Filter, Light, Fan Setup

[TripShot]

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5443/inline1ti.gif

I was wondering if the setup in the picture (but with one light) would be viable with the following equipment: 4-inch Carbonaire filter, 400W HPS Cool Tube, EcoPlus 4-in 170 cfm centrifugal fan. The cabinet I plan to grow in is about 3x3x6. Any input is appreciated, thanks. :smokin:

TripShot Reviewed by TripShot on 07-09-2006. Filter, Light, Fan Setup http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5443/inline1ti.gif I was wondering if the setup in the picture (but with one light) would be viable with the following equipment: 4-inch Carbonaire filter, 400W HPS Cool Tube, EcoPlus 4-in 170 cfm centrifugal fan. The cabinet I plan to grow in is about 3x3x6. Any input is appreciated, thanks. :smokin: Rating: 5

[jamstigator]

That's not dissimilar to how I did it, except that I went like:

passive intake -> cabinet -> cooltube -> fan -> carbon filter

So the fan sucks air thru the darkroom louvres, bringing fresh cool air into the cabinet. Inside the cabinet are a couple of 6" circular fans to blow that air around. From there the air gets sucked into the cooltube, through the fan, then is pushed through the carbon filter (which is not visible from the picture). The carbon filter is laying on top of the cabinet, with a pile of books and a small fire extinguisher in front of it, to semi-hide it from view.

The way you posted would probably work though. So you have some choices; there's no 'one right way'.

As for your equipment, sounds good, except I'd probably get a 6" 440-ish CFM fan than the 4" one. Why? Because if you need more fan power, you'll have it. And if you don't need all that power, then you can dial down your fan speed and make it quieter. (A 6" fan spinning slowly can move as much air as a 4" fan spinning at full speed, but does so with less noise.)

Oh yeah, if you're wondering what happened to the ScroG in the picture, well, had to postpone flowering for about six weeks, and the plants got HUGE, blew right past the screen, no way all that vegetation would fit beneath the screen this time.

[jamstigator]

Here's a pic of a cured bud that came from the same cabinet (White Rhino or AK-48, I forget which), so you can be sure that that cabinet plan definitely does work out okay.

[TripShot]

Looks good. I plan to use a BudBox for a grow tent. What's a good set-up for passive intake on a tent like that? Would curved PVC be sufficient to ventilate and keep light out?

[TripShot]

jamstigator, forgot to ask but where'd you get the cabinet you grow in? It looks about the size I want and hopefully it will save me a few bucks (always helpful). Customizing it would be fun too. Thanks.

[jamstigator]

It came from Lowe's, looks like maple, but wasn't really cheap, like $260 or something. A reinforcing back had to be added too, as it came with cardboard backing which wasn't sturdy enough (and would have been too hard to seal tight). The woman picked it out, as she liked the way it went with the decor. It's 47" wide, 20" deep, and about 6' tall, weighs more than 250 pounds and was a beotch to build alone (had to get help to stand it up straight at one point). They also had a much cheaper cabinet there of roughly the same dimensions, for about $100, which is flat white on the outside. (Woulda been fine with me, but the woman likes the look of wood so got the expensive one.)

I'm sure PVC will work fine for ventilation; I considered using PVC too, but I'm glad I went with the Doran 8"x8" darkroom filters, since they look nice and take up no internal box space whatsoever. But they do need to be mounted very securely into a wood wall of a cabinet or something, so PVC will probably be better for a flexible-material "cabinet" like a BudBox.

[TripShot]

Well, I was thinking about PVC until I Googled 'darkroom louvre.' If I end up getting a cabinet from a hardware store instead of the BudBox, I'd definitely like to install a louvre or two for passive intake. Thanks, jam, for all the great ideas.

[jamstigator]

If you get a 6" fan instead of a 4" fan, then you will likely need two Doran louvres to provide ample airflow. If you calculate the measurements, one louvre seems like it would be enough (64 square inches is more than twice the area of a 6" circular exhaust). But because of the design of darkroom louvres they do impede airflow somewhat with internal baffles, probably by around 50 percent. For this reason I had to use two louvres to get enough airflow.

And no prob, glad to help!