My Grow Cabinet Setup: My actual closet is 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide so I made a cabinet 7’ by 2’ by 2’. The internal grow cabinet floor is 6 in. from the closet floor for air flow(however little) around the entire cabinet. The interior is approx. 6’6” tall, 2’ wide by 2’ deep (that’s 26 cubic feet right?). Mounted to the internal ceiling of the cabinet, I have a squirrel cage style exhaust fan that completely replaces all air in the cabinet 3 times per minute when turned on. I cut a hole 1’ by 8” square in the door for filtered air intake. This hole externally covered by an everyday A/C filter (12x24x1) & is held on by supports that keep out light but not air. This hole is also shielded internally by a case of root beer box shaped appropriately to eliminate light & also CONTROL air flow direction to my desire. I covered the entire interior with Mylar (don’t remember the thickness) including the walls, floor, and ceiling as well as the buckets (the black bucket lid actually increases cabinet temp. by 10 degrees when the light bulb is close to it). I used a lot of double sided carpet tape and aluminum tape. This cabinet is going to need to withstand some heat so the aluminum tape does better than duct tape and staples any day. The exhaust fan and 250 watt ballast are installed on the ceiling thus giving me a total of approx. 6 feet of grow space. Now, I am using a 5 gallon bucket so this really only gives me about 4½-5 feet of real plant space. This means I will have to TOP the plant as early as allowed if I want to avoid heat stress or light bulb burns towards harvest time. I’ve seen pictures of at least 9 plants in this size area so 2 plants with 250 watts should be noooooo worries. I’ve got the lumens, the space, the air flow, and the temperature (due to airflow ) so I’m set. I plug all things into the power strip fastened to the interior so this means I will have to BLACK OUT THE LIGHTED POWER SWITCH on the power strip and “Timer On” indicator lights if I want 100% darkness during the 12hr light/ 12hr dark schedule. I also have an OZONE generator installed on the exterior of my cabinet for any odors & it also keeps the clothes in my closet smelling fresh. I had to make a hole in the drywall ceiling of my closet to accommodate the exhaust but it will be an easy fix if I ever move. I put a dryer exhaust vent up in the attic to keep the pests out when the fan is off.
My Light Setup: I have a 250 watt ballast with a lumen booster switch ( I thought that was pretty neat ) and a 250 watt Metal Halide bulb for the Vegetation stage and a 250 watt High Pressure Sodium bulb for the flowering stage. I bought the light shield, the socket, and the ballast separately. The ballast was by far the most expensive but it sure is pretty & is mounted to the internal cabinet ceiling. I have two chains hooked into the light shield from hooks in the ceiling for double security and less movement during airflow which means less fire hazards. Safety first!!! I suppose I could even set the light up to a full vertical position if I move the plants to one side just to get full coverage during heavy vegetation. Might be risky. I also have two timers. Both timers have the 15 minute increments so I can turn the fan on and off to allow some heat to build up and once I get the CO2 mix in the room, timers will give it a chance to sink in not to mention a plant can withstand higher temperatures when exposed to higher CO2 levels so I’m told. The other timer is for a strict 12hr on/ 12 hr off light schedule for when the flowers start to show their faces. Check out my gallery for the photos. That is if I can get them up quick enough.
My Light Setup: I have a 250 watt ballast with a lumen booster switch ( I thought that was pretty neat ) and a 250 watt Metal Halide bulb for the Vegetation stage and a 250 watt High Pressure Sodium bulb for the flowering stage. I bought the light shield, the socket, and the ballast separately. The ballast was by far the most expensive but it sure is pretty & is mounted to the internal cabinet ceiling. I have two chains hooked into the light shield from hooks in the ceiling for double security and less movement during airflow which means less fire hazards. Safety first!!! I suppose I could even set the light up to a full vertical position if I move the plants to one side just to get full coverage during heavy vegetation. Might be risky. I also have two timers. Both timers have the 15 minute increments so I can turn the fan on and off to allow some heat to build up and once I get the CO2 mix in the room, timers will give it a chance to sink in not to mention a plant can withstand higher temperatures when exposed to higher CO2 levels so I’m told. The other timer is for a strict 12hr on/ 12 hr off light schedule for when the flowers start to show their faces. Check out my gallery for the photos. That is if I can get them up quick enough.
