Welcome to the Growery Message Board! You are experiencing a small sample of what the site has to offer. Please login or register to post messages and view our exclusive members-only content. You'll gain access to additional forums, file attachments, board customizations, encrypted private messages, and much more!
|
 Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
 camelslaper13
Stranger
Registered: 07/08/11
Posts: 11
Last seen: 13 years, 24 days
|
 Thermoelectrically Cooled Grow Box? 
#573333 - 07/20/11 09:34 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
So I'm starting to put together a file cabinet grow box. It's just a 2 drawer design. Problem is in my prior experience with a grow tent the damn thing would get up in the nineties in the summer. And that is with LED lights. So now that I'm working with a much smaller volume, and CFL's, I fear this may become a more concentrated problem.
I've got two 60 CFM computer blower exhaust fans that I'll put up by the lights with a homemade carbon filter, and one fan I'll put on the bottom for intake. I've got a small homemade DWC with 5 sites (I'll use the middle one for adding water). I'm probably going to do a mini-SCROG. For lights I've got three 26 watt 1700 lumen CFL's in both veg and bloom spectrum, and one 26 watt UVB CFL. These will all be horizontal in sockets plugged into a power strip on the top. I'm thinking of putting a piece of glass under the lights to direct air flow across them into the exhaust. As soon as it's together I'll post some pics.
Even with a max of 120 CFM moving over the lights (which will be much less with a carbon scrubber) the ambient temperature upstairs might be to much for the plants. I'll start this project simple but if the plants are too stressed this is my plan:
I'm gonna take say, a 250 watt TEC (thermoelectric cooler) and put a heatsink on each side. I'll put a blower (like the ones I'm already using) on the hot side, and put this side in a small box that will mount in the corner of the file cabinet, and pull air in a vent in the back and blow it out a vent in the bottom. This will isolate the hot sides cooling system to outside the box. On the cool side of the TEC will be the intake fan, pulling air in from the bottom (which will be ported somehow away from the hot exhaust) and blowing it over the cool heatsink, cooling the air. The intake fan will stay on, but the TEC and it's cooling fan will be hooked to a thermostat.
Basically what I'd be doing is making a small thermoelectric ice box as you can buy to put drinks in. Except instead of circulating cool air already inside it would cool incoming air.
One problem I foresee is condensation collecting on the cool side. Adequate air flow should prevent ice, but a collection reservoir may have to be changed regularly, or perhaps just drained into the DWC, maybe I won't need to add water as often.
So what do you guys think? I've considered CO2 to help them handle the heat but that requires the air exchange to be on a timer which could increase temps more. If this works I might build a similar rig for my tent, but with a 500 watt TEC. Beats buying a real air conditioner.
I've also thought about using a similar system to counter the warming effects of an ultrasonic fogger, to make small scale fogponics practical without boiling your roots.
|
 brainsOplenty
ganja farmer
 
Registered: 05/14/11
Posts: 769
Loc: zion
|
Re: Thermoelectrically Cooled Grow Box? [Re: camelslaper13]
#574373 - 07/24/11 03:03 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
sounds awful complicated and pricey for a filing cabinet. 
--------------------
it's written right here.
it's absolutely clear.
the ganja herb is the healing of the nation.
 
|
camelslaper13
Stranger
Registered: 07/08/11
Posts: 11
Last seen: 13 years, 24 days
|
Re: Thermoelectrically Cooled Grow Box? [Re: brainsOplenty]
#574408 - 07/24/11 05:38 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
It does sound kind of complicated, but it's really just two fans blowing against a TEC. And using the fans I already have it should only cost 35 bucks for the TEC, 2 heatsinks, and a cheap thermostat. Cheaper than an air conditioner.
For the ability to grow 4 discrete, dank, unstressed plants in hydro I'd say it's worth it. I only spent about 60 bucks on the rest of the stuff anyway.
And seriously, it's been really fucking hot here lately, gets around 100 in that room. It would be like leaving babies in a hot car  .
|
camelslaper13
Stranger
Registered: 07/08/11
Posts: 11
Last seen: 13 years, 24 days
|
Re: Thermoelectrically Cooled Grow Box? [Re: camelslaper13]
#577271 - 08/08/11 07:12 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Built a carbon scrubber. Window screen, an Arizona tea can, a cookie tin, tape and aquarium charcoal. Packed it a little tight and the inside bulged in a little. Couldn't hurt though. I'm putting a blower on each end.
Edited by camelslaper13 (08/08/11 07:20 PM)
| |
|
|
 |
|
an idea for a small stealth grow box |
 Pilze |
8,498 |
4 |
07/14/11 11:30 AM
by 484 | |
|
Mini fridge grow box build, would like some input.Hello all, I am about to begin construction on my |
 sirjon937 |
4,695 |
3 |
06/13/10 03:48 PM
by sirjon937 | |
|
Making a grow box |
484 |
2,535 |
0 |
07/13/11 11:11 PM
by 484 | |
|
Mini-Fridge Grow Box
(  1 2 all ) |
Purplekush |
69,799 |
25 |
03/17/12 11:40 AM
by Miscusi | |
 |
HELP! Need info on making a grow box |
 kissablemilklight |
9,104 |
8 |
09/23/10 07:12 PM
by weedgrwr | |
|
grow-box
( 1 2 all ) |
harrypothead |
10,245 |
23 |
03/19/11 12:12 PM
by harrypothead | |
|
Grow box question |
 Stan Hansen |
4,734 |
13 |
10/08/09 12:16 PM
by God | |
|
Building a PC Stealth Grow Box.
( 1 2 all ) |
 spacemonkey69 |
23,613 |
36 |
02/09/10 04:24 AM
by DudeTron |
|
|
|
|
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
Edit 
Reply 
