LED/DWC/SCROG mini fridge grow advice

A few months from now, I will have acquired all necessary components.

CAB
I'll get the mini fridge in a couple of days. I believe it's a standard 4.4 cu ft fridge. Strip everything that makes it a refrigerator, I will have a nicely sealed and inconspicuous grow cab. Anyone ever convert one of these? I picked it up used for $20.

LIGHTS
I'm thinking DIY COB. Vero 29s 3000k are $25. I'll run it at 1400mA giving me 52 watts and 6700 lumens. Do you think I would need multiple? I'm thinking 52 watts with a square foot scrog would produce nicely. I'd mount to a computer heat sink and wire the controller under the fridge where the compressor used to be.

AIR
4 inch inline fan with carbon filter. It will exhaust to the rear. Top or bottom? Push or pull through the filter? Passive intake. like a rubber slip cover with a pin hole to allow air in depending on vacuum pressure. Small circulation fan wherever i can make it fit.

DWC
I've always been a fan of hydroponic. So I'll pick up some perfect shape of a small tote and put a plant in. I'll use hydroton and probably the flora 3 part system for nutes. Small air pump mounted in to avoid excess noise. Have it pump air to a diffuser in the grow tank. I'd like another identical tote and have a reservoir with easier access than messing with the plant. I would connect the two with a short hose or length of pvc.

I want heady sativa rush with pain killing effects. According to my research, though it's a long flower and a medium yield, purple haze is still highly regarded as one the most premium strains. I want it. I wonder about the yield but it doesn't matter. I just want to grow.

There's probably 2 square feet. I could do two plants. Square foot scrog each. But would I need a second light then? How far from my screen should the light be? How far from my screen should my dwc be?

I know most of these things are good ideas because I've read a lot of forums including this one. Reading things for years, really. Always had an interest but still a noob. This is my system. Please don't try to tell me to go dirt or hid. I'd like help tips tricks ideas and suggestions about how to make this system sweet.

Cab is not what i thought. It is considerably smaller than i had anticipated and it has a hump in the back. So probably more of a screened lst than a scrog.

Not enough room for a carbon filter either. So now I'm thinking an active intake and passive exhaust with a square carbon filter sheet. Or mount the air pump externally and it can be an intake. Maybe a higher cfm air pump. More bubbles and oxygen for the plant and less cutting the fridge. Ideas?

I've decided definitely one light will cover it. 50 watts seems good for tiny space. I'll still run at 1400mA because the lumens per watt don't change from 1000 to 1400 on the vero, unlike it's cree equivalent. Just don't know where to mount it.

Please someone explain to me how cannabis works. I know it can support itself against gravity. But is it designed to fight gravity and grow up or will it grow to the light? The only way for me to get a square foot in this thing is to have plant on the hump grow to the screen and then lst along the screen several inches from the top. Light underneath. Will this work or will i have to just deal with a small space and tiny yield? I still haven't figured how far from the screen my light needs to be.

Please advise. I'm guessing at all of this stuff right with minimal experience and a thirst to learn.

I think I need to just do the easy thing and grow in 1/2 sq ft? If i can squeeze an ounce, I'm happy. So back to tiny scrog.

So a couple of points:

1) yes, cannabis will grow toward your light. Always.
2) as an option, you could mount the fan on the back of your cabinet with the filter inside to save space. This could not be an option if you're trying to run stealth.

I've seen many grows in small spaces. It'll be great!

JustElian said:

Cab is not what i thought. It is considerably smaller than i had anticipated and it has a hump in the back. So probably more of a screened lst than a scrog.

Not enough room for a carbon filter either. So now I'm thinking an active intake and passive exhaust with a square carbon filter sheet. Or mount the air pump externally and it can be an intake. Maybe a higher cfm air pump. More bubbles and oxygen for the plant and less cutting the fridge. Ideas?

I've decided definitely one light will cover it. 50 watts seems good for tiny space. I'll still run at 1400mA because the lumens per watt don't change from 1000 to 1400 on the vero, unlike it's cree equivalent. Just don't know where to mount it.

Please someone explain to me how cannabis works. I know it can support itself against gravity. But is it designed to fight gravity and grow up or will it grow to the light? The only way for me to get a square foot in this thing is to have plant on the hump grow to the screen and then lst along the screen several inches from the top. Light underneath. Will this work or will i have to just deal with a small space and tiny yield? I still haven't figured how far from the screen my light needs to be.

Please advise. I'm guessing at all of this stuff right with minimal experience and a thirst to learn.

Click to expand...

..You don't need a carbon filter for a cab grow. It probably won't cause any smell issues with that size. Even my medium-large closet grow doesn't really smell, unless I brush against it, and then only a little bit.

NO odor is a selling point. If it smells, grow is cancelled. Noise is fine as long as it's not a jet engine volume. Here's the fridge. It's about .5 x 1.25 in front of the hump. Distance of light to screen is important. If i can do 6 inches, then i can have enough room above the hump to trim under and i can do 1sq ft. Is six inches ok if i top it a little extra to get more smaller buds? this is a personal grow and yield is more important than massive buds .

I had considered letting the sealed fridge keep the smell at bay but i feel like I'd rather spend an extra $100 than to spend $200 on a system that my spouse cancels because the offspring ask what that smell is. Projected cost is under $300 and one grow with cover the cost if i can get an ounce. If i can get that square foot of grow space, i know I'll get way more.

Thanks for the replies.

Lol. My son once smelled a Hershey bar i was sneaking from down the hall. The sense of smell in this house is like a pack of German shepards.

honestly if it does start to smell with a cab that small you could make a DiY carbon filter. sometimes for my little tent ill just buy some carbon for ac filters cut some off and stuff it in the end of my exhaust tube works like a charm.

Dopaw13 said:

honestly if it does start to smell with a cab that small you could make a DiY carbon filter. sometimes for my little tent ill just buy some carbon for ac filters cut some off and stuff it in the end of my exhaust tube works like a charm.

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I think i agree. Plus, if i go without the filter can, could get away with a computer fan exhaust which i could craft for next to nothing.

You may want to reconsider running an intake fan if smell is an issue. You always want to run negative pressure (exhaust fan) in the growing area so air is being pulled in as opposed to positive pressure (intake fan) which will push air out through any crevice or gap.

I run a small cab with two cree cxa3070s and can keep it cooled with two pc fans through a diy Tupperware carbon filter.

I would be interested in a build tutorial for that filter.

It only works with the fans horizontally. One fan mounted through the lid the other through the bottom. Find some mesh or fabric to support the active carbon and make a layer as thick as you desire inside the container.

If still looking for a diy filter check my thread it's working very well for me.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/first-run-in-my-stealth-box.927445/

Stealthgrowr80 said:

If still looking for a diy filter check my thread it's working very well for me.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/first-run-in-my-stealth-box.927445/

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That's so sick. Nice setup. Love the idea of the pvc pipe filter. I think I've decided to do something similar.

Though, I notice you are pushing through the filter, not pulling from the filter. Does this make any kind of difference?

I want to start assembling some of the things i can get for free like used computer fans, electric power bar, craft a screen. Though mine will have to be way smaller than yours.

I've never found any consistent info about light distance to screen so I'm probably just going to work in the space in front of the hump. And concentrate on getting an ounce of that. Again, this is a space of .5x1.25 ft. If i can make it nice and working and it be stealthy, i can sell it after my first grow and build a bigger one in a bigger mini fridge.

I'll try to post pics of any progress i make. Thanks for reading.

So i need a strain of sativa that can early flower. Any ideas? I require sativa over indica but I've read they are stretchers. I've also read bad things about early flowering but that there are certain strains that handle it better.

I have such a small space and i don't want to over stuff. But i want to get as much as possible.

JustElian said:

That's so sick. Nice setup. Love the idea of the pvc pipe filter. I think I've decided to do something similar.

Though, I notice you are pushing through the filter, not pulling from the filter. Does this make any kind of difference?

I want to start assembling some of the things i can get for free like used computer fans, electric power bar, craft a screen. Though mine will have to be way smaller than yours.

Click to expand...

It does create back pressure but still functioning, I'm about to upgrade again I found a kitchen range hood that will fit... 190 cfm, built in carbon filter

JustElian said:

So i need a strain of sativa that can early flower. Any ideas? I require sativa over indica but I've read they are stretchers. I've also read bad things about early flowering but that there are certain strains that handle it better.

I have such a small space and i don't want to over stuff. But i want to get as much as possible.

Click to expand...

Focus on lights with more blue in the spectrum as they will help control stretching. If they stretch to much move them closer to the lights if possible. Switching to 12/12 before the plants hit 1/3 of their vertical space should keep them low enough