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OfflineMorePies
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Registered: 02/09/16
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Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber
    #23646865 - 09/15/16 08:47 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Hello!

I built one of these out of 1x2 furring strips, 3.5mm plastic, and assorted pieces of scrap. The dimensions are 3 1/2 ft x 2 1/12 ' x 7'4" for just about 64cf of space. The base is 2 separate platforms that slope to a center drain slot that I have a pan under. A really useful feature when trying to endear  loved ones to the idea of turning a small bedroom into a den of mushrooms and they are worried about the linoleum on concrete floor from being damaged. :smile:



There are 5 shelves that are 3'x2' each. The lights are waterproof strips of 5630 leds in cool 6000k blue light. Each LED produces about 45 lumens and there are 60 LEDs per meter of strip. They are on a 12h/12h timer.


For humidification and air exchange I have a homemade swamp cooler and seperate 2 disc fogger bucket. The foggers ar on floats, it really improves their output. I feel better about running the blower 24/7 knowing that the swamp cooler is pre-conditioning the air some. The blower moving all that air into the chamber up high is rated at 125cfm and for a cpu. The fogger discs are controlled by a willhi humidity controller. It's a plug and play unit and seems to be doing fine. The sensor definitely needed some silicone to seal up exposed connections.

The exhaust is a re-purposed bathroom blower with a speed control. I found it second hand for pretty cheap. These fans are designed to run quietly and remove moist air! For its size, it's not especially powerful and when looking at similar sized units I'm guessing it's rated between 40 and 80cfm. It vents directly outside.






Cooling the room the chamber is in is a 6000 BTU window unit.

Right now I am running a few different oyster strains to try and get a read on the environment of this space. Once the capabilities are better understood, I will try other kinds, ultimately using the experiences from this small grow to make a larger one.

These are some current issues...suggestions welcome!

All that tape and string! There are a lot of options for ducting out there. I used what I had in the shed and from construction site waste piles. What should I be using for clean, airtight seals that I can detach to make maintenance easier?

Temperature:
Right now, this seems like my main barrier in growing anything but oyster mushrooms consistently. My design theory was that by dropping the room temps down to 72 degrees with 50% humidity, then the swamp cooler would give me an additional few degrees of cooling down into the mid 60s. So far, this has not proved to be true. The lights put off much more heat than I anticipated and need to be moved outside the chamber or replaced if anyone has a suggestion.

Swamp cooler:
Design needs improving. It does pre condition the air some and either the cooling is offset by the bags and lights, or there is very little cooling going on.

Is some rigid foam board on the outside of the chamber a good idea? Would ducting part of the A/C through the swamp cooler be worth a shot?

RH:
My 2 discs run about 4 1/2 on and 4 1/2 off to keep the RH between 90-95%. Do I need to be spraying with a bottle at times too?

Possibly chamber related, my first few bags of Golden oyster are most likely contaminated. I'm leaving them in there until they look especially contagious to see what develops. Pics of that thread here.

Thank you for the thoughts, I will update and share what's working and doesn't as things progress.


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OfflineGr0wer
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23646890 - 09/15/16 08:57 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

For your fittings pvc slip fittings work well, and dont glue them so you can easily take apart and clean everything. Move those lights to outside for sure. Remove that filter screen from your exhaust fan, it clogging up will make you struggle to ballance intake and exhaust flow volune. Every couple of months you will need to clean your fan but thats just the name of the game. I dont see any pics of your swamp cooler design


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OfflineMorePies
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: Gr0wer]
    #23646897 - 09/15/16 09:03 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Thanks for the tips. I'll change the filter to insect screen.  It's similar to yours with the blue foam insert.


Edited by MorePies (09/15/16 09:08 AM)


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OfflineTravelAgency
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23646985 - 09/15/16 09:47 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Wow great set up mate!!! Gr0wer has some great advice there! I agree 100% (Love that you have a drain!)

If you could jerry rig an intake for your AC that would be sweet- perhaps a tote of appropriate size with a hole in the back? Might be worth a shot.

Also, I noticed the way you had a fan sitting on top of a presumably humidibucket with your pond fogger, and I'm not sure I understand
Quote:

the fans are on floaters


could you elaborate please?

Looks like you're going great so far. Keep us updated with any changes and your grows!


--------------------





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OfflineMorePies
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: TravelAgency]
    #23647156 - 09/15/16 11:02 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Thanks! This is such a fun hobby. The blower fan goes down into the swamp cooler and then the next bucket has the fogger disks. The fogger disks are in little floats I made out of a pool noodle and yogurt cups. I like that idea of a possible tote to act as a plenum box of sorts.  I'll see what I can find at the ReStore for ducting.


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OfflineTravelAgency
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23647176 - 09/15/16 11:09 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Oh ok I see it's a blower type not inline PC fan. Thought you just had a fan taped on top of a poll blowing horizontally into the room :lol:

And interesting about the floats for your foggers- could you upload a build with pics for it please? That may be a much easier way for me to not have to worry about running out of water while I am at work than the route I was conceiving. Clever.


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Indoor Greenhouse Build 
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OfflineMorePies
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: TravelAgency]
    #23648092 - 09/15/16 04:56 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Haha yeah I can see that angle being tough to see what is what. I found a few pieces today and will be able to work on the venting some more tomorrow.

Is this a clear enough pic?



Edited by MorePies (09/15/16 05:20 PM)


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OfflineTravelAgency
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23648134 - 09/15/16 05:12 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

That is a truly fantastic idea. I will be copying. Thanks.


--------------------





Indoor Greenhouse Build 
          Mid Size Mushroom Farm


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OfflineMorePies
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: TravelAgency]
    #23648313 - 09/15/16 06:14 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Thank you sir. Just play with the amount of foam to get your desired depth and drill a hole or 2 in the bottom of the cup to help it sink.


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OfflineTravelAgency
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23648579 - 09/15/16 07:35 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Friggin genius man. This will honestly be a huge help to me as my 10 hour work days have been leaving them run dry for awhile. If this works as I think it will- it'll be a complete game changer for my GH and I won't have to keep playing catch up- I can put it on a timer and have it fully automated.


--------------------





Indoor Greenhouse Build 
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OfflineGr0wer
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: TravelAgency]
    #23648906 - 09/15/16 10:00 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

YOu can also use a swamp cooler float valve to infinetly maintain water level.



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OfflineTravelAgency
The ongoing "wow"


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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: Gr0wer]
    #23649085 - 09/15/16 11:16 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Gr0wer said:
YOu can also use a swamp cooler float valve to infinetly maintain water level.







Problem with that is I rent, a very small house at that, I don't see it as possible at this point. I do, definitely plan on doing that when I buy a home and am running a much larger operation.


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Indoor Greenhouse Build 
          Mid Size Mushroom Farm


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OfflineMorePies
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: TravelAgency]
    #23649360 - 09/16/16 01:36 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

TravelAgency said:


Problem with that is I rent, a very small house at that, I don't see it as possible at this point. I do, definitely plan on doing that when I buy a home and am running a much larger operation.




Sure you can! As I don't have a conversation it faucet, my original plan was to use a larger vessel to fill my fogger bucket and swamp cooler via a float valve. After I get these components working to where I want them and prove the efficacy of others,  I'll plumb it up.  Filling up a 30 gallon barrel/or tote once every 2 weeks seems nice.  Just hope it doesn't leak :smile:


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OfflineTravelAgency
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23650122 - 09/16/16 10:34 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

There's no room for a 30 gallon barrel, lol. My GH and shelf take up half of my bedroom, other shelf a quarter of my kitchen (flowhood about to take over another quarter) and 1 of only three closets is completely filled with grain, soft/hard wood pellets, bran, polyfil etc. I literally have no room to expand at all. Hopefully this time next year I will be able to afford buying a home, then I will go apeshit.


--------------------





Indoor Greenhouse Build 
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OfflineGr0wer
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Registered: 09/16/03
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: TravelAgency]
    #23651645 - 09/16/16 09:47 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Just go get yourself a 2 car garage, or even better a 20x40 workshop :smile:


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OfflineMorePies
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: Gr0wer]
    #23652777 - 09/17/16 10:56 AM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Gr0wer said:
Just go get yourself a 2 car garage, or even better a 20x40 workshop :smile:




I wish! What are these pvc fittings you're talking about? I took a look today and couldn't figure out which ones you meant.


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OfflineGr0wer
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Registered: 09/16/03
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Loc: El Paso, TX Flag
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Re: Requesting Input on Improving a Small Grow Chamber [Re: MorePies]
    #23653747 - 09/17/16 05:26 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

any generic PVC slip fitting.


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