Apartment dwelling and Stealth Cab Questions?

Here's my pickle... I live in an apartment building where the super/management find a different reason to enter the premises about every 2 months. In my year and a half living here we've had at least 6 "annual" fire inspections, among other excuses.

Now, I've read through alot of logs and in general my focus is on sound/air/light proofing, and odor control. Weather or not my plants succeed is not that important on my first run. Stealth is paramount.

I've toiled the idea of lining the cab with egg cartons and then reflectix to muffle the sound of fans, air intakes/vents. Is that sufficient to muffle a PC fan/Oscillation fan combo? As I will be running CFL's this time around I didn't think an inline/centrifugal was warranted. For light and air tightness I will use a mix of weather stripping on doors and caulking on seams. Hope that's easier done than said. In regards to Odor I've looked at several tutorials for DIY scrubbers, however, I haven't seen any rigged to a PC fan though. Makes me worry about how effective that combo will prove to be. Is total control of odor on a converted cab even reasonable???:confused:

So thats just a few concerns I have. I'd be less concerned if I was renting a house. I'm sure there's a few apartment dwellers with overly concerned superintendants. Hoping for some input guys. Cheers!

Yo S

Maybe a comp. fan at both ends of your DIY scrubber. The harder a fan works the more noise it'll make. Just a suggestion.

Ive seen people build sound deadening boxes around fans to hold down the noise too. Also use insulated ducting if you can.

Good Luck.

Are your manager's visits announced or unannounced? How long do they last? Do you plan to place the cabinet in a closet or in the open?

My cabinet is in a small closet with sliding doors. If I turn off the lights and main fan, then move the hanging fan inside directly in front of the cooltube, it maintains enough negative pressure to prevent escaping smell and is nearly inaudible - completely so if a computer is running nearby. When I have guests who might enter that room, I do that and close the closet doors. People have walked within 2 feet without noticing anything. The carbon filter on the unit by itself leaves a trace of an unclassifiable 'sweet' aroma like heated sugar smelled from a distance. Adding two 22-watt odor-killing CFLs to the ceiling fixture completely eliminated even that smell.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Visits are always announced, but frequent enough, giving at least 24-72hrs notice. Because there's approximately 50 units in this building they specify hours between 8am-5pm for the given day so as to accomodate the necessary work involved. What worries me is that most visits are ongoing while me and my wife are at work.

The cabinet will be in an open location however I considered rigging casters on the bottom side so I could quickly roll the unit into the walk-in closet if needed. It can't stay there because my wife has way too many clothes :D

If we are both working I thought about posting a sign on the bedroom door stating I'm working nights and am sleeping. Please do not open my door. My super is fully aware that I work shift work and I'm confident that this would do the trick, I'm also confident he's too lazy to check the underground parking to see if our cars are there.

Another trick I have been thinking of is running one of those DIY "ONA" fans on those particular days as well.

How do these ideas sound? Keep your suggestions coming. Hopefully won't be long before I start my own log.

Random thoughts:

1. Purchase a reasonably decorative cabinet a'la Jamstigator's, put a lock on it, arrange it so the vents/filter aren't easily visible, then place a noisy humidifier/dehumidifier/air ionizer on top of it or a noisily ventilated PC next to it. Find a spot where it doesn't look out of place. Avoid placing a 6-foot wardrobe next to the living room television, for example.

2. Arrange a pile of sorted laundry around the cabinet along with a laundry basket, sewing kit and chair. Alternatively, partially disassemble your bed, stack the pieces around the cabinet and leave a few tools out. Variations are endless, but the idea is to make it difficult to reach the cab without making it look like you want it to be difficult. Drawback: after a few visits, the super might notice a pattern.

3. If the visits are only about every other month and your jobs will allow it, alternate taking days off so one of you is there when he arrives. Playing a radio to cover fan noise and hooking a pair of pants on a hanger to one corner of the (locked) cab should be plenty of 'cover' if there's someone there to discourage invasive snooping and the cab doesn't look bizarrely out of place. If you don't mind direct deception and are a decent actor, making a show of being ill and retreating to your bed when he arrives might encourage him to skip that room and not spend much time in your apartment.

4. I like the casters, but not for inspections. If your superintendent were to find a large rolling cabinet jammed crossways into a walk-in closet, he might find it strange and become curious. Similarly, if for some reason he opens your door despite the sign and finds no snoozing Sunnyvale, he might become really curious.

5. Don't skimp on the odor control! I have a full-fledged vortex-fan-and-carbon-can setup for only 3 plants, and as I note in the last post there's still a trace of scent when the Ti2 CFLs are off. If your chosen solution leaves evidence, cook something strong-smelling and leave the pan in the sink when you head to work. Corned beef brisket, for example, reeks and is also tasty.

6. No, I mean super tasty. If you use idea #5, I demand a piece.

you can nail every single one of these points and never get caught. or, for as much or less work, you can find a new apartment complex?

CCIE, Great ideas! Thanks soooo much. These top notch responses are what makes coming here worth it.

Gotta another few things. What ballpark in decibals is the Vortex? I was looking at an adjustable 120mm PC fan that ran around 38dba at 105cfm. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to mount it to a conventional scrubber. Originally I thought perhaps the carbon filter inserts for deep fryers might be sufficient. I'm getting the feeling it wouldnt be. People around here also have commented on PC fans crapping out quick but hey my first run is definately a test phase.

Was hoping you could critique my light idea. I'm planning on using Philips Cfls - 12x23W 6500K (2700K for flower) staggered to form a canopy, using two bathroom fixtures stripped and bolted together, a splitter in each socket. Do you think I should rig two plugs for that many watts? I have a heavy duty power accessory cord rated for more than the 276 actual Watts. Was also thinking of adding DIY pop can reflectors, spread like wings however and not enveloping the bulbs, around the outside of it. I would use a chain system to add/remove height.

Don't know if I will try a scrog on my first attempt. Im leaning towards LST. I wondered how people who use cabs do their flushing. I'll be using soiled pots so I was thinking of building a screen the pot could sit on top of and the water could drain through the pot into a waiting resevoir; Perhaps a litter box. Can't see any cleaner way not tp run the floors.

Don't hesitate to shoot down any of these ideas point blank. Thats what receipts are for.

well if your looking for ultra stealth and maximum yeild i would take a look at 'justaseed' grow called ' lovely ladies' or something around that. his growing cabinet is very clever.

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=52326

Quote:

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Originally Posted by keeko

well if your looking for ultra stealth and maximum yeild i would take a look at 'justaseed' grow called ' lovely ladies' or something around that. his growing cabinet is very clever.

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=52326

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That's the one that started it all for me. Without a doubt I think alot of guys in this community found inspiration there.:smokin:

hahahah deffinatly did for me, good luck with your setup :thumbsup:

all this info is great- im in an apartment and i always worry about unexpected visits from the apartment manager or repair people. all those ideas are great.

The Vortex is as loud as a high-performance gaming computer with an open case. I can't hear my cabinet outside the room unless I press my ear to the door, but it's not something you'd want next to your bed nor would you want it running when the super visits unless covered by 80 decibels of Van Halen.

Test runs with the fan unconnected and cushioned during cabinet construction indicated that replacement of the corrugated dryer duct with smooth-sided flexible tubing would dampen the sound considerably, but it still wouldn't be quiet enough to avoid attracting the attention of nearby people. Instead I've made my flowering time 7PM to 7AM so I can switch to the backup fan during business hours without burning the plants.

Twelve 23-watt lights mounted on a single giant FrankenFixture shouldn't present an electrical hazard if wired correctly. I have 4 85-watt CFLs, the Vortex and a 400-watt HPS plugged into one super-duty surge protector, and it works fine. I'd check cords, the strip and the fixture for heat buildup after a 24 hour test run just to be safe.

Hey sunnyvale
Heres what vortex said about the 4" & 6" fans.4" is 172 cfms,0.65 amps,80 watts,weight 6.8lbs,RPMS 2500,dBA49 .The 6" fan is 449 cfms,0.80amp, 100watts,weight 11.3lbs,RPMS 2600, dBA 49.You can also get a speed controler
and slow down the fan too. Slower fan speed the less dBA{ noise}.Put a20" box fan in the same room on 2 setting and you wont here it at all.I would put one of those talking gagits on the door of the cab that when you step close to the cab it would start makeing noise,Like that BILLY BASS thing looks like a fish singing.How many times do want to here that annoying dam fish sing.
A fan a singing fish no detection.

The box fan struck me as an interesting idea, so for the sake of science I tested it.

Experimental Result: I had to run the fan on its highest setting, but from the other side of the room it was impossible to detect the cabinet. I mean the cabinet noise, of course; the cabinet was still visible. From 3 feet away I could clearly tell a second fan was running, however, and that the noise came from within the cab.

Conclusion: Crazywill, I think the idea will work if he can keep the Super 10+ feet from the cabinet and the fan doesn't stand out as oddly placed (assuming Sunnyvale's not home).

The fish is hilarious, but I think he'd need a stronger deterrent - like, say, a car alarm.

'STEP AWAY FROM THE NUGZ ... *siren* ... YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE CANNABIS ... *siren* .... PLEASE MOVE AWAY FROM THE GANJA ...

:D