PC Grow Box - Will it work?

[ganjhound]

Hey all,

if you have replied to me in the past you might remember i was talking for awhile about a pc grow box however several things have caused me to give up on this. HOWEVER it may be time for me to start planning things again and would just like to know if there is anything wrong/needs to be changed with the set up im going to buy. im just going to drop the specs below, and let me know if anything rings alarm bells :D.

1X 30w Red Spectrum hydroponics grow light!(PRODUCES A HIGH YIELD)
1X 30w Blue Spectrum hydroponics grow light!(PRODUCES A HIGH YIELD)
1x all in one power unit.
2x Ultra Silent fan.
1x Digital Timer.
1x ON/OFF Power Switch.
1x Removable power lead
1x Digital Thermometer.(No Batteries-Powered by pc case)
5X pots (soil)
5X Jiffy Pellets
(HOW TO) mini booklet beginners guide.

the dimensions are 456x225x478 (D,W,H)

also anyone got any recommended nutes/soil for UK?

Thanks in advance :jointsmile:

[low_rdr]

If I'm not mistaken, that's roughly 18x10x20 (inches) or roughly .96 square feet of grow space, or roughly .3 square meters

I guess my big alarm bell would be that my 7" seedlings would barely fit, and if put directly into bloom would yield about 5 grams in about 8 weeks

which I'd go through in 2 blunts, or 10 bowls

So my alarm bell would tell me "DING DING DING - We have a waste of cash!"

I can see it as a novelty item with a plexiglass window - but as a secret grow box? If you need something small, try one of those ikea like linen closets, or heck, a tv/radio box

[ganjhound]

Thanks for the quick reply man,
Autoflowering plants, specially the ones i have selected would do fine in this sized box and will produce a decent enough yield. however as a grower can you tell me if you see anything else that may be an issue?

[low_rdr]

The only thing I don't see listed for a stealth grow is a filter.

Are you running the lights as well as the fans from the PC power supply? I'm curious to the wiring of this, I'd like to see it in practice. But I truly think I'd be too proud to hide mine, and it would be a novelty piece. Will the lights you've chosen run off the converter? Or would you need to tap into the box and direct wire those? I'm afraid the smallest filter I would be able to design that would do this properly would be a 2" cannon (about 6" long) that would be elbowed out from your exaust, considering what your building, I'm sure your doing it for stealth, so unless you ported it out the back, it wouldn't do you much good. I'd also be worried about the CFM being enough to push through the filter, otherwise inadvertently expelling air through your intake. I do know of several high powered PC fans, with very low db's, like the ultra sonics - Could be good....

You got my engineer wheels turning now. I'd love to have this with a plexi cover displaying my moms Are you thinking about a drip feed system, or would you be physically in the case each time for feeding/watering? I'm also envisioning a small speaker/stereo system running from a disk player now, wondering if blue sound activated neons would hermie my moms, LOL... Okay - So I think you got me hooked on the idea.

Logistically the only problems I see are feeding, air scrubbing, and light leaks, as PC cases have many moving plastic components that aren't made to be light/air proof, but a quick taping on the inside will solve all of that. So leaks taken care of, we're left with feeding and scrubbing. The scrubber I mentioned would work for my purposes, but mine would hardly be for stealth, more for show, so would this concept work for you? A 45 degree angle upwards elbowed out from the exhaust on the rear of the PC- Since the case is 10" wide, we could easily do a 4" wide filter, about 6" long, and nobody would be the wiser if it were pushed up against a wall. The only thing you'd have to change would be your planned exhaust fan, and of course a few dollars in materials.

I think I would personally setup a drip feed system for this, and just stick a meter in the soil for safety sake. Of course again, I'd have the plexiglass so I could easily see the meter.

[Farmer Rich]

Why bother?! Just saying, such a small box to grow in.. set your expectations low.

[ganjhound]

low_rdr you just fucked my mind, truly an engineering mind, and thank you for sharing your wonderful babble :jointsmile: apologies if i miss anything out, im pretty medicated after a rather long day at work. The pc grow box was not built by me and is an internet buy, so i cant comment on the wiring. the box is air tight and both the intake/outtake have carbon filters (i must have cropped that off the top) every time i would be feeding my ladies i would be getting into the case - minimum room, don't want to clutter with an auto feeder - would this be an issue? And im sorry to say you lost me at scrubber :confused:

Also Farmer Rich,

Thank you for the concern however i have been looking into it and some people have been getting good results from auto flowers even in such a low space - 7.5-9 weeks flowering with 18-even 26grams per plant have been achieved with 2/3 plants, 3 plants usually being a scrog grow. I used to be a huge smoker, but cutting down usage as frankly i find my tolerance to spike to levels where im smoking 2gram and not feeling a thing, so getting HUGE yields isnt on my to do list. I really just want to experience the plant itself rather then just the fruits and have enough to smoke when i do feel like smoking, knowing that its something I cared for and has not been fucked about with like alot of the bud in my area, also itll be nice to make my own bubble hash ;). If all goes to plan i will make sure you get a look at my ladies, and i can be happy to have beat your expectations or you can say i told you so :)

[low_rdr]

The drip feed I was referring to wouldn't be an auto feed system, it'd just be a simple 3 way hydro split (1/4" tubing) with a 1/4" feed that came up to a very small funnel I'd run the water/nutes into. Thus totally eliminating the 5 minute opening/closing of a PC case - However, if your buying a premade case built for growing, then I'm sure they just have very quick thumb releases on the side - but once again, such a small cabinet is built for stealth, so why open it when there is no need? :)

[ganjhound]

The drip feed I was referring to wouldn't be an auto feed system, it'd just be a simple 3 way hydro split (1/4" tubing) with a 1/4" feed that came up to a very small funnel I'd run the water/nutes into. Thus totally eliminating the 5 minute opening/closing of a PC case :)

How would i go about doing this? And yes the pc box would be stealth growing - space and stealth being an issue. Btw really just like to say thank you for past and future reply's, knowledge is an amazing gift to give someone :)