New grow box build.

[tsurrie]

Great work man... congrats!

 

[Chilima]

Looks very nice mate

 

[Shorerider]

Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated.

Sweet! Im building my first grow "box" this season. Im starting with an old steel shelf i have. Dont know if im going to box mine in like yours though. Might be a good idea. I'd have to do mine in cardboard around the edges though. Is that a fire blanket or aluminum folil?

Cardboard would be fine to use to enclose the steel shelves, just make sure that you don't get it wet. You'd also want to monitor the temperature if you do enclose the shelves, as it can get quite warm with your light source creating heat.

I used mylar emergency blankets which are picked up very cheaply from fleabay. On my previous box, I used a sheet of mylar held in place with bulldog clips to enclose the front of the box, but only after I had installed fans and a temperature controller.


SR.

 

[bloozer]

Hi guys, my first post here. Thats awesome! Very classy! My T5HO's run super hot and I wish I could build something like that. I have an open shelf setup with 12 4ft T5HO's and 8 2ft T5HO's in a 12'x14' spare bedroom and my temps at the bulbs are 126 degrees!, temps about a foot down are around 86-88 degrees. The whole setup heats up the entire room to 85 degrees. Nothing I do will cool it down, fans, doors/windows open etc.

What are your average T5HO temps on 4'-ers?

Thanks.

 

[Shorerider]

G'day, and   to THP.
 
I built my grow box to enable me to get an early start to the season by providing warmer than normal winter conditions.
 
The grow box is in my garage where the temperature isn't any higher than the temperature outside, but more importantly, rain or frost isn't an issue. Our average daytime winter temperatures are 11-15deg C (50-60deg F). With the temperature controller starting the fans at 29deg C (84deg F) it only takes 20-30 seconds for the fans to cool the temperature down because the air they draw in is much cooler. 
 
Also, on each shelf is an aluminum tray I made to almost the exact same size as the inside of the box. This is so that little heat escapes each level making each level as equal in temperature as possible, and ensuring that the top level didn't overheat. It also makes bottom watering easy.
 
At the moment, I could probably set my temperature much lower very easily. In summer though, this will be a different story. I may leave one or two plants in the box to see how they do, but I do see excess heat being an issue. 
 
The inside of your room sounds like it's too warm, that's quite a few lights you have creating heat. You may need to try and somehow cool the room you are using,  or move your plants outside where it is cooler, and the air flow is better. 
 
 
Good luck, 
 
SR.

 

[bloozer]

G'day, and   to THP.
 
I built my grow box to enable me to get an early start to the season by providing warmer than normal winter conditions.
 
The grow box is in my garage where the temperature isn't any higher than the temperature outside, but more importantly, rain or frost isn't an issue. Our average daytime winter temperatures are 11-15deg C (50-60deg F). With the temperature controller starting the fans at 29deg C (84deg F) it only takes 20-30 seconds for the fans to cool the temperature down because the air they draw in is much cooler. 
 
Also, on each shelf is an aluminum tray I made to almost the exact same size as the inside of the box. This is so that little heat escapes each level making each level as equal in temperature as possible, and ensuring that the top level didn't overheat. It also makes bottom watering easy.
 
At the moment, I could probably set my temperature much lower very easily. In summer though, this will be a different story. I may leave one or two plants in the box to see how they do, but I do see excess heat being an issue. 
 
The inside of your room sounds like it's too warm, that's quite a few lights you have creating heat. You may need to try and somehow cool the room you are using,  or move your plants outside where it is cooler, and the air flow is better. 
 
 
Good luck, 
 
SR.

I have a ton of circulation in the room, ceiling fan on high drawing air in, 2 20" oscillating fans, and 2 5" fans on each light bank. I grow both indoor all year and outdoors when temps are good (which isn't very long). My only option is to add one of those floor mounted a/c units.

Anyway that growbox is beautiful and doesn't belong in a dusty grungy garage ;-).

 

[moruga welder]

Great job my friend !     

 

[Shorerider]

I have a ton of circulation in the room, ceiling fan on high drawing air in, 2 20" oscillating fans, and 2 5" fans on each light bank. I grow both indoor all year and outdoors when temps are good (which isn't very long). My only option is to add one of those floor mounted a/c units.

Anyway that growbox is beautiful and doesn't belong in a dusty grungy garage ;-).

 
The temperature in Illinois today is a max of 34deg C. If your ceiling fan is drawing air in to the room from your roof cavity, this air is much warmer than the temperature outside. Unless you live in an apartment or two story house that is. So you're literally making the room warmer. 
 
Turn that ceiling fan into an exhaust fan, close the door to the rest of the house and open a window.
 
Here's another tip you may have missed from my previous posts. Run your lights at night when temperatures are much cooler and it will be easier to keep the heat in check. You may get a visit from law enforcement if you do though.
 
Thanks, but my box stays in the garage where it's nice and cool.
 
 
SR.

 

[bloozer]

Its a two story townhouse and the bedroom is upstairs. I leave it in draw mode to suck in some a/c from the rest of the house and the windows to the room closed. Only time its a problem is in summer really as I can just crack the windows when its cooler out. I think I am going to build a diy a/c with a cooler filled with ice and a fan and vents mounted to it.

Anyway, I dont want to hijack your thread so I must compliment your growbox again, very well done and professional looking for sure!