Coke Machine to grow box

[gotmudatv]

I have been in the market for a fully automated grow cabinet. The systems I have been looking at prices are from $2300 to $5600. I was looking in my garage at the spot that I was wanting to put the system, and I look to my left then look to my right and I see my coke machine that I have for years. I look it over, up and down. After 30 min I realized it would be the best grow box. It will be light proof, air tight and no one will ever ask whats on the inside. So I now know I am going to get the ball rolling and start this next weekend. I am posting a week before I start to post what I want to do and see if anyone has any better ideas.


At first I need to clean out all of the parts to the machine. I just want to use it as a skeleton.
The size that I have to work with on the inside are 25" wide 55" high and 18 1/4" deep

Some questions I have so far are With my carbon filter i am going to have bend it 3 times at 90 degrees and I don't know how much that is going to cut the airflow. Or should I just buy the 400 hps air cooled and use it part of my air outtake.
How can I cut through the metal with clean cuts.
What can I use for a air intake with no light leaking through.

My carbon filter is a 4"
I am going to be using DWC set up not sure on 5 gal buckets or a Tupperware 4 hole system.

gotmudatv Reviewed by gotmudatv on 01-15-2012. Coke Machine to grow box I have been in the market for a fully automated grow cabinet. The systems I have been looking at prices are from $2300 to $5600. I was looking in my garage at the spot that I was wanting to put the system, and I look to my left then look to my right and I see my coke machine that I have for years. I look it over, up and down. After 30 min I realized it would be the best grow box. It will be light proof, air tight and no one will ever ask whats on the inside. So I now know I am going to get the Rating: 5

[kayakush]

sounds great, cut the metal with a torch or a buzzsaw. how u gonna get the lights in? and the carbon filter issue. i would love to put in a dollar and get a gram

[Farmer Rich]

Check out the grow box in my signature, it may give you an idea or two on how to set yours up. Not a coke machine, but a BIG box.. One thing, you may want to consider using your fans to exhaust and let them pull fresh air in. In otherwords ditch the input fan.. Also exhaust at the top and pull your cool air in on the bottom.

Peace,

Farmer Rich

[gotmudatv]

So Mr. Farmer I am not understanding what you are saying. With my new thinking I am getting a 400 hps. In the top left, the inline fan sucking out, top right filter. So my air on the inside is getting sucked out starting from the filter, through light, then out the back. How will I get fresh air in? And Mr. Farmer do you move your light up and down? And if you do, do you have any problems with the air tubing you have hooked up to your light when you move it up and down?


ps Great looking box real grade A setup.

[Farmer Rich]

Hi Gotmudatv,

When I built the grow box I did the following for ventilation, though I did not incorporate a carbon filter at the time:

1. Air Intake - 2 x 4" inputs with 2 x 4" duct fan in line to push air in. These are shown in the pics on the bottom of the main grow chamber.
2. Exhaust - 2 bathroom vent fans mounted at the top of the cabinet. I tied their outputs together into a single output line.
3. Light - 6" ducting with a duct fan inline that pulled air through the vent on the back of the cabinet exhausting it out the other vent.
4. Things were hotter that I expected and I added the blue 150 cfm squirrel cage fan you see on the top of the cabinet.
5. CAP environmental controller to turn it on and off based on temps. This also controlled the small heater you see inside the box.

Regarding the lights movement, definitely needed.

For the carbon filter, in my rooms now (no more cabinet) I pull air through the filter and out. If you can place your filter above the light, and your fan to pull air through the filter on the outside, you'll have more room to grow. Keeping it stealthy doing this would be more of a challenge..

Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.

Peace,

Farmer Rich


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[gotmudatv]

So step 1 is 95% complete! The inside removal was not to bad just took some time to find the screws and bolts and the whole top unit came out as a whole. I bet it weighed 100 lbs! When it came to cut the cooling line I was on the scared side of things ie freeze skin or the gas kills me. So what I did with that was kinda crimp the copper line so when I cut it it could not all burst out. It did not work like I was hopping . I put 3 towels over the part I was cutting and just wiggled the same place and it ripped open. When it ripped the hiss made me jump back but it only hissed for 5 sec and I guess the oil that was on the inside made a small mess but the towels caught most of it. I am going to dry fit all of the parts tonight when my lights turn on in my other grow area. The way I am going to cut the holes for vents is a 4 1/8 inch hole saw. Since all my fans are 4" well i currently only have 1 4" inline exhaust fan but the other that I want is going to be 4".

[Farmer Rich]

Lookin' Good! I was wondering about that... now you basically have a refrigerator. :thumbsup:

[Douglas1]

if you figured out a way to keep the coolant system going, you could run a co2 boosted sealed chamber grow using the existing system for cooling.

mad envy right here

[Gatekeeper777]

I tried this with an old upright freezer and a freezer chest and a 4 cfl 23 Watts. If there is not enough air movement it will fry them during lights on. Learn from my mistake.

[gotmudatv]

So spent some time today working on the ole box. Cutting the vent hole was not as expected first try I wanted to use a hole saw 4" but when I went to the store they were $50 and they were only for wood. So second try I bought a dermal tool, got home and started to try it and it was a in your face kinda failure. So I did what any good ole american man would do and grabbed my Sawz all and went to town. The blade was for wood and the cutting was lets say less then pretty but I got one hole cut. I used a vent for a dryer on the back a faced it down and there is great air flow coming out. I had to use the light that I already had its a 150 hps nothing crazy but after this post I am going to order my new light. All of my cords I have coming out where you would get your coke. I am going to cut a hole in the back to run all of the cords. So yea I think that is about it.

And if you would like to know that is Green House female train wreck.