32 x 24 x 11 POLE BARN medical grow 72 plants How would you design it?

fluffygrrrl

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
Hi, Michigan medical grower. I've got a 24 x 32 pole barn w/ 11' ceilings. I'm getting it fully insulated w/foam, sheets and blow in insulation. Upgrading & adding 200 more amps. Want to have a sealed room, co2. Have mini split a/c units 18000 btus, 4 of them. Have 1/2 hp chiller.

I'm a licensed caregiver, can grow 36 plants now, but want to design space for my maximum which is 72 plants.

I already have 4 1000w hps, 2 600 w hps, and 30, yes 30, 400w mh lights. I also have a lot of 3 or 4 gallon pots that I could make my own ebb n gro system. Really impressed w/the tree growers w/mpb buckets or undercurrents. Definitely have to have some of those with these high ceilings.

I was thinking of dividing it into 2 = 12 x 16 rooms & put them on a flip flop, so I don't have to worry too much about heating. I was thinking about using the 3rd larger room as a lung room, blowing in what is needed during each 12/12 cycle, but not sure how to set that up.

or..doing one side with large tree grow with current culture undercurrent grow and vertical lighting, and then the other side make a 400w perpetual sea of green grow.

Would you air cool lights, or have no ventilation, completely sealed?

These are some of my ideas. They change daily. If any of you had this space, or if you do have this space..what would/did you do?
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
phew, fairly mind blowing stuff with that space. It seems that divide and conquer would be the best way to plan it. Doesn't matter how your going to grow as once you have the rooms set up you can do it however you want. You want to use Co2, great, but you only really need it for flowering so your flower room should be completely sealed. So for that room, unless you really like running the air conditioning or heaters, you should probably have sealed hoods and external inlets/outlets. Then mount your co2 burner and split aircon and your good to go. The closer you size this room to handle the number of plants the better as it will reduce costs of A/C and Co2. However, if you wanted more flower room, you could always build a room next to it and just install a fan to rapidly exchange the air between them.

I can't really comment more as I should be working right now, but the only big scale grow I witnessed was long narrow rooms not big square ones with a big chain of lights running down the one side of the room (8 lights in a row).

Sealed lights for sure. If you want the heat just don't run the fan, if you don't want the heat, then turn the fan on.
 
fluffygrrrl

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
My ideas are endless too, I'm the worst at finally deciding on something. I think too much about things. I really dont need that much space for vegging, as I have another grow room that I'm using now that I will dedicate to that. Then I won't have to worry about light leaks, etc. I just got an estimate yesterday and the guy wanted $5000 just to spray foam the interior of the barn. wow. Hope I can find a better price that that. The better I insulate though, the more I'll save on energy. Definitely going to seal everything. I think I'll divide in 1/2 then divide one side into 1/2's. Run one side 12/12, then the other side 12/12, so I can have one going a month before the other, so I don't have everything done at once. One side will also be dedicated to tree grows, while the other side, I'm going to try using the 400w and do a sea of green garden. I'm wondering how to automate it though. I was thinking on exhausting the hot air from the lights into the room that is dark. vice versa. How do I automate the co2 burner & a/c to blow into each room? Can you put those outside the room, and attach a duct to them to have them blow in the room when it is needed?
 
N

nl3004.kind

Active Member
fluffygrrrl said:
My ideas are endless too, I'm the worst at finally deciding on something. I think too much about things. I really dont need that much space for vegging, as I have another grow room that I'm using now that I will dedicate to that. Then I won't have to worry about light leaks, etc. I just got an estimate yesterday and the guy wanted $5000 just to spray foam the interior of the barn. wow. Hope I can find a better price that that. The better I insulate though, the more I'll save on energy. Definitely going to seal everything. I think I'll divide in 1/2 then divide one side into 1/2's. Run one side 12/12, then the other side 12/12, so I can have one going a month before the other, so I don't have everything done at once. One side will also be dedicated to tree grows, while the other side, I'm going to try using the 400w and do a sea of green garden. I'm wondering how to automate it though. I was thinking on exhausting the hot air from the lights into the room that is dark. vice versa. How do I automate the co2 burner & a/c to blow into each room? Can you put those outside the room, and attach a duct to them to have them blow in the room when it is need

- you can rent a blower and a get insulation on the internets (save your money)
- if you seal everything and have two different co2 monitors (or controllers fuzzy logic style, they are ubiquitious) (one per room) you could duct the co2 into each room separately, but it would be easier (but not as cost effective) to have one burner and controller per room/ also same with ac...
- you will have more consistent yields if you stick with one method for the whole crop and just stagger the starts as you were planning to do... just sog it or tree it, but not both, just pick the one which you like the best...
- automate it with a controller that can take care of co2, cooling, heating, lighting, hell some of them can run your nutes for you too...
- for ease of use you can run 24/7 with one room on, the other dark if it is light tight... which it will be as it will need to be co2 tight also...
- if you exhaust the heat from the light room into the dark room, you are going to end up with a really hot "night" cycle... you should duct the hot air from the lights outside through a scrubber if you need to keep the smell down...
- unless you have the money to have a hvac specialist to run ducting special, it will end up easier and cheaper for you in the long run to run each room as a discrete entity with separate ppm/ph meters, lighting, ac/ co2, heating, nutes ect...

like anything else it will be expensive to start, but if run properly, it should generate maximum medicine in minimum time... make sure to chart and measure everything you can... the scientific method will keep you on track... good luck.
Click to expand...
 
jemstone

jemstone

Well-Known Member
Oh man sounds like a sweet project. Here is what I would do: Build 3 individual rooms each 10x 18, the 6 extras feet will be a hall way connecting the rooms. Wire 1 50amps 240v and 2 20amps 120v to each room. Plumb water lines and a drain for each room.
Each room will have its own intake and exhaust holes and will for sure be sealed tight from one room to the other. All lights will be air cooled and if my house was close enough I would send all that hot air to it.
Now I have 3 rooms I can build identical, or switch up and try various things. With those 11' ceilings I would do at least 1 room with 2 octagon's. A 2 level Scrog in another. Hell after a few runs and if I knew my rooms were completely sealed from one another, may even try breeding one room out.
 
R

realfast

Member
maximize your space and make a wall that comes out 2 or so feet. inside of that wall make shelves that are 3 and a half feet tall. 30 400 watters spread throughout that veg wall, thats a glorious veg wall. that leaves how much for flower?
 
fluffygrrrl

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
Thanks for you guy's help. You are giving me even more ideas that I hadn't even considered.

NL- I intend to automate it completely. I can't afford the nute doser, but that will be in that room next year. Just bought a 2nd cap greenhouse controller. If I exhaust the heat outside, that is wasted heat, my house is too far to exhaust. But I have below freezing temps here in Michigan. It is going to be hard to heat this thing as it is. Maybe exhaust into space I'm not growing in?

Jems= 3 10 x 18 with a hallway, that is a possibility. I have cement floors, I don't know how hard it would be to make a drain for each one and plumbing for each one. If you know how to make drains, that is one thing I haven't thought about yet, will have to research that one. (also on octagons) I thought it would be cheaper to keep a small room for the sink, reservoirs chillers, etc. I don't have water yet, have to dig a 60' trench and install it out there.
Also, if i have an intake & exhaust for each room, then it wouldn't be sealed?

Real= 2 foot wall with shelves, very interesting. I grow hydro, how do I do that vertically, is there anyone that is doing a similar grow so I can search their threads?
 
jemstone

jemstone

Well-Known Member
32x24x11_polebarn.jpgI meant sealed from each other and breeding in a room right next to 2 other bud only rooms probably ain't the best idea.
Drains aren't needed, but while you are digging that 60' trench just make it big enough for a heating duct from the barn to the house :-P. I would run 1 water line across the length and tap into it as needed. Drains are water lines in reverse. Water always flows down hill so if you run a drain pipe along with your water pipe it should be easy. If you already have cement floors its a bit to late for the in floor drain thing but sink height would work. I would prefer shower stall type thing for each room. I drew up a basic plan. Hope it helps and you get ideas off it. Man it would be so awesome to help you help all those patients. :bigjoint:
 
fluffygrrrl

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
Jems it awesome, & I appreciate your help. I got lucky by having my patient finance this for me in exchange for free meds for life. He wants the best and wants a design so it is legal and that I never run out so he doesn't have to ever look elsewhere. I love your drawing. I wish I knew how to do that on a computer. You have got some great ideas. I didn't think about putting a drain line in w/water line. Do you know how far propane gas & water lines have to be apart? I would assume they can't go in the same trench. Also..What do you mean about a shower stall type drain? Does that mean you prefer, but since I have cement, it is a no go?
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
it seems to me that If you only want to use a single co2 burner and aircon then the simplest way to facilitate that would to have all your seperate rooms ducted together. Inline fans would circulate the air between the rooms. The inlets are low on one side and the outlets are high up on the other side of the room.

This should distribute the cool air and co2 throughout the building. Problem with this sytem is all the lights have to be off at the same time or your wasting co2. Whereas I would run half the room and night and half during the day to avoid heating bills. A timer on your hood fans can help you use the lights as heaters by delaying the fan start when the lights turn on.

Show us some pictures!! Ps. 5k is bullshit an you don't need expanding foam insulation.
 
L

locoyou2

Active Member
3 rooms would proubly be better to harvest more offten one room for ur veg then 2 flower rooms if ur strains are 8-9week strains u could harvest about every mounth and a half that way you wont be over whelmed come harvest trimming 30 plants at once cause thats a lot of work
 
fluffygrrrl

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
LF, that is my dilemna, because if I exhaust into each room, then I'm expelling co2 air, or light leaks. What if I put one of those CAP air-3 things on my fan, would it just exhaust when it reached a certain temperature? Then it wouldn't just be a continuous suction of air taking it all out of the room? I'll take pics tomorrow & post them when I get home. I got another estimate on the foam, and his was 2800. U don't think I need it? I already have the 1" foam panels on walls & ceiling & a 8 x 11 spot w/plywood over it on one corner of the floor. I think I should at least finish the floor though.

Loco, i'm thinking 3 rooms now, after seeing Jemstones drawing, it gave me a fresh look at the space. I think it will be better use of it too. I've finally got my 8 & 9 week strains down. I've suffered enough this past year with sativas that took 18 plus weeks. Being a medical grow, I definitely need to stretch my harvests out, as I can only have a certain amount at once.
 
wonderblunder

wonderblunder

Well-Known Member
I would build free standing rooms in there. No need for a drain... By flip flopping lights you could easily get away with a less wiring ect. Altough having more than enough power available is ideal, I try and run everything at less than 50 percent load. Leave the gas to the pros or a trusted friend.

I think you need to research some building codes if you plan on doing the electrical and water work. If you are setting up a new room stay with what ya know. MPBs are impressive, but they do need to be built right(not 3 or 4 gal buckets) Sounds like a heck of a project.
 
fluffygrrrl

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
Wonderb, yep, it is a major project awright. Either go big or go home. I figured that the past year I've spent so many hours just taking care of a smaller ebb n gro in my basement, I might as well spend all that time with larger plants that produced more. That is the only way I see I could do what I wanted to do with such limited plant numbers....donate as much simpson oil as I could to sick people, and be able to bring my prices down to people with limited funds. It is hard to do it with smaller grows, because you spend so much time & money on just a few plants, so you just barely break even. I mean, if you fill that 55 gallon res with nutes and only have 8 plants in your ebb n gro, you could easily put in more buckets and use that same nutrient for more plants.

I'm having a licensed electrician do the majority of the wiring. He recommended 240v for the lights so I could get the lights I wanted with only a 200 amp upgrade. I definitely will do things by the book and find the proper way to put in water lines, etc. My ex did my gas line out to my garage at my home, and hooked up my co2 burner to nat gas, so I trust he can do this here w/ propane. We can rent a trench digger at home depot, so I thought we'd do the majority, then at the end call someone if need be. I just have to design it and tell him where I want it installed. I am not building the MPB's. We've got enought projects, so I've decided on the current culture xxxl evolution undercurrent 12 pot system for a vertical light bare bulb setup, and then the other room will be the undercurrent xl 18 or 24 pots with horizontal air cooled lighting. The rest will be an ebb n gro bucket system that I've been using. I've added 1 more patient, and by the time I'm done with this, I'll have my limit of 72 plants filled.

I found some water line and drain pipe on craigs list, so that was helpful. Also found a 275 gallon water tote for $20. Need to find another one. I already have a utility sink, so I'm just going to hook it up to that and drain it outside.
 
NW Marijuana

NW Marijuana

Well-Known Member
im planning a similar grow 20' x 40' x 12' . Have you made final decisions about yours. going with the 3 split w/ hallway air room.that one sounds good
 
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