yabbah Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Hey guys, haven't grown in over a year now but decided to get back in to things. My new space will be a 80 x 45 x 120cm lockable office cabinet. This is a big jump in space from my old grow tent which was 40 x 40 x 140. I've lost some height but im confident with the right strain and some LST it will be fine. So far i've gotten my placement of my fan & filter figured out. Fan is a T4 Cloudline and the filter is a 4inch carboair. They will both be hung from the ceiling. I had thought I would need some ducting when i started planning this but the two actually fit quite snugly in there. I'm on the hunt for some sort of 4inch flange adapter that will connect the 2 4" ends of the fan and filter together. Next steps are to make the holes for the intake and outtake. Which brings me to my first question: obviously the outtake will be a 4" hole, but how big should the intake be? I've read anywhere from 2-5 times the size of the outtake? What is everyones recommendation? My next question is what way to treat the walls? The cabinet has little holes that you see in the side for the shelves. These don't go the whole way through but i'm eager to get them covered up as I don't want moisture getting in them and rotting the cabinet. Should i go for panda film, mylar or just paint the walls? Next question is power/electricity. For stealth and neatness it would be great to have the extension lead on the inside of the cabinet with everything plugged in there but I do worry about humidity effecting the electrics. I've seen a lot of people do it on here but is it a big risk? Lastly is light proofing. i've read some threads here of people using draft excluder or car door sealant on the door edges to block light. albeit none of these threads ever have photos of their work for some reason so its hard to know what works. This will have to be a bit experimentation! Looking forward to starting this build! Something I've always wanted to do for years! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exhale Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 12 minutes ago, yabbah said: Next steps are to make the holes for the intake and outtake. Which brings me to my first question: obviously the outtake will be a 4" hole, but how big should the intake be? I've read anywhere from 2-5 times the size of the outtake? What is everyones recommendation? Hi mate, love a little build in my cupboard I removed the floorboard a section the size of 3 4" holes side by side so 300mm x 100mm You could do a single a 4" inlet if you wanted to get another fan to force air in (I'll be doing this with my tent rather than opening the velcro flaps as the room it's in isn't fully lightproofed) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yabbah Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Exhale said: Hi mate, love a little build in my cupboard I removed the floorboard a section the size of 3 4" holes side by side so 300mm x 100mm You could do a single a 4" inlet if you wanted to get another fan to force air in (I'll be doing this with my tent rather than opening the velcro flaps as the room it's in isn't fully lightproofed) So 3 4" holes should do the trick? Sounds like a good amount. I probably wouldn't utilise a second fan forcing air in as its just another thing using up power and occupying a plug socket. Forced induction is for turbo's and the such we're operating a naturally aspirated grow cab here. No replacement for displacement and all that For the placement of the intake holes I was considering either the lower part of the back wall or in the floor as the cabinet is raised on little 1" legs. The floor option would probably let less light in but i would be concerned the vents would get clogged up over time from dust on the carpet. Don't think I could be fucked with opening and closing velcro flaps every time the light went on and off Edited August 31, 2021 by yabbah 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exhale Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Bore away mate! It's going to get dusty whatever you do mate tents or cupboards, have a think about what the easiest option will be for you maintenance wise - for airflow all round I would consider a couple of different sites for intake, seen a few people use waste pipe fitted with a few bends as a good baffle you could just feed it up the back of the cabinet with a few bends going in through the back low down, put a sock or home made muslin filter to catch the dust just lift them off and shake them out to clean them is quite simple. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Many dilemas, probably good to go whatever you choose. Some say 6x the out take diameter, some say 3x. I settled on 2x 150mm/6" lightproof baffles from secret jardin. For the doors, just seal one door with silver tape, and use an extended flap of mylar/silver tape on the opening door so it flaps itself shut, if you know what I mean. The secret jardin light baffles are perfect for light and bugs, although it's a good idea to break them open and give them a good disting/clean out once a year. You can get 150mm long carbon filters too, if that helps cram it all in. Alternatively, you can pull the air out using the extract fan externally blowing through the filter, but this accumulates more dust and may shorten the filters lifespan. This would be if you were growing sativas and needed the space mid flowering. It works well if you're desperate for space. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yabbah Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 Just now, Exhale said: Bore away mate! It's going to get dusty whatever you do mate tents or cupboards, have a think about what the easiest option will be for you maintenance wise - for airflow all round I would consider a couple of different sites for intake, seen a few people use waste pipe fitted with a few bends as a good baffle you could just feed it up the back of the cabinet with a few bends going in through the back low down, put a sock or home made muslin filter to catch the dust just lift them off and shake them out to clean them is quite simple. That's not a bad idea with the waste pipe and a few bends as a baffle. I have plenty of muslin lying around too so that could also work. oh the decisions! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exhale Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 @Slippy One neat job matey love those baffles what's the depth from the grille to the end of the inlet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 That's the thing, they're quite fat, as they're 4 layers of 1cm plastic, so 4cm+. Protruding inlets are fine though, as this area is stalk height. Don't forget, my cabinet is just a bansai mum cab, I'll never flower, but still filter them, as even mum plants have a certian smell.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 As far as baffles go, these are the best I've seen. 4cm for light and bug proofing intakes, so you can use your cabinet as a regular looking without any glowing wall incidents. Beats 2 90 degree bends using pipes.. Just an ordinary cupboard here officer.. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yabbah Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 @Slippy One your build is absolutely mint. Had no idea about the secret jarden light baffles, literally googling them right now. Would you be able to share a picture of the exact method used to lightproof your door? looks very effective. Also how did you attach your mylar? was it glue or staples? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 (edited) Just now, yabbah said: @Slippy One your build is absolutely mint. Had no idea about the secret jarden light baffles, literally googling them right now. Would you be able to share a picture of the exact method used to lightproof your door? looks very effective. Also how did you attach your mylar? was it glue or staples? Double sided tape and mylar. No actual pics of the flaps, but just overlap the mylar by 1cm. You can add 5cm of mylar over the hinge side, to have it silver taped when fully open. I hope that makes sense. The silver tape thickens the flap of mylar enough to stay in place. Hope this makes sense. It's a matter of trial and error. You can also use draft excluder strip but they're quite expensive and don't always work very well.. Edited August 31, 2021 by Slippy One 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0bbyBuds Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Nice cabinets! And nice wood you guys using too. I’m planning on building one too. I’m not very skilled in diy but got a couple of tools. Been looking at wood. I need to it to be around 70x180x240. I live in a flat so will have to get 60x120 pieces and edge join them. I’ve looked in the major diy places and other wood places but they all have mdf/ply etc... not finished stuff (apart from wickes but that’s not much choice). What kind of shops sell the finished wood? ive got plywood from wickes before delivered and it had massive knots. Bigger than my hand spread out. Looked horrible. Hasn’t tried painting over it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 6 minutes ago, B0bbyBuds said: Nice cabinets! And nice wood you guys using too. I’m planning on building one too. I’m not very skilled in diy but got a couple of tools. Been looking at wood. I need to it to be around 70x180x240. I live in a flat so will have to get 60x120 pieces and edge join them. I’ve looked in the major diy places and other wood places but they all have mdf/ply etc... not finished stuff (apart from wickes but that’s not much choice). What kind of shops sell the finished wood? ive got plywood from wickes before delivered and it had massive knots. Bigger than my hand spread out. Looked horrible. Hasn’t tried painting over it though. Look for wardrobes on gumtree. Get real wood, as the ikea MDF style cabs rot after about 2 years. I've lined my base with a cut to measure sheet of white acrylic sheeting to protect the wood.. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Just now, Slippy One said: Look for wardrobes on gumtree. ...or an old fridge/freezer... Twenty quid on gumtree, lightproof, fairly soundproof, insulated, easy conversion just a hole or two needs cutting for vents, use existing electric wiring, complete stealth everything inside... 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Fridge = Genius 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now