PDA

View Full Version : Emergency closet overhaul needed? Please help!



stingah
01-21-2007, 09:08 PM
Hello all,

I need help. I think I may need to completely overhaul my closet. Between getting sold at the hydro store and some questionably poor advice from a friend who 'knows all about growing', I think I've put together an pretty poorly engineered cabinet. I should have simply mimicked any of the great closets up on this forum, but alas, I'm a chump.

I'm absolutely willing to do whatever it takes to make this work, if that means to buy a new closet, build a new hood, fans, anything. I don't have any money to waste but I'll spend whatever is necessary. But I need help figuring out where to go from here.

I've already started 3 of my 12 seeds, which are now showing their first two faux-leaves so I need to do this fast. The seeds are NL x Blueberry.

Closet: I bought a 3 chamber closet from HD, 2 lower chambers for flower and veg, upper chamber to hold all the electrical, fans and filter. Dimensions are 48"w (lower areas are 23"w each"), 71"h (lower chambers are 47.5" and the upper is ~20") and 20"d.

Lights: I was sold a 400w hortilux w/ a convection (ie 'not really') cooled hood for veg and a 125w 'cfl' which looks like a giant version of standard cfls but with a garbage proprietary socket, looks like for an HID.

Vents: Heres where I got even more stupid, not fully understanding the fundamentals and with plenty of spare parts lying about my office, I thought these server 'muffin' fans would be adequate. They are 120mm 110 CFM running off 110v ( My little fans (http://www.alliedelec.com/Search/ProductDetail.asp?SKU=599-0190&SEARCH=&ID=&DESC=028422%2FMX2B3&R=599%2D0190&sid=45B2AD0065BCE17F) ). I have three total and two installed, each one pulling air from the lower chamber in to the upper chamber, where it exhausts passively (eventually) through a DIY carbon scrubber. In the floor of the veg chamber I put 6x 1" holes for passive inlets, which are drawing air from below the back of the closet where I removed the base board. If I turn on the veg fan with the door open, I feel a huge amount of air flowing out, but when I close the veg door it is probably less than 50% of the airflow I felt before...

(note: I also have a 10", 550 cfm fan available: My big unused fan (http://www.comairrotron.com/details_ac_family.asp?PartNumberID=29) )

Temperature: Unknown as the thermometer/hygrometer I got sold is also crap (the two probes are always about 15 degrees apart even when right next to each other). I'm taking it back in just a few minutes. But the floro doesn't seem to be very hot and even without running the fan it seems cool enough for my hand.

Medium: I have all bought and put together all the equipment for a 10 gallon DWC in both sides. And I was planning to use a scrog screen to keep the height down.

I'm open to absolutely any suggestions and I'll do whatever you all think is best to get this to work out. I really appreciate the help and wish I would have had you all critique this closet before starting but... well, I guess anybody new, anxious and impetuous might do the same.

Thanks,
Stingah

(Anybody know why I can't post a picture of it here?)

JackdaWack
01-21-2007, 11:10 PM
post pictures in the "Go advanced" i dont know what ur worring about..?? what is the problem.

stingah
01-22-2007, 02:49 AM
I'm mostly worried about the ventilation.

The 2x 4.5" muffin fans are probably not going to be able to push the air through the carbon filter and 4.5" hole at the top very well.

Even with only the veg fan going on the right, I can't seem to get enough air moving through it with the door closed. I assume I'll need more inlets at the least for the veg side to let air move easier.

The flower side is going to be even worse with the 400w heating up such a little area (~35 cubic ft). I'm putting in the inlets and will run a test run to determine how hot it will get tonight.

Thanks,
Stingah

(still can't post pictures in advanced editing... no paperclip in the toolbar)

JackdaWack
01-22-2007, 06:33 PM
i see your problem with the pics... i dunno whats up with it, but yeah do a test run and see how it goes, if worst comes to worse try and find a high cfm can fan not a squirle cage, something in the 300+ range thats an in-line fan, they provide mucho static pressure for the filter. you dont want to create pressure in the cab, the smell willl push its way out, so u want to be pushing more air out then in, besides your problem seems to be getting the air out not in, so worry about getting it out. i had the same problem. Also your veg chamber... if your not running hot lights in there, u dont need a high amount of circulation.