DIY drying box with odor control

[MrIcculus]

MY DIY DRYING BOX WITH ODOR CONTROL

I was posting pics of my new drying box in my journal as I was building it. The info was scattered over a few posts and I received a request to post the instructions here in their entirety.

So, here it goes...

Since I'm getting real close to harvest, I figured it was time to start thinking about where & how I'm gonna dry all these sweet-smelling buds. In the last several days, I've also given a lot of additional thought to odor control (they're really stinking, now!) and even more thought to my limited budget at the moment.

Here's what I've come up with...

I had picked up a small drying net on eBay for just under $20 (PM me if you want the link).

I then went to U-Haul and picked up what they call a "Grand Wardrobe Box" for $11.95. It's the kind they use to move clothes on hangers and comes with a hanger bar:

I cut an octagon centered towards the top of the back of the box. The octagon shape is much easier to cut in cardboard than a circle, and let me maximize airflow. You can see I first traced the outline of the fan and cut slightly smaller:

TIP: When cutting cardboard, first make a light cut against a straight edge, just to score a line. Then, make a second cut a little deeper. Repeat this process a few times until you go all the way through the material and you'll end up with a nice, smooth cut!

I then mounted a PC-fan to the outside back of the box using some velcro and sealed the edges using duct tape, although, this pic was before the duct tape was added:

TIP: This fan is for exhaust so make sure the fan is blowing the air OUT of the box.

NOTE: When you're using duct tape for actual ducting, it's not considered "jerry rigging"!

Then, I added passive intakes...

I cut a 5/8" slot, 12" across, located 4" up from the bottom of each of the two sides and duct taped some landscape weed block screening (how appropriate! ) to the insides.

Here's the inside with the box turned upside down, so you're looking at the bottom in this pic:

Once I dd this to each side, my passive intakes were complete and bug-proof:

Then, it was time to tackle odor control...

I decided to go with this Air Conditioning Odor Control Filter I found for $9 at Homie's:

It's got a filter grate included that you can cut to size along with the filter which has an activated carbon backing for odor control:

So, I first cut the grate into two equal size pieces slightly larger than the fan opening:

I then cut a piece of the filter the same size and made a filter sandwich using some duct tape:

TIP: Don't squeeze/tape the filter sandwich together too tight. You want it loose but snug so it doesn't constrict the fibers and end up restricting airflow.

I then used more duct tape to seal it to the back of the box over the fan opening:

TIP: Make sure the carbon side of the filter is facing the outside of the box and put the fuzzy side of the filter facing inside!

I wanted to make sure the fan had a good seal in both front and back, so plugged the fan in and held a small piece of the weed block screening in front of it and the suction from the fan was enough to hold it to the back of the filter, so it's working! :

Here is the completed filter assembly:

And here's the dry box waiting to get loaded and all ready to fire up:

And, the entire box will seal shut (although, the two top side flaps are open in this pic:

One side note is that there is enough filter material left over to replace the existing filter about 10 times!

I'm looking forward to breaking it in within the next two weeks, so I'll let you know how it performs.

I hope this helps others out there!

Happy Harvests!

I have used a box similar to this one for the last couple years for drying and cloning and as a space for secluding reversals from the rest of a grow. Thank you @Mr. Krip

 

[420IS]

Nice idea... Will surely try this once I am on that stage.20days since seeds popping and I have eight plants growing. How many plants can you dry at once in one box ??
Thanks

 

[Mr. Krip]

Nice idea... Will surely try this once I am on that stage.20days since seeds popping and I have eight plants growing. How many plants can you dry at once in one box ??
Thanks

I depends on the size of the plants and how well you make use of the vertical space (i.e. a dry net). I think the most I ever did at one time was about 6 oz.

 

[Blazinjones]

Sure, JWB, but are you asking about my grow cabinet or the drying box? The drying box is pretty straigh-forward...just a 120mm PC fan in the top back for exhaust and the two slits in the bottom sides for passive intakes.

The first post in my first journal lists the equipment I'm using and describes the ventillation setup there.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Just a tip...try to have your exhaust stronger than your intake to create "negative pressure" in the cab. This will help contain odor.

Hey bro jus wondering how gud this worked for drying ur stuff out and oder control how did each turn out pretty gud or did u end up needing to do more or other things to it?

 

[Stage3B]

MY DIY DRYING BOX WITH ODOR CONTROL

I was posting pics of my new drying box in my journal as I was building it. The info was scattered over a few posts and I received a request to post the instructions here in their entirety.

So, here it goes...

Since I'm getting real close to harvest, I figured it was time to start thinking about where & how I'm gonna dry all these sweet-smelling buds. In the last several days, I've also given a lot of additional thought to odor control (they're really stinking, now!) and even more thought to my limited budget at the moment.

Here's what I've come up with...

I had picked up a small drying net on eBay for just under $20 (PM me if you want the link).

I then went to U-Haul and picked up what they call a "Grand Wardrobe Box" for $11.95. It's the kind they use to move clothes on hangers and comes with a hanger bar:

I cut an octagon centered towards the top of the back of the box. The octagon shape is much easier to cut in cardboard than a circle, and let me maximize airflow. You can see I first traced the outline of the fan and cut slightly smaller:

TIP: When cutting cardboard, first make a light cut against a straight edge, just to score a line. Then, make a second cut a little deeper. Repeat this process a few times until you go all the way through the material and you'll end up with a nice, smooth cut!

I then mounted a PC-fan to the outside back of the box using some velcro and sealed the edges using duct tape, although, this pic was before the duct tape was added:

TIP: This fan is for exhaust so make sure the fan is blowing the air OUT of the box.

NOTE: When you're using duct tape for actual ducting, it's not considered "jerry rigging"!

Then, I added passive intakes...

I cut a 5/8" slot, 12" across, located 4" up from the bottom of each of the two sides and duct taped some landscape weed block screening (how appropriate! ) to the insides.

Here's the inside with the box turned upside down, so you're looking at the bottom in this pic:

Once I dd this to each side, my passive intakes were complete and bug-proof:

Then, it was time to tackle odor control...

I decided to go with this Air Conditioning Odor Control Filter I found for $9 at Homie's:

It's got a filter grate included that you can cut to size along with the filter which has an activated carbon backing for odor control:

So, I first cut the grate into two equal size pieces slightly larger than the fan opening:

I then cut a piece of the filter the same size and made a filter sandwich using some duct tape:

TIP: Don't squeeze/tape the filter sandwich together too tight. You want it loose but snug so it doesn't constrict the fibers and end up restricting airflow.

I then used more duct tape to seal it to the back of the box over the fan opening:

TIP: Make sure the carbon side of the filter is facing the outside of the box and put the fuzzy side of the filter facing inside!

I wanted to make sure the fan had a good seal in both front and back, so plugged the fan in and held a small piece of the weed block screening in front of it and the suction from the fan was enough to hold it to the back of the filter, so it's working! :

Here is the completed filter assembly:

And here's the dry box waiting to get loaded and all ready to fire up:

And, the entire box will seal shut (although, the two top side flaps are open in this pic:

One side note is that there is enough filter material left over to replace the existing filter about 10 times!

I'm looking forward to breaking it in within the next two weeks, so I'll let you know how it performs.

I hope this helps others out there!

Happy Harvests!

Let me know how well this works. Great idea! I'm soon to need something like this, thanks for the idea, info and pics, awesome!

 

[Felix the Dog]

""I decided to go with this Air Conditioning Odor Control Filter I found for $9 at Homie's:""

Who is Homie? Thanks.

 

[Mr. Krip]

""I decided to go with this Air Conditioning Odor Control Filter I found for $9 at Homie's:""

Who is Homie? Thanks.

Home de Pot!

 

[Bchbudman]

Budman here, this what I did, used a Rubbermaid storage tub(a deep rectangular shape) at one end I installed a CPU fan on the outside so it draws the Air out, placed over the fan on the inside of the box I used a AC. filter that takes out pet odors. It was cut down to fit over the fan and comes with a plastic grate that can be cut to keep from getting caught up in fan blades. At the opposite end I cut a half of a 4 inch hole at the bottom of the tub, and placed window screen over it to keep out particles from being sucked in. Inside I installed string from one end to the other, giving me three clothes line type hangers. (Note I have only one large plant with 10 large BUDS) ready for harvest. The fan produces enough negative pressure to keep constant airflow in the tub. I also have small holes at the top end so air flows from one end to the other. I will close off holes when needed for a SLOW DRY. This tub is in my 2nd bedroom, temps, stay at 70°F and RH is below 60%, and I have very little smell. I will take some pics of the box ASAP, right now it took 3days to hang dry a couple BUDS, will go to 5-7 days when all of my girl is ready to dry.

 

[Bchbudman]

Budman here, this what I did, used a Rubbermaid storage tub(a deep rectangular shape) at one end I installed a CPU fan on the outside so it draws the Air out, placed over the fan on the inside of the box I used a AC. filter that takes out pet odors. It was cut down to fit over the fan and comes with a plastic grate that can be cut to keep from getting caught up in fan blades. At the opposite end I cut a half of a 4 inch hole at the bottom of the tub, and placed window screen over it to keep out particles from being sucked in. Inside I installed string from one end to the other, giving me three clothes line type hangers. (Note I have only one large plant with 10 large BUDS) ready for harvest. The fan produces enough negative pressure to keep constant airflow in the tub. I also have small holes at the top end so air flows from one end to the other. I will close off holes when needed for a SLOW DRY. This tub is in my 2nd bedroom, temps, stay at 70°F and RH is below 60%, and I have very little smell. I will take some pics of the box ASAP, right now it took 3days to hang dry a couple BUDS, will go to 5-7 days when all of my girl is ready to dry.

Here are a few pics. Of my 2 main colas, and the dry box I built from the above items:

5.8PH

 

[BakedARea]

I am scrambling today and tomorrow to finish up a dry box. The only place I have to do it will be the garage. Temps fluctuate quite a bit between low 60s to high 70s. I don't have an A/C unit to control that. I also don't have a dehumidifier but the RH in the garage is normally under 60% and over 40%. So hopefully that will be ok. Does anyone have an updated design or doing something different to dry their buds?

 

[Mr. Krip]

I am scrambling today and tomorrow to finish up a dry box. The only place I have to do it will be the garage. Temps fluctuate quite a bit between low 60s to high 70s. I don't have an A/C unit to control that. I also don't have a dehumidifier but the RH in the garage is normally under 60% and over 40%. So hopefully that will be ok. Does anyone have an updated design or doing something different to dry their buds?

You can try a "low & slow" dry in the fridge. There's a thread on it here: DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

 

[BakedARea]

You can try a "low & slow" dry in the fridge. There's a thread on it here: DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

Thanks @Mr. Krip for that link. It's interesting to read how drying them outside of a cold environment will lose some of the delicate compounds of the plant. I will have to try both to see if it's worth the wait. I imagine it is, coming from a long time connoisseur. I'm by no means that defined in my palate yet. I like it...or I don't. LOL

 

[RayShelt]

Thanks @Mr. Krip for that link. It's interesting to read how drying them outside of a cold environment will lose some of the delicate compounds of the plant. I will have to try both to see if it's worth the wait. I imagine it is, coming from a long time connoisseur. I'm by no means that defined in my palate yet. I like it...or I don't. LOL

Did you figure out what you were going to do about storing it in your garage? Im getting close to harvest, and will be making a dry box too. Im in the east bay so it gets around 80-90 degrees outside. My concern is if we get one of those heat waves again and it goes back up to 100+. Some say put the fan inside the box and some say to not, but the only thing i can think of controlling the temp in the box is having a fan blowing indirectly in the box. I got two pc fans with a USB connector on Amazon, so i can easily run the fans when the temps spike. I was going to have one fan indirectly circulating air inside, the other fan blowing out the smell and one filter to mask the smell as much as possible. I wouldn't have the fans running all the time. I will cut out a small hole for the hygrometer so i can monitor it from the outside of the box and will turn on the fan based on that. My concern would be between the hours of 2-7pm because thats when it gets the warmest outside.

 

[BakedARea]

Did you figure out what you were going to do about storing it in your garage? Im getting close to harvest, and will be making a dry box too. Im in the east bay so it gets around 80-90 degrees outside. My concern is if we get one of those heat waves again and it goes back up to 100+

Right there with you! I lost a few plants to all the ash and the last heat wave coupled with it. I'll be harvesting a few plants this evening. I'll be doing some bud washes, hang it to dry overnight in my dry box, and then low and slow in the fridge. That way, I don't have to worry about any heat waves. My garage is too hot still and fluctuates too much. I already lost so many buds to caterpillars and other circumstances. Last thing I want to do is take any chances on the drying and curing. I'll have to be patient is all. Technically though... I'm still ahead of schedule since all my plants went into flower early on.

 

[Mdowdy70]

OMG thank you for this very simple solution to what is proving to be the death of me! I have everything except the filter so - Home Depot here I come!

 

[Mdowdy70]

MY DIY DRYING BOX WITH ODOR CONTROL

I was posting pics of my new drying box in my journal as I was building it. The info was scattered over a few posts and I received a request to post the instructions here in their entirety.

So, here it goes...

Since I'm getting real close to harvest, I figured it was time to start thinking about where & how I'm gonna dry all these sweet-smelling buds. In the last several days, I've also given a lot of additional thought to odor control (they're really stinking, now!) and even more thought to my limited budget at the moment.

Here's what I've come up with...

I had picked up a small drying net on eBay for just under $20 (PM me if you want the link).

I then went to U-Haul and picked up what they call a "Grand Wardrobe Box" for $11.95. It's the kind they use to move clothes on hangers and comes with a hanger bar:

I cut an octagon centered towards the top of the back of the box. The octagon shape is much easier to cut in cardboard than a circle, and let me maximize airflow. You can see I first traced the outline of the fan and cut slightly smaller:

TIP: When cutting cardboard, first make a light cut against a straight edge, just to score a line. Then, make a second cut a little deeper. Repeat this process a few times until you go all the way through the material and you'll end up with a nice, smooth cut!

I then mounted a PC-fan to the outside back of the box using some velcro and sealed the edges using duct tape, although, this pic was before the duct tape was added:

TIP: This fan is for exhaust so make sure the fan is blowing the air OUT of the box.

NOTE: When you're using duct tape for actual ducting, it's not considered "jerry rigging"!

Then, I added passive intakes...

I cut a 5/8" slot, 12" across, located 4" up from the bottom of each of the two sides and duct taped some landscape weed block screening (how appropriate! ) to the insides.

Here's the inside with the box turned upside down, so you're looking at the bottom in this pic:

Once I dd this to each side, my passive intakes were complete and bug-proof:

Then, it was time to tackle odor control...

I decided to go with this Air Conditioning Odor Control Filter I found for $9 at Homie's:

It's got a filter grate included that you can cut to size along with the filter which has an activated carbon backing for odor control:

So, I first cut the grate into two equal size pieces slightly larger than the fan opening:

I then cut a piece of the filter the same size and made a filter sandwich using some duct tape:

TIP: Don't squeeze/tape the filter sandwich together too tight. You want it loose but snug so it doesn't constrict the fibers and end up restricting airflow.

I then used more duct tape to seal it to the back of the box over the fan opening:

TIP: Make sure the carbon side of the filter is facing the outside of the box and put the fuzzy side of the filter facing inside!

I wanted to make sure the fan had a good seal in both front and back, so plugged the fan in and held a small piece of the weed block screening in front of it and the suction from the fan was enough to hold it to the back of the filter, so it's working! :

Here is the completed filter assembly:

And here's the dry box waiting to get loaded and all ready to fire up:

And, the entire box will seal shut (although, the two top side flaps are open in this pic:

One side note is that there is enough filter material left over to replace the existing filter about 10 times!

I'm looking forward to breaking it in within the next two weeks, so I'll let you know how it performs.

I hope this helps others out there!

Happy Harvests!

Mr Krip
So at the end - is the entire box sealed? Wouldn’t one need access to monitor temp and humidity? I am making this tomorrow so trying to replicate as well as understand.

 

[Mdowdy70]

Right there with you! I lost a few plants to all the ash and the last heat wave coupled with it. I'll be harvesting a few plants this evening. I'll be doing some bud washes, hang it to dry overnight in my dry box, and then low and slow in the fridge. That way, I don't have to worry about any heat waves. My garage is too hot still and fluctuates too much. I already lost so many buds to caterpillars and other circumstances. Last thing I want to do is take any chances on the drying and curing. I'll have to be patient is all. Technically though... I'm still ahead of schedule since all my plants went into flower early on.

 

[Mdowdy70]

Low and slow in the fridge? Please tell me more as it’s always to hot here and I’d love a solution or at least an alternative that may work better than staying up longer and being a helicopter mom to the 4 I’m running with now. I’m making the dry box this weekend that someone posted on here but need a backup to the backup. Yes - I am new and may have bitten off a bit more than I can chew - any help is appreciated !
Thank you!!!

 

[Azimuth]

Low and slow in the fridge? Please tell me more as it’s always to hot here and I’d love a solution or at least an alternative that may work better than staying up longer and being a helicopter mom to the 4 I’m running with now. I’m making the dry box this weekend that someone posted on here but need a backup to the backup. Yes - I am new and may have bitten off a bit more than I can chew - any help is appreciated !
Thank you!!!

Dr Ziggy's Low and Slow Drying Method