DIY stealth Rubbermaid growbox

[smokedoja]

Hey guys,
Some of my friends have been using these growbox's with great success...VERY discreet, good yields, low wattage (156 watt), low cost ($88) and simple to set up and maintain!

I just got done making mine, and I documented it so I could share it with the good people at greenpassion.

Here are some pictures of the finished product followed by detailed instructions on how to build your own
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[smokedoja]

OK, heres the list of stuff to grab...kinda in order
1.Two 21.5 gallon tubs
2.roll of tin foil tape (or mylar with some double-sided tape)
3.Two 3socket 18" light fixtures from lowes (item#122251.ask em)
4.Two 26 watt 3packs of GE CFL bulbs
5.Extension cord
6.12volt AC adapter
7.Computer fan
-~you can replace the 26 watt bulbs with 42 watt bulbs if you want, giving you a total of 252 watts~-

So to start off, grab a couple 22 gallon rubbermaid tubs, or any size really, 35 gallon tubs are good too, and smother the insides with tin foil tape, or mylar.
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dont forget to get the bottoms, i forgot to get a pic.(stoned as hell)

[smokedoja]

Next, Take the light fixtures out and remove the ground screw
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get rid of that white shiiit...its heavy as hell and can make the box tip
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and now you're left with the insides. (much lighter)
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so to make em fit in the container, all you need to do is grab some wire or metal cutters, probably some plyers would work, then cut and bend the ends of the flimsy aluminum...(if you have a bigger box size you wont even need to bend this stuff, its just for the smaller box's)
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now just do the other side and set these aside for now.

[smokedoja]

ok next you put the fixtures in the tub and mark the 3 holes you need to drill, 2 for the screws and 1 for the wires (on each side)

Drill the holes, make sure the middle hole for the wires is big enough for them to fit.

Grab some screws
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mount and tighten up
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now you'll have the 3 wires (pos,neg,ground) dangling outside the box on each side.
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Grab that orange extension cord that you got for 3.99 and cut a 3 ft chunk out of it.
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with some scissors cut a couple inches of the orange plastic off each end to expose the wires.
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Take some cheapo wire cutters (I got mine from Meijers for 4.99)
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and strip away the tips of the positive,negetive and ground wires on each end of the 3 ft chunk.
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[smokedoja]

strip the ends of the wires from each fixture (the ground wire is already bare)
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match em up!
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twist em up...
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cap with some wire nuts and wrap em up with some electrical tape.
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wrap it up real good now
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[smokedoja]

Now, take a nice long chunk of the "plug-in" part of the cord.
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split
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and strip
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now match up the colors (remember the light fixtures ground wire is bare)
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and twist em all up...light fixture, 3 ft of cord that you just attached to the other side, and the long "plug-in" chunk of cord.
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now cap with wire nuts and wrap em up good!
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REAL good.....
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[smokedoja]

it should look somethin like this
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screw those bulbs in and give it some l i g h t !
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its time for a break with my Volcano!!!

[smokedoja]

ok, now its time for some ventilation...
I order a 120mm computer fan from www.newegg.com ,they're fast....
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use a cd to trace a circle on the top of the box, its the perfect size!
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I bought a cheap 10 dollar soldering tool. I recommend these because its so easy to cut out holes.
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now just mount the fan so it blows air out, I accidentally mounted it the wrong way the first time.
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For some air flow, you need a passive intake...cut a hole near the bottom of the tub, I put a pvc tube to redirect light and then just caulked it..
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.....stay tuned for "how to wire a computer fan"

[smokedoja]

wiring a computer fan is alot like wiring the lights... real simple...

buy a 12v AC power adapter
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then cut the end off and strip the wires from the computer fan and the AC adapter.....twist em up! (with most AC adapters you will be able to tell which is positive and which is negative, as you can see the ones from Radioshack are white and you can't tell)
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cap and wrap
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Just to make sure that the top doesn't fall off at any time, poke some holes around the edges so you can put pins in to secure everything together
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Thats it!
it should look something like this
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I hope this helps you guys out, now all thats left is.......

[smokedoja]

I love looking at pics....don't you?
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[Mogie]

Wow impressive.

great set up and great results, thanks for the pics

[BloodShotI'z]

A great home for mothers....

Dude that is one of the most amazing little stealth boxes Ive seen made, cant really tell but where you using soil? What nutrients and what was your final yeild after curing and drying? Im so impressed with this little set up Im going out after my next pay check and rigging one of these little systems myself. Do you think you could even put a little wired mesh in there to grow with a see of green and train the plant....anymore info would be great thanks and good luck on the next grows!!!!!!!

[Monday Murphy]

smokedoja that is just cooler than chit man !!!!

[Monday Murphy]

Originally Posted by whitey64

Dude that is one of the most amazing little stealth boxes Ive seen made, cant really tell but where you using soil? What nutrients and what was your final yeild after curing and drying? Im so impressed with this little set up Im going out after my next pay check and rigging one of these little systems myself. Do you think you could even put a little wired mesh in there to grow with a see of green and train the plant....anymore info would be great thanks and good luck on the next grows!!!!!!!

I think I would be a little nervous grow'N hydro in that rig with the wiring.. lol nice setup though...

[thenoffya]

Yes, that is exactly what I need to make. I have been using cardbord boxes to grow because my landlord is nosy, but that would be way better. Thanks for the DIY!!!

[FilthyFletch]

Just out of curiosity with all those cfls does the temp stay under 80 or is it pretty hot in that thing as cfl do put some heat off?

[smokedoja]

the temp in my house is 70-72, and the growbox temp is 75 usually, unless i get hit with a really hot humid day.

About how much can you yield from a set up like this? Is it possible to use HID lighting like perhaps a 250 watt HPS light? Thanks for the info and great idea!