# DIY cabinet dryer (copy)



## grass hopper

This is an upright freezer that died yrs ago and never got trashed. Thanks pup for ur thread to copy and great help. Also thanks to bwanabud for his 3/4 inch pvc frame, 1/4 inch pvc coated galv. screen idea and help also.  I got an analog timer that will repeat dn to 15 seconds, on and off. Also an 8 channel indoor/ outdoor thermo-hygrometer with 3 remotes. it might be overkill but will keep close track of temp/ rh at top 25%, bottom 25% and air as its entering intake of cabinet. As well as an led motion light. Am excited to see how well this will work.. THANKS! 

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## Grower13

nice build....... got to be cleanest dead freezer I ever saw.


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## grass hopper

Grower13 said:


> nice build....... got to be cleanest dead freezer I ever saw.


 
yea, broke a 1/4 in.condensate line running to one of the freezer trays. put to much weight on. not strong freezer rack, when it was only 5 yrs. old. a no fixer. was too pretty on the outside to junk.


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## Hushpuppy

Very nice. Very nice indeed.  It will take a little experimenting and a few harvests to get the right method down but that is right on time. I wish mine was as nice. Don't forget to get a speed reducer for the exhaust fan so that you can get the right speed for not creating any wind but have good air movement.


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## sMACkaddict

wow that looks awesome... we have an old refrig in our basement and I am tempted to try something like that with it... not sure I can pull it off tho

nice work


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## grass hopper

thanks guys, proud of it. hope it works as well. its got a 65 cfm fan. pretty small. do u think i will need to reduce cfm below that??
mac, it wasa pc of cake. drill, a few tools, TIME and materials.


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## WeedHopper

I think you will be fine. The main thing is you are bringing in fresh air and removing stale air . I used computer fans and it worked awesome. Cool DIY.
 My ******* actually started my 1st inside grow in a fridge like that. Lol 
Didnt take me long to figure out that growing in a fridge is a big pain in the ***. But they are perfect for drying.


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## Hushpuppy

Oh yeah, the cabinet dryers are the way to go in my opinion (unless you are running huge grows, then you need a fleet of dryers). That small of a fan should be fine. I thought you had a bigger fan like mine that pulls like 200cfm. That should be perfect (unless it is a duct fan) is it a centrifugal or a duct fan? The reason I ask is that duct fans don't build any pressure because the fan isn't contained in a way that air can't bypass it. The centrifugal fans are made so little to no air can bypass so it builds the necessary pressure to push through the filter media and pull the air out of the cabinet. Be sure to test it so that you know it is moving air properly.


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## grass hopper

Hushpuppy said:


> Oh yeah, the cabinet dryers are the way to go in my opinion (unless you are running huge grows, then you need a fleet of dryers). That small of a fan should be fine. I thought you had a bigger fan like mine that pulls like 200cfm. That should be perfect (unless it is a duct fan) is it a centrifugal or a duct fan? The reason I ask is that duct fans don't build any pressure because the fan isn't contained in a way that air can't bypass it. The centrifugal fans are made so little to no air can bypass so it builds the necessary pressure to push through the filter media and pull the air out of the cabinet. Be sure to test it so that you know it is moving air properly.


 
 duct fan? ducted fan?. mines an inline exhaust fan used IN ductwork. ducted at both ends usually. it is installed directly after freezer, attached to a collar which is screwed to cabinet.a centrifugal fan is built at a 90 degree discharge used for high speeds, dust burdens and made for gas tight construction. i think. thanks for ur help pup. gettn close to trying. :aok:


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## Hushpuppy

The key to centrifugal versus a "duct fan" is the fan in a duct fan looks like a box fan made for pushing air to create wind. But a centrifugal fan can either be a "squirrel cage" or a "turbine" but both are sealed in in such a way as to not let any air get around the fan. This creates pressure on both sides of the fan to "move the air mass" rather than just creating a wind. The centrifugal fans can look like the classic air conditioner fans(squirrel cage) or you can get the inlines now that have turbines that face forward. These will create such a level of pressure that large ones can collapse a grow tent if you don't have enough passive intake air.

All that said, if the duct fan will move the air efficiently enough then you are fine. Glad to help


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## grass hopper

Hushpuppy said:


> Oh yeah, the cabinet dryers are the way to go in my opinion (unless you are running huge grows, then you need a fleet of dryers). That small of a fan should be fine. I thought you had a bigger fan like mine that pulls like 200cfm. That should be perfect (unless it is a duct fan) is it a centrifugal or a duct fan? The reason I ask is that duct fans don't build any pressure because the fan isn't contained in a way that air can't bypass it. The centrifugal fans are made so little to no air can bypass so it builds the necessary pressure to push through the filter media and pull the air out of the cabinet. Be sure to test it so that you know it is moving air properly.


 
re ur use of "DUCT FAN". imo the phrase duct fan could be any number of different types of fans and fan configurations. i believe any fan connected to a duct could be called a duct fan including a centrifugal fan. i checked on wise geek .com (clear answers for common questions) and they agreed..." a DUCT FAN is a propeller-style fan that is housed inside a heating, cooling or ventilation duct.  The purpose is to increase the effectiveness of the duct and the system to which the duct is connected.  Duct fans are most commonly used in industrial environments, though they can sometimes be found in commercial structures and in the kitchens and bathrooms of residential buildings.
When used in conjunction with heating and cooling systems, a duct fan is intended to propel the hot or cold air into a room or space.  This increases the efficiency of the furnace or air conditioner by effectively increasing the number of blowers associated with the unit.  Such fans are commonly used in spaces that are difficult to heat or cool using ductwork alone, such as manufacturing spaces with high ceilings.  A duct fan may also be used when maintaining temperature is critical, such as in a room housing computer servers that must be prevented from overheating."               In the last couple of pages of hvac drawings the eng. lists the equipt. for each job. there is always a fan schedule. under fan TYPE, i never have seen a fan required and  listed as a duct fan. (always specific and detailed).     i worried that my 65 cfm inline fan may not be enough for a full cabinet. i installed a high velocity inline fan, 170 cfm. also got a fan speed controller. i just checked velocity on ductulator, at 170 cfm, 4 in. dia. the air is traveling at 2000 fpm (feet per minute).  :rofl: WICKED FAST!!! wont ever run full speed. prob shoulda let 65 cfm alone. am mold paranoid..


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## Hushpuppy

2000 feet per minute?  you sure you didn't pick up a turboprop :doh:

Any time you hear one of us use the term "duct fan", this is what we are talking about: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suncourt...with-More-Powerful-Motor-DB6GTP-CRD/204270000


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## grass hopper

Hushpuppy said:


> 2000 feet per minute?  you sure you didn't pick up a turboprop :doh:
> 
> Any time you hear one of us use the term "duct fan", this is what we are talking about: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suncourt...with-More-Powerful-Motor-DB6GTP-CRD/204270000


 
yes! seen that, although that does not make it correct. ambiguous.. but i get it..  :aok:


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## Hushpuppy

Now an axial fan or a "duct fan" can work for a drying cabinet if it is able to move enough air. generally we don't use anything but centrifugal fans for moving air through any kind of resistance such as a carbon filter or around corners because they build the pressure needed to push or pull the given air mass to where we want it to go. But if the fan works for what you have, then it works. On my first drying cabinet, I used a large computer fan and carbon infused fishtank filter material, and it worked quite well, I just had to change out the filter material each time


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## grass hopper

Hushpuppy said:


> Now an axial fan or a "duct fan" can work for a drying cabinet if it is able to move enough air. generally we don't use anything but centrifugal fans for moving air through any kind of resistance such as a carbon filter or around corners because they build the pressure needed to push or pull the given air mass to where we want it to go. But if the fan works for what you have, then it works. On my first drying cabinet, I used a large computer fan and carbon infused fishtank filter material, and it worked quite well, I just had to change out the filter material each time


 
resistance is called static pressure drop. flex duct is one of the worst offenders. re duct fan.. see above


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## grass hopper

i should not have said it is wrong without saying it could be right but for sure it is ambiguous. re;static presure loss at the filter. this can be measured at the filter. the manuf.,if usa made, should have this on hand somewhere in the specifications. it would be interesting to find out how much loss the filter causes.    Engineers in the specs demand no more than 1 inch of deflection on 3 feet max., if they allow flex at all. a tight radius 90 degree turn in flex i would bet causes more static pressure loss than the filter.


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## bud88

That is absolutely beautiful GH! With the growing MMJ industry you might want to patent that! :48:
It sure beats the collapsible drying rack that I have hanging in a 32" tent.


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## Hushpuppy

Yeah that cabinet is the **** right there. That's what ya want


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## grass hopper

thanks guys


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## Hushpuppy

Its interesting that the function of air movement can be seen as nearly identical to the function of electricity and water/hydraulic movement. you have flow, force, and resistance that work in the same equation of Ohm's Law.

Back when I was young, before the advent of "central air conditioning", we used to put the box fan in the window blowing out, then open a second window and feel the air blowing in. If you didn't open the second window, you wouldn't get any air flow from the fan.


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## yarddog

Air is more a fluid than a gas.  it erodes, has resistance, flow, pressure....   
I love this cabinet. I am on the look out for a dead freezer, very nice setup


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## screwdriver

Nice project.  A humidistat mounted in cabinet could control the low speed exhaust fan instead of a timer.


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## sopappy

I thought blowing air across drying weed was a bad idea, it blew off trichromes or something.
I thought at first it was for clones , I was half way through the thread before I realized it was for drying racks, holy ****, talk about a 'beer' fridge in the basement, I want one. Nice job too!
I can hardly wait to see pictures of that baby stocked!


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## Hushpuppy

Pappy; the key here is not to blow air across the buds. You want to allow the air to sit static in the dryer for a certain period of time (which will change with the amount of bud in the dryer and its level of dryness) to allow the air to saturate with moisture and then stop evaporation for a period of time to allow moisture deep within the buds to wick to the outside. Then after a time (a humidistat would be ideal for this size dryer) the fan turns on and slowly draws out the saturated air and pulls in fresh air. You only want the fan on long enough to replace the air.

Then the fan turns off and the evaporation process happens again until the air is saturated again. This slower and more deliberate drying allows better drying from within the buds to prevent over-drying or bud rot from under-drying. I think this controlled evaporation is very key to flavorful bud.


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