# Grow Box and Lighting



## cruisor (Feb 15, 2015)

Could use some advice on lighting.

Just built a grow box that's 68"x38x24.  I now need to purchase lighting and I can't deal with any heat.  I see there are fluorescent lighting and CFL light setups.

Could anyone recommend either of these lights for my grow.

Thanks,

cruisor


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## cruisor (Feb 15, 2015)

I also wanted to mention I lined the interior of the box with that really shiny white wall board.  Should be really lit up when I add the lighting.

cruisor


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 15, 2015)

YO! Welcome to MP! This is the place you want to be to get the best info from very experienced growers! First off, Floro's are prefectly fine! I've seen many people grow straight threw Veg and flowering with straight CFL's. However, you will get a much better yield and over all potency, if you use more efficient grow lights such as High Pressured Sodium, or Metal Halide. But, these are indeed expensive to run threw PG&E.  If your concerned about the heat and/or cost's, I would really recommend buying some LED's... At least for flowering... But you def. don't have to, it's purly up to you, your yield and potency will depend on the lumens per SQ.Ft. you give you plants. The keen levels is about 5000 lumens per SQ. Ft. Anyways, With that said, I use T5 Floro's for my Vegetative growth, and they work perfectly, barley cost money to run, and BARLEY put out any heat. If you choose to, you can continue to use floros for flowering, just switch from 12 hours on, 12 hours off to induce flowering. However, I must express, this is when you should switch your light to an LED or HPS... The outcome will make a HUGE difference. But, like I said, You don't have to. You can still get a quality product off fluorescent lights. I would recommend buying a T5 4 tubed or 8 tubed 4FT long Floro set up. They are very efficient and work very well. I have 2 of them for my veg room in a 5x5 area. I believe they cost me about 100 bucks each from Hydro Farm? Hope this helps, and good luck!


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## cruisor (Feb 15, 2015)

What a great answer.  Very informative.  I'd really like to use high pressure sodium or metal halide but I really worry about the heat.  Which of these two options is the coolest and easiest to deal with?

I came up with an idea of cutting a hole in the closet and installing a 4" blower and put a Hose in the top of the cabinet.  My thinking is that this would pull the heat out of the cabinet and dump it into the crawl space in my home.  As for fresh air I can just pop the window open to get fresh air into the cabinet.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

cruisor


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## zem (Feb 15, 2015)

cruisor said:


> What a great answer.  Very informative.  I'd really like to use high pressure sodium or metal halide but I really worry about the heat.  Which of these two options is the coolest and easiest to deal with?
> 
> I came up with an idea of cutting a hole in the closet and installing a 4" blower and put a Hose in the top of the cabinet.  My thinking is that this would pull the heat out of the cabinet and dump it into the crawl space in my home.  As for fresh air I can just pop the window open to get fresh air into the cabinet.
> 
> ...



oh congratulations, you have just came up yourself with the proper way to vent any growroom. you need exhaust at the top of the room with holes for passive intakes, exactly how you imagined it, congrats again, i think that you have it in you  enjoy the ride


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## zem (Feb 15, 2015)

if you want to be serious about growing, you really need HPS or the proper LED setup which is very expensive. i am an advocate of HPS at this point in time. how big you need it depends on the size, you gave dimensions of 68x38x24 but didn't mention which is height. we need to know how many squared feet to calculate the lighting requirements


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 15, 2015)

cruisor said:


> What a great answer. Very informative. I'd really like to use high pressure sodium or metal halide but I really worry about the heat. Which of these two options is the coolest and easiest to deal with?
> 
> I came up with an idea of cutting a hole in the closet and installing a 4" blower and put a Hose in the top of the cabinet. My thinking is that this would pull the heat out of the cabinet and dump it into the crawl space in my home. As for fresh air I can just pop the window open to get fresh air into the cabinet.
> 
> ...




well, they are both around the same... MH is def. a bit cheaper to run but not by much.. They are both very efficient for growing, yet very expensive lights.. Thats why I reocmmend LED. They are pretty expensive for the initial cost, but will save you lots in the long run. For example you could drop 200-400 on a HPS and/or MH but pay 100-200 per month in PG&E or pay 600-1000 for your LED, and pay 30-80 a month in PG&E. (these numbers are educated estimates, I could be wrong, but nonetheless, are close enough). But, the LED's barley put out any heat, and they usually have built in fans to cool what heat it does emit. So, it really comes down to the funds you have available. Right now I use Floros for Veg. and HPS for flowering, but when I get the money to, I will def. switch to LED. It really depends on your preference. Sometimes my HPS keeps my grow room at perfect room temp. I usually turn it on at night and turn it off during the day, so that the natural temp from the day is around 75-80 with no light on. And at night, the light bumps it to around 65-75 at night due to the heat from the HPS. So you kinda have to decide depending on your environment and/or setup. YEs what you expressed seems perfect, you will def. need an intake and an exhaust. VERY VERY important for indoor growing. One thing I must add before I continue, is if you have adequate ventilation, it will take care of your heat problem.... For example, I have a 400CMF fan for my exhaust, I have a dial attached to it so that I can adjust the levels at will. When it's very hot, you turn your exhaust up until it balances out, to cold? Turn the exhaust down a  bit (within reason you still want adequate air flow for your plants) If it's too much to bare thats when you add an AC/Heater to the mix. With that said, your temps depend a lot on your air flow, and that seems to be the main reason your concerned about the heat, simply because you don't have adequate air flow.


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## cruisor (Feb 15, 2015)

I just figured out the square feet of my grow box.  It's 36 square feet.  The box is 68" high by 38" wide by 24" deep.

So if I decided to go with LED's what size array would I need?  

Can you recommend someone who I could trust for purchasing a LED light? After looking on EBAy there are so many folks trying to sell them.

Thanks again,

cruisor


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 15, 2015)

cruisor said:


> I just figured out the square feet of my grow box.  It's 36 square feet.  The box is 68" high by 38" wide by 24" deep.
> 
> So if I decided to go with LED's what size array would I need?
> 
> ...



the keen levels you want is at least 4000 lumens per sq. ft. But, preferably 5000 and above. 5000 per Sq ft. is more than efficient, but of course if you have more, it only gives better results. With that said 5000 x 36 = 180000 Lumens total. A 1k watt HPS puts out around 140-200k lumens. So for ample levels, you'll want something with the combination of 100-180k Lumens total. Search around on your lights, every single one will show how many lumens it puts out. Now keep in mind, you DONT have to do 5000 lumens per sq. ft. When I started I believe I was barley pushing 3000 per Sq.Ft. and was still satisfied with the outcome. But like I said, more lumenes = better product. Yield wise, and potency wise. As for the brands and where to get them, I'm not sure. I currently am shopping around myself for some LED's. I will be asking some close friend if they have any hook up or companies with efficient deals as well as products. When I do ill be sure to send it your way. Until then im sure someone else here can chime in and help you with where to buy and what not.


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## zem (Feb 16, 2015)

for 36 squared feet, you would need 3x 600w HPS and the fan should be around 500 cfm. The problem in LED is first to get the right one, because there are thousands of LED growlights that would not flower weed properly while claiming otherwise. It is not simply any LED light, and when you do get the right LED its consumption of power will be close to the HPS in flowering. LED still have a short road ahead, but they have come a long way. It is still not economical to grow using them but might soon become economical.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 16, 2015)

I think the guys here though have got the measurements wrong.  I believe that the 68" is the height and the 38 x 24 are the sq ft dimensions.  Dimensions are usually stated as length x width x height, so it can be confusing when the height is listed first.  So, I believe that we are looking at 6.33 sq ft (38" x 24")...is this correct as this makes a huge difference in everything.  And since I do not believe that you have a tent that is either 38 or 24" high, I am going to use the 6.33 sq ft for figuring lighting for you.

So, I am going with those dimensions.  Unfortunately, you are going to generate heat unless you have around $500 or so to spend just on LED lighting.  LEDs have come down a lot in price, but they are still expensive and there is still a lot of lying by the manufacturers and salespeople as to how much area they will cover.  When I was looking at LEDs, I was told (by someone who uses and knows LEDs) that I would need about 600W for a 7 sq ft tent.

While you can grow with CFLs, when you get as many as you need, they will generate more heat than HPS lighting, produce substantially less, cost more to run, and probably be more to purchase initially.  Let's look at 42W CFLs as they are common and readily available.  We use actual wattage when speaking of CFLs as the equivalent wattage is a useless figure and means nothing to plants.  These put out about 2600-2700 lumens.  A space of 6.33 sq ft is going to require 31,650 lumens for minimal lighting.  If using 42W CFL, you would need 12 42W CFLs to get to minimal lighting.  Add to this the cost of cords, sockets, and reflectors and you are in more money than a 400W HPS/MH.  The bulbs alone run about $10 each.  Then there is the added electrical cost each and every month--over 500W for 32,400 lumens.

Next let's look at fluorescent tube lighting.  While the T12 and the T8s have pretty much the same problems as the CFLs (too few lumens per watt and no penetration), T5 tube lighting is different.  It puts out about 50-60% more light per watt than other tube lighting.  It is about the same or a little better than MH at 92-100 lumens per watt.  T5s are my preferred lighting for vegging.  I recently purchased a 2' 12 tube T5 (288W) that puts out 30,000  lumens and have been very happy with it.  Something like that would leave you slightly underlit, but it would probably be your best, cheapest option.  And while it is far better than CFLs, it is still a long ways away from what a HPS can do for you.

HPS is my favorite for flowering and the choice of many others.  I personally find that I need the heat of the light during the winter or my space can get too cold.  For a space that size, a 400W with a digital ballast would be your best choice.  There are packages that come with the dimmable ballast, hangers, a cool tube reflector, timer, and both HPS and MH bulbs.  You can pick up a 400W HPS/MH combo for around $150-170 on Amazon.

You are going to need ventilation regardless of what light source you choose.  Ventilation is for more than heat control.  Plants need a continual supply of fresh air all the time the lights are on for proper photosynthesis.  This is accomplished with the use of a centrifuge type exhaust fan.  You also need an oscillating fan of some kind to move the air around.

I always try to let new growers know that this is not like growing veggies--there IS a reason that it is expensive.  Cannabis is finicky and it has certain wants and needs that must be met.  And it is not cheap to set up a proper grow.  Scrimping on light is about the worst thing you can do, but there are plenty of other things to trip you up along the way.  This is also a long process taking about 4 months start to finish.  And you can get 3-1/2 months in and have something happen that ruins your entire crop.

So, let us know what your budget is and we will try and give you the best advise we can to get your properly lit and set up.


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## zem (Feb 16, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I think the guys here though have got the measurements wrong.



well THG I admit that i never bothered measuring anything rather asked him to measure and give me the result, i guess that i will never be close to the thoroughness with which you read and reply. VERY impressive.

cruisor THG gave you the best advice, i would try to upsize the room to 8ft to make use of the 400w, i usually make it like 3x2.5 for each 400w.


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## Joe420Camel (Feb 16, 2015)

.

don't think LED give off -0- heat either
very true they are more efficient than other light sources but 
there is still plenty of heat to buildup in a small box and without proper ventilation it will damage your grow.
:48:


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## cruisor (Feb 17, 2015)

Thanks for a really definitive answer to my project.
 Yes the box is 68" high.  I've been doing a lot of reading in the last few days and see that a lot of folks built their grow box with two levels.  My initial thought has been to grow in 3 5 gallon buckets using the dwc concept and only 1 level.  I've been starting with seed and using a heat mat and one of the seed starting setups with a dome.  I've had good luck with this.  When they get big enough I put them into a net pot with the clay balls and then drip nutes to them after I moved them into the bubbleponics outfit.

So is the two compartment setup needed if I'm approaching it this way?  I was thinking of growing 3 big plants to increase the yield.  I've looked at some of the HP outfits for sale on ebay and after reading your reply am going to go to this.  I can afford this light setup and will put together a cooling system to accommodate.  I think I mentioned that I'm going to saw a 4" hole through the closet floor and mount the exhaust fan into the crawl space.  I'll also look at pulling fresh air from the crawl space as well.  Is a 4" exhaust fan enough to cool this 400 w light and keep the cabinet cool as well?

Thanks for every ones comments.  This will be a great build with the thoughts and ideas from all of you.

cruiser

PS

  I am using a  bubbleponics setup and my second grow is going so much better than my first shot.  I used two CFLS with reflectors and have added a 48"  t5 fixture for added light.  My grow room dictated that I had to point this light from the top of the tub and pointed to the underside of my two plants.  I keep the big leaves trimmed back to admit more light to more area of the plant.  Am going to have a much greater yield this time.

Okay back to lights.


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## cruisor (Feb 17, 2015)

Would it be okay to install a 600 watt lights in this grow box or is that too much light/heat.

Thanks,

cruisor


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 17, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I think the guys here though have got the measurements wrong.  I believe that the 68" is the height and the 38 x 24 are the sq ft dimensions.  Dimensions are usually stated as length x width x height, so it can be confusing when the height is listed first.  So, I believe that we are looking at 6.33 sq ft (38" x 24")...is this correct as this makes a huge difference in everything.  And since I do not believe that you have a tent that is either 38 or 24" high, I am going to use the 6.33 sq ft for figuring lighting for you.



Ya I assumed he meant inches not ft.. Shoulda asked. 

Regardless listen to everything THG says, shes one of the most experienced growers here.



Joe420Camel said:


> .
> 
> don't think LED give off -0- heat either
> very true they are more efficient than other light sources but
> ...


  Ya Just in case your refering to my resonses, I never said they would  emit 0 heat. Just said they are very low in heat compared to a HPS



cruisor said:


> Would it be okay to install a 600 watt lights in this grow box or is that too much light/heat.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> cruisor


  I believe a 600 watt would be fine in your area. however, you have to keep in mind your ventilation. It will get really hot with a 600 watt, but I'd use at least a 600 if I had your dimensions (thats just me) But it may get very hot, keep in mind you may need to vent that hot air out. I recomend buying a light that comes with an air cooled hood, so that it not only suckes out the air from your room outside the grow room, it also pulls the heat right off your light bulb outside as well. Good luck!


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## Dman1234 (Feb 18, 2015)

If you have the funds this light (LED) would kill in that box.

http://www.mars-hydro.com/reflector-led-grow-light-144-3w-100.html


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 18, 2015)

For some reason this site won't let me submit an edit to my previous post off my iphone?? So I guess I'll just post it in a new message. One thing I wanted to mention is THG is correct, in my stoned mind state I accidentally gave you the formula to calculate Area... The formula for sq.ft. Is length x width. Then you multiply that number by 5000, and that will be your prime total of lumens needed.

Now to this as I never seen it till now, woops


cruisor said:


> Thanks for a really definitive answer to my project.
> Yes the box is 68" high.  I've been doing a lot of reading in the last few days and see that a lot of folks built their grow box with two levels.  My initial thought has been to grow in 3 5 gallon buckets using the dwc concept and only 1 level.  I've been starting with seed and using a heat mat and one of the seed starting setups with a dome.  I've had good luck with this.  When they get big enough I put them into a net pot with the clay balls and then drip nutes to them after I moved them into the bubbleponics outfit.
> 
> So is the two compartment setup needed if I'm approaching it this way?  I was thinking of growing 3 big plants to increase the yield.  I've looked at some of the HP outfits for sale on ebay and after reading your reply am going to go to this.  I can afford this light setup and will put together a cooling system to accommodate.  I think I mentioned that I'm going to saw a 4" hole through the closet floor and mount the exhaust fan into the crawl space.  I'll also look at pulling fresh air from the crawl space as well.  Is a 4" exhaust fan enough to cool this 400 w light and keep the cabinet cool as well?
> ...



So you say starting with a dwc builds then switching to a drip system? You might as well just stick with a dwc if you know how to properly do one, or both a DWC and a top feed drip system. 
Not sure why you'd switch? Or did you mean that you were gonna add the extra top feed into your dwc build after the plants get started?  Also, what do you mean by 2 levels? Do you mean 2 separate rooms? Such as a vegetation room and a flowering room? Other than that not sure what you mean by 2 levels? Also, bubble phonics? What's this?? Are you talking about a mini areoponics system? If so what size? Is it for clones only? Or meant for a mature plant? When it comes to hydro, you should just stick your clones in Netpots of hydroton from the get go. You can either top feed or use them in a DWC. 
Also one thing I must point out, using a 600 watt in that space, look into LST(low stress training) and into "scrog". These methods  will significantly help with tall plants and utilizing the area at hand. As for the 4inch ducting, for a 400 watt should be ok. Usually for a 400-1000 watt you want at least 6 inch or bigger, so I feel 4 inch should be fine, might be pushin it a bit. I would recommend 6 inch tho. Hope this answers your questions, I must commend you though! I can tell by your responses youvd learned a lot just within the past week! So far so good man! Keep it up!!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 18, 2015)

A space that is only 68" tall is not tall enough to have a lower and an upper section.  So. I would stick with a 1 section space.  

I think a 600 is overkill for a space that is only 6.33 sq ft.  However if you think that you might want to go bigger in the near future, get a dimmable 600W and run it lower.  There is a limit to the amount of light a plant can use.  More light is only good yup to a certain point.  And a 600W in a space that size is going to create massive amounts of heat that will be really hard to deal with.  A 400W is still going to give you pleanty of light.  If you get a 400W, I would get a 4" exhaust fan.  If you go to the 600W, I would get a 6" exhaust fan.  

Use the T5, not the CFLs as your primary light--it emits way more light per watt than the CFLs. 

I also do not quite understand the hydro system you are talking about, either.  Do you want to do drip or do you want to do DWC?


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## cruisor (Feb 18, 2015)

Okay I think I'm getting myself confused with all the great information I'm receiving.

So to clarify what I want to accomplish here goes.

The grow box is 68" , 24 deep, 38 wide.  I want to use 3 5 gallon pails and grow three large plants so that I have a larger yield for each grow.  I've got to get away from paying for my weed.

I'm now on my second grow with the Bubbleponics system and though the first grow did not produce much I sure gained alot of experience about what not to do.  This second grow is going great and I'll have much more weed this time.  I like to use this outfit but wanted to add another setup so I can produce more and also to have a grow in veg state and flower state at the same time.  Hence the idea of building a grow cabinet.

From my reading the idea of growing 3 larger plants in the DWC method sounds like something I can do and manage.  I'll be putting this cabinet in a closet.  I'll be able to vent it with an exhaust fan that will be vented into the crawl space of my home.  I'm going to use the 400 w kit.  I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on this in particular what kind of reflector would be best and here's the site http://www.ebay.com/itm/400w-HPS-MH...omplete-400-watt-/271052327597#ht_13830wt_917

I'll add light proof vents at the bottom of the cabinet as well.  Any thought on how to lightproof these vents would be appreciated.  

I also will add another vent hole and duct for the light at the top of the cabinet for fresh air and cooling air drawn from my crawl space.  Even during the summer the crawl space offers relatively cool air for cooling.

If anyone has had dealings with other companies for purchasing lights and such I'd also appreciate any recommendations.

Okay I think I've got this mapped out now.  I was really glad to see recommendations on the lighting aspect of this.  The 400 w light will be adequat for my needs and I feel more comfortable as far as heat is concerned.  

I'm going to go  change my lighting around to take advantage of the T5 fixture on my current grow.

My thanks to all who have responded to my quest.  I hope there will be more advice coming as I work my way throught this.  I'm sure other folks are reading this as well.

cruisor


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## Dman1234 (Feb 18, 2015)

Your going to need to consider what reflector will fit in the box, you are 24 inches wide so keep that in mind, also on the length, because of the ducting you will need space on each end and you are 36 long.

As for light proof intake I have a raised cabinet, on legs, i drilled several  2 inch holes in the bottom then added a sub floor in it raised up 3 inchs with offset holes, no light leaks in and very little to no light leaks out.


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 18, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> A space that is only 68" tall is not tall  enough to have a lower and an upper section.  So. I would stick with a 1  section space.
> 
> I think a 600 is overkill for a space that is only 6.33 sq ft.  However  if you think that you might want to go bigger in the near future, get a  dimmable 600W and run it lower.  There is a limit to the amount of light  a plant can use.  More light is only good yup to a certain point.  And a  600W in a space that size is going to create massive amounts of heat  that will be really hard to deal with.  A 400W is still going to give  you pleanty of light.  If you get a 400W, I would get a 4" exhaust fan.   If you go to the 600W, I would get a 6" exhaust fan.
> 
> ...



wait  a minute... It's only 6.5 Sq.Ft?! I deeply apologies, i completely  misunderstood the dimensions... I thought it was around 5 to 6 Ft. tall,  with around 110-15 Sq.Ft... I may have skimmed or confused myself while  reading your dimensions... But for only 6.5 sq ft. I completely agree,  big time over kill... 



cruisor said:


> Okay I think I'm getting myself confused with all the great information I'm receiving.
> 
> So to clarify what I want to accomplish here goes.
> 
> ...



The grow box is 68" , 24 deep, 38 wide.  

See I completely thought you put (') not (").... ah my stoned mind... For some reason I thought your dimensions were way bigger... I figured they wornt ft. but for some reason got the calculations of a 3x4x6 room in FT. lol. SO sorry man i really didn't mean to cause confusion...
anyways, as for the grow cabinet and your bubbleponics, mind posting some pictures? In fact, picture of your whole setup? Would greatly help...
AS for your 2 rooms, thats what I thought you meant by 2 sections. I would firmly agree, as it cutts out a whole months time of vegg off of your growing time spand. Instead of 3-3.5 months, will take 2.5 with the same yields. Of course that is if you veg a month, no more no less.
As for your your plants, Due to your dimensions, I would honestly recommend putting only 1 instead of 3. When it comes to indoor, more plants, doesn't mean more bud. Theres times where I've gotten more bud off 3 plants in my 5x5 setup than I did when I had 12 in there..  As for the light traps I made some for my drying unit. Made completely out of card board, it will just confuse you if I explain it, so later on when I have more time Ill try to upload drawings or pics of what I did and how it works. Super cheap and very effective. It does however decrease your airflow a bit... As for recommendation of lighting and growing equip, the only products I've really messed with is hydro Farm. Otherwise "general Hydroponics" or random stuff off ebay and local stores lol.  Ok, back to your light, if you put a 400 Watt, your getting about 55000 lumens. In the dimensions you have, your putting out about 9821.4 lumens per SQ FT. Which is WAY BIG! Its not that it's bad, it will grow very good and fast, but your height is what concerns me... especially with that many lumens within that space, its going to overgrow your box.. especially with 3 plants.. You will def. have to constantly LST and Scrog. Could you possibly show pictures of at least the box? I know you don't have all this set up yet, but pictures would really help.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 19, 2015)

EsC, I made the same mistake at first and had a whole long thing written before I went back up and reread the post.  Those of us that work with measurements just get used to things being expressed as L x W x H.

Although 2 spaces are nice, I do not think that a height of 68" gives you enough space to do that.  I had a cabinet 90" that I was going to use for 2 spaces, but circumstances changed and I am using a 32" x 32" tent. However, I even worried about that not being tall enough.

There is a point that more light does nothing but increase heat.  I have found that with my circumstances and the way I grow, I do not benefit much when my light gets over about 7500-8000 lumens per sq ft.  Some people may have different results.  But I have found that I get no better growth from a single 1000W in an 18 sq ft space than I do when using 2 600W.

Of course, one of the benefits of a digital dimmable ballast or a ballast that uses different wattage bulbs is that you can run at a lower wattage and then go up if you decide to go bigger.


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## cruisor (Feb 19, 2015)

Hiya dman1234 and The Hemp Goddess and all who have worked on this project with me.

I took your advice dman12134!!  After looking and reading all the advise proffered here from everyone and I just purchased the Mars Hydro Reflector LED Grow Light 144x3W.  This seems to be a great solution to the heat problem I know is coming with the other lights.  I do realize that I'll still have to take care of ventilation and heat removal but on the other hand I now won't have to worry about burning the house down.  This is important!!  I'm feeling that I'll get a good grow and the purchase of additional parts and pieces will be minimal.  Now I can get focused on finishing my grow cabinet.  I'd like to share pictures of this as I finish it.  So in the next week or so I'll post a bunch of pictures of it and then share the first grow with everyone.  This should be great fun.

Now that I've finally got a light source any additional suggestions would be appreciated.  It seemed like the whole problem was centered around heat and now I can focus on ventilation.  I saw some pictures of another guys cabinet and he used PVC elbows and a length of pipe that looked like it was about a foot long.  He had at least 5 of these exiting the cabinet.  He felt that this would not permit light to enter and provided the vents for fresh air to enter.  Looked like a good idea to me.

Hope to hear more from everyone.  This has been a great experience for me as I've not had the response from other places that I've asked questions.  There is a lot of great experience here and I hope to be able to add to that one of these days.  Will be fun to share a grow as well.  I'll be able to learn lots of good technique!!

Thanks,

cruisor


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## EsC420PoT (Feb 21, 2015)

See, the thing about that, is it's still possible for light to get threw to an extent, (depending on your set up and where it's located) I'm not sure if what that guy did was efficient, but it just seems like light would still get threw to me.. Heres what I did, I made it about a foot long, and attached a couple computer fans on it (which I wouldn't recommend... Attach an adequate air flow to it) I only did Computer fans, as this was just for a tiny drying unit, you'll want more for an actual set up, and with that said, (if you choose to copy this design) I'd probably ,make it around 2 ft. Whether you use this design or not, it will at least give you a good understanding and a good method to creating a light trap. 

View attachment Light trap.JPG


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## zem (Feb 23, 2015)

i agree with Esc420 about the light trap, with just one elbow and a ft long pipe, that light would still go through. one of the most challenging tasks for my growroom was to make it 100% light proof and i had to do something a bit similar to esc420's diagram. you have another good option that is to buy 4" black irrigation hoses if you can find it and just make several holes. these would block 100% of the light because the entire hose is curved and would allow easier airflow because there are no sharp angles. you would be surprised to see by how much a 90 degree elbow diminishes the airflow


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 23, 2015)

Make something similar to an S-trap or a P-trap that is used in plumbing.  The p-trap design should contain the light, but if it doesn't, do an s-trap.  Semi flexible ducting can be bent into the space you want and it will stay that way.  This should effectively keep the light in.  IMO, the box that esc has shown has too many baffles and the air flow will diminish significantly with that many 180 degree turns.


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## cruisor (Feb 23, 2015)

I think I'll make a trip to HD today and see what they offer in the plumbing section.  I also wanted to say I've finally finished the frame for my grow box and I painted it white of course.  I also am using a shiny white wall board or panel.  The covering  looks like plastic and should reflect light like crazy.  Will get some pictures today of it.

I have not decided on a door yet.  I've seem some that looked like aluminum covered bubble pack material.  Does anyone know the name of this stuff?  I thought I might try velcro to keep the door in place and then just roll it up to take care of my girls.  Any other ideas out there?

Thanks all for the great suggestions.  I feel like this is going to be a super successful project.  I sure have enjoyed it.

cruisor


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## zem (Feb 26, 2015)

i have a 10ft 4" flexible duct and cant tell what length i should be cutting it to contain light, i was thinking, 1 ft, but not sure if that is enough. THG can you throw in your suggestion please?


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## Kraven (Feb 26, 2015)

I'm using a 400 watt MH/HPS in a 39"x39" area ( ~9 sq ft.) and I get phenomenal results. And my combo ballast came with two bulbs for around $200. I have used hortilux bulbs and also the $28  ones and have seen no noticeable difference in crop quality. Just my two cents.


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## cruisor (Feb 27, 2015)

Thanks for  your thoughts Kravenhead.  I've went ahead and committed to a Mars Hydro Reflector LED Grow Light 144x3W.  I hate to part with that much money but this light will help quell my concerns with heat and power consumption.  I like in a place where there are still DRY counties.  Hard to believe I can't get a drink when we go out to eat!  I do have to be careful as far as growing my own.

cruisor


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