Refrigerator Grow

frig guy

Active Member
Hello all Well here goes the info. I am using 2 Refrigerators for my never ending green. Frig one (no pics yet) is a top freezer (5 cubic feet) botom (12.5 cubic feet) model that no modification were done to other than a 3" square hole in the back for air ( the compressor lead wire is cut ) and fan inside for air flow around the unit(note this is no where near done or in use) this is for mom and clones. Frig 2 is same style with one diff the barrier for freezer was removed making one continous unit(15.5cubic feet) View attachment 1976735 this unit has a 12 volt computer fan blowing air in at a rate of 145cmf there are 6 23w CFL 2700k bulbs (6x1600=9600) lumens. View attachment 1976744 I am using 1 Gallon milk pots to start them and then moving them into 4 gallon square buckets to finish. These are the two best plants out of 6 total. I am using Mircale Grow Moisture control soil 20-7-14 time release and water i have let breath for 5 days. The tem holds around 82 degrees right now. I am planning on adding a 75w Hps for flowering. Here are close ups of the one plant I have been LST for a week now
View attachment 1976746View attachment 1976747View attachment 1976748View attachment 1976749View attachment 1976750View attachment 1976751
well I know the lights are wrong color but they were free I was told the seeds were AK 47 but IDK I do know they were killer dank with a amazing highI am going to be adding a carbon filter in the next week for odor control. I am worried about the 12/12 for temp control as the tem here today was only 24degrees. I was thinking a heating mat and a tray of water.Any feedback would be greatly appreciated thanks Frig
 

pacificarage

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking they'll love that fridge as a home. Great idea!
As for the CFLs, 2700k does just fine for vegging as well as flowering. So I think you'll be fine.

But question, what do you mean by "water i have let breath for 5 days." ?
 

frig guy

Active Member
I'm thinking they'll love that fridge as a home. Great idea!
As for the CFLs, 2700k does just fine for vegging as well as flowering. So I think you'll be fine.

But question, what do you mean by "water i have let breath for 5 days." ?


I alow the water to stand in a open container for 5 days befor i put it into gallon jugs
thanks
 

frig guy

Active Member
Hello all
Morning update have major growth on the 2nd plant today after triming the browning leaves. I am hold a temp of 84 today as the temp here is in the 40's I am starting to worry about over heating my box but i am also worried because this is not the usual temp here right now and at some point the temp here will be below zero.
I am looking for feed back and input.

Thanks

Frig
 

frig guy

Active Member
2012-01-06_14-55-17_652.jpg
Hello all
After reading on here about some of the frig grows that people have done i made some major changes since the weather was nice and i could keep the door open for more than 5 min. I hung the lights so there horizontal realizing that i was wasting space and light i was able to move my plants closer to the lights than ever. I sealed off the air intake system and made a passive exhaust in the botom of the frig as this one has no guts (striped to shell). figure this is best place to put the carbon filter system when i have cash for components. I will post pics later. hoping this helps my plants.

A ? for anyone who can answer ........... Dose using a blue mylar for the light reflector make any diff in the plants as they need more blue light early on?....... local store has some and was thinking about that today during the overhaul

....... 4:00 pm my time Temp is now 78 and solid 3" pasive vent made a world of diff lol going to be adding another 5 lights in the next few days here bringing the grand total lumens to 13775 all cfl 2700 k spectrum ....... Is there any thing i can give them to make sure they flower female ? .........


thanks

Frig
 

frig guy

Active Member
Hello all
Thanks for reading this .................. So after 12 hours with the lights in a new position i have amazing growth almost a full inch last night. I awoke to find my plants touching the lights for the first time since i started them. when i last checked them the lights were 1 inch away from the plants. I will post pics later today forgot to charge my phone last night.

Thanks

phone charged pics updated pic 3 is my mutant it looks really weird to me not sure of the strain
2012-01-07_08-47-46_749.jpg
2012-01-07_08-48-19_758.jpg
2012-01-07_08-48-02_464.jpg
Frig
 

frig guy

Active Member
Hello all
The second frig is now temping for clones to flower. I am using the built in fan and a 3" opening for fresh air with 2 lights on a 23w cfl and a 13w cfl a spare leftover from the house lol. I am puting the hole unit on a 12/12 timer to check my temp for a 24hr period to see if the temp gets to low during the lights off. I am still not sure what to do about that any help there would be great.


Thanks
Frig
 

frig guy

Active Member
Hello all
I think i have a solution to my temp problem in the flowering room use the exhaust from the veg room 24/hr on. my tems stay right around 79 with a passive exhaust i am thinking if i add a second exhaust on a thermostat with a inline fan that only draws air from the veg when the temp calls for it. Just brain storming not wanting to add to much on my eletric bill. Let me know what you think if this will work
 

apbx720

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking they'll love that fridge as a home. Great idea!
As for the CFLs, 2700k does just fine for vegging as well as flowering. So I think you'll be fine.

But question, what do you mean by "water i have let breath for 5 days." ?
is that a real lobster?
 

iamgman

Active Member
Have you thought of using some reflectors on those lights? You can get em for $7 at lowes. Throw all the light strait at the plants.
 

frig guy

Active Member
getimage.jpggetimage1.jpggetimage2.jpggetimage3.jpg


Hello all

Update been a few days since i posted. I will be taking new pics tonight for everyone these are from sat night. I am using Baloon Mylar above the lights to capture the light i will take a pic so everyone can see. Took clones yesterday 2 from each plant. I would like to know how long befor i can pop them on the 12/12 so i can get to buisness of starting more seeds lol if i have to.

Thanks for reading and posting

first indoor grow i have always used mother nature in the past but lost my harvest this year to rip off so i have decided to go indoor
 

frig guy

Active Member
2012-01-10_14-25-06_23.jpg2012-01-10_14-26-09_939.jpg2012-01-10_14-28-44_571.jpg2012-01-10_14-28-56_954.jpg2012-01-10_14-25-34_436.jpg2012-01-10_14-25-57_165.jpg


Hello all

After 2hrs work and a few cutting disks on my dremmel i now have the main box exhausted to the second with a 4" duct that is sealed to the outside but pumps the warm air into the second frig at a great rate keeping the tem a comfy 77 with the lights off and the outside tem only being in the 40's i am guessing that the low end for the temp is going to be in the in the 50's once the temp is below zero.
I took a few pics of the clones in the second frig any one know how long i have to wait befor i can go 12/12 with the clones ?
 

rollinbud

Active Member
You can make reflectors for the lites with aluminum pie pans from Wally World... Since you are already on the verge of having heating probs. you may want to rethink buying a HPS light. I really like the idea of using an old Refrig for grow room. I could use one in my garage but it gets really hot in there in the summer. I may have to experiment and see if it gets too hot. I dont like the idea of it getting into the 50's, Id get a heating pad or something for a little heat when lights are off, maybe with its own timer? Thanks for the ideas. Just by some of those Emergency blankets at Walmart for like $3.00 in camping section or dont, the white walls probably reflect just fine.
 

frig guy

Active Member
Hello all
New update after contecting the two frig's together with a 4" ducting the temp droped to 67 over night and the flower box got down to 62 so i am guessing that the 145cmf 12v fan is going to be perfect for the down times as the veg box is only CFL's I am adding 5 more today to see if the temps change back into the 70's. I also thought about the temp probs in the summer i am finishing off my garage to be a kind of appartment as the wife and I dont always get along(but i wont leave my three boys). I am insulating it and will be adding a window ac unit in the summer for now though the cold seems to be ok the frig's stay nice and comfy for my little ones the hps i want to add is a 75w outdoor security light I have built a custom hood for it out of stainless steel with a 4" outlet on each side for exhaust cause i know the temps would be way to high for the plants with out adding more vents. I am using balloon mylar for my reflectors now i was planning on making a stainless reflector at work when we have some scrap that would work ( i am a welder by trade ). I thought about the heating pad but after the test run last night with only one frig on the other off the temp seem to be ok with all the lights on now the temp is 76 so i am ok with that. I have noticed that indoor growing as a hole is a totaly different monster with its own set of issuse and bugs to work out. I will be adding a 4" exhaust for the flowering chamber that is thermastat controled.

Thank you all for your input i am a sponge soaking it all up
 

rollinbud

Active Member
Thanks for the update. Im going to find me an ol dead deep freeze and start monitoring it. Like I said, my m,ain concern is summer because there will be no a/c. Hopefully just exchanging the air with cool outside air will do the trick.
 

frig guy

Active Member
A thought on your idea you could always use a mini frig that is working for a cold air intake I would use a 3" low power 12v fan. Just a thought! I know that they are not ment to coola large are but i think you could control the temps that way would be worth a shot. Let me know if this works if you try it i know that it was my first thought when i ran into that wall of heat in the summer .
 

jtrimbl3

Active Member
I can't believe no one has said this yet. Dude, roots absolutely HATE light. Using the transparent milk jugs or whatever those are will hurt you in the end.
 

frig guy

Active Member
Thanks for the tip i was only planning on keeping them in there till i sex i didnt think it would be a problem.
 

jtrimbl3

Active Member
Thanks for the tip i was only planning on keeping them in there till i sex i didnt think it would be a problem.

i would hate to see those beauties go to waste male or female! hahaa sick setup tho man. There's no r5 coolant in that fridge still is there?
 
Top