Is This a Good Place To Grow?

[The Hemp Goddess]

yeah i got some seeds from a bag. but it was a bag of uk cheese which is pretty good ****. so i figured i cud skip ordering seeds unti this one is is grown. ima go check out the set up stuff. i still gotta get pots and stuff. but how wud i knowif my ballast is air cooled? its got little vents on it

I would worry about using bagseeds from a bag of high quality smoke that should be sensimillia. Keep a really close eye out for hermies.

I do not believe that you are going to be able to keep your space cool without an air cooled hood.

 

[PencilHead]

You have a ballast and a light shield, but the sheild doesn't appear to have a glass panel over it. Do you have the glass? If you do, then the hood can be air-cooled.

The biggest problem I see is that all my hoods whether 400's or 600's are 20 inches or so, well over the foot and a half you say you have for width. Other words: your hood may not even fit in that closet.

Don't fret and don't give up--the first challenge you face in this sport is engineering. We've all been there. Do it right and don't burn your house down.

Luck and peace.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Hi,

Welcome to MP... I'm a long time closet grower and like the other MP peeps mentioned cooling is going to be your #1 challenge. Ime, it just isn't possible to use a 1K in a closet space without getting either an air-cooled conventional hood or a cool tube design fixture. And diablo might be able to get away with hanging the lights high to keep heat away from the canopy being in a 15 x 15 room but a closet is a much tighter situation and personally I wouldn't want my lights so far from my developing buds. A 1K's optimum penetration range is about 36" from the bulb and if you can pull heat off your 1K bulb you can keep your plants within 10-12" of a 1K bulb and in a closet it's very possible with some training and pruning to keep ALL of your developing buds within the 36" optimum range of the light and you'll get extremely well developed buds throughout your canopy and not just at the top 1/3 of the plant. Without VERY robust ventilation temps in the closet will easily shoot up near or over 100º... MUCH too hot for your plants.

:ignore: I use a 1K HPS and a 6 tube T5 fluorescent fixture in a 2 x 4 x 8 closet...:hubba: BUT I use a cool tube style reflector and a 6", 630 cfm fan to pull the heat directly off the 1K bulb. I run my fan from the attic and have a hole in my closet ceiling that feeds 6" duct from the fan into my closet. I have a 4" passive intake hole I also made down low in my closet. With my fan going I'm able to keep temps in the low to mid 70s in my bloom closet as long as the temps in that bedroom are keep around 70 or cooler. In the summer I have to use a window a/c unit to keep temps in that bedroom cool but this time of year it's much easier and I use a Speedster motor speed controller on my 630cfm fan and only have to run it at about 70% to keep temps nice and cool in my closet.

So... I'd suggest at the very least putting a hole in your closet ceiling and buying a very strong fan to pull hot air out of your closet and exhaust it out of one of the vents on your roof. When you use a fan to pull air out of your closet, fresh cool air will rush in any intake as as thru cracks in the door, walls and floor to replace the exhausted air... If you fire up a 1K in there without pulling the hot air out the temps will be silly hot...

Also... you should think about odor control too if being stealth and out of one of the county's orange jump suits is a priority... I have a 30 lb carbon filter that I have in my ventilation chain before my cool tube fixture. My fan pulls the odor laden air first thru my carbon filter and then thru the cool tube and I exhaust the hot, odor free air right into my attic... and there is absolutely NO smell up there...

Anyhooo... Keep reading and taking in all the info you possibly can... You can have a great personal grow setup in your closet with some planning and the right gear. One other thing I use to deal with my closet temps is a Quantum dimmable 1K ballast... I can run it at 100% (1K), 75% (750w) or 50% (500w) and each step in wattage is cooler to run. Here are some pics of my setup to give you some ideas... OH BOY the fun really starts now...

Happy Growing!

 

[minimafiaaj]

Hi,

Welcome to MP... I'm a long time closet grower and like the other MP peeps mentioned cooling is going to be your #1 challenge. Ime, it just isn't possible to use a 1K in a closet space without getting either an air-cooled conventional hood or a cool tube design fixture. And diablo might be able to get away with hanging the lights high to keep heat away from the canopy being in a 15 x 15 room but a closet is a much tighter situation and personally I wouldn't want my lights so far from my developing buds. A 1K's optimum penetration range is about 36" from the bulb and if you can pull heat off your 1K bulb you can keep your plants within 10-12" of a 1K bulb and in a closet it's very possible with some training and pruning to keep ALL of your developing buds within the 36" optimum range of the light and you'll get extremely well developed buds throughout your canopy and not just at the top 1/3 of the plant. Without VERY robust ventilation temps in the closet will easily shoot up near or over 100º... MUCH too hot for your plants.

:ignore: I use a 1K HPS and a 6 tube T5 fluorescent fixture in a 2 x 4 x 8 closet...:hubba: BUT I use a cool tube style reflector and a 6", 630 cfm fan to pull the heat directly off the 1K bulb. I run my fan from the attic and have a hole in my closet ceiling that feeds 6" duct from the fan into my closet. I have a 4" passive intake hole I also made down low in my closet. With my fan going I'm able to keep temps in the low to mid 70s in my bloom closet as long as the temps in that bedroom are keep around 70 or cooler. In the summer I have to use a window a/c unit to keep temps in that bedroom cool but this time of year it's much easier and I use a Speedster motor speed controller on my 630cfm fan and only have to run it at about 70% to keep temps nice and cool in my closet.

So... I'd suggest at the very least putting a hole in your closet ceiling and buying a very strong fan to pull hot air out of your closet and exhaust it out of one of the vents on your roof. When you use a fan to pull air out of your closet, fresh cool air will rush in any intake as as thru cracks in the door, walls and floor to replace the exhausted air... If you fire up a 1K in there without pulling the hot air out the temps will be silly hot...

Also... you should think about odor control too if being stealth and out of one of the county's orange jump suits is a priority... I have a 30 lb carbon filter that I have in my ventilation chain before my cool tube fixture. My fan pulls the odor laden air first thru my carbon filter and then thru the cool tube and I exhaust the hot, odor free air right into my attic... and there is absolutely NO smell up there...

Anyhooo... Keep reading and taking in all the info you possibly can... You can have a great personal grow setup in your closet with some planning and the right gear. One other thing I use to deal with my closet temps is a Quantum dimmable 1K ballast... I can run it at 100% (1K), 75% (750w) or 50% (500w) and each step in wattage is cooler to run. Here are some pics of my setup to give you some ideas... OH BOY the fun really starts now...

Happy Growing!

thx alot thats was very helpful i was thinking about having it run to my attic. but i for the life of me couldn't figure out what that tubing is called that your using. could you tell me? lol i was getting ready to build a carbon scrubber to help with the smell.. also to whoever said it wont fit. it does fit maybe my measurements where wrong

 

[legalize_freedom]

DOS knows what he's talking about...follow those pics and instructions...you'll be all set.

 

[minimafiaaj]

alright i gotta invest a little more money then i originally thought. idk what a 30lb carbon filter is but can i buy them?

 

[minimafiaaj]

if you can keep your environment ample for that closet and have access to all the required nutes you can possibly get up to a qp per plant. in my rooms i am up to 1lb4oz per 1000w light.

DAAAAMN lol how tall do your plants get i was gonna get 5 gallon pots thinking i could get a 5ft plant thinking that would yield alot...is that foolish of me to think?

 

[Jericho]

if your handy ive seen some diy on other forums on how to make a carbon filter from a car air filter, bag of activated carbon and some pvc pipe. otherwise you can find them on ebay as well.

 

[minimafiaaj]

if your handy ive seen some diy on other forums on how to make a carbon filter from a car air filter, bag of activated carbon and some pvc pipe. otherwise you can find them on ebay as well.

yeah i got a tutorial on one, these things just let the smoke out but odorless?

 

[Jericho]

yeh, will make sure that your attic (if you vent into there) doesnt smell to bad. Its a very handy thing to have as well. was watching a program yesterday on how you can smell a grow room from your neighborers house if you not careful .

 

[MindzEye]

If you look at the type of hood he has they sell an attachment for that hood to make it air coolable!! It doesnt have glass but it gets exauhst air moving past the bulb

 

[minimafiaaj]

If you look at the type of hood he has they sell an attachment for that hood to make it air coolable!! It doesnt have glass but it gets exauhst air moving past the bulb

you know where i can get that attachment?

 

[Jericho]

IMO if he is using a 1000w bulb thou he is gonna need it to be sealed in that closet.

 

[MindzEye]

Wow a 1k in a standard 2x4 closet! Hope you have some fan power!! I think a cool tube would be the best in there.. I think Hydrofarm makes that hood, if you want the attachment i would start on their website...

 

[legalize_freedom]

your definately going to have heat problems without a cool tube or an air cooled hood.

 

[minimafiaaj]

so if i just use fans and stuff it wouldnt be enough? id need an air cooled hood or a cool tube.

also this isn't a air cooled hood?

 

[legalize_freedom]

No you can get an atatchment for that, like Mindzeye said, look in whoever made your light, you should be able to order the duct attatchment, and then hook a duct to your reflector, and a can fan blowing it out of the room...you can do it with that, you just need all the parts

 

[minimafiaaj]

No you can get an atatchment for that, like Mindzeye said, look in whoever made your light, you should be able to order the duct attatchment, and then hook a duct to your reflector, and a can fan blowing it out of the room...you can do it with that, you just need all the parts

im checking there site now, i dont see a specific attachment for it tho. all i see is the ducting itself...and the fan your talking about would it be like this?

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aqua/...E&title=Components / Accessories&type=product

 

[legalize_freedom]

Yeah thats the fan you want, but you need one rated for whatever size your grow is in cubic ft. you need to be able to exchange the air in your grow every 5 minutes as a minimum, but I strive to change mine out every 3 minutes. Your best bet on the attatchments is probably to call them and let them know what your light model is. I have one from sunlight supply, that I made an attatchment, because I lost one in a move. I'm a metal worker though, and have access to all the tools.

 

[minimafiaaj]

alright i will prob try making one myself, my friend is pretty handy so i'll see if he can do it. also tell me if im wrong, the glass thing over the hood is just so it can contain the hot air it needs to blow out? if that is so couldn't i just measure the shade and get glass to fit it? also what is the cfm again?