ACTECH STANLEY 336 GROW BOX Just got it! Dig it!

Hey,

If anyone is looking for a state of the art grow box I think this is it! I got the larger cabinet upgrade, the auto PH system and the 270 watt LED upgrade. $ was not really a factor with me just wanted the good system. I have a fair amount of grow experience in the past decades and am a cancer survivor doing my own thing. Customer service is great, always answers the phone if I have a question. Would recommend these guys. I enclosed a pic. I have 4 Royal Cheese and 4 Delicious Caramello brewing and will update the grow. A new piece of glass is in the pic. That was a birthday gift from 1 of my kids.

That's really cool. I know it cost them a pretty penny. It's a great idea for DIY people too.

Good shit bud...man aint it exciting getting new shit? I think thats why i keep ordering shit

Congrats! And good luck to ya ^5

I don't want to rain on your parade. But there are no, "just add beans and water" solutions. So please bear in mind that while this may not be the solution. It is a very good foundation to build from. The box is well built, has decent light sealing and odor control. The auto Ph system is my fav thing about these boxes. It has kept the water ph between 5.7 and 5.9 fairly consistently. The rubbermaid DWC is decent. The drip heads are very touchy though. They are hard to set @ 1 drop/second. Check, check and triple check the flow before turning on the water timer. Or, you may wake up to find your plants on the deck. As I have before. I like the reserve res and float valve. This and the ph system, will allow you to be gone for 3-4 days at a time. Maybe longer if the gals are small. The chiller only will buy you about 5 degrees. But that is huge. Since these cabinets run hot. The CO2 boost bucket adds maybe 200ppm to the normal 500ppm, in the air. Not a lot. But still a 40% improvement over doing nothing. But this "added" CO2 won't allow you to grow under hotter temps. Like running CO2 @1400ppm+ will.

The jury is still out on the LED's? I have the 90w versions. But I also have 50w+ of T5 side lighting. They seem to be doing OK at veg. But the proof of the pudding is in flower. We'll see what the buds look like? I'll be flipping next week, hopefully.


A couple of hard earned tips, if ya don't mind? Did I tell you the boxes run hot? 17-20 degrees above room temp. So make a plan on how you are going to keep the room, where the cab is located. At 60 or less, during "lights ON". If the cab gets over 80, the water will go over 75. Not a major issue. But off the "optimums" Around 85 you will see signs of heat stress. So you may have to crack the cabinet doors. As I have had to do quite often And it's only been 70-75 here most days. Can't wait for Summer...lol Remember it is a DWC/drip system. Seedlings don't need much water. After that. You can water pretty much as much as you want. I have been growing from clones. So I usually run, 1/2 hour on, out of every 3 hours. And the air stone you have should be supplemented with another. And either add an air manifold, that allows you to use one pump to drive 2 stones. Or, buy another pump. FWIW, I am using micropore stones with a pump for each. They cost like 5X. But they don't clog, they last and they generate the finest bubbles. Fine bubbles is a good thing Contrary to instructions. You'll want to leave the air stones on 24/7. Pumps, and the chiller power supply (also s/b run 24/7)should kept be outside the cabinet. This will help a little with heat. Watch the taped seams in the cabinet's reflective material. A few seams have leaked/leeched some foamy white crap. Also around the shelve edges that hold the PH up and down bottles. This crap has even fallen on and killed a few plant leaves. I'll post a pic, or two, of that in the next few days. Also go EASY on the GH Maxi nutes. A little goes a long, long way. Add a little then measure the ppms. You can always add. But you can't subtract. And don't let anyone (or any instructions) convince you to "feed X amount (based on friggin height no less) and forget about having to measure ppms". I walk (and so will you) the fine line between nutrient deficiency and nutrient burn every water change. Sometimes I fall off the fine line I am around 600ppm with 4+ week old, now around 14 inch tall, clones. I was at 800ppm and burned em A smart grower measures ppms. This is the one area you don't want to "ready, fire, aim". Attached are pics of the clones and how they looked a few weeks ago. Pre-burn. I'll post some of where they are now, along with the pics of the toxic leakage/spill ...LOL

Most posters here @ RIU are real knowledgeable. Now that Bmeat is gone, that is...bwhahahaha I'd suggest relying mostly on people who have experience in this field. Rather than folks who build cabinets for a living. I've had my Brian since the beginning of the year. And despite the issues I've encountered. I really like it. I have made some changes (and plan a few more) and have learned a ton. If I can save you from having to learn the hard way. And sadly, the hard way usually involves losing plants I'd be happy to share. Or, you can tell me to take a flying leap at a rollin' donut...lol Jus tryin ta hep Fair warning...I'll be Bach

Thx and appreciate your input! I will stay in touch and compare notes if you don't mind. I use RO water and add cal mag to 200 ppm and added part A so total is 540ppm today. Good u think for seedlings? I bought a monitor that displays PH PPM and temp. So at a glance I know what is up in the reservoir.

How big are the seedlings? (3-4 inches) How long since they popped? (a week, or so) Do they have their first set of real leaves? (yes) If so, a bit of nutes should be fine. 540 is not too high of a ppm. Monitor your ppms and if they are stable (or drop a little). You should be fine. Also whatcha got the beans planted in? Rockwool? RapidRooters? Other? Post some pics of the babies

Here's some pics of the toxic "crap" I mentioned, in my prior post. Mostly the lower left side and floor of cab.




Here's a couple pics of the clones, close to 5 weeks after putting them in the box. Along with a pic of the shoelace/ratchet mod that brings the lights right on down. You will need something similar to bring the lights down closer to the seedlings. And during veg. Since the provided straps only lower them a foot, or so.



R2T

Hello Mr. Bogie and Mr. 2Tight. I just stumbled across this post and am very interested in following either one of your grow journals .. you both seem to be working on your first ACT box grows and I have been on the fence about getting one for a little while now. I'm just not sure yet .. the heat issue worries me. I need to be as stealthy as possible... so for me, a tent is out of the question. The cab would be in a room that stays around 72-74. I'm also a little more interested in doing soil grows .. for now. So if I were to get one it would be the "bare" Brian (or Stanley .. still not sure). I've been doing tons of reading and I've watched dozens if not hundreds of youtube videos (but I realize the real learning starts when you do your first grow).
I realize LEDs are not as "cool running" as the manufactures would have us believe .. but I still imagine they run cooler that HIDs. So LEDs in a cab seems like the obvious choice (right?)
Have either of you considered different lights .. is there a particular brand that does run a little cooler (that you are aware of) .. this subject of LED lights is a confusing one for a newbie. So many opinions .. and I'm learning NOT to trust everything I read on these forums .. it seems manufacturers and sponsors of these sites are fond of trolling and leaving misleading info (my guess).
Anyway .. I enjoyed reading your initial views of these cabs and I took notes, Mr. 2tight, of the things you experienced and things you would change (curious about the lights though .. would you change them?).
I hope one of you decides to do a proper grow journal .. I'd follow.
Thanks

I have had a real frustrating time with the fucking auto PH thing! It chases up with down solution and vice versa. By the time it stabiles the PPMs are at +- 2300 or more and EC at 3.85 from a start of 1200 PPMs using Floraduo A 5 ml B 2.5 ml gh root enhancer 1 ml and cal mag at 1 ml using RO water. So today I changed my solution 3 goddamn times to get it right. Used all my RO storage. I was a non paid guy in a pro CO. Grow op and anal about my numbers and learned how important daily PH adjustments are! Think a waste of $ but will give it a fair shake not that I already have.
Concerned about high PPMs and burn, shock, block etc. comments please.

Into 2nd week with high $ seedlings from seed. Not sure.

To be fair I think it may be old fart operator error. AC Tech guys calling me this eve to go over calibration. I have heard good things about the unit. Will update.

Talked to ACTech last night great service but recalibrated and still this morning both res. tanks (PH) empty and PPMs at 3500! About to give up on this thing but am trying to get some help. Think flow from solenoid a may be to fast?.

Thebogie said:

Talked to ACTech last night great service but recalibrated and still this morning both res. tanks (PH) empty and PPMs at 3500! About to give up on this thing but am trying to get some help. Think flow from solenoid a may be to fast?.

Click to expand...

Shit! That sux! That is the best (and most expensive) part of the box, IMO. Mine jumps around a bit. But mostly cuz of all the roots deflecting the current, that's aimed at the emitter drop spots. This happened a few weeks ago, causing it to use too much ph UP and fucking up my ppms. And of course, adding some burn to boot. What's a grow without a bit of burn?...lol But still never saw ph readings lower than say 5.65 or higher than maybe 5.95. My ppms are real consistent now that I addressed that issue. If you are only 2 weeks into seedlings, this isn't your issue

Good luck getting this under control

R2T

Spnc420 said:

Hello Mr. Bogie and Mr. 2Tight. I just stumbled across this post and am very interested in following either one of your grow journals .. you both seem to be working on your first ACT box grows and I have been on the fence about getting one for a little while now. I'm just not sure yet .. the heat issue worries me. I need to be as stealthy as possible... so for me, a tent is out of the question. The cab would be in a room that stays around 72-74. I'm also a little more interested in doing soil grows .. for now. So if I were to get one it would be the "bare" Brian (or Stanley .. still not sure). I've been doing tons of reading and I've watched dozens if not hundreds of youtube videos (but I realize the real learning starts when you do your first grow).
I realize LEDs are not as "cool running" as the manufactures would have us believe .. but I still imagine they run cooler that HIDs. So LEDs in a cab seems like the obvious choice (right?)
Have either of you considered different lights .. is there a particular brand that does run a little cooler (that you are aware of) .. this subject of LED lights is a confusing one for a newbie. So many opinions .. and I'm learning NOT to trust everything I read on these forums .. it seems manufacturers and sponsors of these sites are fond of trolling and leaving misleading info (my guess).
Anyway .. I enjoyed reading your initial views of these cabs and I took notes, Mr. 2tight, of the things you experienced and things you would change (curious about the lights though .. would you change them?).
I hope one of you decides to do a proper grow journal .. I'd follow.
Thanks

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Howdy Spnc420
This is my 2nd attempt. I started a journal on the first grow. But never made it to entry 2. Major issues, most of which I take the blame for. But salvaged 2 of these poor abused and mistreated ladies, from cab grow #1 and gave them a life outdoors



They should be done in another month or so.

Cab grow #2 is going much better. But not all that smoothly. And definitely busy at work, so no time to do a journal. In fact, this is the first time I have been able to sit down and read the forum, in well over a week.

If your room temp will be 72-74. The cab will be 90-94 during lights on. Too hot for hydro, but maybe okay for soil? My pots are out in 95 degree sunlight. So maybe this would work? You could also use CO2. Flowering at 90, using CO2 can work decently. That's pretty hot for veg however.

You mention cool running leds. Yep, they are pretty much the coolest lighting solution you can get. At least without having to use industrial strength a/c, cool tubes and remote ballasts. There aren't any "cooler" lighting solutions, I can afford, or am aware of. So yes, they are IMO, the obvious and "right" choice. Boxes that use HIDs run even hotter. Besides we are talking a closed box here So any heat inside won't dissipate well or quickly. That's both good and bad. Good from the positive pressure seal, cooling noise and use of CO2, points of view. But bad from a heat buildup standpoint. I have a 150w HPS, I may hook up. Just to see what the temps get up to? Shit, I had to flip my 5 week olds (I wanted to veg them at least 2-3 more weeks). Cuz the local temps got so hot here (90s). I just couldn't keep the box below 85 consistently. Even with the doors open, for much of the day. Granted I was running 24/7. But still, even if I was running 18/6. I wouldn't keep the room cool enough to keep doors closed all the time. The room would need to be at 60, or so, during lights on. And maybe 68 during lights off. To do that. Even running 12/12, with lights off from 10am -10pm. I've had to open the doors in the morning when the temps rise above 65. Admittedly, I am being a pussy about temps The plants can probably handle quite a bit more. But I am worried about root rot, heat stress and I do so want to earn my "stealth cabinet grow" merit badge, this time around So I am doing all I can to see that this group makes it to harvest. Other than jinxing it by putting it in writing....LOL


As far as change. I have made some. Including using tanked CO2. So those 85 degree temps bother me as bit less. But IMO, if any of these "boxes" really worked. There'd be a waiting list, a mile long, to get one. Someone may have to solve the physics problem of light=heat? If they can find a way to generate decent light. Generating little or no heat. These boxes would be a reality. Again, the sealing is decent. The order control, when the doors are closed, is really good. The appearance is stealthy. The noise and crap you may have behind it (cords, air pumps, chiller power supply, etc..) is even tolerable. But if you have to crack the doors, due to heat build up There goes your stealth


Can't promise a journal. But hang around this thread and I will try to keep you updated. Thebogie, my sincere apologies for, while not exactly "hi-jacking " your thread. For posting too many photos and "talking" too much. Please post some of your seedlings. Here are my 7 remaining gals (5 are looking great, 1 okay and 1 not so much). But all are starting to flower nicely.




R2T

just wondering if you know anything about this stuff called death star

I purchased one of these http://www.actechwi.com/Stanley-Silverback-Ultimate-Hydroponic-Grow-Box-p/stn-700u.htm two months ago. I too had a problem with my ph system but called actech and they walked me through the setup. So far so good, it is working perfectly. I was trying to keep the ph range too narrow, it need to be set at 5.6 and 6.4, if you go too narrow it doesnt work correctly. I also had my water pump in the wrong location, it isnt supposed to blow water on the probe, it should be shot away form the probe. Before I purchased I did alot of research, they told me mine was the first of the "new ph design" that is easier to setup and use.

Also i have mine in a 73 F room, when the lights are on my box peaks at 84 F. I talked to mike at actech they said that is a proper temp and the day to night temp swing is good for tight nodes. I do have the side lights but mine only came with three T5 lights, I think the older ones had four, he said the four side lights just put the system over the edge on heat. Oh ya, also make sure to only run 18/6 during veg, my box didnt like 24 hours on. Mine ran 2-3 F warmer when it was on 24/7 and the water was warm too. Once I went to 18/6 my water cooler got the rez down to 70F and my peak temps cab went down 2-3 degrees.

WHAT A waste of money for these boxes. the mylar looks like tin foil, they are made using cheapo parts!!

loool that pick of the tape getting to hot and foaming up! please.

a ph system that doesnt work (probs because the res is WAAAAAAAAY to small)

you still have to add another air stone and water chiller (plus put this and the air pumps outside) so there goes your stealth!

and just to top this mountain of shit off, they ALL run too hot. meaning you can only have it in a cold room in your house!

i urge anyone thinking of buying this cheapo piece of shit dont. $5000 will get you a very very nice setup!

THere is no lazy way of growing and its sad to say all you who are chucking serious $$ into these in the hope they will do it all are crazy gimme a $1500 and ill build you one without all of the above problems.

cant belive for $5000 you didnt return it and tell them to swivel on it when you saw the fucking bollox workman ship thats gone into it. the mylar alone is done so badly.

if mylar ain't super super flat you might as well not have it!! hence so many people use paint n panda.

also white paint reflects light but retains some heat mylar is also blasting all the heat back into the room hence none of your rooms are running at the right temp.

$5000..... the cheek ov some people eh!

Lemon king said:

WHAT A waste of money for these boxes. the mylar looks like tin foil, they are made using cheapo parts!!

loool that pick of the tape getting to hot and foaming up! please.

a ph system that doesnt work (probs because the res is WAAAAAAAAY to small)

you still have to add another air stone and water chiller (plus put this and the air pumps outside) so there goes your stealth!

and just to top this mountain of shit off, they ALL run too hot. meaning you can only have it in a cold room in your house!

i urge anyone thinking of buying this cheapo piece of shit dont. $5000 will get you a very very nice setup!

THere is no lazy way of growing and its sad to say all you who are chucking serious $$ into these in the hope they will do it all are crazy gimme a $1500 and ill build you one without all of the above problems.

cant belive for $5000 you didnt return it and tell them to swivel on it when you saw the fucking bollox workman ship thats gone into it. the mylar alone is done so badly.

if mylar ain't super super flat you might as well not have it!! hence so many people use paint n panda.

also white paint reflects light but retains some heat mylar is also blasting all the heat back into the room hence none of your rooms are running at the right temp.

$5000..... the cheek ov some people eh!

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I disagree. The PH system works fine, the lights havent been a problem for me, water cooler works perfectly, and I dont think 11 degrees over is too warm. Also NOTHING is outside mine, what are you talkiing about? There are two airstones and I dont know why you think you need another cooler. My buddy just ordered one of these yesterday based on my recommendation and mine working great, where do you get your info from?

I was digging for a few grow tips when I ran across this thread and I wanted to put my two cents in. I purchased four of the accelerated ultimate grow boxes, two stanleys and two brians both "Silverbacks" (their biggest cabinets) and put them in the back room of my trailer. All have the upgraded 405 watt led lights with three flourescent side lights in the stanleys and four side lights in each brian. I keep the grow room at 74F, when the lights are on the stanlys run at 84 and the brians run at 82. All four ph adjusters work as advertised, no complaints once I figured them out. These boxes are very quiet and there isnt a light leak tobe found in any of them. The water chiller has the stanleys water at 70 and the brians at 68. I have had no issues so far, they are very well built and they dont use much power, I have all four on a 20 watt breaker. I am just into fruiting with my tomatoes and so far the air scrubbers are getting rid of all smell and my tomatoes plants are looking really healthy. The components are very nice, I believe I got my moneys worth and I paid $16,500 for these beauties. They also came with everything, I didnt have to buy any supplies.

I am not a journal guy, nobody wants to see my tomatoes but I will dig up some pics with the boxes open from before I got them going.

flogger11 said:

I disagree. The PH system works fine, the lights havent been a problem for me, water cooler works perfectly, and I dont think 11 degrees over is too warm. Also NOTHING is outside mine, what are you talkiing about? There are two airstones and I dont know why you think you need another cooler. My buddy just ordered one of these yesterday based on my recommendation and mine working great, where do you get your info from?

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have you read above (i have since noticed these were very old posts so kinks may have been fixed) but look at the original piks white foaming tape. crinkled mylar. ph controllers that dnt work
n for $5000 1 deg let alone 11 is too much it should be running at correct temp 24/7

Lemon king said:

have you read above (i have since noticed these were very old posts so kinks may have been fixed) but look at the original piks white foaming tape. crinkled mylar. ph controllers that dnt work
n for $5000 1 deg let alone 11 is too much it should be running at correct temp 24/7

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Didnt notice that tape before but it appears to me that the lights are hung way too low, the guy used shoestrings for cripes sake! I dont think it is designed to have the light that close to the side. This is also a diff box than mine, it looks like a brian model is my guess. I know my ph controller works great but I cant speak for older models. Looking closer the crinkled mylar is where it goes over the wiring, without the mylar all the wires would show through. And it is pretty thick stuff, at least 1/4 inch i bet.

As for temp, what do you mean correct? Correct temp with lights on is anywhere between 75 and 87 degrees, it doesnt matter where in that range as plant growth wont slow down unless it gets above 88. Plus you want a day/night temp swing to keep your nodes tight.

I will also say my box is extremely well built, looks great and has 0 issues.