naturall_mystic

THis will have to be in several posts starting with the 'Stealth Grow Box' design made with Photoshop. Then we can move on to the actual 'stealth' construction which has a great deal mor information than the picture can provide.

I am on my way to earning that coveted Avatar so here goes....

My requirements were as such:

1.) It must be Stealth.
Except for you fellow grow guys and gals nobody knows.
(The only way to keep a secret is not to tell it, I always say.)

2.) It must be prepared for an attic installation. Meaning it must be able to provide a grow enviroment in both attic freezing and summer sweltering temperatures.

3.) It must fit in the space available. (Duh)

4.) It must be able to be taken apart in short order.

5.) It must have great air exchange.

6.) Must be great for growing the herb.

Keep in mind I spent months lurking about here and other sites reading and learning. Thanks to all those who came before me.

Here is the initial design picture.

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naturall_mystic

Construction:

Insulated modular panels using 1/4" plywood and 3/4" pink rigid foam insulation:

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plainsman1963

Is 35 and 1/2 inches going to cut it once you factor in the size of the containers?

naturall_mystic

Hi Plains!

Seems you hang around hear about the same time I do.

I hope 35.5 inches in grow space height will cut it for these two reasons.

1.) I have already built this box, pics to come.
2.) It is the only space I have.

(Though I have considered having the furnace moved to make room for a really good grow space. )

I have 4 plants growing in there now (day 40 of vegitative growth phase, not yet sexed) and am (LST) training them in a spiral. They look pretty good. I still have lots of head room so we shall see. When I have finished this thread I am going to do a thread in the growth section documenting this, my first, grow. Be it good or bad. Hopefully there will be something in it we can all learn from.

When it seems time to flower I have some superbud, if necessary I will use it to stop the upward strech.

I just took these two pics a few minutes ago. They are still in one gallon pots. Plains, your thoughts will be appreciated: I respect experience.

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naturall_mystic

Now on with the construction thought process:

I figured if I could create a box that could hold temperature you know like a thermos or refrigerator) then I could pretty easily provide it with suitable temperature air as needed. My thought was to have a large blower so that I could pull as much, or more, temperature controlled air from a living space, then if needed, I could either cool or heat the box supplementally needed.

I started testing this box when it was quite hot outside, and in the attic, since the air source for the box came from an air conditioned room the box internal temperatures stayed between 70 and 80 degrees.
Now that is cold outside and in the attic, again, since the air source is coming from a living space, but now that air is heated air, the box intrernal temperatures are staying between 65 and 80.
I found that the slower I run the blower the warmer the box is. There is a circulating fan in the box blowing on the plants, so long as there is some fresh air being introduced, the plants get plenty of air movement and enough fresh co2 and oxygen, so all is well.

I think I am getting a little ahead of myself though...

Next: The "Needed Items List" and construction notes.....

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naturall_mystic

This is nearly complete purchase list of what is needed for the Above grow box.

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naturall_mystic

The next couple of posts have pics of the actual box in action....

This is a picture of the completed box looking in with the door open. Externally the box isn't much to look at. It is just a big white box.

You can see the light fixture, which is sitting in a recessed space, on the light shelf. Adjustment is made by adding shelf support clips and physically lifting or lowering the shelf to the desired position. The flaw in this design is one rattels the bulb a bit in the process of lifting or lowering the light shelf which couldn't be good for the life of the bulb, and your hands and arms have a lot of light exposure, which I understand is not very good for you.

Having already had skin cancer several times and prefering not to have unecessary exposure to UV rays I have ordered a set of light yo yos to raise and lower the light shelf with.

NOTE: The holes in the light shelf allow the air that enters the bottom of the cabinet to circulate to the exhaust vent, which is that big black dot at the top of the picture.

The cabinet walls are 1 1/4" thick and those pots are 1 gallon size to give you an idea of scale.

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naturall_mystic

More to come in the next couple of days...

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naturall_mystic

Well I had some time after all so here are a couple of pics...


Grow Box support equipment. As you can see this is an attic somewhere in the world. The blue thing is a Fantech blower connected to the box (exhaust side) via an insulated duct. In the foreground you can see the fan rheostat and the switchable ballast for the 400w light.



The picture below is a view of the box with the door leaning up against it. The door is completely removeable so that access to the interior is unrestricted.



More later on the actual construction process.

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n_d_shadows

looks like one hell of a design. there is one thing that needs mentioning though, CO2 falls. Since you are pulling all your fresh air from the ceiling of a room i doubt the CO2 levels are that high. You may consider finding a way to suppliment it.
Also Im curious, how do you plan on growing in this box in the future? I see where you say you are training them, do you plan any other techniques in there be it SOG or scrog?


regardless man, that is an excellent personal stash grow box. I hope it serves you well.

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