New Grower with CFL / Tube Setup and a Couple Questions

Smokey.Budz

Hello everyone,

I am a longtime smoker first time grower. After a lot of on-line research lurking in forums seeing what I can do with the space I have available for growing, I found this site to be the best suited for me. Most of the forums out there are HID's only it seems.

Nice to see that there is a strong CFL and fluorescent following here and like minded individuals with similar points of view. I started my first grow out of boredom. I wasn't quite prepared or thinking ahead when I started. It was more an ADHD moment.

I grabbed what I thought I would need to start and boy was I wrong. I am now on track I think. With financial constraints I have been purchasing pieces at a time. This was originally a going to be a 1 standard euro styled kitchen cabinet operation but reading here and elsewhere it has grown to a two cabinet setup when I am finished.

The plants I started were originally under what will be my flowering CFL's and way off color temp bulbs in my tube fluoresents. The tubes that came with the fixtures were 4100K.

My Current Setup:

- Cabinet Dimensions
- H x W x D
- 28" x 16" x 23"

- 2 Incandescent Clamp Lights w/ reflector rated at 250 Watts Max.
- Purchased at Walmart for $10 each

- 2 TCP T2 42 Watt 150 Watt Equivilent CFL's
- 6500K Daylight
- 2800 Lumens
- Purchased at a local specialty light shop for $20 each
- 6500K isn't commonly stock in this area by chain stores at these higher wattages.

- 4 Lights of America Tube Fluorescent Fixtures F8T5
- Rated at 8 Watts
- Included bulb 4100K ( Now not in use)
- Purchased at Walmart for $9 each

- 4 Eiko Tube Fluorescents F8T5
- 6500K Daylight
- 330 Lumens
- Purchased at local specialty light shop for $3.25 each
- 6500K isn't commonly stocked in area by the chain stores for this fixture.

- 1 90mm fan for Intake into the single cabinet.

- 2 120mm fans to circulate air around the plants
- Purchased at local computer shop $15 each

- No exhaust fan or carbon scrubber yet.

- Interior currently covered in foil ghetto style for the first cabinet in use.

- Clamps removed from lights and hung to allow them to be directly overhead and easier adjustment of the height of the light.

- Current Wattage of Grow Area:
- 116 Watts

- Current Lumens of Grow Area:
- 6920 Lumens


- Heavy Duty Extension Chord 14 Guage 3 Prong
- Purchased at Walmart for $7
- Used to minumize any visible chords

- PC ATX Power Supply Rated at 350 Watts
- Used to power circulation and ventilation fans
- Overkill but it is better to have extra

- 1 Cheap Heavy Duty Power Strip
- Already owned it so cost was $0

Completed Setup (Both Cabs are screwed together.)

- 2 Cabinets Dimensions
- H x W x D
- 28" x 16" x 23"

- Cabinet 1 Veg / Mother:

- 2 Incandescent Clamp Lights w/ reflector rated at 250 Watts Max.
- Purchased at Walmart for $10 each

- 2 TCP T2 42 Watt 150 Watt Equivalent CFL's
- 6500K Daylight
- 2800 Lumens
- Purchased at a local specialty light shop for $20 each
- 6500K isn't commonly stock in this area by chain stores at these higher wattages.

- 16 Lights of America Tube Fluorescent Fixtures F8T5
- Rated at 8 Watts
- Included bulb 4100K ( Now not in use)
- Purchased at Walmart for $9 each

- 16 Eiko Tube Fluorescents F8T5
- 6500K Daylight
- 330 Lumens
- Purchased at local specialty light shop for $3.25 each
- 6500K isn't commonly stocked in area by the chain stores for this fixture.

- 1 90mm fan for intake into this cabinet from its exposed side

- 2 90mm internal exhausting fans
- 1 fan placed low on the on the opposite cabinet side lined up with intake fan exhausting into the flowering cabinet
- 1 fan placed up high to line up with exhaust fans and carbon scrubber setup.

- 2 120mm fans to circulate air around the plants
- Purchased at local computer shop $15 each

- Interior surfaces scuffed down and painted flat white

- Clamps removed from lights and hung to allow them to be directly overhead and easier adjustment of the height of the light.

- Drawer box and pulls removed.

- Drawer front and cabinet door secured to each other.

- Panel snaps (aka drawer face snaps) used to keep cabinet and drawer front combination flush to the cabinet box.
- "European" style cabinets need space for the door to open and close properly on hinges.
- By using the snaps the whole door / drawer front setup has to be removed but makes harder for the unwanted light to get in and people getting in with how tight it will hold the door to the cabinet box.

- Completed Wattage of Grow Area:
- 212 Watts

- Completed Lumens of Grow Area:
- 10,880 Lumens

- Cabinet 2 Flowering:

- 2 Incandescent Clamp Lights w/ reflector rated at 250 Watts Max.
- Purchased at Walmart for $10 each

- 2 n:vision 42 Watt 150 Watt Equivalent CFL's
- 2600K
- 2600 Lumens
- Purchased at Home Depot for $20 each

- 16 Lights of America Tube Fluorescent Fixtures F8T5
- Rated at 8 Watts
- Included bulb 4100K ( Now not in use)
- Purchased at Walmart for $9 each

- 16 Eiko Tube Fluorescents F8T5
- 2600K
- 330 Lumens
- Purchased at local specialty light shop for $3.25 each
- 2600K isn't commonly stocked in area by the chain stores for this fixture.

- 1 90mm fan for intake into this cabinet from its exposed side

- 2 90mm internal exhaust fans into a carbon scrubber.

- 2 90mm fans on outside of carbon scrubber to aid in getting air through it.

- 2 120mm fans to circulate air around the plants
- Purchased at local computer shop $15 each

- Interior surfaces scuffed down and painted flat white

- Clamps removed from lights and hung to allow them to be directly overhead and easier adjustment of the height of the light.

- Drawer box and pulls removed.

- Drawer front and cabinet door secured to eachother.

- Panel snaps (aka drawer face snaps) used to keep cabinet and drawer front combination flush to the cabinet box.
- "European" style cabinets need space for the door to open and close properly on hinges.
- By using the snaps the whole door / drawer front setup has to be removed but makes harder for the unwanted light to get in and people getting in with how tight it will hold the door to the cabinet box.

- Completed Wattage of Flowering Area:
- 212 Watts

- Completed Lumens of Flowering Area:
- 10,480 Lumens


- Heavy Duty Extension Chord 14 Guage 3 Prong
- Purchased at Walmart for $7
- Used to minumize any visible chords

- Heavy Duty 3 Plug in Plug

- 2 Cheap Heavy Duty Power Strips
- Already owned it, cost was $0

- PC ATX Power Supply Rated at 350 Watts
- Already owned, cost $0
- Used to power circulation and ventilation fans
- Overkill but it is better to have extra

I think that covers what I have currently and what I am looking to do on the note of the cabinet. I am looking at making a DWC SOG like I have seen people doing out here. That is a work in progress and will be what I attempt on my second grow. Still need to track down supplies locally. I only want to pay cash and avoid shipping anything questionable to my home.

Here is what I am looking for some input on. Any suggestions on inproving my setup as I get into completing it before grow two happens would be appreciated. Also I have a question about setting up my side lighting.

Using the tubes for my side lighting to aid in growth I was wondering what people thought out here on setting it up. Should I have all 16 set up 4 to a side vertically or horizontally? I was thinking if I went vertical in the layout of the lights, the spread would be better on a horizontal plane. Would this be the case where the weaker ends would be towards the top and bottoms of the cabinets?

My other question, after a lot of reasearch on creating my own carbon scrubber prettymuch everythin on the subject talks about makeing a pipe or tube within a tube system that has to be on the verticle when in use. I need something more compact so I was trying to design my own. Can I make make it so it is a box or tube setup on the horizontal? I was thinking i could place the activated charcoal inside to fill the space contained inside a piece of pantyhose and have the fans blowing in and pulling out of the scubber. Would this work?

I would like to say in advance thank you for input and help.

Smokey.Budz

Just looked at the size of this post and want to apologize for the book. Hope you make it through it all..lol

meigs_OH_raised

Sounds like a good start. I wouldn't use foil, it creates hot spots, use latex flat white for cheap.

Peace.

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Smokey.Budz

I was looking at what I had lying around at the moment and was a total ADHD get focused and do. No real planning was involved and I knew it was more reflective then the epoxy finish on the inside of the cabinet. Now that it is up and running planning has come in and making it right. What can I say I like to do things ass backwards.

Can I design my scrubber to work horizontally? I was thinking a box that can slide in between the counter top and the back support piece in the cabinet. I was looking at making it so it slides out from the back with a door on the top. Open up the door and replace the activated charcoal. Just keep it in the box in a piece of pantyhose. Would this work or is there a reason that all of the designs I have seen involve a pipe inside of a pipe with it run vertical? With a lip and weather stripping I think I will sit up to the cabinet both air and light tight.

In a previous career I dealt with high end finishing of wood products. Even with a good scuff latex paint won't adhere to pre-finished material too well. Because of this I was looking at using a good, strong, spray bomb paint. I need a harder finish that will adhere to the scuffed pre-finished inside.

Would I be better off getting "ultra flat" or just regular flat on the note of spray bomb paint? Is it the flatter the paint the better on reflective properties? Would it really matter?

After a bit of searching here and I found this one really only on here about mixing color temps. I think I have decided to run my tubes vertically. In doing so and reading these threads on color temp mixing would I be best off to stager these tubes evenly between 2600K and 6500K in both my veg / mother cabinet and my flower cabinet? It would give me close to 25% of each color depending on which cabinet.

Would 4 more of these tubes make a big difference in difusing side light? I noticed the cabinet is almost 1.5 times deeper as it is wide so I can put 2 more on each side in both cabinets, is it worth it? It is another 1320 Lumens. It would put me in the 12,000 Lumens range on approximately 3 cubic feet per cabinet.

Any input please on these is greatly appreciated.

Oh, if anyone wants to see the current setup and its transformation to a into the complete setup I am willing to post pictures.

meigs_OH_raised

I'm sure others will chime in later.

Happy Growing!

Peace.

__________________
Don't be a bogart! ...share with everyone!
OHIO
Winter 08 Growing Project
www.norml.org www.mpp.org
BlueBerry and WhiteWidow winter grow...

Smokey.Budz

jonnyappleweed

Hey Budz,
I think you might be looking for this,I made one similar to this only Larger.
http://www.greenpassion.org/f39/diy-carbon-filter-4118/

Peace

Attached Images

Bloom Room Exhaust.jpg (82.5 KB, 17 views)

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jangel

Good Morning Smokey! WOOOW! You have been studieing and learning.

Could you look through the first post in this thread and see if you have duplicated parts of it? I am sorry, maybe it is too early for me, but it seems like you are repeating yourself. LOL! ..could just be me.

You have soooo much listed there, my old brain is not putting it together. I would love to see pics of your set up, that would help immensly. Make it all clearer.

Okay, I take it you do not yet have plants in there. First off, for seedlings, you need less light at first. You will burn them to a crisp if you put all those on the little ones at first. I start mine to the side of my lights, when they pop, gradually get them closer to it,until they are just a few inches below those t-5's. Or T-8's. either one is fine for the first while. check out my grows below in my signature. Lots of info on set ups etc.

Next, to paint that surface you need to get maybe a pint to a quart of high adhesion primer. You have already added a "tooth" to the surface so it should stick, then paint with the flat white paint, latex. Sometimes it is Alkilide primer to make that bridge to latex. Ask at the paint store and tell them it is a kithcen cab inside, and you do not need it to be melemine paint. There is a type of paint with higher reflection "stuff" added to it, but it is not nesacary really. You have plenty of light, and the small addition would not be noticible. And please, do your self a favor and do not use tinfoil. It "prisms" the light and will make hot spots. Plain white, even the cab surface is better for your babies.

Next. The most important thing aside from lights is air circulation. You MUST have a way for the hot air to get out of there, near the top of the cab. Also, you need TWICE the amount of passive cool air intake to the size of the exhaust.

For example: In my room I have a 6 inch vortex exhaust fan so I need 2 times that measure in air coming in. Air will not allow a vacuum. I have a 6 inch exhaust and need a 12 inch cold air intake near the bottom of the room to add cool air and PUSH the hot air out the exhaust. I have 3 -4 inch metal pipes adding this. No fans pushing the cold air in. Having a fan, contrary to opinion, can SLOW the cool air coming it, as air will not allow a vacuum so it will come in automatically at the same rate it is going out of the exhaust. The fan can actually block this process and you will get a sucking affect inside your grow because of the lack of air balance. Do you see? There are several ideas on the site for light blockers for the cool air vents. I will find one if you cannot. Even using pipe fittings, back on themselves, works well.

And last for now, I have a DIY cabon filter that can be made to fit any size needed. Take a look, and hope it helps you. Carbon Filter DIY

I will check back to see your pics later.

Peace and welcome to Green Passion, again!

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My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry

Smokey.Budz

It has been a very busy last few days. I had to redo the cabinet a bit. This is a two cabinet setup as I said when complete. I am a lot closer to that point. Definitely some teething problems with my changes.

Over heating being one problem. So much so that the adhesive on my velcro gave way on a couple items. Caused one of my new light additions to fall into a plant and hurt her bad, or it could be a him, too soon to tell..lol. A second one was grazed with the another light I added.

I was doing a late night soda run at the friendly neighborhood Walmart and picked up supplies for two great ideas for my cabinet, one I came up with while I was there. Paint would be a messy perspective and where I had already started I needed something "quick and dirty".

How come right before you fall asleep in bed is when great ideas come to mind? What I came up with to make inside of the cabinet white works beautifully. Plain old contact paper, aka shelf paper. Of all things that brought it to mind was I found my copy of Johnny Dangerously that day and had thought about putting it on right before I went to bed.

I was lying there and the scene with Micheal Keaton peeling shelf paper off of the getaway car popped into my head. I laughed it off but when I was there shopping I decided to grab a roll. Cost me like $5 for enough to do 2 cabinets too, and cheap right now is all I can afford, wait can't afford that either.

The other was to make some lights that I could attach to the walls or to difuse light from below by setting on the bottom of the cabinet. I grabbed 2 cheap ceramic light fixtures you normally screw into a light box and I had two unused extension chords that were heavier duty then the chords sold there that I cut to suit my needs. They work beautifully as well.

I have them throwing my red range in now for my veg. I put my intake and exhaust fans in on the veg cabinet and sealed it up. Well the flow is good but one problem is with my venting into the future flowering cabinet that I didn't take into account was my area above the vent had little to no circulation and heat built up and caused the rest of the cabinet to heat up.

With vegging not having too much smell I opted to put an exhaust fan up at the the back top coner of the cabinet. That solved my problem nicely. What stopped it from happening in the original setup was that the back of the cabinet was open. When I sealed it up I figured the fan on the PC power supply would circulate the air enough to prevent it but it wasn't. I also moved the power supply to where it takes in fresh air figuring it wouldn't hurt and could only help on getting the temp down in the cabinet.

I also grabbed velcro to secure my tubes and that worked out very well. It also came in handy for the door. No hinges, just the velcro holding the drawer face and cabinet door on at the moment. I offset it a little but it still being white has the light shining through. I think the black velcro would solve this but the air flow is close to air tight around the velcro seal a definite plus.

I have pictures that I will be uploading very shortly. Tell me what you think. Tear it down if you want but tell me what is wrong with my current veg setup please. Offer improvements if you have any as well. It is all a progression to the final setup on my cabinets and I am far from there.

Smokey.Budz

Here are the pictures:






















I know lights. It is late and I didn't save it to make edits later..lol



I will be uploading more pictures that I have edited and more that need to be scaled down as well.

Please tell me what you think so far.