screwing chip to it? depending on which type of chip it is it can be a fucker screwing boards to each other! remember to pilot drill and tighten by hand not using the drill

I'd make sure there is an air gap between the tiles and back of insulation board. Had a bit of a problem myself with condensation on the rafters. You don't want them buggers rotting over time £££££££'s to replace.

Yeah frame is finished (pics in my sig) just got back from B and Q with 9mm chipboard for one half of the roof of the box - go back 2moro to get the other half then glue it - screw it and seal all the gaps then lift it onto the top of the square frame (had to fabricate it (the roof) on the floor due to how tight i am to the rafters)
Pilot drilled all the holes yes

ive been looking at kingspan prices and i reckon its gonna cost about £60/100 to insulate the box? are there any cheaaper alternatives? ANYONE!!
i had assumed a box would cost me less or near the same price as a tent (Total spend so far £40) and its going up by the minute

@Burton Red
hi mate the outside of the box has a 2" gap from chipboard to rafters, enough space to breathe but not enought to get my hand behind there hence why the roof had to be put together on the floor and lifted on

400W HPS? you dont "need" to insulate at all mate for that little light. There will not be enough heat escaping your tent if you have the right extraction etc

If you have the time and cash to insulate your loft then get a few rolls of the squishy shite.. and put it behind plasterboard. You dont need an air gap etc unless your running alot of watts

You can also Check my Build here if you need a few ideas..

you always want an air gap if airflow wasn't important they wouldnt make breathable felt.

thing with using rockwool/isowool is its a bastard to put up , its itchy and alot more work than just xtratherm. plus if theres any condensation it can sag and slip down

Doobz is right, it's overkill for a single 400w.

i think so too but when its someone elses house what they want comes first and 55 notes for peace of mind is a bargain

well i may aswell live in LA with all the choppers and thier search lights over my house 24/7 and that was the main reason i wanted to line the box with kingspan other reasons being - Environment control - and the fact that i will deffo be upgrading to a 600w next crop - as someone advised me i "futureproofed" the box for a bigger light in the end.

But i must admit i am running out of cash very quickly so i may just get some kingspan on the roof for this grow and leave the walls for when i get a 600w?

i could go spend £20 on some space blanket for the rafters from bee and que 2-4-1 at the moment so thats four rolls for about a score and then 1 sheet of kingspan to line the roof on the inside of the box.

any advice or hints are welcome
cheers lads

a 2.4m x 1.2m sheet of 2inch xtratherm is 11 quid

From where dood where?

selco builders warehouse.

just googled it and just my luck theres none anywhere near me

EDIT - there is one close enough to me but i looked on the site and cant seem to see the xtratherm?

100mm is only 28 quid normally pay about 35. you could go for polystyrene , its not as good but its cheaper

try jacksons , jewsons , lbs .

jewsons are nationwide

i looked on the jewsons sit aswell and cant see any fecking prices anywhere?

600w in the loft. You wanna have a proper good extractor for that. My 400w HPS was reaching 40degrees at the hottest points of this year. Had to do a quick swap for a 250w CFL but just bought a cooltube 250w setup for the last few weeks of flowering.
All depends on your enviroment though, space, ventilation and all that lark.

@Goodtimes
i will be using a 400w.....for now - pics of my box are in my sig fella

just give them a ring mate

yeah i suppose ill have to

just checked and 2 inch is 16 quid not 11

yeah that sounds about right
a few have said that i wont even need kingspan for a 400w - what do you think

it's a personal thing really mate , for that extra few quid you get peace of mind. if im building one i'll insulate it as standard (even in a cellar) not because of thermal imaging just for sound and temps.

im pretty sure all the police can see is tile temperature but i don't know for sure.

ok ta mate
IF thats the case and choppers can only see tile temps then i may extract into the loft and save myself a bit of £££ this 1st grow and use thinner kingspan 35mm? maybe and upgrade to 50mm when i get me 600w for the second grow.
Dont get me wrong i know ill have i nice feeling of satisfaction when the treehouse is done but what a feckin headache man ahh well im sure it will all be worth it in the end.... i hope

Got a Hydrolab wide thingy (technical description, that) running a 600w in a cool tube.