DIY Cab idea, what do you think?

[FadedMalone]

The cab I'm thinking of will be 45" tall, 19"wide, and 22" deep. Was thinking of using 5 23 watt cfl's one stationary and the other four hanging, if I can? Thinking a 4" fan for exhaust and thinking of drilling 4 2 1/4" holes for intake. Really only planning on one nice size auto at a time in this cab. Well that's the idea, how do you think this will work out. Thanks peeps.

 

[TaNg]

Sounds like it will be a tidy little set up bro.

 

[hejdaman]

Sounds nice. But i would maybe go with a CFL of a higher wattage as your center bulb (i was thinking 125w), and then a couple of 23w vertical, hanging bulbs for lighting the side branches.
My thoughts on ventilation too. I would have placed one large (5" or 8") pc fan in the back in the mid upper half of the back, and two 5" pc fans on both sides in the bottom. And also it would maybe be good with an extra exhaust fan (5") in the "roof" of the box.

Did you plan to build the box from scratch yourself, or do you already have a ready box you are going to start with?

Anyways, i wish you best of luck with your project! Post a pic when it´s ready, mate.

Peace.

 

[FadedMalone]

I've actually got the box put together I just want it to be a proper one. I have built some in the past but had problems with heat so, I wanted people with more experience to help me out. I was hoping one 4" inline fan would be enough.View attachment 163624View attachment 163625 This is the box......

 

[MrMcbud]

The OCD diy'er in me went "OOOH" when i saw that...damn that would make a nice breeding cab

In my experience rather overrate your ventilation than under,often overlooked essential in cab building.
Will you be using a carbon filter,as this would impact your fan requirements
In cab circulation is essential and will help your plants deal with higher temps if they occur.
with a cab that tight i would say max 250w hps,and that in a cool tube setup,leaning strongly towards Hejdaman's suggestion of one large and a few supplemental cfl's.
Ideal being an LED panel.
I ran a 400w hps in winter in a cab 50cmX50cmX1.5m and got phenomenal results,but failed bitterly trying to replicate it in summer due to puny extraction
also remember that cfl's lose light intensity drastically over distance,more-so than HID,so if you do go with 5X23w's you will have to make the lightshield adjustable to maximise penetration and lumens.
5X23w will also get you a way through veg,but never through a fully productive flowering,i would advise adding,not replacing cool white with warm whites for flower.
All of this comes from DIY experience,and wrong DIY experience at that,i built an all cfl cab filled with bathroom extractors and pc fans...i ended up redoing it with proper fans a few months later.
wanted to piont you to my build log but paranoia has seen me delete my photobucket account
will post some if i find them on my pc

 

[MrMcbud]

what about....39 watt t5's as side lighting and cfl's vertical?
they are 34" tall and would fit beautifully without adding too much heat?

 

[Eekman]

Looks good faded, the lights should work, and the main light idea of a 125 cfl is a good one. I would make sure the vent holes are on the bottom and exhaust on top,

just my two cents, great job fellow grower

Eek

 

[Sherlock Bowlmes]

technically that should be fine so long as you run your extractor fan through the top, and put your holes at the very bottom, i have a ds 60 with a 4 inch inline fan and filter and it does the job for that little tent. if you have the funds maybe install one of those bathroom fans to blow air in as well, or a pc fan. i usually look at the max power and find an old cell phone charger, (or any charger) that has a similar power supply, and glue, tape or solder the wires to it.

but bro its up to you man get your lights and everything installed and turn that shit on for a few hours and see what the temps get up to, if theyre stable at a relatively safe temperature than you should be fine

-Sherlock

 

[FadedMalone]

Thanks every one for coming by with all the ideas. I most def want to have extracting fan on the top and my intake holes in the bottom floor to where it's pulling the air through the branches really need to stay on the stealth track. I was thinking 170cfm fan with a filter, I think that should be okay?? I want to mount the fan on the top outside of the box with filter as close to the top as possible with a elbow to the fan. I have a 150 hps but really didn't want to use that unless I have to, that joker gets hot and with side lighting I believe it will be to much heat. Heat has been a big issue with my last builds but pulled off some good things but with photos. I liked the idea hejdaman had with the larger watt bulb with extra bulbs. I was thinking of World of seeds NLxBigbud and Afhgan kush ryder autos. I have lead way with cash but to an extent tho. I'm ready tho I miss having my own stash, clean and only goes through my hands......

 

[WilliamPatrick]

Nice cab! Perhaps an LED since temps and stealth are concerns?