LancedBoyle
420 Member
Hi. I have amassed most of my supplies and am into some preliminary testing for a super stealth grow. I live in a non-tolerant country in a small house with teenagers. I know I'm threading a tiny needle but I'll give it a go until it stinks or the jig is up but I think I can do it.
Here's the set up: I have a 160l plastic food grade barrel with an air-tight lid and a 50l masonry bucket that is wide enough at the mouth for the barrel to snuggly sit on top. The bucket is the reservoir and the barrel, the grow chamber. I will double line the barrel with mylar and cut 3 holes into it: one on the lower side for the intake (computer) fan and another on top for the 170 m³/h carbon filter and a third in the bottom for the mesh grow pot to sit in. I'll be executing a DWC grow to minimize disturbance. I've got a great LED light (maybe too much but I can dial it down if need be)
In short, autoflower seedling nestles into cocos pellet which goes into mesh pot with clay balls at bottom of the barrel; the barrel sits on top of the masonry bucket with its nutrient-rich, aerated water just kissing the plant root. Air comes in from the fan and out through the carbon filter. Abundant full spectrum light showers the plant with photons.
Originally I was going to grow in the attic but temps up there drop to below freezing and access would be limited and dependent on no one being home; instead I have a work/utility room that is normally a disaster and which my teenagers avoid like the plague. Behind the water heater is an old chimney exhaust for our previous boiler which constantly draws air upwards (the house was built with a passive ventilation system). I plan to position the bucket/barrel next to the boiler with the carbon filter sticking up at the back closest to the chimney exhaust which is extended towards the carbon filter using flexible ducking and then plastic over the filter and exhaust ducking (basically all the air from the filter is channeled up the chimney). On top and around the grow will be more plastic, buckets and detritus to camouflage the set up.
As the barrel bottom extends a bit into the bucket, my usable bucket liquid volume is about 25l and I will cut a 4cm hole in the upper side of the bucket for a tube to sit permanently to test and feed in the water into the reservoir so I don't have to lift the barrel.
My grow area is less than 10cf. and my ultra silent fan can blow 56 cfm. The grow light has a fan but because of the barrel lid I cannot align it with where I need to put the carbon filter so I was thinking of putting another silent fan just below the carbon filter but I would rather not. I will try an active bottom intake and passive exhaust (I'm thinking that the light fan, though not under the carbon filter hole will encourage air through the carbon filter and the chimney exhaust will help draw air through the filter as well and out of the house.) I will test this with some incense to see if there is any smell. Smell is a deal breaker.
In terms of grow, it will be a kratky/DWC variation. I will visit the darling on three occasions: first when I put it in the mesh pot; second after a few weeks to low stress train the growth; and lastly when I harvest. Otherwise I will monitor everything using a camera and hydro/temp meter. The water will be temp regulated with an aquarium heater/thermometer and as mentioned I will test ph, nutrients (PPM) and water level through the access tube.
My main concerns at the moment are the exhaust. I wonder if the force of the intake air will be enough to push the air through the filter and if the light fan will cause too much turbulence so that there is no draw out of the grow chamber. Testing should give answers.
If you have comments or tips please let me know. I will post the full grow and pictures once I'm underway. Still waiting for seeds to arrive. Cheers.
Here's the set up: I have a 160l plastic food grade barrel with an air-tight lid and a 50l masonry bucket that is wide enough at the mouth for the barrel to snuggly sit on top. The bucket is the reservoir and the barrel, the grow chamber. I will double line the barrel with mylar and cut 3 holes into it: one on the lower side for the intake (computer) fan and another on top for the 170 m³/h carbon filter and a third in the bottom for the mesh grow pot to sit in. I'll be executing a DWC grow to minimize disturbance. I've got a great LED light (maybe too much but I can dial it down if need be)
In short, autoflower seedling nestles into cocos pellet which goes into mesh pot with clay balls at bottom of the barrel; the barrel sits on top of the masonry bucket with its nutrient-rich, aerated water just kissing the plant root. Air comes in from the fan and out through the carbon filter. Abundant full spectrum light showers the plant with photons.
Originally I was going to grow in the attic but temps up there drop to below freezing and access would be limited and dependent on no one being home; instead I have a work/utility room that is normally a disaster and which my teenagers avoid like the plague. Behind the water heater is an old chimney exhaust for our previous boiler which constantly draws air upwards (the house was built with a passive ventilation system). I plan to position the bucket/barrel next to the boiler with the carbon filter sticking up at the back closest to the chimney exhaust which is extended towards the carbon filter using flexible ducking and then plastic over the filter and exhaust ducking (basically all the air from the filter is channeled up the chimney). On top and around the grow will be more plastic, buckets and detritus to camouflage the set up.
As the barrel bottom extends a bit into the bucket, my usable bucket liquid volume is about 25l and I will cut a 4cm hole in the upper side of the bucket for a tube to sit permanently to test and feed in the water into the reservoir so I don't have to lift the barrel.
My grow area is less than 10cf. and my ultra silent fan can blow 56 cfm. The grow light has a fan but because of the barrel lid I cannot align it with where I need to put the carbon filter so I was thinking of putting another silent fan just below the carbon filter but I would rather not. I will try an active bottom intake and passive exhaust (I'm thinking that the light fan, though not under the carbon filter hole will encourage air through the carbon filter and the chimney exhaust will help draw air through the filter as well and out of the house.) I will test this with some incense to see if there is any smell. Smell is a deal breaker.
In terms of grow, it will be a kratky/DWC variation. I will visit the darling on three occasions: first when I put it in the mesh pot; second after a few weeks to low stress train the growth; and lastly when I harvest. Otherwise I will monitor everything using a camera and hydro/temp meter. The water will be temp regulated with an aquarium heater/thermometer and as mentioned I will test ph, nutrients (PPM) and water level through the access tube.
My main concerns at the moment are the exhaust. I wonder if the force of the intake air will be enough to push the air through the filter and if the light fan will cause too much turbulence so that there is no draw out of the grow chamber. Testing should give answers.
If you have comments or tips please let me know. I will post the full grow and pictures once I'm underway. Still waiting for seeds to arrive. Cheers.
I did think of one thing, if it's not too late. The inside of the Blue Stealth setup. You could paint it white or maybe line it with foil to let the light reflect rather than be absorbed by the dark blue. HAPPY TRAILS!!
