I live in an old Victorian terrace, 2 up/2 down. The free space in this house is not plentiful. I had a choice: an expensive loft conversion or something else. I picked something else. I picked a chimney conversion.

The first job was to remove the block board that the previous owner had wedged flush with the top of the chimney opening. More than ten years worth of soot and mortar came down, enough to fill a Tescos carrier bag. I have no pictures because if the missus had seen it, I'd have no bollocks left. Using a dustpan and brush, I crouched in the opening and brushed the remaining soot, mortar and cobwebs away. A final going over with the hoover and I was ready to start building.

I was fucking filthy, gov'ner.

I built a simple frame in the opening using 12x25mm pine. The top and bottom plinths are only there to create straight edges. These are made from standard 45x12mm pine. No mucking about with drilling holes, wall plugs and screws; cheap 'no nails' filler to stick the lot together.

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Next job was to fix a shelf to hang the reflector off. This is 25mm pine and stands 130cm from the floor. The sloppy brickwork in the chimney meant I only had to fix one support to one of the sides. It is not glued down; gravity will hold it in place. This was the hardest part of the build. I could not physically reach any higher and drilling by torchlight cannot be recommended to anyone.

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The front of the Grow-chimney is made of 12mm MDF. MDF is so easy to work with plus it's nice and light. I rough cut the MDF using a powered jigsaw then finished the fit using a block plane. The fit is tight and a knife is needed to get the MDF cover off. This is for security purposes and my peace of mind. I did not want handles on the front. This is one of the first things you'd see when entering my house and I can already imagine the in-laws asking tricky questions.

I will paint over the front at a later date.

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A test fitting of the reflector came next. I can get the bulb height to 100cm. 110cm if I decide to trim one end off the reflector. If I trim the reflector I can kiss goodbye to the thought of using a 200w Envirolite in the future.

Securing the reflector was done using 4mm nylon rope threaded through three holes in the pine shelf. I picked nylon because it's strong and friction free. Friction free because it needs to slide over the pine without snagging. Once the reflector is up high, I cannot reach up there to cut it down if it gets stuck.

The reflector height can be easily adjusted then tied to a cleat hook at the base of the grow chimney. This cleat hook is normally used on long washing lines.

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A hole for the lamp wire was needed in the frame and the MDF front cover.

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Finally I fixed some Reflectagrow sheeting to every side of my grow chimney. This was done using staples, gaffer tape and Evo-stik impact adhesive. Be warned if you use this type of glue; it contains solvents and should not be used in a confined space like a chimney. I have a minging headache and I'm getting dizzy flashbacks of my old school glue sniffing days.

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All this took me the best part of a Saturday what with two trips to the DIY centre and the local hydroponics shop. If I had to make it again then I'd say 5 hours start to finish.

Total cost of the materials was about £35:

• Wood was £3
• MDF was £8
• No Nails glue was £3
• Metal cleat hook was £3
• Nylon rope was £3
• Reflectagrow sheeting was £12
• Evo-stik was £4

The draw on the chimney is fantastic. I may butcher a ventilation slot from a PVC window in the future and attach it to the lower frame plinth.

I have some Lowryder #2 seeds; this chimney will probably only grow Lowryders. Keep a look out for a diary in a week's time.

Looks just the ticket Inda

yeah that does look like a great idea, and if you can get that front panel blended in well and stick something like a small table in front of it no one would have a fecking clue what your up to Just watch santa doesnt wreck it trying to get in, in a few weeks
Nice one
T1

if he does he won't be getting out

That's what my daughter has been saying all afternoon: "How's Santa going to get in?". She got a little upset at one stage. I shouldn't wind her up really

It's getting dark now and I've noticed something I've got to fix. Even though the MDF cover is a tight fit on the plinth, there is a little light showing through. The knot on the top pine plinth has cracked during the day too and I can see light streaming through that.

A 10 minute a job for Sunday because I've had enough for today.

a Second job mate, get the gaffa tape out and cover the knot with that,
T1

nice job, looks the part

Nice work buddy...(would make a nice space for my mums!!)

In same sort of house but split into 2 flats... I was wondering about putting my ducting from the g/room into the chimney.

Are the chimney's for both floors separate? or do both floors share the same one?... didnt want the granny upstaire getting a wiff from a backdraft!!!

Anyways.. nice job

sizzle

Genius idea...well done

N

Both fireplaces share the same stack. But the downstairs chimney goes behind the upstairs chimney. In my house you can see the the downstairs fireplace is bigger than the upstairs fireplace.

Think back to when people used them. You wouldn't want smoke from the downstairs fire filling the bedroom upstairs.

The nasty niffs can travel a long way though. I personally wouldn't trust it. I suppose it depends on how much ambient updraft there is.

great plan and job

looking fwd to the diary.

Aye, good luck with your grow mate

Any probs, just shout

how about a pic of the livin room wall when its closed mate? surely u can see the lines where the board moves away. top idea btw

I'm not sure what you mean. The board is flush with the wall give or take a few millimetres. A rub down and a spot of filler will tidy it up when I decorate. The third picture down shows how it look now, today. When I get round to painting this room, it'll look like the chimney has been blocked off by someone with poor DIY skills. I also need to fix the skirting board back on. The missus has been nagging me about this since I laid the laminate floor 6 months ago...

Here's another picture from a different angle.

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Here's how it might look if I painted it orange to match the wall. Which I wont because orange is fugly.

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great idea mate

i've got a boarded up chimney in ma spare room

have u got a filter of some kind above light?? what if some debris falls down chimney (soot, old mortar)

when its a bit windy i can here stuff coming down my chimney..........

good luck wi yer grow

Get a chimney sweeper... if there still around.... and then that would be perfect

If your good at D.I.Y then please please make some kind of book case that splits in half and opens like doors, that would be stealth at its best, and would look luuurvly

No filter. I'm hoping the cobwebs will catch it first, then the shelf the reflector hangs off, then the top of the reflector. Nothing has fallen down yet. A bit of soot and mortar never hurt anyone anyway.

aye a suppose yer right mate

For fecks sake, u didn't spellcheck, and you could have added a few ' here and there.

Dont wanna piss down your chimney, excuse the pun, but your chimney's a waste of time.

Inspirational Inda. Just proves my life motto "Where there's a will, there's a way!!"

I've been looking to get some Lowryder #2 but can't find em anywhere. Can you tell me which seedbank sells them. I thought it was Seedsman but can only find one type. I believe the #2 strain yields a lot more than the original and is more stable ???

chill out mate .... some people supply their needs growing in PC cases.

Just a thought ... you need an inlet vent or two. I would have thought extractor hood filter material would help keep the smell out of the house ...

Convection is cool. I once planned to build a couple of 2 foot square growrooms outside in my utility room ...

For fecks sake, u didn't spellcheck, and you could have added a few ' here and there.

Dont wanna piss down your chimney, excuse the pun, but your chimney's a waste of time.



dont bitch about someone elses grow ... your gonna be eating big humble pie when hes having a dam good toke on his chimney grow



naughty step for you young man!



mom

x

Joint Doctor. Joolz said he was going to sell them from here but I still don't see them in the UK420 shop. Maybe I've missed them. PM him.

People have taken a real dislike to them here though.



Yeah, I keep thinking about that. I said in the start of the thread that I'm looking for a UPVC window with a vent in that I can butcher. People in this area are forever chucking them out in skips...

...but I'm not too sure now. The wind really whistles hard in the chimney at the moment. There is no problem with ventilation. I think, if anything, I might have a problem keeping the temperature up. Maybe a job for the summer months. The missus is getting me a thermometer for Christmas so I'll make a decision after that.


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I trolled BoodaJooda's thread. BoodaJooda trolled mine. I should have explained my reasons. Good days, bad days. We all have them.

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Update on the Grow Chimney:

These 100mph winds we've been getting in the UK have chucked some soot down. Not too much to worry about. I might have worried if I was using a hot bulb. A quick hoover cleared the mess up.

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Taking the cover off 10 times a day (yeah, I can't help looking) was getting to be a pain so I shaved an extra 1mm off each edge.

The problem then was that every time someone opened an outside door the air pressure in the house changed and sucked the cover off.

Two cheap door magnets solved this.

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To be honest. I used to grow in an "informally ventilated" cupboard which convected into my roofspace and managed to stay perpetually stoned. The plants always did well enough - especially when I tended them well (and breathed out CO2 perhaps ?)

The neighbours are used to strange smells coming from my gaff (I'm a stereotypical 46 year old bloke who's lived alone for most of the past 28 years )

Stealthy looking grow you got their dude.I`m currently growing some low`s 2 and germination rate dont seem too good Soak them in plain water (i used bottled) and once cracked place between tissue papper moist.two small plates one covering the other and place on somehting warm i used flourecents ballast and keep the light out.Not telling you to suck eggs just trying to help.As one guy on highbred suggested leaving the seeds for 2 days in plain water and i lost 3 seeds to this.He then told me i left them in the water for to long no shit! Before you know it you`ll have loads of lowryder 2 on the go.

Nice idea so are you going to grow sea off green tell me what your plans are dude ? chears m8ty

yeah i definatly wouldnt mind seeing an update inda its a really good thread

scarface

As you can see, I've still not gotten round to painting it.

I took the ventilation issue on board and hacked something together. In hindsight I should have built something into the frame at the beginning.

The first photo shows a 110x15mm slot in the lower frame. I drilled half a dozen holes with a 15mm drill bit and chiselled it clean. No measuring or drawing lines - a finger size was good enough. The yellow card is to show that the hole goes all the way through.

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On the inside I gaffer-taped two pieces of black plastic on an angle to form a triangular tube. Two black seed trays provided me with the plastic. These run the whole width of the grow chimney leaving a 10mm gap at each end for the air to enter.

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It's very difficult to take pictures now. They wouldn't show anything extra. Hopefully this sketch can explain a bit more.

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So, the opening slot is 1600mm² and the two triangular endings total 600mm². The ambient air flow is still working as you can see from the photo below. The photo is taken from above the vent pointing towards the floor. The black carbon fibre looking material is only there to provide contrast.

If anyone has a DIY way of measuring the air pressure and/or flow I'd be interested to hear it.

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Now the grow chimney is sucking warm air from inside my house 24/7.

For those interested, the temperatures remain steady between 18°C and 26°C with a 125w Envirolite on 4/20. Most of the time, 22°C is the average. These readings were taken over the past month. We've had one frost in that time but that didn't make any noticeable dent in the readings. I'd think they'd remain quite steady during the summer months too. It'll be interesting to see.

Humidity has been a bitch. If it's 95% RH outside then it's 95% RH in the grow chimney. I love the British weather. Maximum over the past month has been 95%, minimum 57% and the average has been around the 80% mark.

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The Lowyder #2 that have been growing in here have faired well. They are due for the chop in 3 or 4 days. I'll post Indoor Bud Porn then.

I intended germinating new seeds tonight.

I need to fix the light leaks round the edges pretty quickly... I'll post an update then too.

Fixed the light leak with two rows of draught excluder tape. Easy.

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that is a brilliant use of space mate
one normalized chimney

Thats a wicked setup, bet you looked like a miner after opening up that firepace.

I just chopped some Magic Buds @ 25cm height getting a shy oz per plant chopped, bend them over with some string on the pot. Bet they'd fit in the little santa box.

Impressive use of an unused space. I smiled at the use of the kids lego bricks for a stand... as said earlier "Where theres a will, theres a way".

sweet mate, you've just given me the idea is was looking for kepp up us to date

brilliant inda...i'm venting my drobe into my chimney...it sure does whistle when theres a gale eh!!

Go on Inda, ye mad thing, I've read some interesting posts about where heads are growing but this is legendary
Hat off to ye butty Talk about stealth growing fucking brilliant

maybe someone alredy rote this but im too lazy to reed the hole thred.

but

first i was thinking u dont want to have fire where ur weed is.

then i realized ur just skipping a step..

now u wont have to move it after growing it before u burn it.

Hows the grow going, any updates.

Just realised that grow must of finished months ago. How was it. Have you atarted another 1 and have u got pics.

I'm just about the harvest the forth grow in the chimney... I've almost cracked this growing lark

I've added two 40mm fans to help suck air in and added another 120mm fan to blow the air around. The chimney gets very hot with the light down low and the plants don't like it. There is not a lot of space for the hot air to escape past the reflector. When the lights are high up, the conditions are just about right.

Lights are out at the moment, plus I have no curtains up because I've been decorating all week, so no pictures of the inside.

I just need to fix the skirting board on and put some more filler in places and it is totally finished. I'll post some pictures when it's complete. Here is a sneak preview. Very stealthy. I can't think of anyone who's asked about it.

Click to view attachment

utter stealth mate ...

crikey thats bloody brillant mate

dude u wud never know u got a grow on in there well done .....oh wait a min wots these wires connected up2 timers doing running into the chimney sunny jim ...well officer its its its its its but but but but but but but but but ....hide em mate go from under if u have to or through the side of the skirting board

hi inda, top idea i like it its inventive, cant take nowt away from ya . just a word though on security does ur chimney bend or is it blocked off. because u dont want any light reflecting out of the top of it , hehe on a foggy night it will be like one of those search lights with a colum of light rising from ur chimney like luke skywalkers light sabre not tryin to worry u but best to be safe for when the dibble fly over in their nasty flyin machines. peace dude enjoy

Mate, I'm in the same as you, downstairs flat with a sealed chimney, but mine has a vent on and so does upstairs so he'd smell it in his living room. I reckon the answer will be running a a pipe up to the top of the chimney. I was thinking of using the round guttering pipe in the largest size they did at Travis Perkins. I would cut it into sections that would fit into the chimney. Push one in, attach a joint piece, then attach another section and push it up. Just get enough joints to reach the right to the top. A rectangular pipe would make better use of the chimneys profile, but I'd be looking to mount an inline fan inside the pipe anyway so a round pipe is just easier.

I'd wait until upstairs has gone out as well and get a mate to keep an eye incase he comes back, people get very upset about scratching noises in the walls.

That's a very good point, a 600w MH would bring planes in to land on your estate.

The chimneys are almost certainly separate. ie yours from the neighbour upstairs. I would line the flue though, as many old chimney have faulty mortar joints which could leak flue gasses, and nice exotic smells.

You line flues with flue liners. They are the same as flexible ducting. All builders merchants have them. Bit pricey because they're made of stainless steel. Check that your flue hasn't got one, could be lucky.

Been away for a long time, just thought I'd update...

Everything is still going (growing) good.

No worries about light pouring out the top of the chimney. Remember I have a reflector above the light? Plus the chimney does not go straight up. If I look up the chimney I cannot see the sky.

Still growing a lot of LR2 in there. I've just about perfected it but I'm still not quite self-sufficient (haven't bought any since I started this project though). I have zero growing problems. I have crammed six plants in there total with good results.

Been making my own LR2 seeds too. 30% germination rate. 60% male, 40% female. I plant 32 seeds in root trainers, and that gives me 4-6 good females.

Currently I have some herijuana growing in there because I was given the seeds for free. Not a very good plant - it takes ages to flower on 12/12.


The only problem I've been having is with these Envirolites. Every time I turn off the lights and fans for a few days, when I go on holiday or something, the bulb blows on return. I think the chimney gets a bit damp without use.

Cheers,

Inda