How to stop light leaks
- Thread starter tyshizzle
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- #2
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
Go get one of those hypothermia blankets I think they are called Mylon??? They have a decent reflective surface and also will help with insulation. In all reality tho get a roll of duct tape and just start covering the box in tape... Light leaks will cause your plant to hermie just like stress will so if I was you I would get some tape as anything to just cover what you got. In the mean time go to craigslist or your local pawn shop and see about getting something more sturdy... You will be pumping a lot of electricity in and around a cardboard box which will do nothing in the case of a fire. Just my 2 Cents but that's what I would do. Look at mysteryseed's, or Kosmi's grow logs there is a lot to be learned there about what you got going on.
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- #4
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
Aluminum foil is not the best cause of heat pockets.... but it would stop light, and it would serve the purpose. Mine popped some seeds late into budding no biggy and I got some seeds for later. Throw a blanket over them and cut out some holes for your fan, tape some damn tape on it lol. put a overlap of a couple of inches on the door so you can use it and stop the leak.
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- #6
All very very good ideas look like I got some cutting to do today. I was thinking about blacking out like electrical taping the inside top part of the box to absorb any light through the fan hole. My plants are all lst so they shouldn't get that tall I hope lol it's like a 3 and a half foot tall box or something around there
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
Electrical tape will be a good buffer for that. I mean keep an eye out for an ice fridge or something of that matter. Atleast height aint an issue my current grow I am not over 18 inches tall, and still a good healthy yield. Work with what you have if you need to keep her close to the ground scrog set ups are nice. Check out SBG's grows. He has some awesome plants in a small environment. Take some tips from him and mysteryseeds with those 2 grows you will be set up.
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- #8
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
And he didn't pull much from it. SBG I really based my grow off of his work it was impressive. Mysteryseeds is a well established grower and member and very informative on his logs.
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- #10
I'm gonna dig into mysteryseeds thanks for all the great tips. You've answer a few of my questions before very informative yourself
jojo677
Well-Known Member
I'd also recommend foil tape, which is used for sealing HVAC joints, etc. It's basically aluminum foil with an adhesive on it, and is reasonably priced (maybe $5-10 USD a roll). It will at least reflect some of the light, as opposed to electrical tape. You could also spring a bit more money ($15-20) and get some panda film to cover the inside of your box, and make a 'curtain' to stop light leaks.
iwltfum
New Member
I don't think foil tape will stop that much light unless there is multiple layers. The kind that is meant to seal ducting is VERY strong though and quite useful for lots of things, that can stop the most light, but not all of it. The kind that is meant to fix leaks and holes in ducting is VERY weak and lets light through very easily.
I would hang some kind of curtain around your box to keep the light out as well as a bunch of tape, but it looks like the places where the most light is getting out is where you're meant to open it, so I'm assuming you can't tape it there, hence the curtain idea.
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
Or put a small overlap to cover that gap. That will allow it to keep the light out..
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- #14
I've overlapped everything but the exhaust fan the intake is in the back where no light should be able to reach. I want to figure out some type of curtain so I don't block the exhaust fan. But idk how id hang it in here with the current way my room is set up. I just flipped to 12/12 I said screw the wait. So that means I gotta figure something out soon might find a way to hang something inside the box without stopping ventilation and if I gotta take it out during the day and replace it during the cooler nights so be it
jojo677
Well-Known Member
Maybe you're thinking of duct tape? I use foil tape to seal joints in my grow room, after failed attempts using multiple layers of duct tape.
Unless you're going to cover both boxes with a curtain or something, I'd seal the joint where the boxes meet with some type of tape, and then hang a blanket/curtain over the front door.
As for sealing around the fan, you need something like a light baffle. You can make one yourself using a small cardboard box, and a bit of extra cardboard. Envision a box with all 6 sides, and 2 holes cut in opposite sides of the box. This is what the top would look like:
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- #16
iwltfum
New Member
No, I'm not thinking of duct tape. I'm quite familiar with HVAC. The foil tape you are talking about is hit or miss in my opinion. I'm sure you could find a roll that will block out light, but
to tyshizzle: just make sure it will block the light by testing it as it is only rated for sealing joints from air leaks. There is another kind of foil tape that looks EXACTLY the same, that isn't rated as high (rated for class 1 ducting) that will let all kinds of light through and is not worth your trouble.
this is foil tape rated for class one ducting:
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
Jojo that was a pretty damn good idea with the 6 sides.
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- #19
PTSD 4 ME
Well-Known Member
I have no idea on that one..... Valid point iwltfum
