Well thank you for your confidence but I’ve failed my first attemp at hydro .
I’m sorry to hear that. Mind if I ask what happened?
Ouch! Yes that level is too high. What I had read was that aeration for the roots was very important as well, so I only filled my reservoir up to the white line visible on the drain level tube (blue tube mounted outside the bucket) That ensured that there was a gap between the grow chamber and the water.
When my plants were smaller, I was worried the roots wouldn’t get enough water before they had extended far enough down to get in the water. I solved that by placing them in the pellets a little offset so that they would be closer to one of the drip ring outlets. I would also pour some pH’d water at the base stem once a day for the first few days until I saw roots drop through the basket.
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This inspired me to build my grow box, but I used an upright freezer instead, to help with space requirements. This is my first post, so bear with me.
Unfortunately, the smallest (4") exhaust fan I could find that would pull the air I needed it to, and not die in a week, wouldn’t fit underneath, where the compressor usually lives.
First, I removed all the refrigeration components, shelving (which is also the evaporator in this model), and the top bin from the door…I needed somewhere to store a watering can, spray bottle, etc. I considered removing the inner door liner, but the outer shell is very flimsy without the liner installed, and it only takes up a few inches.
So without space outside, I had to mount the fan to the back wall/ceiling instead, using one of the provided bracketed, and one bungee cord. This seems quieter anyway, using the freezer’s existing insulation to quiet it, along with some packing foam. I’ve hung the carbon exhaust filter from the ceiling with bungee cords. I used the same four-eyelet-through-the-ceiling method to provide hanging points for everything.
Don’t mind my decorating…
The LED light panel (AgroLED Dio-Watt 288 - 175 Watt Full Spectrum low profile…quite possibly overkill; my light meter says around 100k lux at the canopy…they say it’s just right for a 2x2’ area, and mine is 20x23"…this is a lot to put in one pair of parentheses…I don’t even care, I’m leaving it this way lol), is hanging from a ratchet pulley/cable system. I can adjust the lights anywhere from just under the carbon filter (about 18" above my screen/canopy) all the way to the floor, basically. I had to modify the wire hanging cables that came with the light, and attach pulleys to them to accept the ratchet cables. This significantly increases the adjustability of this light.
I have cut three 4" diameter holes through the cabinet, two in the back corners of the floor for intakes, one in the top, left, back wall, for exhaust.
I originally planned to use rigid duct throughout, but this limited the flexibility of positioning and mounting things.
Cool, fresh, somewhat-humidified (by a nearby small, cheapo Walgreens humidifier) air travels into the Frigidank™, assisted by two small desktop type fans (both have three settings, and with the speed controller for the fan, it gives me…a bunch of options to keep the temp/humidity where I want it).
Air is exhausted through the filter, of course, then, around a u-turn, into the exhaust fan, and then through a 90° bend out the back. I also have some duct dangling out the back, which gets tucked between the box and the adjacent wall to its left, to direct the exhaust up and away from box so it doesn’t just circulate the same hot, CO2-thin air.
I ran the lights and fans overnight to test, and I’m able, with minimal jury rigging, to get the temperature and humidity I want based on what’s going on with the plant(s) inside. Humidity is generally lower than I’d like, but I think too low is much easier to deal with than too high.
I’m about five weeks in on the single freebie White Widow feminized seed I’m growing in this box. I broke a stem attempting some lst, so she’s a three-way now, but recovering just fine. I made a rookie mistake, foliar feeding with the lights on, and burned a few leaves. But that’s how we learn, right? Anyway, this plant seems small, but it’s mainly a proof of concept. I’m not expecting a huge yield. I just want to make sure everything works like I want before piling a bunch of plants into the box.
I also installed a screen that is currently stationary, but could be adjusted, or even made adjustable. I was going to try to ScrOG her, but she’s looking so small, and missing a main branch, I might just remove the screen for now and just let nature finish her off. I’ll save the ScrOG for a more hardy crop.
Happy growing!
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@Powaforce Awesome! Best advice I can give is to make sure you allow for lots of airflow. Heat is very difficult to deal with because these boxes are designed to HOLD heat (cold, really). I had to be be creative. Best of luck!
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I love this creative Idea. Now, the indoor technique has been used extensively. I have also prepared Garden, it,s not a refrigerator but it is a big one.
Did anyone have a successful grow with the fridge I’m thinking about trying it but I’m worried Heat will be a major problem even with exhaust during the summer months
I’m three weeks into flowering in mine. So far, so good, but the heat is tricky. If I had my druthers, I would’ve went with a higher cfm exhaust, and a small inline intake fan, for more flow. But size and sound were of the essence. It’s stealthy as it gets. Looks and (more or less) sounds like just a freezer.
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Still dialing in my heat issues atm, but whilst my outside temps remain at mid 30’s at the very coolest and I have no way of cooling the intake air I think I’m pushing shit uphill a little. I will be running an intake from the back of a freezer in the next month or so when it gets here but hopefully by then my day time temps will be closer to 30C then the 40C we’ve been playing in for the last few months 
Hello guys I just wanted to check and see if you were still making progress with a refrigerator Gro
Yeah mate, my outside temps are just starting to drop now. I run mine from 7pm til 1am ATM then I take her out into the sun whilst I’m at work before putting her back in, that’ll slowly get longer once I start trusting my running temps a little more. When she turns off at 1am my fridge temp is at about 39-40C, any longer and I’ll cook them me thinks but as my days cool and shorten im hoping I can get that end temp down to about 36-37C.
Yes, doing alright! I’m a couple weeks from harvesting.
I’ve since made this box mainly for flowering, since I’m vegging in the closet.
My journal is here:
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I have done the same so far so good my only concern is about the smell will the smell sneak out of the fridge i have carbon filter installed
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