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Fridge Flowering Cabinet


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As mentioned previously I received an old fridge yesterday that someone wanted to dump.

 

It needs a good clean then I will turn it upside down so that the freezer section is on top. The top I'm going to use to put in my carbon scrubber and passive exhaust. The extractor fan will be mounted inside the flowering area (fridge area) with a passive intake at the bottom.

I have a very powerful and old Elicent Chef 500 extractor fan that was bought at Europair 15 - 20 years ago. It's a 300CFM extractor fan running at 55db. I'm expecting the noise to drop by 50% at least when the doors are closed. I'm going to download a DB meter on my android tablet then I will confirm what the reduction is like.

 

First things first! I need to give it a good clean with bleach water and then finalise my design. 8-)

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I removed the light fitting, compressor and all the wiring and cut the hole for the extractor fan on the one side that separates the fridge from the freezer. I couldn't cut right through because the separator was too thick. After struggling with the jigsaw I found a sharp knife that was handy enough to cut the line straight.

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Now that the passive inlet hole is done, I insert a used PVC down pipe that will be shaped in a "U" to prevent light from entering the flowering box. I will be using the same passive inlet to run the wiring through. Next I must still cut the passive air exhaust hole on top where the scrubber will be.

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Nice going SSA, keen to check how this build unfolds. Put stickers on the outside upside down to give the illusion of right side up for stealth appearance. IMO :-hilarious

 

:-peace

Yes, that is a smart idea!:thumbups  I'm going to remove all the current stickers first then give it a good clean. It will look like an imported fridge with door opening to the left. :rastabanana

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So eventually I'm at a hurdle! Take note that I just flipped the picture upside down to mimic where everything will fit. So nothing is mounted. The little brown box is only there to temporary support the E40 light fitting.

 

The fridge wall is a very thin plastic. Mounting the fan and light due to its weight might tear the inside of the fridge wall panel. I cut one of the fridge shelves to the bottom width of the fan to act as support. I will then put a moerse lot of silicone at the back of the fan to seal it and hold it in place. I still have to wedge it with a small piece of wood so that the black part at the bottom of the fan fits snugly to the fridge shelf. I think that should hold the fan in place.

 

1. How do guys suggest to mount the light fitting? As its going to be quite heavy with the large CFL Bulb hanging horizontally.

2. Do you think the inlet pipe should stay vertical or should I turn it to the direction of the plants which is horizontal?

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Hey SSA

 

I'd make a rack fitting that slides into the original guides on the sides. That way you don't drill holes in the flimsy inner material, and you have all the adjustment you'll ever need.

 

HPS bulbs are not all that heavy.  First prize, I think, would be to construct a reflector with parallel guides, which could slide in the slots, so the whole light fitting is supported. Next best option, weld a bracket to the original wire mesh shelf, and attach the bulb to that.

 

Hope I've made sense.

 

Watching your build come along buddy!

 

I hear you but don't quite comprehend! I will already be using one shelf to move the plants from the top down as it grows. I'm using the large 150w CFL bulb which is quite heavy. I'm not going to build a reflector (yet) as the space is already very limited and it could potentially increase the heat in my cab. My plan is to mount the CFL in front of the fan, so all the heat that accumulates will be extracted immediately.

 

 

Instead of a reflector I will consider lining the "roof" above the light with Mylar to help reflect the light. I think it could still work if I mounted the CFL from the top (and not from the side) which would have more even weight distribution.

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