Nov 13 2009
Build a Stealth Grow Box For Less Than $150
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This post was written by the HMJ Grow Expert ThisBuds4You, Click here to read more by this author
Howdy fellow HMJane-ers! Welcome to your FIRST stealth grow installment with ME, ThisBuds4You!!! I will show you how I made a STEALTH chest of drawers (dresser) for less than $150 and YOU CAN TOO. In 3 months you will be puffin’ on your own homegrown for less than the cost of a half ounce of herb. A little know how, a couple tools and a few items from your neighborhood hardware supplier and you’ll be growing in no time! This box should produce 5-6 ounces of A-Quality bud every grow cycle (60 days). This box also uses only 300 watts of power, about the same amount as a standard desktop computer.
Details about this dresser
It took 2 -8 hour days to complete this grow box. This dresser is comprised of 2 growing chambers, 1 for flowering your buds and the other for keeping your mother plant and young clones. The mother plant and clones are kept under 24-18 hours of light and your flowering plants are under 12 hours of light. I used 250 actual watts of power in the flowering chamber. This should give us around 5-6 ounces of bud every grow cycle (60 days) depending on the strain, nutrients, grow medium, etc. I will get into nutrients, caring for your plants, etc in future articles. Alright, enough talk, lets get growing!!!
Here are a few tools you will need:
Tools Needed for the job
Drill & Drill bits (standard sizes)
Jigsaw
2″ hole saw drill bit
Phillips Screwdriver
Rubber mallet or hammer
Staple Gun & Staples
Tape Measure
Sharpie Marker
Carpenter’s Knife
White caulk, NOT CLEAR
Scissors
Sandpaper
Wood Glue (not necessary, but nice to have)
If you don’t have all the tools, BORROW THEM FROM YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY! If they ask you why you need them, make up some bullshit! I didn’t want to spend $20 on a hole saw drill bit so I borrowed it, just ask!
Supplies you will need to complete your box:
Dresser – $30
6′x10′ of Panda film – $10
1 – 4′x2′ 0.25″ MDF or Hardboard (I prefer MDF) – $4.50
9 Ceramic light fixtures – $11.43
About 8 ft of lamp cord – FREE
3 standard plugs (for lamp cord) – FREE
Duct fan (I used a 6″ but a 4″ is also sufficient) – $16.00
3 – 120mm computer fans – $13.50
2 – 80mm (standard) computer fans – FREE
1 standard computer power supply & tester – Power supply FREE, Tester – $12.00
9 CFL bulbs (I used a mix of 42 and 23 watt bulbs) – $35.00
2 Hinges – $2.00
2 Magnetic Closures – $3.00
1 power strip – $2.47
1 piece of plexi glass 3mm thick – FREE
1 thermometer – $10.00
2 timers – $8.00
Misc items (not necessary but nice to have)
8 door/cabinet pulls (not necessary but a very nice touch) – $10
1 carbon scrubber (i got the smallest one CAN FILTER makes) – $39.00 if you are concerned about odor, this is a MUST
Money Saving Tips
1. Re-purpose the wood from inside the dresser! I got an old ass dresser that was probably hand-built by some old pioneer and I was able to reuse a lot of the wood. I only had to purchase 1 new piece of wood (the MDF) for the back door.
2. Get an old junked computer and use the fans and power supply from that, you can probably find one for free, I did.
3. Check the free section of craiglist for dressers, computers, etc. If you can’t find free ones, pretty sure you can find cheap ones. I got my dresser for $30.
4. Don’t pay for lamp cords! Find some old ass lamps in the garbage, free section of craigslist or whatever and use those. Just cut them off from the lamp and wa la!
Disassembling the dresser
Take great care in taking the dresser apart. We took time taking it apart and ended up being able to reuse most of the wood from the dresser. We took apart the drawers and used the bottoms to make the front face that the drawer fronts attached to. We also used the bottom of the drawers for the floors of our new grow box.
Now, I’m not going to get into too much detail from here on out; the pictures are pretty self-explanatory. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to fire away!
The Beginning
Here’s the dresser untouched
Dresser untouched
First, we took all the drawers out and began to take those apart with a rubber mallet
Drawer dis-assembly
Drawer dis-assembly
Here’s the dresser completely gutted (except for the top shelf, I left that in so we could mount the exhaust fans and run the power through there)
Dresser gutted
Then we attached one of the drawer bottoms to the front of the dresser, so we would have something to screw the drawer fronts to
Dresser with support board
Then we attached the drawer fronts with the new drawer handles/pulls
Dresser with drawers attached
Once that was completed we cut a 6″ hole on the inside top shelf we left in and we also added a partition wall in the middle with a hole cut out for a 120 mm fan. We also cut holes in the top of our flowering chamber for the 2-120mm fans we will mount there. Be sure to run caulk around the edges on the inside of the dresser so we don’t have an issue with light leaks. I also cut 4 pieces of wood the same depth as the dresser and screwed them into the bottom. These are going to support our new floors.
Boards mounted, holes cut
Partition wall with hole cut
Next, make your floors from the scrap drawer bottoms. I drilled holes in them with a 2″ hole saw bit for air flow. Air is your best friend in these small spaces! I lined the floor of the veg room with panda film, I’m making a separate tray to place the plants in the flowering area so I did not line that floor with panda film
Vegetative chamber floor
Flowering chamber floor
Next, line the entire interior of the dresser with panda film and install the floors
Dresser lined with Panda film
Now, time for the lights. I daisy-chained all the lights together and mounted them to some scrap 1/2″ board I had laying around. You can use pieces of the dresser drawers for this also.
Ceramic fixtures
Lamp cord plug
Break time with Sweetwater 420 and Mandala Hashberry
Break Time
Now for the fans, I used 3-120 mm fans. I’m using 2 in the ceiling to exhaust hot air out of the flowering chamber (the lights will be sealed off by a piece of plexi glass), and 1 fan will be blowing air from the flowering chamber into the veg chamber. I powered these fans with a PC power supply. I got a power supply tester so the power supply would power the fans.
120mm fans
Power supply with tester
Now, mount the fans and the lights. I mounted 2-80 mm computer fans in the corners of the flowering box, air flow is our best friend in these small spaces!
Lights and fans mounted
Exhaust fans for lights in flowering chamber
PC fans mounted, exhaust fans for flowering chamber lights
Hinges attached to door
Hinges attached
Magnetic closures attached
Vegetative chamber up and running!!!
Flowering chamber with plexi glass installed
Lights on!
Flowering chamber with plexi glass installed
Door installed on back of dresser, still need to get a piece of hardboard to attach across the top of the back…
Back of dresser
Grow box is done!
Front of dresser, DONE!
Any questions, feel free to fire away. Overgrow the world!!!
TB4U
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This is awesome. Makes me wonder how many of my friends dressers are actually dressers.
I bet y ran outa space when growing, lol, I did the same thing in my wardrobe and i ran outa space, Carbon Filter should be on the outside of the grow box, I made a hyrdroponics system for mine too, harvesting in 2 weeks, already trimmed a bud and had a smoke my Lemon skunk knocks you on ur back
Fucking brilliant. Kudos for the fantastic article.
I have built SEVERAL grow boxes out of various pieces of furniture. The key to not running out of spaces is flowering when the clones are SMALL (3 inches or so). This is a STEALTH grow box, it would be pointless to mount the carbon filter on the outside, how is that stealth??? It works great being INSIDE the room. Stay tuned, there is much more to come
Thanks Bob-0! Stay tuned, many more growing tips coming soon!
Does the scrubber filter to the outside? I assume it exhausts through the top if it does. Nice article.
This is great, fantastic!
Nice job.
Where did you get this idea?
Is it safe to leave the PSU tester running 24/7? Usually these things generate a lot of heat and can ruin PSU, fans, and the switcher. Just asking, don’t want anything unexpected to happen, like a structure fire.
Very good set-up, I will probably be creating a similar set-up very soon.
Hi there,
Been running a PSU tester for over a year now with no issues, as long as the airflow is good around the power supply & tester, you should be good! Thanks for checkin in Sloppy, great question bud!
Thanks User,
There are a lot of resources on the net and I have a vivid imagination
What's up Dude!
The air flows from inside of the box through the carbon filter and then exits though the 6" fan. The 6" fan is actually attached to the carbon filter and exits out through the top. So in short, yes, you are correct! Thanks for stoppin' by
Nah, he wouldn't run out of space with that. There are so many methods to pulling a few ounces out of that box – top or fim, lst, scrog, short veg.
Exactly. I'm also going to write up an article on training methods, low stress and high stress
As he stated, there are several methods to keep your plants short. Thanks for the input Mr. Taurus.
What's up Dude!
I posted a response earlier, not sure what happened to it, oh well…
Yessir, you are correct. The scrubber is connected to the 6" exhaust fan which exhausts through the top and back of the dresser. Thanks for checking in!
Whoops, there's my other post. My bad…
How are you handling what looks like a huge light leak in the wall between the veg and flower cab?
Also, you've got 2-120mm exhaust fans in the flower side for the light. But, there's no intake for the light. The pressure would be minimal at best, pulling through the little silver of space between the plexiglass and the door when closed, making the fans at the top near useless.
I would rather have seen the fans intake and exhaust on opposite sides of the light space, still at the topcreating a constant airflow with this design.
There is a space between the plexi and the door allowing air to move freely past the lights and exit through the top cooling the lights. I've tested this setup and it runs at a perfect 78 degrees…
Great question about the light leak between the veg chamber and flowering chamber. I didn't really pay attention to it until I turned the box on and started to load it up. I had to build an "awning" out of hardboard lined with panda film (black side OUT), light leak fixed. I'll have to see if I can get a pic of this up here…thanks for chiming in Mr. Taurus.
Thank You I Will Be Looking Into Starting This Project Tomorrow.
Also, in a small space like this you want to use PASSIVE air intakes and no fans for intakes. Creating pressure so the fans can suck the air out, pulling air in via a fan would make the exhaust fans useless.
AWESOME!!! Post if you have questions, good luck Piff!
Great Article!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 question ? About how plants will fit?(i know it depends on veg. time and strain but on avg. how many? thanx for the great article again!
I didnt see instructions on the filter install. Also how well does it mask the smell?
ditto slim pickens. filter instructions? also, will this work for growing from scratch, or do you already need a partially grown plant? thanks man
fuck this shit
fuck this shit im bout to shit my pants that mandala hashberry ccould be my girl
Filter install was very simple. I connected the filter to a 4" to 6" reducer. Hooked up the reducer to the 6" exhaust fan and that was it. It does an EXCELLENT job of eliminating the smell. It's a must if you need odor control. Also check out Ona Gel, I would use this in addition to the carbon filter. Ona gel sits outside of the box, it eliminates odors. Google it!
Hi there, the answer for your filter question is above. This setup will work growing from seed or clones, doesn't matter. Just be sure to pick out a good mother plant when you can so you can start your perpetual garden w/ clones.
It really depends on the strain, size of your container, veg time, etc. I'm using 20 – 32oz Gatorade containers. I wrapped the containers w/ black tape; they're the perfect size for a 3" clone.
Hey Bowce,
This works growing from seed or clone
Growing from seeds, wouldn't your plants outgrow the box? I've not grown before but was just interested in the post. Seems like it's not a big enough space
There are several ways to train your plants to keep them low. They can be tied down, topped, FIMed or you can flower when they're short. There are several options, from seed or clone.
First off I must say that this is a great post and that your work on here and thcfarmer are well awe inspiring almost.
So just curious which grow method would you recommend for this setup? (or when will more of your awesome guides be coming our way?)
and I am a very novice grower (still just reading and learning) but would it be possible or a good idea to get UV lights from comp cases and use the power supply from the comp to power them? I really don't know much if anything when it comes to UV lights and growing though so yeah but just an idea. Thanks again ThisBuds4You =]
Thanks Blueprint
For this setup I don't recommend a hydro system that uses moving parts/pumps, etc. I think passive hydro or soil is the way to go (for this particular setup). I am using 32 oz Gatorade containers w/ CocoGro as my medium. I can fit 20 of these in the area. Not sure about these UV lights you're referring to…You can use a UVB bulb; it looks like a compact fluorescent bulb and can be purchased at the pet store. I use one in my HighKEA Growdrobe and it works fantastic, I will add one to the Stealth Dresser as soon as funds allow. The UVB bulb makes the plants produce more resin, at least it has in my tests and studies. The only thing that will be powered by a computer power supply are your fans, not the lights. Hope this info helps. Stat tuned as I am currently writing my next article on grow mediums, soil vs. hydro
My husband says you are the MacGuyver of weed!! I love this post. Thank you.
how tall should the veg plants be before transplanting? cause I've read SeeMoreBuds book on how to "Grow Up to 8 oz." the flowering chamber doesn't seem tall enough? i'm all confused ha cause i got a dresser just like this and its my dream to turn it into one of these. excelent work though by the way.
and i'm also guessing this one is mainly for indica strain plants, correct? and could some sativa plants go in this?
You can flower at 3" tall, that's what I did. Google "micro growing" online, you will find a lot about growing in small spaces.
Indicas would be suited best for a setup such as this, but the right sativa could work as well. Check out Joey Weed's Apollo 11, awesome sativa that stays short and finishes flowering in 55-60 days. Easy to clone, easy to grow and has great bag appeal. The best high I've ever had, no bullshit
Enter text right here!how tall deep and wide is your dreser and is it possible to grow more than five or six ounces in it because i know some seeds yield anywhere from 135-700 grams and 700 grams being about a pound and a half of weed so is it possible to grow more
When you run your vegetation lights 24/7, won’t there be light leakage through to the flowering chamber from the fan that is on the wall separating the two rooms?
This question came up before, look through the previous questions and answers.
It is not possible to grow more than 5-6 oz in this dresser. We are using CFLs, these lights are not that intense. If you are looking to pull in more weight you will need a larger space and an HID light.
if you short pins 13 & 14 on the mobo connector of the psu, you can ditch that power supply tester all together.
i'm also curious as to how you deal with the light leak from having a hole in between the flowering and vegetative chambers.
I see the Sweetwater 420, a very good beer.
i'm interested in seeing the end result of what you grew with this thing… is it running now?
nice job man!
it seems small..
probably only good for lowryders
I don't grow lowryders, shitty strains for outdoors. INDO ONLY! Use training (LST, topping, fim, etc) and you can keep the height small
True about the tester. I've actually wired all of the fans to an AC adaptor, so no PSU is needed. I made a vent/awning for the fan on the partition wall, there in no longer a light leak.
It is running now, and working GREAT! Temps are actually below ambient temps, staying 76-74 with lights on. Works like a charm
can't wait for the follow up article, man! you have inspired the tim "the tool man" taylor in all of us. Any idea when you'll post the next one? Also, what are the dimensions of your dresser?
how do i find the panda paper?
can i use somthing diffrent?
I wanna know if anyone has done this yet.
I am also curious if anyone had any chance with this design? I would love to see a pic of it in action, with the plants in
Hi Manuel,
You can find Panda film at any hydro store. Check out BGHydro.com
You should try Google, I bet you can find pics of it in action on there :wink wink:
What are the dimensions of the dresser, just to get an idea what to look for? Thanks….great article!
What changes would I have to make to this if I wanted to have the veg chamber on top of the flowering chamber (skinny tall dresser)??
Wicked article
First of all great article!!
Just wondering how is it possible to get a big yield such as 700 grams as i have seeds that can yield that much. Am totally new to the game of growing even though i have been smoking this beautiful herb for some time! i've had enough of paying high prices for low grade skunk. hehe!!
where else can i find ure great words of wisdom?
that wasn't very specific, I meant in regards to fan placement and ventilation
Cool idea but pretty common, seen it in action on a few raids in my time.
To start up the PSU, I think you could do it more cheaply with a piece of wire, you just have to know which pins to short on the PSU 20 or 24 pin cable. Here's a wiki on it:
Some of you already know you don't have to have a constant circuit, just a quick contact and you're off and running. You could make a more permanent solution by scavenging a pc power switch.
tl;dr
Momentarily short the green wire with a black one to turn on the PSU
[...] Build a Stealth Grow Box for less than $150 Comments (0) [...]
Great thread! I've planned on doing this for some time but just now getting started. My dresser is shorter and not as wide as yours. I'll prolly have to nix the veg chamber. Do you think a scrog grow will work? Only have about 27" total height after gutting .
I'm eyeballing it at 48"Wx32"Hx20"D
What happens if there is a tiny bit of light leak from Veg into Flower chamber during 12/12? will the chemical reactions not take place?
This is a totally cool build and all…….but you aint growin shit with those lights. Invest in real grow lights. Again, great build.
make me wonder how many of my friends are getting rid of dressers, light bulbs and power tools…lol
I didn’t have a chance to read all the comments and check if this was answered or not, but you don’t need a power supply tester. only a small length of wire or paperclip.
For most newer power supplies (ATX) you just take the biggest (20 or 24 pin) connector and short the GREEN wire to a BLACK wire. That will send a power on signal to the supply without using a tester.
Cheers
Pics of the awning would be cool if it’s possible. I’m thinking of getting into growing and making one of these as a starting box.
Like the pigs ain't gonna check a bureau on a bust…
You dumb ass!
Back to the drawing board!
I'll stick to the false panel dilapidated cottage in the back forty…at least you can bury the wires and stuff…
-Jeeem-
ur a dober iv done time in prison and u would get passes about like a porno mag so dont get caught cos i guess u couldnt handle the jail never mind being some big guys bitch better go hang yourself right now before u get caught as i did exept prisons easy for me doin it since a kid in juvi hall use ur skills for something good and worthwhile sell crack or heroine and buy all the weed u want u stupid little gaylordjiboy
What kind of blubs are those?
Thanks for information, I'll always keep updated here!