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Inexpensive Grow Lights / Lighting?


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  #21  
Old 01-03-2010, 04:33 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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I detailed how I built mine, but the web pages are down now.

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  #22  
Old 01-03-2010, 04:57 PM
smurf smurf is offline
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Well that doesn't help much
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  #23  
Old 01-03-2010, 05:10 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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Basically I buiilt a wood base from treated 4X4's and used metal stakes to tie it down with. And around the top just under the roof I added chainlink fence pipe to the wall to brace it better.

I then used screws to fasten the metal base to the 4X4's.
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  #24  
Old 01-03-2010, 05:12 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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I slid bolts unto the wall studs and bolted the pipe to it.
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  #25  
Old 01-03-2010, 05:17 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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I built this to grow Hydro in but, I haven't been able to power, water, and gas to it yet.
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  #26  
Old 01-03-2010, 05:30 PM
smurf smurf is offline
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Looks great, bet you cant wait to get it up and running
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  #27  
Old 01-03-2010, 05:36 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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The wife is disabled so I had to put the GH on hold. That is why I am growing in the house. It will take a few dollars to finish it up.
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  #28  
Old 01-03-2010, 07:25 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Hopefully you will be able to use it for hydro soon, especially after all that work and money. I haven't decided weather I will buy a greenhouse or build it from scratch. I need to do some pricing of materials first, as well as map out exactly where it will go, and how big it will be. Maybe it will cost less to build 2 or 3 smaller ones instead of one larger one.

If I bought one I will need to modify it, and I will need to take the cost of that into consideration. If I didn't modify it, I would never be able to grow anything in it during summer. The outside air temp can reach 128 degrees during the summer months. Inside a greenhouse that is sitting in the sun, the air temp would out of control. It would cost way to much to run air conditioners in it to get it down to a reasonable temp. If wasn't see through, I would need to run lights in it, wasting all that free sunlight.

What I have in mind is building it so that it is see through like a regular greenhouse, but adding removable lightproof panels to the outside (white to reflect light and not absorb heat). These panels would only be needed half the year during the summer months when it's hot. But now I need to bring the light inside. I plan to use a series of Tubular Skylights to do this. I may even make my own, they don't need to be pretty.

Tubular Skylights, all of the benefits, none of the problems
Natural Sky Lighting
Tubular Skylights

These will bring in the light without the heat. I think the best way to do this is to build the greenhouse with the see through panels, but making them removable. Then I wouldn't need to cut through them to install the Tubular Skylights, I would simply swap out the see through panels with the light proof ones. This should make the cost of adding AC to the greenhouse much more reasonable, and still allow me to grow in natural light.
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  #29  
Old 01-03-2010, 08:15 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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The cheapest way to build a GH is a HoopHouse, using Chainlink fence pipe. Just bend the pipes, anchor them in the ground and throw some rolled plastic over the top. The polycarbonate panel get get pricey.
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  #30  
Old 01-03-2010, 08:42 PM
smurf smurf is offline
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Do you think you can grow indoors using the Solatube?
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  #31  
Old 01-03-2010, 08:57 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smurf View Post
Do you think you can grow indoors using the Solatube?
Sure, they bring in full spectrum natural light. Provided you use enough of them to saturate the area with strong lighting. Also you need to keep them clean, dust and dirt on them will diminish the amount of light you are able to bring in.
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  #32  
Old 01-03-2010, 09:03 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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We have a dealer 30 miles away, i may make a trip over next weekend and check them out.
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  #33  
Old 01-03-2010, 09:25 PM
Amigatec Amigatec is offline
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The website says they start under $250. My growroom is on the north side of the house so it won't work as well for me.
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  #34  
Old 01-03-2010, 09:58 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amigatec View Post
The website says they start under $250. My growroom is on the north side of the house so it won't work as well for me.
You can place the roof collector in a place that gets plenty of light then run the tubing to any room in the house you want. They can get pricey but the roof collectors are specially made to collect light. That's mainly what the cost is, but you don't need to use there collectors. You can basically use any clear plastic to let light in. Even the glass covers like on outdoor lamp posts, as long as it's clear to let the full light in, and weather proof.

It wont collect as much light (about half) but you can run 3 or 4 of these, even more if you want, and it wont cost $250 a pop. The main thing is the reflective tubing, and the cost of this tubing. This tubing lets you direct the light from the roof to anywhere you need it to go. Even the roof flashing is fairly common, it's usually found with the roofing and/or heating and AC ducting supply's at any home improvement store.
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Last edited by GpsFrontier; 01-04-2010 at 01:50 AM.
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  #35  
Old 01-04-2010, 03:14 AM
smurf smurf is offline
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Great to know, I want to plant indoor in a large scale warehouse. They also have 21 inch ones just for what i am looking at doing.

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