Home Built Stealth Closet because buying on the street is just to damn risky
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- #62
Greenthumb J
Well-Known Member
i dont believe this..
n00b2112
New Member
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- #65
Hi n00b2112,
thanks for looking at my build. I definitely have had to make some adjustments to the original build but I think I have it on track now. I purchased a compact water chiller that keeps my res temp right at 67 degrees, and I had to add a cool mist vaporizer to increase the humidity and keep the cabinet temp down. The chiller cost 250$ or so and the vaporizer cost $40.
My Water Chiller
DesertSmoke
Active Member
Stealth is a word being tossed around here in this box build setup. If I may ask, just how quiet is the grow box when everything is up and running.? Is this a box setup that would stop a person as they walk by it and ask you what is in there ? I am wanting to build a similar setup and right now trying to figure out where to put it. I have space in my garage but I also do hobby work in the garage and park my cars in there so friends who do not know of these boxes would be in close proximity at times. Just curious so I can do a plan for location location location as they say.
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- #67
Well first off I don't think I tossed the word "Stealth" around just used it to describe what I was trying to build and accomplish, but anywho. It is keeping my wife very happy with the fact that it just goes unnoticed, no smell, no light leaks. The exhaust fan i chose is to noisy though when running at full speed and I will be looking for a quieter replacement at a later time. You also want to make sure that your air pump isn't vibrating against anything, but a radio would easily cover both sound's when needed. And since I am not happy with the sound of the fan I just turn it off when company is here and they never give it a second look. I still consider it a work in progress as I figure out ways to improve I will post them here.
DesertSmoke
Active Member
I didn't mean to sound sarcastic if that was taken my bad, your cabinet is very close to my build design. The exhaust fan is and seems to be the problem child in every build I can find for the noise output. My cabinet design is the same size but with a complete Mylar film interior over a thin Double Reflective Insulation base from Lowes. My floor is edged to keep in any spills I might have and the floor is deadened too to slow the sounds from escaping. My system is going to be Ebb and Flow so our setups are close but yet different. For fans both input and exhaust I was looking at the Noctua 140mm Premium Quiet Quality Case Cooling Fan NF-A14 FLX . Using a charcoal flat filter over them is my direction. Once I am ready to assemble I plan on making a blog here to try and keep up with the rest of you. Again no smart remarks meant just a questioned needing an answer. MY backup to the noise is to have a fan running on the outside of the cabinet on a shelf I plan to attach on the side blowing in the garage to cool me when I have people near the box.
armoire grow
New Member
I think that you might run into heat issue. I tried to used a similar setup as to your filter idea, but came to realize that I had to built a small filter and pull air through instead of pushing it out, Google "micro charcoal filter" also don't waist your money on computer fan. If you need to used a flat fan look into a ecoplus model they will push air. noise something that will alway be there, but I'm looking to upgrade to a vortex s fan they claim to be the best in the market when or come to quiet fans.
BudTester420
New Member
If you go under platinumleds profile and look at his post he posted a super quite fan that gets good reviews.
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- #71
No offence taken, it was a long day and I can get a bit defensive sometimes. Plus I haven't had a buzz since last Easter and I guess I'm getting a bit antsy with my two girls getting big and bushy and starting to smell so delicious yet still so far away from being finished.
Armoire Grow is right be very careful of heat, I need the 4" exhaust fan to keep the cabinet heat down I dont think just pc fans would work. I use LED and have my fan set to turn on at 80 and that happens about 30 minutes after the lights come on especially now that it is in flower mode. Also get a water chiller to keep root rot at bay you need to keep that water cool under 70. Also make sure 0% light can get into your res or to the roots. How far are you into your build?
Greenthumb J
Well-Known Member
>>> Also get a water chiller to keep root rot at bay you need to keep that water cool under 70.
As long as you use Botanicare's Hydroguard, a water chiller is a pointless investment. A chiller is $300 plus taxes and such and you can still get Pythium using a water chiller. As soon as anaerobic bacteria gets into your reservoir, you're doomed. This is why i suggest Hydroguard. The Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens species of bacteria is extremely effective in eradicating and preventing root rot.
The key to maintaining good temperatures, is constant air circulation. A good exhaust fan will suck most hot air out of the growing space. Always make sure that you are maintaining a negative air pressure as well, if you are worried about dank smells getting out!
As long as you use Botanicare's Hydroguard, a water chiller is a pointless investment. A chiller is $300 plus taxes and such and you can still get Pythium using a water chiller. As soon as anaerobic bacteria gets into your reservoir, you're doomed. This is why i suggest Hydroguard. The Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens species of bacteria is extremely effective in eradicating and preventing root rot.
The key to maintaining good temperatures, is constant air circulation. A good exhaust fan will suck most hot air out of the growing space. Always make sure that you are maintaining a negative air pressure as well, if you are worried about dank smells getting out!
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- #73
Greenthumb, though you taught me the wonders of hydroguard and so many other things, I have to disagree with you on the water chiller water holds the most dissolved O2 at 67 degrees and as it gets hotter it holds less and less so having a way to keep your water temp consistent gives two benefits preventing bad things from growing and supplying the most dissolved O2 possible to the plants, and mine cost $215 with out the extras that I also purchased but compared to the conditions pre-cooler and post cooler it was money well spent.
mrrobert420
New Member
I second the chiller. Water temps have everything to do with 02 saturation in the water. And since DWC is already HIGHLY prone to root rot water temp as well as enormous amount of air stones are quite important. I actually stopped using DWC as I don't like the fact you can oxygene the water enough. To me i don't like to do something that already states it can't be perfectly. we all know how much oxygen roots need. You fight every angle in DWC
mrrobert420
New Member
but I do feel that both hydrogaurd and chiller are equally necessary in DWC
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- #76
I 100% agree hydroguard and a chiller, because they complement each other, by keeping the water at the correct temp the hydroguard doesnt have to work as hard.
Greenthumb J
Well-Known Member
>>> I have to disagree with you on the water chiller water holds the most dissolved O2 at 67 degrees and as it gets hotter it holds less and less
Preventing Root rot isn't about maintaining a 67f temperature. You can have ANY temperature of water and experience Root rot. Its about maintaining a live environment in your reservoir.
I agree the warmer the water, the less DO thats available to the roots. But we're talking about DWCs issue with pythium, and you can have 40 airstones in your reservoir, and still get Pythium at 67f water
I dont run a water chiller and i never will. i have 17-20c water temps without a water chiller sitting under 1200w of HPS.. not an LED like you guys do. I should have more issues with dealing with Pythium, but i dont. And its due to Aquashield (Hydroguard) and other beneficials that i add.
A water chiller doesn't make Hydroguard more effective nor does it make Hydroguard work "less hard" The only thing a water chiller does is maintain a preset temperature.
While i do agree that cooler water temps provide higher DO levels for your roots, adding more Oxygen does not ward off Pythium. The only way you can grow in DWC and never see root issues, is to constantly be adding beneficial microbes to your root zone.
The only proven, effective way to keep out anaerobic (bad) bacteria is to use beneficial bacteria products like hydroguard, SubCulture-M, Myco-grow, Great White, etc.
Like i have mentioned before, Hydroguard increases your plants resistance to higher water temps, thus eliminating the need for a chiller. My grow is living proof that a water chiller is absolutely not necessary.
Also, the cooler the water, the less effective any beneficial bacteria you add to your reservoir will be, as bacteria thrive in warmer conditions.
When growing in hydroponics set ups, your water should stay below 25c or 77f when not running any beneficial bacteria. But with beneficials added, you do not need to worry about the higher water temps.
I have to respectfully disagree on that sir. While a chiller is a great investment when growing DWC, Hydroguard is much more useful than a water chiller. A water chiller can get anaerobic bacteria inside it somewhere and you could be constantly infecting your plants, whereas Hydroguard destroys anaerobic bacteria
Hydroguard's improved formula of Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens is a sure fire way to not only eradicate Pythium, but actually work as a preventative as well. Plus all the other added benefits i mentioned above. And it only costs like $25 for 1gal! I would say thats a much better purchase for your dollar.
>>> To me i don't like to do something that already states it can't be perfectly. we all know how much oxygen roots need. You fight every angle in DWC
As far as i know, theres no "perfect" method of growing cannabis. Soil is also just as problematic when you get a bug infestation, as fungus gnats alone can prove extremely difficult to get rid of.
DWC i find is one of the easiest and fastest ways to grow, as long as the grower has done some research into beneficial bacteria and how easy DWC grows can be ruined by an outbreak of Pythium, and how to avoid it.
With Aeroponics, roots can get sucked into the water pump, thus reducing flow to the sprayers, as well as damaging roots in the impeller which will in turn stunt growth and make your grow take longer. The sprayers also get covered in roots, making the spraying very ineffective, unless you have sprayers on the side and above the root ball, you are going to experience dry spots.
As for fighting every angle in DWC, i dont really understand this. What are the actual downfalls of DWC? theres only really one, and thats the susceptibility to Root issues. But as I've stated over and over, Hydroguard is the solution to this. Maintaining proper air exchange with proper air exhaust will pull the majority of the heat out of your room which will in turn provide less heat to warm your water up.
I should also note that the larger your reservoir is, the lower your water temps will stay during lights on because it will take longer for a larger amount of water to heat up.
mrrobert420
New Member
Sorry for the confusion I was more just stating With my experience hydrogaurd alone didn't work for me. I still had issues with DWC and not having pearly white roots. I was even brewing the tea at one point and it really worked well for awhile but always came back. Water temps were 75-80. So I put a chiller on and I was able to stop brewing the tea and use hydrogaurd only, just couldn't get pearly white roots still.
As far as fighting from angle in DWC. I just more meant there is a higher chance of PH swings with roots in the water as well as root rot. I lost two grows to it so it just feels that way to me lol.
I have since moved my nutes out of the res and use LP aeroponics and let all roots hang in the empty res. surrounded by sprayers. So I have also eliminated the need for a chiller and hydrogaurd.
Greenthumb you are totally right I have other friends that grow DWC and have no issues with using hydrogaurd only. For some reason it just didn't work till I added a chiller. I tried it really hoping it would solve my issues but it didn't. Sorry I must have been high my last post lol. Everything just came out wrong lol. By all means you can not control root rot by water temps only but if your still experiencing issues after using hydrogaurd THEN I recommend possibly needing a chiller. Some do some don't from my experience. Obviously you grow like a champ so to me your info is more valuable anyways lol
Sorry Greenthumb wasn't disagreeing just adding lol guess I'll turn my brain on next time hahaha.
As far as fighting from angle in DWC. I just more meant there is a higher chance of PH swings with roots in the water as well as root rot. I lost two grows to it so it just feels that way to me lol.
I have since moved my nutes out of the res and use LP aeroponics and let all roots hang in the empty res. surrounded by sprayers. So I have also eliminated the need for a chiller and hydrogaurd.
Greenthumb you are totally right I have other friends that grow DWC and have no issues with using hydrogaurd only. For some reason it just didn't work till I added a chiller. I tried it really hoping it would solve my issues but it didn't. Sorry I must have been high my last post lol. Everything just came out wrong lol. By all means you can not control root rot by water temps only but if your still experiencing issues after using hydrogaurd THEN I recommend possibly needing a chiller. Some do some don't from my experience. Obviously you grow like a champ so to me your info is more valuable anyways lol
Sorry Greenthumb wasn't disagreeing just adding lol guess I'll turn my brain on next time hahaha.
Greenthumb J
Well-Known Member
>>> I still had issues with DWC and not having pearly white roots. I was even brewing the tea at one point and it really worked well for awhile but always came back.
Just because your roots aren't white, doesn't mean that anything is wrong with them.
When roots die (which is completely natural), they turn a brownish colour. But when roots die off, new roots are sent out by the plant. Hence why SuperRoots Airpots promote vigorous growth, when roots air prune, the plant sends out more roots, which in turn creates a bushier plant.
Dying root matter left untreated is where pythium can manifest itself. This is why Hydroguard is highly suggested. The bacillus bacteria in Hydroguard destroys Pythium. This doesn't necessarily mean that your roots will be pearly white after.
The problem with growing in DWC, is your roots are constantly suspended in nutrient solution, which can then take on the colour of your nutrient mixture, thus making people think that there's something wrong with their roots, when in fact, there isn't.
The roots on my WW i have in flower aren't white by any means, but i have no deficiencies, and the bud swelling is amazing! The plant is almost 8 months from seed tho, so the roots have been suspended in nutrient solution for that long and have taken on the colour of the Floralicious Plus as well as Subculture-M i use.
As for Hydroguard, i dont even use it in my reservoir anymore. I strictly only use it when brewing tea, which i apply to my plants 1-2 times a week.
Even growing in rockwool grow cubes "Capn-Style" you can be susceptible to browning roots. Even tho the plant is healthy, you can still have brown, dead-looking roots.
I have found this to be attributed to not enough run off when watering.
If you look at TheCapn's root shots, they're all pearly white. I'm going to say its because when he hand waters to waste in veg, he makes sure theres an adequate amount of run off to prevent salt and nutrient build up.
I also recommend flushing plants in DWC every 2 weeks, for about 2-4 days at a time, with PH balanced water to flush out any built up salt and nutrients left in the growing medium. This will help keep your root mass as white as possible.
Just because your roots aren't white, doesn't mean that anything is wrong with them.
When roots die (which is completely natural), they turn a brownish colour. But when roots die off, new roots are sent out by the plant. Hence why SuperRoots Airpots promote vigorous growth, when roots air prune, the plant sends out more roots, which in turn creates a bushier plant.
Dying root matter left untreated is where pythium can manifest itself. This is why Hydroguard is highly suggested. The bacillus bacteria in Hydroguard destroys Pythium. This doesn't necessarily mean that your roots will be pearly white after.
The problem with growing in DWC, is your roots are constantly suspended in nutrient solution, which can then take on the colour of your nutrient mixture, thus making people think that there's something wrong with their roots, when in fact, there isn't.
The roots on my WW i have in flower aren't white by any means, but i have no deficiencies, and the bud swelling is amazing! The plant is almost 8 months from seed tho, so the roots have been suspended in nutrient solution for that long and have taken on the colour of the Floralicious Plus as well as Subculture-M i use.
As for Hydroguard, i dont even use it in my reservoir anymore. I strictly only use it when brewing tea, which i apply to my plants 1-2 times a week.
Even growing in rockwool grow cubes "Capn-Style" you can be susceptible to browning roots. Even tho the plant is healthy, you can still have brown, dead-looking roots.
I have found this to be attributed to not enough run off when watering.
If you look at TheCapn's root shots, they're all pearly white. I'm going to say its because when he hand waters to waste in veg, he makes sure theres an adequate amount of run off to prevent salt and nutrient build up.
I also recommend flushing plants in DWC every 2 weeks, for about 2-4 days at a time, with PH balanced water to flush out any built up salt and nutrients left in the growing medium. This will help keep your root mass as white as possible.
mrrobert420
New Member
ahhhhhhh... THANKS GREENTHUMB!!! So its most likely impossible to have pearly white roots in DWC - You explain things so well, this is greatly appreciated!!
i was also using Floralicious Plus and man did it stain everything.......
I just watched the video on the air-pots and i completely learned something new today. Thank you!
I was completely turned off of DWC after using using super closets POS system - Guess i should blame the not so "turn key" system -If i could go back i would have built everything myself and probly had a million less problems. a spent a million less dollars with a better overall product lol. I am happy with what i have now but it required basically redesigning their whole system.
I may try another run at DWC
you did an excellent job at building this system 2bl
i was also using Floralicious Plus and man did it stain everything.......
I just watched the video on the air-pots and i completely learned something new today. Thank you!
I was completely turned off of DWC after using using super closets POS system - Guess i should blame the not so "turn key" system -If i could go back i would have built everything myself and probly had a million less problems. a spent a million less dollars with a better overall product lol. I am happy with what i have now but it required basically redesigning their whole system.
I may try another run at DWC
you did an excellent job at building this system 2bl
