That's awesome... I grew up on an organic farm so I know all about composting and such... I've never been sucessful in getting my soil to be perfect for indoor growing though. It always ends up having bugs and mites in it that ruin my indoor grow... but it makes killer potting soil for tomatoes and peppers . I'm all about the love :love4:
Ducting holesFinally I found some time to do a few things. One of the things that needed doing was to use my new tool to cut the holes for the ducts. For this I remembered that if I take a string the length of the radius and teather a pen that I could go around and draw a circle the right size. Well I did draw circles but my pen slipped a few times. In the end I had three useful holes. One can draw all they want but better cut only once. As for the new B&D hand saw. Small jobs are the thing. 1/4 inch plywood was a snap. After a long day I ordered dinner , ate then took a nap. I have more energy now so I will continue uploading pictures and making posts. You know if posting is a chore then you are plenty tired. /monthly_2006_10/Duct_circle_1.jpg.eeb4774706a772f1b8f7799520b49196.jpg /monthly_2006_10/Duct_circle_2.jpg.01e3f5e9e89408f71c2af8b3cf1e5e6a.jpg /monthly_2006_10/Duct_circle_3.jpg.a2d807ea70e304caf26a6a2245a2dc00.jpg /monthly_2006_10/pizza.jpg.7089c3e9f91406af8276bfaacabf9c2c.jpg
Upper & lower linersAfter taping up the lower liners ( pic 1 ) I installed the upper liner (pic 2 ) I used the T50 stapler with 1/4 inch staples to secure it to the wall and ceiling. My goal is to is to enclose the area enough that spraying the walls with a water hose isn't a problem. It also makes me feel good about odor control. I know from experience that I like to lean in and work so I added a ledge (pic 3 ) This is a design that I used in my first room and it worked well so I am trying it again. /monthly_2006_10/bottom_done.jpg.badd7d342eecb791be6b53e8b7c2c638.jpg /monthly_2006_10/top_liner.jpg.65f6d3879c298c724c1a3e7d66cf5d8c.jpg /monthly_2006_10/bottom_ledge.jpg.058e6b0cf12c723c921d2963c10d1d47.jpg
The drain floor.Now here is an important part of a healthy dirt box. An air space and propper drainage. To do this I will use 1/4 hardware cloth, fabric window screen, metal shelving and perlite. Picture one is the hardware cloth with the edges taped, after all the liners are plastic sheets. I then taped fabric window screen to the hardware cloth ( pic 2 )Then the shelving ( pic 3 ) This is the kind of metal shelving one finds in hardware/ home improvement stores. The function is to provide support to the earth above thus distributing the weight of the soil over the area of the shelving while keeping the air space of perlite uncompressed. Then I add the perlite ( pic 4) and the vent tubes ( pic 5 ). It is important, in my mind, to allow air to move from below. Not only for the roots but to aid drainage. /monthly_2006_10/hardware_cloth.jpg.9e14f828e923a14fd2b1394e11159b84.jpg /monthly_2006_10/hardware_cloth_screen.jpg.cdb28227a98b573c95bb95d646a1fa9c.jpg /monthly_2006_10/shelving_floor.jpg.201d1f0173ec96c288f707f1c1c16a80.jpg /monthly_2006_10/bag_of_perliite.jpg.47a5312e5d91a70cee9b371e40405b4c.jpg /monthly_2006_10/perlite_and_vents.jpg.c1f2cf4501e943af99318948dab566bf.jpg
The soil bag and reflective insulation.Now comes the actual soil bag. For this I use fabric window screen. The idea is for this to hold the dirt like a bag. The fabric is tough enough that if I dig into it with a spade or a rake that it will not tear easy or puncture the plastic liners. After all this is a garden and I do take a rake and spade to it once in a while. Now I add the reflective insulation. I understand that Mylar may be a better reflective surface but I have no complaints about this bubble wrap laminate insulation. It's easy to clean and is very tough. It can take some abuse. So now I have the bottom ready for soil. The upper liner is in and the reflect insulation is on. Plus other wood work is finished. I need to make the front doors, put the light back up, get the ducting, fans and electric done. I also have a custom carbon scrubber to build. Questions ?----- Oh and I bought a couple thermometers as well. /monthly_2006_10/screen_liners.jpg.783114d31a6dc2b6d07ca91c623d3ac9.jpg /monthly_2006_10/insulation.jpg.646fd7e5b38fd3f4c42bd453a5c354af.jpg /monthly_2006_10/thermometer.jpg.88960ec45c125cd97662fdb2b8142af2.jpg
Well AlienBait it's the results of my experiences. I'm hoping to have a compact and functional solution when I am done. I have some pictures of the previous room I am thinking to post at the end. A before and after post. LOL you should have seen the things I tried. Ducting running all over because I was experimenting with air cycling and such. Still I have a bit of work to go.
Impressive indeed...not to mention LOTS of work my frd. Looking great Randy! LOL at running aound with ductape>>>you men and ductape!! Peace~jersey
Great Job I see you put a lot of though , time and work in your grow room great job and nice pictures. Keep up the good work!
Grow room ductingI've found some time to get the new ducting all taped up and attached. I'm lucky that I have a lot of sheetmetal duct pieces already. I have more than I need.The first picture is the ducts coming through the wall in from the equipment closet. From Left to right: A six inch light heat exhaust line. A six inch split into two 4 inch lines with a sheetmetal 6 to twin 4 and the two 4 inch lines. They are the cool inlet for the hood. Next is the hot draw from the light with a six to 4 reducer in the wall hole. I thought better of cutting a six inch hole in the hood. So a short run of 4 inch draws the hot air off the bulb. And last but not least the 8 inch room vent.The next picture is looking up under the hood.There are two 4 inch ducts on the ends of the hood. This is the fresh cool air from a six inch inlet. The theory here is that given equidistant lengths of 4 inch from the 6 to twin 4's that both legs will pull equal so that no one side gets more air than the other. In the middle is the exhaust port over the bulb and slightly higher than the inlets so that the air will come in low and travel around the bulb. Inside the hood I have run red high temp RTV silicone. This closes the gaps in the sheetmetal hood so that I can draw from the filtered inlet and not the room itself. I am ever mindful of odor control. You may have questions or concerns on functioning of the room but I have more to share about heat and stuff later in the thread. Last is a picture of the 8 inch room vent. I'm not sure of the final positioning of this duct but it will be a wide open duct at this level. Notice that I have bolted the light to the ceiling. The material that looks like wood under the metal brackets is really an insulator material rated for very high heat. Also you may worry that the plastic above might catch fire. I did too but I tested and watched and finally became comfortable with the air space between the top of the hood and the plastic upper liner.I have wired in the "in the room" GFI outlet. I'm not going to demonstrate how I wired the GFI because I am not qualified to teach someone to deal with electricity. If you do not understand what wiring the electric up is about then get help from someone who does. Safety First!I have the front of the grow room to finish but I will be moving to the equipment closet next. /monthly_2006_10/bottom_up_wall_ducting.jpg.01de2d5bb92d5c3c7e4fa93fb20ac7a9.jpg /monthly_2006_10/57a6c916efd7e_bottom_up_hoodampducts.jpg.96a2daa98b0d59ccc2a8b39df1a6e3dd.jpg /monthly_2006_10/bottom_up_exhaust_duct.jpg.c11d9b0912d324a769bcc53e09af369a.jpg
Custom carbon filterSome time ago in the advanced forum I made a thread called Building a carbon scrubber. It was my idea to use filters like the kind we use in the AC vent filters plus the correct amount of carbon pellets ( pic 1 ).https://www.growkind.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22011 The best guess I could make was 0.03 lbs per CFM of fan And a space of 13 x 19 x 4 Well my prototype is done.Picture 2 is laying out on the bottom panel. This gives me an idea where I will be placing things.Picture three is the wood frame bottom and lots of glue Picture 4 is the back panel.Picture 5 is both sides up. /monthly_2006_10/carbon_pellets.jpg.c9828d9ce363d36c37459f996be64f59.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_layout.jpg.4550963b2ca02b5c7c1f4c98c63f5a6b.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_bottom_wood.jpg.6add9aa334a8b5c31403d080dcf9ddaa.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_back_panel.jpg.5e9e4bd9f7948a0bc11413c6ac512994.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_both_sides.jpg.e21b5c676eb1211357aea402f27e3bde.jpg
Custom carbon filterSo after the wood frame is in place I was ready for the carbon area and filters.Next picture is of 1/4 hardware cloth screens and one filter in the slots. ( pic 1)Next picture is with the sides and the top lid on. ( pic 2 )The next is the 8 to 6 reducers I'm using to attach the ducting. ( pic 3 )And last taped, silicone and handles. ( pic 4 ). Since this is a prototype I won't know for a few days how it works. I'll update this post with my comments once the silicone is dry and I can attach it to the fan. I'm still working on the equipment closet so I have a bit more work before I'll have a post on that.Questions? /monthly_2006_10/carbon_screen_filter.jpg.7e6371e0db0a342c6e358bb835be7305.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_sides_top.jpg.350893c8ab41640bf9b2d1301a6f32ed.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_vent_holes.jpg.c3264a3eb2d8e53c9757148f90477b23.jpg /monthly_2006_10/carbon_taped_silicone.jpg.917593bb61b4cc2fdf715e3719651f5c.jpg
I made a carbon scrubber out of some hardware cloth, some ducting, 2 pairs of xxl pantyhose, some activated carbon (from a pet store, it was like $10.00) and some pillow stuffing. It works good so far; but I haven't tested it against any really skunky weed yet; I'm currently using it for my first grow. I only needed about a quart of carbon for it (which is a lot if you think about it...) There's just a smaller tube of hardware cloth covered with the legs from 1 pair of pantyhose and then the carbon and then the larger tube of hardware cloth covered with the other pair of pantyhose... it's capped off at the end and the pillow stuffing sits at the top to keep the carbon from falling out. It only took me about 2 hours to build and it seems to work really well... I'll def keep you posted on if it works or not. The main bonus is that it is small! to jack your thread Randy, just trying to share the knowledge. -------Dom
Well that's great Dom. I guess my scrubber looks over complicated. I didn't come up with any other way to use standard filters My construction goals for this filter system were:1.) to use the correct amount of carbon for a 600 cfm 8 inch hurricane fan. I believe about 18 pounds is right. ( see the thread in advanced ) [ to be proven as well ]2.) standard store bought removeable filters ( picture 1 ) for ease of cleaning. I'll have a choice of filter products from simple to micro allergen types. This filter system vents into the room. One of my construction goals is to reduce particles in the air for the plants and for myself. With two filters this unit should remove incoming particles and out going coal particles. Yes the coal pellets have fine dust and so does bulk carbon. Well Dom you need to do a thread on how to make your filter. It looks like a good filter and one that is economical to construct. BTW how does the carbon weight compare to your CFM if you don't mind? Randy /monthly_2006_10/carbon_standard_filter.jpg.edfefff57bc91e938282d64de5719ba8.jpg
I'm just using the carbon filter for an odor scrubber, not to purify the air I just bought about ... 2 pounds I think? My fan is a 250cfm fan so by your measurements I'd need 7.5 pounds of carbon to properly filter the air... interesting. I based my design off of other inline carbon filters I'd seen online that were like 200-300 bucks that claim to filter out all the odors. I'll take some better pictures when I have to change the carbon. -------Dom
It's a guess Dom; that 0.03 lbs per CFM. I'll be happy to disprove that amount just as I will be happy to prove it. The metal can I have holds by the 0.03 lbs enough for a 271 cfm fan. It is a 6 inch duct. That sounds about right. I guess that if less carbon is used that the result would be more changes for heavy odor conditions. If one has light odor conditions then it could last a long time I assume. Hey Dom I'm learning so lets see what really works. The pellet space in this prototype is 4 inches thick 19 inches tall and 14 inches wide. Guess I had better get my cold and lazy butt moving I wanna see if my prototype works well Will update later this evening.
