Home made PVC rack for extra space in tents very affordable!

Hello all, wanted to share an idea that is working very well for me. I’ve made these for two of my tents now, and they’re a big help and very easy to make. I made the first one because I overcrowded my tent when I first started out and it allowed me to get the heater and humidifier along with a fan underneath the plants and free up space to spread them out a bit. Then I realized I can easily fit a couple of propagation chambers under there when I needed to as well. On the second one I made (the one in the pic) I added side ladders to hang fans or anything else on. While I was growing photo periods I did get close to running out of height a couple of times, but luckily my tents are 84" so I was able to get my lights up high enough. Now I’m growing autos, so these racks work even better because height is not an issue at all. It also makes it easier on my back when I’m putting the plants back in the tent after feeding or watering them. I don’t have to bend down nearly as far. I think it also helps that so much more air is moving around underneath the fabric pots. I don’t seem to have issues keeping humidity down in flower nearly as much as I used to.

Basically all you need is some 3/4" PVC, elbows, T’s, couplings, and a couple of closet shelves. I don’t glue the joints, just press them together so you can always make changes. The best part is you can customize it in any way that works for you.

One note, if you do something like this and put a heater underneath it like the 700watt oil filled ones I use, make sure you have a fan blowing on it so it doesn’t overheat the bottoms of the pots.

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Well done. Good idea.

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I like that rack. I may have to plagiarize one for myself.

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Love the idea if it is okay I am going to steal and build for my new grow room. :nerd_face:

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Cap_Ron, I think somewhere I saw a outside pic of your tent and you had the exhaust on top? Could you show a more detailed pic of that set up/ I am looking to maximize my tent space.

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Hey Work4iT, yup, I’ll get you some pics as soon as I get home this afternoon. You can have your exhaust fan and or your filter either inside or outside your tent. I prefer to have them outside for one to save space, and also in case I need to access them during lights out time. Anyway, you can pull or push air through your filter, just make sure you have the pre filter the right way. If you have the fan pulling air through the filter, keep the pre filter around the outside of the cannister. If you push air through it, place the pre filter inside the cannister. I’ll have pics later if you need them.

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I just cut a piece of 1x6 to sit on top of the tent. Make sure it sits on the support poles, and not just the fabric. Then screw the base of the fan to it. Run a piece of flex into one of the openings on the top of the tent. In this case, I’m just using 2 pieces of 1/2"EMT for the filter to sit on because I had them laying around. Eventually I’ll get around to hanging the filter from the ceiling a few feet away from the tent. Let me know if you need a hand.

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Aye Aye Captain, your set up looks good. Thanks for taking the time to post the pic. I am going to connect mine today. I try and open the window real early in the AM each day to let the room air out for about half a hour. I only am doing one plant but the fragrance is noticeable without anything.

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Cap’n, I have a white sock looking thing that came with my filter. Do not understand the Pre-Filter comment?

Hey Work4iT, so the pre filters purpose is to catch any fine particles and keep them out of the carbon section, it will make your filter last much longer. In this first pic you will see the white pre filter is on the outside of cannister.


The reason it’s configured this way is because I’m pulling air through the cannister and out of the tent. So the air that’s moving through the filter goes through the pre filter first.
In this next pic, the cannister sits on top of the tent, and you don’t see the pre filter because I rolled it up loosely and placed it inside the cannister. Reason being is because I’m pushing the air into the cannister this time. It needs to go through the pre filter first, so it has to be on the inside.
Basically, you want to protect the carbon from getting clogged and reducing your air flow.

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I see said the blind man. I like your set up. I think this first filter is going solo with no prefilter. Once this grow is done, I will mimic what you got going on.

Still, my goal on this one is to get it to the finish line without killing it.

Grow 2 I am formulating a hybrid strategy on what the good folks are sharing here with the rookies.

Cap’n do you notice any smell with your current set up, or does the Pre and Filter tame the odors?

No smell at all with the filter in place, they really work great. Keep in mind that it will smell quite a bit when you open the tent though.

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Is this just 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC?

I would like to do something like this.

For the cross members that support the wire rack, did you just use an elbow and a tee close together?

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Yup, that’s all it is, and yes on the elbows and t’s as well. Actually, I had an idea to improve it, maybe you can try it before me, lol. I’m thinking about replacing the entire frame that comes with the tent all together. Just make it the same outer dimensions, and include tons of t’s, 4 way’s and whatever else you can to be able to add cross bars wherever you might need them.
Also, once it’s built, I’ve cut in new pieces for cross bars, so you can always adjust them as needed pretty easily. I’m on my third one now, and I’m still making changes based on each grow.
Have fun and share pics of what you make!

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Cap_Ron,

Trying to mimic what you got going on…I need to order the 2nd filter to make it the Prefilter inside the tent. Went out and bought a $5 precut piece at the HD. I should have gone with some other type of ducting but it is OK for now, Thinking the fan, I should have gotten the adjustable fan type too…

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That will work fine, but you should take the pre filter off the outside of the cannister, and place it inside. The only other thing I would consider is if the fabric of the tent will support the weight of the plywood, fan, and filter. If you made the plywood big enough to extend over the sides an inch or two the weight would be resting evenly on the frame of the tent rather than just the middle, but I don’t think it will be a problem the way you have it.
You don’t need another filter in the tent. I showed you pics of them set up inside the tent and outside just so you could see both options, but you only need one or the other, and what you have pictured will be plenty for that size tent. A controller would be a good idea, you can find plenty of options on Amazon or at your local grow store. Here’s 2 pics. The Inkbird digital controller works great to turn the fan on or off based on temp, but it will run the same temps day and night. The other one is a bit more expensive, but has separate day and night settings, much better for what we do.


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Capn,

I wasn’t sure. I put the filter sock because there was some charcoal dust, just thought it would be cleaner. I should have sprung for a fan with a controller on it probably, Monday Morning QBing it.

I have read that a slower speed does better pulling the air thru the charcoal. With the bracing x4 in the tent things feel solid.

I bought the wood from the precut stack at the HD. I will keep trying to refine the set up. Wife says it has improved and cut down on the smell.

Thought I was looking a NASA control room and then figured out it was your grow set up…Nice!

@Cap_Ron

Do you think the PVC pipe would be strong enough to support 2 (5) gallon pots if you were to run the PVC pipe lengthwise? I have a 4’x2’ tent and I would like to make a frame similar to this but have the PVC run the 4’ length.

:ok_hand: Nice!

Wow. This is awesome. I am currently designing 2 scrogs form PVC. This gives me a great idea for my veg room. Thanks so much for sharing. This is soooo cool.