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Repurposed cabinet

Pepperhead

Pepperhead

Hey all!
So I had this cabinet just taking up space and was looking for a way to repurpose it. So I thought "What the hell, fill it with chilis!"
I got some reflective bubble wrap insulation and a mesh metal shelf, stapled the insulation in and jammed in the shelf, attach a lid with hinges and there you have it, instant grow box!

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Mild mannered, yet oddly lit kitchen cabinet...

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Boom! A powerstrip and 4 CFLs later = grow box. 2 of the CFL's are 800 lumen 6500k daylight bulbs and the other two are 1450 lumens (I think).

Now I have a place to move my repotted plants to.

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I tried to find the "Panda cloth" or whatever it's referred to (I know that isn't it's real name), but didn't see it at Lowe's. Found the roll of bubble stuff instead and it works pretty good.
Whatcha think?
 
All CFLs. Temps are steady at probably 75 to 80 degrees, gonna have to check. But it doesn't seem overly warm to me. For ventilation...well right now I just kind of crack it open a little from the bottom and top.
 
My cabinet is not as good looking as the rest here since I built two sides with plywood, but on the other hand I got the cabinet for free.
The base is a IKEA Lillången sink cabinet.

Here's a shot of it in place in my old apartment.
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I started off lining it with cheap mylar rescue blankets but after they started to tear I decided to paint it plain white.
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Here's how the lights are connected and attached to the roof.
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And here's after repaint. Hydroponic basil growing in it in the picture.
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It features a movable shelf which is great for getting seedling up and close to the lights, although it does increase temperature quite a bit.
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It's great for propagating seeds and getting the seedlings the first light they need.
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I can highly recommend using PC fans for moving air out of the box for anyone building their own box!

What you'll need are however many pc fans you'd like to use, a transformer to convert AC to DC (make sure it can put out enough amps!) and a luster terminal. Relatively cheap, easy to find parts for, customizable (change high air flow for quiet operation or other way around) and easy to replace parts if one breaks.

Edit: If you're not comfortable removing the plug on the fans you can get a set of fan extension/splitter cables and keep the fans intact, great for if you need to replace them on warranty or if you want to use them in a computer.
 
I also use PC fans in my box, to help keep my CFL's cool. I use a passive exhaust system that works well enough to keep the hot air circulating out.

I picked up an external fan controller to power my fans. It was a little pricey ($40 if I remember right) but it works very well. Before I installed the fans my CFL ballasts were running around 55+ Celsius, and with the fans they sit around 30. The air temperature in the box dropped a great deal as a result.

I don't have any pics at the moment, but check out Video 6. At the beginning of the video I show the fan system I installed for my lights.

http://www.youtube.com/user/IndoorOrganicGarden/videos
 
I really need a fan system in my box. It gets pretty hot in there and right now I just crack the bottom doors and the top and I still have to check it a lot to make sure nothing is drying out. I've lost a few from dehydration.
 
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4'w x 2'd x 18"h

Most of this is recycled from extra lumber I had from various home improvement projects. Then just had to put in the lighting, ventilation, and temperature control.

-Fans are two 120mm 12 volt computer fans. I just redid the wires to terminate them into an adjustable-voltage wall-wart. The wall wart is plugged into a temperature controlled outlet. It gets above ~87 and the fans kick on until it cools to about 80. Have one fan for lateral air circulation.

-Whole thing is lined with foil-backed bubble wrap. Provides good insulation in the colder time of the year....Which is about 1.5 weeks here in Central Tx.

-14 CFLs above in ceramic pony cleats for the lighting.

-..and it's sturdy enough I can pile my stuff on top. :P
 
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