# Aero/NFT Grow in Tent w/ CO2, AC, Dehumidifier, and DIY Chiller



## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

I have a low pressure aero/nft grow going in a 4x8 tent and I have been getting some great results. I am about to ditch the tent for a larger space, but wanted to post about my success in the tent because contrary to popular belief, co2 can be successfully run in a tent, even on a budget. 

This is my take on the @StinkBud method so big ups to him for all he brings to the table.

Anyway please give me your thoughts on my grow and let me know if you have any questions.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

These are a couple of the seedlings. I actually just harvested 6 of these and got over 39oz so I am stoked!


 
This Trinity plant is my favorite pheno from the Trinity seeds I bought.
 
This right after I topped these bitches
 
Check out all the clones! 100% rooted...too bad I threw away a bunch cause I couldn't find anyone that needed clones...
 
Supercropping time!
 
The night these ladies moved into flower...
 
There they are on the right side of the flower tent


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

Ok moving on...
I have access to a fresh cold water faucet in my grow area and a drain. If you have these in your area try this out. It works absolutely great.
This was my #1 concern, keeping my reservoirs cool. I researched, then researched, then researched some more.

The idea of a traditional chiller was too expensive and pretty inefficient, and pumping my nute solution to a remote chiller seems fucking retarded (how to keep the lines from getting dirty, potential for flooding, extra reservoirs, fuck that business). Peltier Thermoelectric chillers simply would not do good enough, they are expensive to buy, annoying to make, and quick to fail. So what were my other options? I was stumped!

I went back to the drawing board and designed my own reservoir chilling system. Full disclosure, I am positive that other growers have developed the same chilling system as I did, but I could not find shit about it on the web so I designed this one all on my own. I am not claiming to have invented style of chiller, but I am fucking stoked on it and would love to hear from anyone who has done anything similar. My first designs were very similar to other DIY chillers out there and there was nothing special about it really. My first plan was to put put a coil of hose in a fridge and pump my nute solution through it using a timer. It would have worked, but also would have used unnecessary electricity and added extra headaches.

Frustrated, I then remembered that I had used a little thingy called a wort chiller when brewing beer in the past. Basically this is a immersion chiller that consists of a coil of metal tubing (usually copper, but you want a stainless steel one to prevent any leaching from the copper caused by the nute solution). What a great way to go! This meant I wouldn't have to keep any extra pumps in my res and I never have to move the nute solution out of the res to chill it! Duh, tons of people are using these so I don't know how I missed it!

I set out to put a really big res filled with potable RV/marine antifreeze into a freezer, then put a pump in the res connected to a hose that pumps the antifreeze through the wort chillers that sit in my reservoirs. The pump would be turned on and off by the another one of these $38 Inkbird thermostats with sensor and outlets built in.

Right when I was about to buy a fridge I had little light bulb go off in my head! Why the fuck should I wast time, power, and money on a fridge when my tap water is 43 degrees once it runs for a minute or two? I was stoked! I had finally figured it out!!! I am lucky enough to have a drain in the floor of my grow area and I plumbed cold water faucet to the area as well. Without both of these, you will not be able to run this chiller, sorry.

I turned my attention from fridges to sprinkler valve electronic relays. They are cheap and they last forever! Here is how it ended up working out. Don't buy cheap hose parts though because THEY WILL LEAK! I was able to build my chiller for my 2 flower room reservoirs for about $210 and its really easy to build. Shit is extra expensive where I live, so you can probably do better. I will do a detailed thread with pics and instructions on how to build this chiller as soon as I have some down time, but here are the basics.

These items work for my set up. You may need slightly different lengths of tubing, hose and more or less of some items. Measure and plan before you buy!

Supplies For 2 Reservoirs:

1 cold water hose faucet (sink will work but you'll need a garden hose adapter)
1 drain
2 - Super Efficient 3/8" x 25' Stainless Steel Wort Chiller = $40 each (brew shop or Amazon)
1 - Inkbird Itc-308 Digital Temperature Controller Outlet Thermostat, 2-stage = $38 (Amazon
1 - Orbit 57100 3/4-Inch Female Pipe Threaded Auto Inline Sprinkler Valve = $12 (Amazon)
1 - Orbit Sprinkler System Power Source Transformer 57040 = $13 (Amazon)
1 - box of miscellaneous wire connectors = $5
2 - male 3/4 threaded to male garden hose adapters = $5 each (Lowe’s)
2 - 2 Way Solid Y Valve Garden Hose Connector Splitter Adapter = $13 each (Lowe’s)
1 - PTFE Pipe Thread Seal Tape = $2 (Lowe’s)
1 - 50’ length of garden hose = $13 (Lowe’s)
6 male and 6 female (this should be enough to have extras) hose repair pieces = $5 each (Lowe’s)
1 - 20’ length of 3/8” vinyl tubing = $10 (Lowe’s)
1 - 3/8” vinyl tubing T = $3 (Lowe’s)

Instructions For One Reservoir: (If only chilling one res you will only need 1 wort chiller and you wont need the vinyl tubing T.)

Connect 2 Way Y Valve Garden Hose Adapter to water faucet.
Connect one side to the new garden hose and the other side to your old garden hose (if you have one).
Run the hose close to your flower room and cut it to an appropriate length (pvc pipe cutters work great for this).
Connect female hose repair piece to the end of the hose where you just cut it.
Connect the 2 male 3/4 threaded to male garden hose adapters to the Orbit 57100 3/4-Inch Female Pipe Threaded Auto Inline Sprinkler Valve using PTFE Pipe Thread Seal Tape and be sure to tighten well using crescent wrench.
Connect the hose to the Orbit 57100 and tighten well. Be sure to find the arrow to ensure the water goes in the correct hole and out her other.
Connect Orbit Sprinkler System Power Source Transformer 57040 to Orbit 57100 using wire crimpers and connectors.
Connect another female hose repair piece to the other cut off end of the hose.
Connect the hose to the out end of the Orbit 57100 and tighten well.
Clean the wort chiller using dish soap to remove any machining oils and rinse well.
Insert wort chiller into reservoir.
Connect wort chiller to the garden hose.
Connect vinyl tubing to other end of the wort chiller.
Run vinyl tubing to drain.
Connect Power Source Transformer to the cooling outlet on the Inkbird Itc-308 Digital Temperature Controller Outlet Thermostat.
Put temp sensor in the reservoir.
Plug thermostat into outlet and set desired temp, dead band, alarms, etc. Calibrate the unit if necessary.
Instructions For Two Reservoirs:

Follow instructions 1 through 9 from above then the following
Run the garden hose to a central location between the two res and cut.
Connect male hose repair piece to the newly cut end.
Clean the wort chillers using dish soap to remove any machining oils and rinse well.
Insert wort chillers into reservoirs.
Connect vinyl tubing to the supplied garden hose adapter.
Run tubing to the wort chiller and cut to appropriate length.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 to the other wort chiller.
Connect vinyl tubing to both wort chillers using supplied clamps.
Connect separate vinyl tubing pieces to the other end of each wort chiller.
Run the end of the tubing to a point where you can connect them to the vinyl tubing T.
Connect another piece of tubing to the other end of the T and run the tubing to the drain.
I set my res temp to 67 degrees with a 1 degree dead band so that the second the res it gets above 68 degrees the sprinkler relay is activated and cold water starts flowing through my wort chillers and thus chilling my nute solution. As soon as the temp goes below 67 degrees the water ceases to flow. I keep my sensor in my warmer of the two reservoirs and they stay within 1 degree of each other. I could adjust the flow to each res using the valves on the y adapter to get the temps exactly the same if I wanted, but I just keep the valves wide open cause I am not worried about the 1 degree difference. Make sure to secure the vinyl tubing into the drain in some way. If you don't the line has a tendency to pop out of the drain and start spraying water everywhere.

Inkbird Thermostat

Orbit 57100 3/4-Inch Female Pipe Threaded Auto Inline Sprinkler Valve (sprinkler relay)

I have it housed in a bucket just so its out of the way and doesn't get kicked accidentally.

I don't have any pics of the wort chillers, but they are pretty straight forward. Let me know what you think about this and would love to hear about other's experience with similar set ups.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

One week into flower


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

This is about 4 weeks into flower
 
Trin was looking real nice at 4 weeks
 
more trin
 
Sadly I lost this girl scout cookie to herm 
  
Crazy how indica roots are so much more aggressive than the sativas...at least from my experience.
 
Trin
 
Mystery afgan plant that a friend gave me, it turned out just ok


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)




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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

The night before harvest

night before harvest

trinity looking fucking dank! Tastes amazing too!

Same nug as above with his best friend all trimmed up. I kept these for my personal!
Trimmed and dried Blackberry OG nug. Best pot I have ever smelled or tasted, its fucking nuts...tastes just like the berry and smells just like it too!
 
close up of the blackberry og


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

Okay so thats all caught up now. Ill keep posting here as things progress. Hit me up if you have any questions!


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## letdown shifty (Feb 18, 2016)

@AKGrowAreo I'm here! Following, and ready to see the show. 
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @AKGrowAreo I'm here! Following, and ready to see the show.
> -Shifty


Awesome thanks man! Do you have a forum or thread I can follow?


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @AKGrowAreo I'm here! Following, and ready to see the show.
> -Shifty


We've gotta get you one of my chillers going for your new set up bro. Its so easy and so nice to know your res is always chillin' (no pun intended)


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## letdown shifty (Feb 18, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Awesome thanks man! Do you have a forum or thread I can follow?


Not yet. Waiting for house closing, then I'll start a complete build thread.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Not yet. Waiting for house closing, then I'll start a complete build thread.


Sweet, Ill stay tuned and holler if you have any qs on that chiller.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 18, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> We've gotta get you one of my chillers going for your new set up bro. Its so easy and so nice to know your res is always chillin' (no pun intended)


Haven't really needed a chiller as of yet. I run my reservoirs outside of the tent currently, so they are out of the light. Cut 2" holes in tent that the rails drain thru 2" pvc back into res


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Haven't really needed a chiller as of yet. I run my reservoirs outside of the tent currently, so they are out of the light. Cut 2" holes in tent that the rails drain thru 2" pvc back into res


Thats awesome. I've played around with the idea of keeping my res outside of the room, but I haven't pulled the trigger on it cause my nutes stay at 65 degrees with the chiller even though I run my tent at 85 degrees ( have to run hot to get the co2 to do its job). If you end up going with co2, and having your res' in side your new grow room you will definitely need a chiller. I have also played around with the idea of burying my res' in the floor.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 18, 2016)

I think I'll still keep my reservoirs outside of new room, can check them without disturbing flowering. I will just have to increase my pump sizes to adjust for longer piping. 1 other variation I made from @StinkBud system is I don't have sprayers in my flower rails. The res just pumps into end of rails and streams down. I was having issues with roots clogging sprayers


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> I think I'll still keep my reservoirs outside of new room, can check them without disturbing flowering. I will just have to increase my pump sizes to adjust for longer piping. 1 other variation I made from @StinkBud system is I don't have sprayers in my flower rails. The res just pumps into end of rails and streams down. I was having issues with roots clogging sprayers


Cool so you are running a true NFT. Thats awesome!


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## letdown shifty (Feb 18, 2016)

@AKGrowAreo thinking I'll be something like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Autopilot-Co2-Generator-835-22-21-6/dp/B009G5ZGJ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1455843670&sr=8-3&keywords=Ng+co2+generator
Says it's for an area larger than 14'×14'

Edit: found on eBay. Tempted to buy now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Autopilot-CO2-Generator-NG-15-900-25-300-BTU-/201521822579


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## sky rocket (Feb 18, 2016)

Subbed


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## Topshelfgrower (Feb 19, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> View attachment 3611243 View attachment 3611244 View attachment 3611247 View attachment 3611248 View attachment 3611249 View attachment 3611250 View attachment 3611251 View attachment 3611252 View attachment 3611253 View attachment 3611254


Love it, you are a great grower dude keep up the good work


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## questiondj42 (Feb 19, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> I have a low pressure aero/nft grow going in a 4x8 tent and I have been getting some great results. I am about to ditch the tent for a larger space, but wanted to post about my success in the tent because contrary to popular belief, co2 can be successfully run in a tent, even on a budget.
> 
> This is my take on the @StinkBud method so big ups to him for all he brings to the table.
> 
> ...


That's beautiful.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @AKGrowAreo thinking I'll be something like this.
> http://www.amazon.com/Autopilot-Co2-Generator-835-22-21-6/dp/B009G5ZGJ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1455843670&sr=8-3&keywords=Ng+co2+generator
> Says it's for an area larger than 14'×14'
> 
> ...


Those are great. BUY IT! I cant wait to have a better ac and ditch the tanks for propane!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

sky rocket said:


> Subbed


Thanks man!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

Topshelfgrower said:


> Love it, you are a great grower dude keep up the good work


Thanks dude! I am trying, but I am pretty much just a copy cat with few tweaks. lol


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> That's beautiful.


Thanks! Cant wait for this next batch. I'll post some pics later today!


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## sky rocket (Feb 19, 2016)

Was your Girl Scout cookie from Cali comnectons? If so they are very prone to hermy. I ran them once and they Hermed on me and skeeted on the rest of my ladies in the tent. Are you running a perpetual? Your setup is might clean. Keep it up.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

Yep I am perpetual. every 4 weeks for now , but about to double up and move onto every 2. Building a room and ditching the tent. 

The cali connection GSC seeds are bunk. Bummed me out cause before the bananas popped they were looking great. I chopped it down in time to prevent any major seed issues so I only had a few that developed. I wish I had killed that herymy gsc bitch sooner.

I did end up with a couple GSC/trinity cross, GSC/Acapulco Gold cross, GSC/Cotton Candy Cane cross so some day I will pop them and see if the hermy traits were passed on or not, I am assuming that they were, so I am not gonna crack them until I have set up a separate breeding area. Hmm maybe thats what I'll do with my tent once I have got my new room built. Who knows maybe the crosses will be great, but prob not...


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## Major Blazer (Feb 19, 2016)

Excellent job - beautiful setup. 

Always wondered - what does the root ball looks like towards harvest time in one of those rails. Like is it a clogged mess that is hard to even decipher?


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

Major Blazer said:


> Excellent job - beautiful setup.
> 
> Always wondered - what does the root ball looks like towards harvest time in one of those rails. Like is it a clogged mess that is hard to even decipher?


Thanks dude! By about week 5 in flower the the roots really fill the whole rail and it primarily turns into a full NFT system since the sprayers are covered up for the most part. It still gets the roots all the nutes they could ever want. Some folks around here ditch the sprayers in the rails all together and go with a full NTF set up and it seems to work great for them. I still believe that having the sprayers in there for the first half of the flower time is a great and I have never had clogging issues like some others have.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

As promised here are a couple quick shots I snapped this morning of the new batches in the tent. Lots of work to do this weekend, but I will try to take some pics to post on Mon. Not sure if I'll post any more today so if I don't, have a great weekend my brothers and sisters and make sure to get stoned!
three on the left are Blackberry OG and the 3 on the right are Trinity Kush
 
Trinity and Cotton Candy Cane


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## letdown shifty (Feb 19, 2016)

@AKGrowAreo so, after a night of thinking about it. Ended up buying this co2 generator. Also got it for $175 shipped. Woo!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Autopilot-CO2-Generator-NG-15-900-25-300-BTU-/201521822579


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @AKGrowAreo so, after a night of thinking about it. Ended up buying this co2 generator. Also got it for $175 shipped. Woo!
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Autopilot-CO2-Generator-NG-15-900-25-300-BTU-/201521822579


SCORE! Thats a great deal! Man, you're gonna be blown away with the results of adding co2!


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## questiondj42 (Feb 19, 2016)

I picked up the 27gal tote and made my edits to the lid. I lost my motivation to build the railings, so I guess I'll do that tomorrow. How loud is the waterfall sound when it's spraying? That's my biggest concern but I can't figure out an elegant way to put a drain into the tub and make it easy to maintain.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 19, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> I picked up the 27gal tote and made my edits to the lid. I lost my motivation to build the railings, so I guess I'll do that tomorrow. How loud is the waterfall sound when it's spraying? That's my biggest concern but I can't figure out an elegant way to put a drain into the tub and make it easy to maintain.


It's not very loud imo, but some peeps complain about it.


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## questiondj42 (Feb 19, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> It's not very loud imo, but some peeps complain about it.


How many gallons of water are you running in the res?


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## letdown shifty (Feb 19, 2016)

@questiondj42 I'm currently running 27 gallon totes filled with about 15 gallons. Which honestly late flower doesn't quite cut it, I have to top off every other day. When they are drinking 5 gallon daily.
-Shifty


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## questiondj42 (Feb 20, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> I have a low pressure aero/nft grow going in a 4x8 tent and I have been getting some great results. I am about to ditch the tent for a larger space, but wanted to post about my success in the tent because contrary to popular belief, co2 can be successfully run in a tent, even on a budget.
> 
> This is my take on the @StinkBud method so big ups to him for all he brings to the table.
> 
> ...


This is nice. Did you secure the sprayer assembly inside the fencepost?


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## questiondj42 (Feb 20, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @questiondj42 I'm currently running 27 gallon totes filled with about 15 gallons. Which honestly late flower doesn't quite cut it, I have to top off every other day. When they are drinking 5 gallon daily.
> -Shifty


Holy shit. That's pretty crazy. Seems like these totes are sturdy enough to handle 20 gallons. Maybe I'll do a V3.0 with a 40 gallon botanicare res after this. We'll see though. But dang, 5 gallons a day is a lot.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 20, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> Holy shit. That's pretty crazy. Seems like these totes are sturdy enough to handle 20 gallons. Maybe I'll do a V3.0 with a 40 gallon botanicare res after this. We'll see though. But dang, 5 gallons a day is a lot.


Yeah. Was a bit over the top. It's not day after day, has spurts those last 2-3 weeks. Where they have sporadic excessive thirsty days, then they may not even drink a gallon the following day. I personally am leaning towards 30 gallon food grade barrels or something of the ilk.


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## questiondj42 (Feb 20, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Yeah. Was a bit over the top. It's not day after day, has spurts those last 2-3 weeks. Where they have sporadic excessive thirsty days, then they may not even drink a gallon the following day. I personally am leaning towards 30 gallon food grade barrels or something of the ilk.


What would be tidy is plumbing from the filter into the res, and putting in a float valve. That way you didn't have to mess with it. 

Unfortunately, that's not an option for me since my filter is on the opposite side of the house.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 20, 2016)

Do you have a hose attachment valve piece on the veg unit like the flower to empty the res?


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 20, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> How many gallons of water are you running in the res?


I actually put about 25 gal in at at time. The res handles it no problem.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 20, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Yeah. Was a bit over the top. It's not day after day, has spurts those last 2-3 weeks. Where they have sporadic excessive thirsty days, then they may not even drink a gallon the following day. I personally am leaning towards 30 gallon food grade barrels or something of the ilk.


I've definitely been blown away by how fast they can drink water. Having my dehumidifier drain into my res' helps keep them topped off though. Before I was draining the dehum that way they'd during 5 gal a day easily.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 20, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> What would be tidy is plumbing from the filter into the res, and putting in a float valve. That way you didn't have to mess with it.
> 
> Unfortunately, that's not an option for me since my filter is on the opposite side of the house.


I am definitely playing around with the idea of automating my PH, water top offs, and nutrient feeding. Man would life be easier. Lol.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 20, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Do you have a hose attachment valve piece on the veg unit like the flower to empty the res?


Yep. And it makes it way easier to change the res'


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## questiondj42 (Feb 20, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> I am definitely playing around with the idea of automating my PH, water top offs, and nutrient feeding. Man would life be easier. Lol.


Bluelab sells a doser, and so do a few other companies. They're pircey though. $350-450. But not having to dick with pH would be nice.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 20, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Yep. And it makes it way easier to change the res'


so then your veg feeder connection is on one end instead of in the middle like the clone setup? Could you please post a pic of the setup?


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## s20009k (Feb 22, 2016)

looking to run your triple rail SB unit, any improvement you would do in the design?


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 22, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> Bluelab sells a doser, and so do a few other companies. They're pircey though. $350-450. But not having to dick with pH would be nice.


Yeah they are pricey! Especially when I would need it for a few different res'. I have yet to speak to anyone who has used them so I am hesitant until I hear success stories.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 22, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> so then your veg feeder connection is on one end instead of in the middle like the clone setup? Could you please post a pic of the setup?


construction pics of the veg unit below
     
I didn't have a finished pic of the veg unit top, but its the same as the cloner as pictured below.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 22, 2016)

s20009k said:


> looking to run your triple rail SB unit, any improvement you would do in the design?


My only true mod I had to make to run 3 rails with even pressure is that I run from the pump into a 1/2" T that then goes into a loop as pictured below. I don't have dimensions for you because I just "freestyled" it as @StinkBud would say.
   

After running the system for quite a while, there are a few more mods that I would like to make that would def make my life easier...I just have not found the time to do it.

The main mod that I am gonna make happen is running the @letdown shifty or similar version of the res which keeps your res outside the growing area and could eliminate the need for a chiller (dang, but my chiller design is so cool. JK, LOL). In reality I would probably still keep the chiller involved in some way still. Maybe cool boxes for the lights? 

Another mod is to somehow put ball valves between each rail so I could more easily change the res'. 

One more idea I am playing with is to set up my system so that I can change where each rail is pumped from and drains to. That would make it so that you could have complete control over each rails' nutes individually and reduce your overall number of res'. For example you could have one big ass res outside the grow for your transitional nutes, one for your week 3 through week 7 nutes, and one res for your flush. Somehow having interchangeable drain connections and pump connections would allow this to happen. Anyone have ideas or have success doing something similar?


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 22, 2016)

Reflective stuff on top sold at home depot?


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## sky rocket (Feb 22, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Reflective stuff on top sold at home depot?


Yeah what's the reflective stuff for?


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## letdown shifty (Feb 23, 2016)

@sky rocket it's to reflect the light off the reservoir so heat isn't absorbed & so light doesn't grow bacteria in your reservoir.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 23, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Another mod is to somehow put ball valves between each rail so I could more easily change the res'.
> 
> One more idea I am playing with is to set up my system so that I can change where each rail is pumped from and drains to. That would make it so that you could have complete control over each rails' nutes individually and reduce your overall number of res'. For example you could have one big ass res outside the grow for your transitional nutes, one for your week 3 through week 7 nutes, and one res for your flush. Somehow having interchangeable drain connections and pump connections would allow this to happen. Anyone have ideas or have success doing something similar?


Now your thinking is right on track with mine, and I'll be working out the details when I setup the new grow. I was thinking along the lines of 55 gallon food grade barrels for my res, with 3 installed. 1 for week 1-4, 1 for 5-7 ( maybe 8 ), then a flush res. Working out details in my head.
-Shifty


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## questiondj42 (Feb 23, 2016)

Water changes and cleaning is definitely a pain in the ass.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 23, 2016)

So apparently lowes doesnt stock the pvc water hose adaptor?

AK, what is the product info on your hose adaptor?

Lastly, it looks like you installed the quick disconnect on the flower and veg units under the spray system versus on top with the hose adaptor for the clone unit. Any reasoning? I'm thinking about the easier way to drain and re-fill.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 23, 2016)

Sorry for all the questions, but what is that unit you have connected to your surge protector?


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> So apparently lowes doesnt stock the pvc water hose adaptor?
> 
> AK, what is the product info on your hose adaptor?
> 
> Lastly, it looks like you installed the quick disconnect on the flower and veg units under the spray system versus on top with the hose adaptor for the clone unit. Any reasoning? I'm thinking about the easier way to drain and re-fill.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_645840-72906-HU22-12-12X+P___ is the piece your talking about. 

I lowered the quick disconnect so that it would be able to fill the 2" hole in the lid and it made it easier to take the lid off.

I am in the process of plumbing my new room so all of my res will be connected to a drain at all times so all I have to do is switch the valve and hit the pumps. Can't wait.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Sorry for all the questions, but what is that unit you have connected to your surge protector?


No worries on all the qs. 

That would be the my pump relay. Its a rather ghetto version of an HID hub that allows you to activate as many as 7 pumps at a time with out putting all that amp load on your expensive cycle timer. The cycle timers are rated to somewhere between 9 amps and 18 amps, so when you start up more than one pump at a time you are pulling 7 to 9 amps per pump and if you are running more than 2 pumps on a cycle time that will be enough amps to quickly FRY your cycle time and potentially flip the breaker. Mine is built from an HVAC 50 amp double pole contactor ($9 bucks on Amazon) that acts as a relay and some other parts I had laying around. There are very primitive instructions posted by @andyman somewhere in the first 200 pages of @StinkBud 's "harvest a pound every three weeks."


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> Water changes and cleaning is definitely a pain in the ass.


Yes they are! I'm working on streamlining the process to make it as easy as possible.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Reflective stuff on top sold at home depot?


Not sure about home depot, but definitely at Lowe's so most likely at HD too


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Now your thinking is right on track with mine, and I'll be working out the details when I setup the new grow. I was thinking along the lines of 55 gallon food grade barrels for my res, with 3 installed. 1 for week 1-4, 1 for 5-7 ( maybe 8 ), then a flush res. Working out details in my head.
> -Shifty


Lets keep each other informed of our mods since we are both in the process of building. I broke ground on the new room last night. It'll be finished by this weekend! Check out the pic! 7' x 11' is what the final plans ended up as. Cant wait for the 8' ceiling!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @sky rocket it's to reflect the light off the reservoir so heat isn't absorbed & so light doesn't grow bacteria in your reservoir.


Right on @letdown shifty and thanks for helping answer the qs! I have been busy...crazy how once you get started on the perpetual game it seems like there is never a down moment!


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## letdown shifty (Feb 23, 2016)

@AKGrowAreo you bet. I think I've shrunk my flowering room down in size also, that is to a 12'x16'. I'll draw a diagram up in a bit. Working all details in head before they go to paper.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @AKGrowAreo you bet. I think I've shrunk my flowering room down in size also, that is to a 12'x16'. I'll draw a diagram up in a bit. Working all details in head before they go to paper.
> -Shifty


Very cool! Stoked to see the plans!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 23, 2016)

Right side looking good!
  
left side at beginning of week 5
   
Love my dehumidifier!

Love my CO2 set up but cant wait to ditch the window AC and get some


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## questiondj42 (Feb 23, 2016)

Man those plants look great.


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## questiondj42 (Feb 23, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Yes they are! I'm working on streamlining the process to make it as easy as possible.


My big issue is the pump doesn't come close to draining the res.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 23, 2016)

Was going draw up floor plans, but then I got high.
Visited a local glass shop today. Didn't leave empty handed.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 23, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Not sure about home depot, but definitely at Lowe's so most likely at HD too


mylar?


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 23, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> No worries on all the qs.
> 
> That would be the my pump relay. Its a rather ghetto version of an HID hub that allows you to activate as many as 7 pumps at a time with out putting all that amp load on your expensive cycle timer. The cycle timers are rated to somewhere between 9 amps and 18 amps, so when you start up more than one pump at a time you are pulling 7 to 9 amps per pump and if you are running more than 2 pumps on a cycle time that will be enough amps to quickly FRY your cycle time and potentially flip the breaker. Mine is built from an HVAC 50 amp double pole contactor ($9 bucks on Amazon) that acts as a relay and some other parts I had laying around. There are very primitive instructions posted by @andyman somewhere in the first 200 pages of @StinkBud 's "harvest a pound every three weeks."


so the aqua pumps pull that much power just to start up? The specs for the 400gph say 24watt, but you're saying they draw a couple amps just to turn on every 4 mins on a timer? I was wondering how you could run multiple pumps on the same cycle without having to buy multiple timers


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## letdown shifty (Feb 23, 2016)

So about a half hour playing on the tablet, finished with this prelim drawing. 2nd floor divided into flowering room, and room for cloning & veg. 16'×12' flower room will be divided by panda film into 6'×12' areas with a 4' walkway. Thinking ill find a way to sink the reservoirs into the floor. Best I can do with my mental state.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> Man those plants look great.


Thanks mans!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> My big issue is the pump doesn't come close to draining the res.


That is a true issue my friend. To aid in this issue I was able to put ball valves in between my rails and my main line to the pump so that when I close those two valves and open my valve to the hose 100% of the water pressure goes to pumping out the res and mo water goes into the rails. This will still leave you witha half inch or so of water so I have a cheap shop vac to suck out the rest.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Was going draw up floor plans, but then I got high.View attachment 3615187
> Visited a local glass shop today. Didn't leave empty handed.


Classic! Dope new tube bro. I bet is doesn't look like than any more, lol!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> mylar?


not quite...this is the stuff. http://www.lowes.com/pd_13357-56291-BP24025_0__?productId=3011904


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> so the aqua pumps pull that much power just to start up? The specs for the 400gph say 24watt, but you're saying they draw a couple amps just to turn on every 4 mins on a timer? I was wondering how you could run multiple pumps on the same cycle without having to buy multiple timers


So yeah they do draw up to 9 amps at start up and yes that will damage your timers. Some go out in a day when overloaded, some take a year to die, some light onf fire and kill you and your entire family. Just kidding, but not really cause that could actually happen.

Unless all this makes perfect since, don't even mess with it cause you could electrocute and kill yourself if you do it wrong, no joke!!! I am honestly hesitant to even explain this because I would feel horrible if someone tried and got hurt. So if you are not 100% confident in this please just buy a prebuilt version of one of these (its pretty much just an HID hub, search google), or hire an electrician to build it for you.

If you do understand all this, then you can build it yourself for tens of dollars rather than hundreds of dollars off the shelf.

So trying to explain this all in layman's terms...you cut the middle of a cord on a heavy duty power strip and strip the wires. The contactor/relay that I was explaining above has two sides with 2 connections each, and 2 sides with 1 one connection each. Connect your positive and negative wires to one of connections on one of the douple sides, then the other end of the power strip gets connected to the other end of the contactor the same way. The grounds get grounded, duh.

On the *other sides *of the contactor there are 1 connection point on each side. Grab a cord from a lamp or something, cut it, strip it and connect the positive to one side and negative to the other. This cord you just added will act as your "trigger cord," and what this does is keeps the power to the strip disconnected from the power source unless the trigger cord is plugged into a good power source.

So plug your trigger cord into your cycle timer, then you plug your power strip into your power source, plug your pumps or whatever you want to run into the power strip and now you can operate high amperage devices using your low amperage timers. This will work for running multiple lights, timers, or whatever. You can also get contactors that will run 240/220. Pretty fucking cool, huh?

Contactor Link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z0RLL2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

*ONCE THIS IS BUILT THERE WILL BE LIVE WIRES AND CONNECTIONS EXPOSED. YOU NEED TO HOUSE ALL THIS IN A JUNCTION BOX OF SOME KIND. NEVER ALLOW THIS TO GET WET!*

You mentioned that you run 1 min on and 4 min off. That will work, but many others including myself and @superstoner1 have had greater success with 80 seconds on and 8 minutes off. Keeps your nute solution cooler by a few degrees and dries out the roots better and in theory will encourage them to search for water and nutes, thus grow at a faster rate. I would recommend trying it. Its definitely worth paying the extra $50 to get the adjustable timer. There is much more research to be done on the subject.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> So about a half hour playing on the tablet, finished with this prelim drawing. 2nd floor divided into flowering room, and room for cloning & veg. 16'×12' flower room will be divided by panda film into 6'×12' areas with a 4' walkway. Thinking ill find a way to sink the reservoirs into the floor. Best I can do with my mental state. View attachment 3615284


Dude, so sick! One suggestion for you though, if you are running co2, you may want to consider throwing up a wall with some drywall and studs instead of panda film. Reason being that you will be way more efficient at cooling your flower room that way. My current AC is ver inefficient because the tent material does not insulate well, just like panda film doesn't. That why I am building the room. 

Just a thought. You have probably already considered that.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 24, 2016)

Yea, I'm gonna buy a pre-built version LOL!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

I found a used one at a local shop the other day and got it for $50. I am gonna use it to run my lights when I get my other 2 1000w going.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 24, 2016)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAIMJ1U?keywords=hid hub&qid=1456346068&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Something like this for the pumps? I'd only be running 4 pumps

Think I'd need any for lighting? I'm just gonna run a 125w for clone, 325w for veg, and ~800 w for flower plus the fans


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAIMJ1U?keywords=hid hub&qid=1456346068&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
> 
> Something like this for the pumps? I'd only be running 4 pumps
> 
> Think I'd need any for lighting? I'm just gonna run a 125w for clone, 325w for veg, and ~800 w for flower plus the fans


Thats the exact same one I picked up used for $50. Thats a great price for one of those. Buy it! You will be stoked! You can run up to 1 1000w or 2 600s on one digital timer so you'll be fine. Anything over that you'll want multiple timers or a hub.


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## questiondj42 (Feb 24, 2016)

https://growgps.com/products/brt1alrwm/

That's the timer I use for the NFT pumps.It's rated for 15A, and draws a single amp.

I own three. One for each area.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 24, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> https://growgps.com/products/brt1alrwm/
> 
> That's the timer I use for the NFT pumps.It's rated for 15A, and draws a single amp.
> 
> I own three. One for each area.


NICE! those are boss...


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 24, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Thats the exact same one I picked up used for $50. Thats a great price for one of those. Buy it! You will be stoked! You can run up to 1 1000w or 2 600s on one digital timer so you'll be fine. Anything over that you'll want multiple timers or a hub.[/QUOTE HID]


so all 4 pumps into this and then plug the hid hub into a timer?pumps-->hid hub--->timer---->outlet console--->wall outlet?


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## letdown shifty (Feb 24, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Classic! Dope new tube bro. I bet is doesn't look like than any more, lol!


Nope, has a definite used look. Lol


----------



## letdown shifty (Feb 24, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Dude, so sick! One suggestion for you though, if you are running co2, you may want to consider throwing up a wall with some drywall and studs instead of panda film. Reason being that you will be way more efficient at cooling your flower room that way. My current AC is ver inefficient because the tent material does not insulate well, just like panda film doesn't. That why I am building the room.
> 
> Just a thought. You have probably already considered that.


The floor plan shows the 2nd floor divided into two rooms. The flower room will be divided by 2"×6" stud wall filled with 6" insulation, then probably a 4'×8' r6 insulation board. I'll then tape the joints and attach panda film. It will be completely sealed. The 2 white lines going vertical down that image is the panda film that will be from top of light fixture to floor. Just keeping the light at the top of screens.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 25, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> so all 4 pumps into this and then plug the hid hub into a timer?pumps-->hid hub--->timer---->outlet console--->wall outlet?


The hub has a trigger cable, and a power source cable. Trigger cable probably already installed (at least mine had one). Mine did not have the power source cable installed but that is super easy just follow the schematic on the lid. 
Pumps go into the 4 outlets, trigger cord goes into the timer, timer goes into an outlet, power source cord plugs into a different outlet.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 25, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Nope, has a definite used look. Lol


lol


letdown shifty said:


> The floor plan shows the 2nd floor divided into two rooms. The flower room will be divided by 2"×6" stud wall filled with 6" insulation, then probably a 4'×8' r6 insulation board. I'll then tape the joints and attach panda film. It will be completely sealed. The 2 white lines going vertical down that image is the panda film that will be from top of light fixture to floor. Just keeping the light at the top of screens.
> -Shifty


Wow man thats gonna be sick!


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## letdown shifty (Feb 25, 2016)

Honest opinions needed. So I'm thinking for my first floor fruits/veggies. I'll actually go with a few flood tables, keeping the rail systems to a minimum. Updated floor plan, but still not done.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 25, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Honest opinions needed. So I'm thinking for my first floor fruits/veggies. I'll actually go with a few flood tables, keeping the rail systems to a minimum. Updated floor plan, but still not done.
> -Shifty
> View attachment 3616641


Dude thats gonna be great! I wish I had that kind of space! I think your on the right track for sure. I have very little experience with growing veggies, but have heard great things about flood to drain. The only thing I ever worry about when entering plants of any kind into my grow is other pests. I even made my wife toss all the house plants, lol. Thats why I have never messed with veggies. I know its doable, but I am always paranoid about bugs.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 25, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Dude thats gonna be great! I wish I had that kind of space! I think your on the right track for sure. I have very little experience with growing veggies, but have heard great things about flood to drain. The only thing I ever worry about when entering plants of any kind into my grow is other pests. I even made my wife toss all the house plants, lol. Thats why I have never messed with veggies. I know its doable, but I am always paranoid about bugs.


Any bugs/pest will find out fast, they are my bitch.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 25, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Any bugs/pest will find out fast, they are my bitch.


Fuck yeah! A little confidence will go a long way.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 25, 2016)

Did you cut holes in the relfective insulation at the same time as the tote?


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 25, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Did you cut holes in the relfective insulation at the same time as the tote?


I do it afterward because the holes in the insulation have to be slightly larger than the 2" holes that are cut in the lid. I use a razor blade. To be honest its a total bitch so I will probably just paint the top with a dark primer and then spray it whit like I did with the cloner. Since I am running HOt5s for my veg they dont put off that much heat so all I have to worry about is keeping the light out of the root chamber.

How is the build going @ThaMagnificent ? post some pics!


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## questiondj42 (Feb 25, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> NICE! those are boss...


So, I fibbed a little when I said I owned three.

The third one came today, and it has a busted off relay. It would only stay off for five seconds. So I called GH, who called Sentinel for the RMA. Sentinel's QC engineer called me to gather data in order to troubleshoot. And true to form, he was an awkward dude to talk to. Super focused on figuring out what was wrong. I can totally relate.

I'm super bummed about this, because it delays my flowering startup. I'm considering getting a timer with 15 minute intervals and doing 15 on, 45 off until the low range recycle is fixed. I have flower jones.


----------



## ThaMagnificent (Feb 25, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> I do it afterward because the holes in the insulation have to be slightly larger than the 2" holes that are cut in the lid. I use a razor blade. To be honest its a total bitch so I will probably just paint the top with a dark primer and then spray it whit like I did with the cloner. Since I am running HOt5s for my veg they dont put off that much heat so all I have to worry about is keeping the light out of the root chamber.
> 
> How is the build going @ThaMagnificent ? post some pics!


working on it. I ended up buying the hdx 27 gal totes from HD and I just drilled the holes in the top. I'm going to have to take off 2in from the rails in the aero to make room. I guess the dimensions are a little different from rubbermaid?


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## petert (Feb 25, 2016)

Question about the totes? I've done a few for cloning.. Do you ever have issues with leaking from the edges? I was but found some waterproof window sealer material with adhesive on one side that I applied to the lip of the bottom section and close the lid on top. Seems to work great for me.

What do you guys do?


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## questiondj42 (Feb 26, 2016)

petert said:


> Question about the totes? I've done a few for cloning.. Do you ever have issues with leaking from the edges? I was but found some waterproof window sealer material with adhesive on one side that I applied to the lip of the bottom section and close the lid on top. Seems to work great for me.
> 
> What do you guys do?


Silicone or butyl rubber weather stripping. Go back about 5 to 10 pages and there are pictures of it.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 26, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> So, I fibbed a little when I said I owned three.
> 
> The third one came today, and it has a busted off relay. It would only stay off for five seconds. So I called GH, who called Sentinel for the RMA. Sentinel's QC engineer called me to gather data in order to troubleshoot. And true to form, he was an awkward dude to talk to. Super focused on figuring out what was wrong. I can totally relate.
> 
> I'm super bummed about this, because it delays my flowering startup. I'm considering getting a timer with 15 minute intervals and doing 15 on, 45 off until the low range recycle is fixed. I have flower jones.


Thats a real bummer man! I have great luck with the blueprint timer http://blueprintcontrollers.com/Product/Details/BDCT601


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 26, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> working on it. I ended up buying the hdx 27 gal totes from HD and I just drilled the holes in the top. I'm going to have to take off 2in from the rails in the aero to make room. I guess the dimensions are a little different from rubbermaid?


Looking great! Yeah the dimensions are definitely different with the more up to date products. i just eyeball and freestyle everything these days.


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 26, 2016)

petert said:


> Question about the totes? I've done a few for cloning.. Do you ever have issues with leaking from the edges? I was but found some waterproof window sealer material with adhesive on one side that I applied to the lip of the bottom section and close the lid on top. Seems to work great for me.
> 
> What do you guys do?


The rope calk works good. Im sure what you're using is fine too...as long as its not leaching anything into your water from the adhesive. Your probably fine. If you see weird ph fluctuations and or issues with your plants you may consider the window sealer you are using. I never had any issues with the rope calk but I went away from it to be safe. Lately I have been just installing a couple bolts and wing nuts to keep the good seal. Some of my totes already come with a good seal and if you really look through them you can find one.


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## ThaMagnificent (Feb 26, 2016)

Alright veg unit is almost ready! I want to run it in a tent with a T5. Any suggestions?


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## Budley Doright (Feb 27, 2016)

Just found this thread . Great setup AK, I actually just ditched the sprayers and went back to an ebb & gro setup have been running for a while now. The sprayers worked ok but I had more trays setup the old way lol. I did find things stayed more stable when everything was running properly but that may also be the addition of a chiller as well. Looks like your killing it with what you've got. I need to find a way to keep roots in the root tray, the bastards grow through everything I try or the screens get plugged and I need to clean them weekly. Any thoughts? How u keeping them out of where their not supposed to be lol? Sorry if I missed that part .


----------



## Budley Doright (Feb 27, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> That is a true issue my friend. To aid in this issue I was able to put ball valves in between my rails and my main line to the pump so that when I close those two valves and open my valve to the hose 100% of the water pressure goes to pumping out the res and mo water goes into the rails. This will still leave you witha half inch or so of water so I have a cheap shop vac to suck out the rest.


Does the .5" really matter? I have rain barrel hose bib fittings at the bottom of all res's that I can attach garden hose (and inline pump If I'm in a hurry) but yes it still leaves a bit, I've never worried about it and just let water fill run for a bit before closing valve to flush out the standing water. I need more room lol, my 8x8 room isn't big enough and I need to seperate clones and veg cause I would like to turn the T5's down to 12hrs for a couple of weeks before moving them to full HID flowering, flowering is two weeks behind everything .


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Alright veg unit is almost ready! I want to run it in a tent with a T5. Any suggestions?


Apollo makes good tents for pretty good prices. I have a 4' wide x2' wide x 5' tall tent and its works great for veg. I have a 2' 8 bulb t5 and a 2' 4 bulb t5 in there so I can have 2 different heights and it works great.


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## letdown shifty (Feb 29, 2016)

I've only had experience the Milliard brand. I really like em, and shortly possibly won't be using either of my 2.


----------



## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

Budley Doright said:


> Just found this thread . Great setup AK, I actually just ditched the sprayers and went back to an ebb & gro setup have been running for a while now. The sprayers worked ok but I had more trays setup the old way lol. I did find things stayed more stable when everything was running properly but that may also be the addition of a chiller as well. Looks like your killing it with what you've got. I need to find a way to keep roots in the root tray, the bastards grow through everything I try or the screens get plugged and I need to clean them weekly. Any thoughts? How u keeping them out of where their not supposed to be lol? Sorry if I missed that part .


Hey @Budley Doright ! Thanks for your kind words especially from a vet like you... 
Its always tough to manage the roots. I have been able to stuff them back into the rails without having to cut them. In my veg unit they get all tangled up but I just gently separate and they seem to always be fine. I have 1" holes all over the bottom of my veg unit so the rots grow down into the res on the reg. I just try to lift alll my plants up every other day or so to keep them separated and out of the res. Iv thought about running a screen, but imagine they will always grow into the screen. Do you have a thread with pics of your current set up?



Budley Doright said:


> Does the .5" really matter? I have rain barrel hose bib fittings at the bottom of all res's that I can attach garden hose (and inline pump If I'm in a hurry) but yes it still leaves a bit, I've never worried about it and just let water fill run for a bit before closing valve to flush out the standing water. I need more room lol, my 8x8 room isn't big enough and I need to seperate clones and veg cause I would like to turn the T5's down to 12hrs for a couple of weeks before moving them to full HID flowering, flowering is two weeks behind everything .


Yeah the 1/2" really doesn't matter. I rarely actually lower it all the way. I do the same as you and just refill and drain again so I can flush out the remaining nutes. I am in the process of putting drains in the bottom of all my res because I am ditching the tent and putting wheels on on my units. They will just have a hose that comes out the bottom with a male connection to connect to my draining hose. 

Ill post an update today!


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> I've only had experience the Milliard brand. I really like em, and shortly possibly won't be using either of my 2.


Me too bro. I actually have my tent pre sold to a buddy. lol


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

Update as of last friday


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

Update as of this morning...


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

Drywall is all mudded, taped, and sealed. Finishing and sealing the doors tonight then its time to start adding the bubble insulation to the walls and ceiling. Light movers, another 1000w light set up, 14,000 btu ac, cool boxes (go between my fan and air cooled lights to further cool the lights using water induction.), and a whole shit load of nutes are on their way. Gonna have 3000w total on light movers in the room. Fucking stoked!!!


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## questiondj42 (Feb 29, 2016)

You should go LED!

:curtain:


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## AKGrowAreo (Feb 29, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> You should go LED!
> 
> :curtain:


I will one day go to LED, or plasma. I am just waiting for the tech to catch up. We are getting close...that's for sure!


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## Hawzzy (Mar 2, 2016)

Nice work...looking forward to watching this project take shape. Ive just srarted to try my hand with a home made mini cloner...veg. chamber with small bubble tote and 4x4 flower chamber with small rdwc and some soil specimens. On my third grow and want to lessen the time berween harvests. Keep up the good work.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 3, 2016)

Thanks bro. Sounds like your system is sick! Make journal or thread so we can all check it out.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 3, 2016)

Update:
Wow check out the monster on the right. Hope the stretch is over. Haha. Luckily these ladies are moving into their new home tonight. They are gonna love the 8.5' ceilings!
 
Left side is looking pretty darn good too. I feel lucky about it cause with all the building Ive been doing I have neglected my ladies more than I'd like to this time.


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## Hawzzy (Mar 3, 2016)

Holy stretch on the right side of your tent man....is that a sativa or a tree?
In the last pic...it looks like you girls are showing a little issue in their leaves maybe...in reference to the fading in between the veins. All looks good tho.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 3, 2016)

Hawzzy said:


> Holy stretch on the right side of your tent man....is that a sativa or a tree?
> In the last pic...it looks like you girls are showing a little issue in their leaves maybe...in reference to the fading in between the veins. All looks good tho.


Ha, yeah that plant is a beast. Funny thing is that plant is a 80% indica, but I just vegged the fuck out of it and I guess it loves those 1000watts so much that she wants to kiss it. hehe. 

On that last pic you can see some older nute burn on the tips of some of the fans. Luckily those are older leaves that I let get a little burned, and we all know once a leaf has been affected by anything there is no coming back for that leaf. I tend to run my nutes on the hotter side especially during the transition phase. Then I got a little lazy cause I was building the new room and I didn't top off the water for like 6 days in that res so there was only about 3 or 4 gallons left in the res and the girls were drinking way more water than they were eating nutes, and the ppm got all the way up to 3800, oops. lol. Good news is the ppm was only that high for like a day and buds fucking loved all that food so it was not all that bad of a deal for me. Not enough burn to cause any stunting so Im not worried.


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 3, 2016)

I bought some fiberglass screen door replacement material to line the bottom of the veg tote to keep the roots from going through the holes. Would super glue work to hold it down?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 4, 2016)

Sorry I Haven't been active for a few days. Closed on the new house, so super busy with the move. Number one priority is get the family settled in the house, as a happy wife equals happy life. Sneak peek of the second garage out back, that will be for the growing. Admittedly, will be a little while before I can start that process.
-Shifty


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## Hawzzy (Mar 4, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Thanks bro. Sounds like your system is sick! Make journal or thread so we can all check it out.


Thanks for the compliments bro....BUT id consider my setup more "ghetto fab." than "sick" lol. Im just 2 wks into flower on this one...BC blueberry and some other mystery bcbd indoor strain. I have a handful of bc blueberry x mystery girls going...I crossed one of BCbb with the mystery plant and started 4 of the seeds...surprisingly they all turned out to be girls too.
Ill post some pics of my equipment....not impressive but illustrates how with some research and a little ingenuity ANYONE can start to grow for very little $$$$ because of threads like this.....AWESOME
I like to try new things on a small....inexpensive scale to test their plausibility before I ramp it up.
Keep sharing your knowledge and exuberance about the good herb and light one for me pls.


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## Hawzzy (Mar 4, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Sorry I Haven't been active for a few days. Closed on the new house, so super busy with the move. Number one priority is get the family settled in the house, as a happy wife equals happy life. Sneak peek of the second garage out back, that will be for the growing. Admittedly, will be a little while before I can start that process.
> -ShiftyView attachment 3623203 View attachment 3623204


Love the gambrel roof on the new growspace...seems appropriate for an herb production facility In a barn eh?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 4, 2016)

@Hawzzy exactly. When we were house hunting, a space was high on priority. Saw that back garage (which I call barn) and was ecstatic. It has the look of a true barn, but won't breathe & have drafts like one. I can't wait to outfit it for all my growing needs. Hardest part will be putting up some walls, 1 to block out the actual front garage door, then another to divide off the flower room upstairs. Otherwise it's just lots of wiring, plumbing, insulating, and making it everything I want it to be. Before I even transfer the garden to it. Heh.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 4, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> I bought some fiberglass screen door replacement material to line the bottom of the veg tote to keep the roots from going through the holes. Would super glue work to hold it down?


I would avoid putting a screen in the bottom. I tried it in the past and the roots will just grow through it and make them impossible to remove them from the veg unit without serious damage to the res.Just drill holes and lift your plants up out of the unit all the way every few days and that will keep the roots out of the res good enough. Also try not to use superglue anywhere that your nute solution will touch cause it may leach chemicals into your solution that you don't want in there.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 4, 2016)

Hawzzy said:


> Thanks for the compliments bro....BUT id consider my setup more "ghetto fab." than "sick" lol. Im just 2 wks into flower on this one...BC blueberry and some other mystery bcbd indoor strain. I have a handful of bc blueberry x mystery girls going...I crossed one of BCbb with the mystery plant and started 4 of the seeds...surprisingly they all turned out to be girls too.
> Ill post some pics of my equipment....not impressive but illustrates how with some research and a little ingenuity ANYONE can start to grow for very little $$$$ because of threads like this.....AWESOME
> I like to try new things on a small....inexpensive scale to test their plausibility before I ramp it up.
> Keep sharing your knowledge and exuberance about the good herb and light one for me pls.


Thanks man Ill keep at it and thanks for following bro!


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 4, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Sorry I Haven't been active for a few days. Closed on the new house, so super busy with the move. Number one priority is get the family settled in the house, as a happy wife equals happy life. Sneak peek of the second garage out back, that will be for the growing. Admittedly, will be a little while before I can start that process.
> -ShiftyView attachment 3623203 View attachment 3623204


@letdown shifty Dude that gonna be so sick! Cant wait to see the final set up. Ive been busy setting up all the wiring and ventilation for my new room. Hoping to move in over the weekend, but we will have to see about that!


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## letdown shifty (Mar 4, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> @letdown shifty Dude that gonna be so sick! Cant wait to see the final set up. Ive been busy setting up all the wiring and ventilation for my new room. Hoping to move in over the weekend, but we will have to see about that!


It's sad that sometimes we have to put growing on pause, so that we can setup the facility we want. I've got 1 vegging plant that is not happy to be waiting. She is sooo Fucking bushy, wide x tall. Thinking how I can flower that 1 girl without firing up the 1k. If it was 30 degree warmer at night, I could throw her outside & and let it become a tree. Lol


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 5, 2016)

The 2' 8bulb t5s seem like they barely fit long ways in the apollo tent. Any issues?


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## questiondj42 (Mar 7, 2016)

How tall do you let the plants get in the veg tent?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 7, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> How tall do you let the plants get in the veg tent?


As tall as fits your growing style/cycles. Is the true honest answer. An example of a gal let go way too long cause of moving houses. Think I may take her out of the tote and put her in a smart pot with coco mix. Make her a mother plant, for now.


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## kmog33 (Mar 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Sorry I Haven't been active for a few days. Closed on the new house, so super busy with the move. Number one priority is get the family settled in the house, as a happy wife equals happy life. Sneak peek of the second garage out back, that will be for the growing. Admittedly, will be a little while before I can start that process.
> -ShiftyView attachment 3623203 View attachment 3623204


That garage/building looks hilarious. No structures like that out here. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## letdown shifty (Mar 7, 2016)

@kmog33 awww. Don't laugh at my garage style. It's a typical look for an older home, that one was the original outstructure. The other garage is modern looking.


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## kmog33 (Mar 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @kmog33 awww. Don't laugh at my garage style. It's a typical look for an older home, that one was the original outstructure. The other garage is modern looking.


Haha not laughing at you or your style. Just a different part of he country. It's got a lot more character than most of the buildings out there. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## questiondj42 (Mar 7, 2016)

kmog33 said:


> Haha not laughing at you or your style. Just a different part of he country. It's got a lot more character than most of the buildings out there.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is pretty typical in the Midwest.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 7, 2016)

@kmog33 yeah, I know you weren't poking fun. Missed putting out the sarcasm emote. I think the character of the structure screams grow barn.


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## kmog33 (Mar 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @kmog33 yeah, I know you weren't poking fun. Missed putting out the sarcasm emote. I think the character of the structure screams grow barn.


Definitely. And you have nice wide ceiling to mount shit on. I would totally rock it. The shape of it still makes me giggle. Ho down time. I'd make it into a party barn haha 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## letdown shifty (Mar 7, 2016)

May just end up being some parties in the barn. Well, since I have no friends. It will end up just being me hanging out with the fruits and veggies, smoking the plants growing upstairs. Party! Party!


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 7, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> https://growgps.com/products/brt1alrwm/
> 
> That's the timer I use for the NFT pumps.It's rated for 15A, and draws a single amp.
> 
> I own three. One for each area.


I'm guessing you gotta really eyeball it to time 80secs on and 8 mins off?


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 7, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> The hub has a trigger cable, and a power source cable. Trigger cable probably already installed (at least mine had one). Mine did not have the power source cable installed but that is super easy just follow the schematic on the lid.
> Pumps go into the 4 outlets, trigger cord goes into the timer, timer goes into an outlet, power source cord plugs into a different outlet.


Ok, so I got the hub in and I'm setting it up. 

Does the hub trigger cable have to be plugged into a separate surge protector from the power source cable? Can I plug the hub with all the pumps into a 15amp outlet with, say a 4ft 6bulb T5 and a 125w CFL with a couple fans, or do I have to run the hub in its own outlet on its own surge protector since you said it uses 9amps to start up right away? Basically, I'm trying to determine how many separate cords I need to purchase?


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 8, 2016)

Sorry, lastly I'm going to go out on a limb and assume your beverage cooler design is not a 27gal cooler?


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 8, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> I'm guessing you gotta really eyeball it to time 80secs on and 8 mins off?


Nope. Not with this digital cycle timer. Its super easy and super accurate. Good equipment makes all the difference...https://www.joeshydro.com/blueprint-digital-cycle-timer-120v-bdct-1.html?fee=10&fep=25228&utm_source=googleproducts&utm_medium=feed&utm_content=cse&utm_term=9BP-BDCT601&gclid=CjwKEAiAjfq2BRDpmdHmssaW5xsSJABToP4lZwKypa0IGdmzOdwqU9nngAf3rNt_fy40ZfEuaZ8SCBoCDSXw_wcB


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 8, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Ok, so I got the hub in and I'm setting it up.
> 
> Does the hub trigger cable have to be plugged into a separate surge protector from the power source cable? Can I plug the hub with all the pumps into a 15amp outlet with, say a 4ft 6bulb T5 and a 125w CFL with a couple fans, or do I have to run the hub in its own outlet on its own surge protector since you said it uses 9amps to start up right away? Basically, I'm trying to determine how many separate cords I need to purchase?


The trigger cable can be plugged into the timer and could technically be plugged into the same outlet as the power source cable. But if you are running lots of pumps its best to keep them all on a dedicated circuit if at all possible. If your pumps kick on and it flips the breaker, you have got too much on that circuit...


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 8, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Sorry, lastly I'm going to go out on a limb and assume your beverage cooler design is not a 27gal cooler?


Sorry, I don't understand the question. I don't use a beverage cooler for anything. I use fresh cold tap water, thermostat, sprinkler servos, beer wart chillers, and hoses to chill my res if that's what you're talking about. Its the best possible chiller you can make or buy if you have a drain and access to fresh cold water in your grow area.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 8, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> May just end up being some parties in the barn. Well, since I have no friends. It will end up just being me hanging out with the fruits and veggies, smoking the plants growing upstairs. Party! Party!


That sounds like my kind of party! Come on bro, we are friends, right? lol. I know that back in the day the OG "stinkbuddies" as they called them selves got together from time to time. Maybe one day we can have a convention. haha!


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 8, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Sorry, I don't understand the question. I don't use a beverage cooler for anything. I use fresh cold tap water, thermostat, sprinkler servos, beer wart chillers, and hoses to chill my res if that's what you're talking about. Its the best possible chiller you can make or buy if you have a drain and access to fresh cold water in your grow area.


Damn my bad. I thought your veg was a cooler? Something about water leaking out of the totes?


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 8, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Damn my bad. I thought your veg was a cooler? Something about water leaking out of the totes?


I have considered swapping my res in my veg unit fora cooler, but since I have my veg set under cool ass ho t5s my res temp stays in the mid 60s so I don't really worry about it. The water that leaks from the totes is easily avoided by selecting totes with lids that are not bent and or by laying a bead of rope calk to the rim or the root chamber.


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 8, 2016)

How big is your flower space?


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 8, 2016)

I was in a 4x8x6.5 tent until last weekend when I moved into my new custom built 7.5'x11.5' room. Woot woot!


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 8, 2016)

So my hub came in. I see the trigger cable is the black cord. I also see the directions to install the main power cord, but I wasn't giving any wiring with it in the box? What wiring do I use for the main power cord? 3 cord dryer kit?


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 9, 2016)

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-31939-Grounded-3-Wire-Replacement/dp/B003OQVGP0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457551299&sr=8-3&keywords=3+wire+power+cord

like this?


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 10, 2016)

Based on your pics on the 1st page, did you use a surge protector as your power source cable? You spliced it and ran it through the hub for power?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 11, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> That sounds like my kind of party! Come on bro, we are friends, right? lol. I know that back in the day the OG "stinkbuddies" as they called them selves got together from time to time. Maybe one day we can have a convention. haha!


Bud, anytime you come visit Michigan. You can feel free to visit my grow, and smoke my green. 
-Shifty


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## Hawzzy (Mar 11, 2016)

Ive been reading the SB thread for a while....and ive enjoyed watching your grows taking shape...and your new rooms too guys....maybe I missed it AK....are you using the same nutes as SB or something else...maybe I smoked too much and missed it buddy...lol


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 11, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Bud, anytime you come visit Michigan. You can feel free to visit my grow, and smoke my green.
> -Shifty


I frequent Michigan a ton. Mainly the sw portion


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## letdown shifty (Mar 12, 2016)

@ThaMagnificent I'm in Muskegon County, right on the lake shore. Hit me up, in PM sometime. Just moved so I'm about a month away from getting my grow space up and running.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 14, 2016)

Hawzzy said:


> Ive been reading the SB thread for a while....and ive enjoyed watching your grows taking shape...and your new rooms too guys....maybe I missed it AK....are you using the same nutes as SB or something else...maybe I smoked too much and missed it buddy...lol


Hey bro. Sorry for the late reply! Been hella busy moving into the new room. 

To answer you Q, I started with my the original SB recipe but I have tweaked it a bit. I noticed some issues with my plants while running the OG formula, so I slightly adjusted it and my girls are very happy with it. 

Veg - 
750ml Pure Blend Pro Grow, 250ml Cal-Mag, 175ml Humic Acid (Liquid Karma). Mixed up in a gallon jug. As for feeding, I fill my res to about 2 inches below the top which I estimate at around 25 gallons (larger res' are way easier to manage temps, nute and PH levels. I start by adding 2ml/gal of Hydro Guard to keep my root healthy, then I add 2ml per gallon of Silica Blast with thickens up my stocks real nice. Once Ive put the above mentioned additives in the res I start adding the base mixture util I get to around 1000 ppm (on the 700 scale). After that I PH to 5.8 and they are good to go.

Flower -
750ml Pure Blend Pro Bloom, 250ml Cal-Mag, 175ml Humic Acid (Liquid Karma), and 250ml of Sweet. Mixed up in a gallon jug. As for feeding, I fill my res to about 2 inches below the top which I estimate at around 25 gallons. I start by adding 2ml/gal of Hydro Guard, then I add 4ml/gal of Silica Blast (double what goes in veg). Once Ive put the above mentioned additives in the res I start adding the base mixture util I get to around 1200 ppm. After that I PH to 5.8 and they are good to go. I lower the nute level to around 1000 ppm around the beginning of week 3. Then at week 5 I go down to 800 ppm. Week 7 I lower them to 600 ppm. Beginning of week 8 I run 450 ml of sweet only for 3 days. the last 3 to 4 days I run Botanicare's recommended amount of Clearex, then I chop the bitches down. Boom!!! Dont forget to always ph to 5.8 even if your using clearex.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 14, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Bud, anytime you come visit Michigan. You can feel free to visit my grow, and smoke my green.
> -Shifty


I'll make it happen one day for sure!


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## letdown shifty (Mar 14, 2016)

Dropped off a 8 gram sample bud to a local dispensary last Friday. One of owners called this morning, wanting 4oz of my Critical Kush in his shop today. So, made the man happy, and trimmed it up. Hopefully, customers like it and it flies off shelves. Picture of the trimmed nug.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 14, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Dropped off a 8 gram sample bud to a local dispensary last Friday. One of owners called this morning, wanting 4oz of my Critical Kush in his shop today. So, made the man happy, and trimmed it up. Hopefully, customers like it and it flies off shelves. Picture of the trimmed nug.View attachment 3631803


Looks frosty! Nice work!


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 14, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> So my hub came in. I see the trigger cable is the black cord. I also see the directions to install the main power cord, but I wasn't giving any wiring with it in the box? What wiring do I use for the main power cord? 3 cord dryer kit?


Ak,


What you think?


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## JayThe HydroGuy (Mar 14, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Dropped off a 8 gram sample bud to a local dispensary last Friday. One of owners called this morning, wanting 4oz of my Critical Kush in his shop today. So, made the man happy, and trimmed it up. Hopefully, customers like it and it flies off shelves. Picture of the trimmed nug.View attachment 3631803


Winner winner chicken dinner. Looking nice. What dispensary do you drop off to?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 14, 2016)

JayThe HydroGuy said:


> Winner winner chicken dinner. Looking nice. What dispensary do you drop off to?


Place called "All Natural Consignment"


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## Hawzzy (Mar 14, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Dropped off a 8 gram sample bud to a local dispensary last Friday. One of owners called this morning, wanting 4oz of my Critical Kush in his shop today. So, made the man happy, and trimmed it up. Hopefully, customers like it and it flies off shelves. Picture of the trimmed nug.View attachment 3631803


Man.....Im pretty sure I just heard angels singing in the background when you showed your bud...lol


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## Hawzzy (Mar 14, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Hey bro. Sorry for the late reply! Been hella busy moving into the new room.
> 
> To answer you Q, I started with my the original SB recipe but I have tweaked it a bit. I noticed some issues with my plants while running the OG formula, so I slightly adjusted it and my girls are very happy with it.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the detailed reply...and NO WORRIES about the slight delay in the answer...you are busy with a great new addition to your grow arsenal which can only benefit you....your circle of friends and the community here.
As per your inquiry/request for a journal or grow thread....I am recording my progress and will show it soon. Like I said....more "ghetto fab" than "sick"
Im following your progress closely and am looking forward to implementing more of your refined techniques to accomodate my own needs and to fulfill a 4 week perpetual harvest. Keep up thegood work and spread the love.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 15, 2016)

Thanks bro! Ill have pics to show again soon. I want it all perfect before I show it off. lol


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 15, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Ak,
> 
> 
> What you think?


If you are plugging into a dryer outlet that should work...I think. I also have been looking for instructions on how to "pigtail" one of these hubs to a dryer outlet. I will let you know when and if I ever find any solid info on thew subject. Surprisingly there is a serious lack of info on the subject.


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 15, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> If you are plugging into a dryer outlet that should work...I think. I also have been looking for instructions on how to "pigtail" one of these hubs to a dryer outlet. I will let you know when and if I ever find any solid info on thew subject. Surprisingly there is a serious lack of info on the subject.


What do i use to run the power cable source since the hub didnt come with a cable? Did you wire a surge protector instead?


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 15, 2016)

On the one that I use for my pumps I just use a normal 3 wire power cable. The one I am using right now is for my pumps so I just cut a cord of an old power strip and hooked it together.


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 15, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> On the one that I use for my pumps I just use a normal 3 wire power cable. The one I am using right now is for my pumps so I just cut a cord of an old power strip and hooked it together.


That's what I thought you did. On the first page did you hardwire in that power strip to your make shift hub? Directions say plug into 30amp circuit but im guessing unnecessary?


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 16, 2016)

Pumps run on 110 so I have the power source connected 110 for my make shift version of the hub.

Depends on which version of the hub you bought. The prebuilt hub I have is for 110 or 240, you just connect the appropriate power source cord. IF YOU ARE CONNECTING YOUR HUB TO 240V POWER AND YOU PLUG A 110V DEVICE TO IT, YOU WILL RUIN THE 110 DEVICE FOREVER. 110v= 15 or 20 amp breakers, 240v = 30 or more amps.


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 16, 2016)

Nah, I bought the 120/240 version. I was just wondering what kind of cord I use to be the power source. I get there are 3 wires: 1 ground and the other 2. The instructions say to wire for a 30 amp, but the hub is a 120/240v. I think they just use 1 set of instructions for all the hubs?

The thing is I want to find a cord with one end I can hardwire into the hub and the other end with a plug that I can just plug into the wall


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 16, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Nah, I bought the 120/240 version. I was just wondering what kind of cord I use to be the power source. I get there are 3 wires: 1 ground and the other 2. The instructions say to wire for a 30 amp, but the hub is a 120/240v. I think they just use 1 set of instructions for all the hubs?
> 
> The thing is I want to find a cord with one end I can hardwire into the hub and the other end with a plug that I can just plug into the wall


there are 120 cords in all hardware stores. just pic one up from the store or cut up an old extension cord and use some connectors. Thats what most people do.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 16, 2016)

Tired of hand trimming everything! Picked up this beauty to help my hands out.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019J2ZE1O?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
Next step is an industrial trimmer. Dispensary is making me work hard, gotta get my grow started fast.
-Shifty


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## ThaMagnificent (Mar 18, 2016)

Ak,

Is it possible to run this whole setup on a single 20 amp circuit or do lights, fans,etc.. have to run on a separate circuit from the pumps?


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## sky rocket (Mar 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Tired of hand trimming everything! Picked up this beauty to help my hands out.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019J2ZE1O?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
> Next step is an industrial trimmer. Dispensary is making me work hard, gotta get my grow started fast.
> -Shifty


I've seen that machine years ago. Let us know how it goes with the trimmer.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 18, 2016)

sky rocket said:


> I've seen that machine years ago. Let us know how it goes with the trimmer.


From my use of it today. It's really only useful for good hard buds, anything too large and you're better off hand trimming. Definitely helps the process move along, but not really liking the surface trichome damage it does either. But when the dispensary is calling for as much volume as they are, it would be crazy to hand trim that much.
-Shifty

Also, a Tangie shot from today.


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## sky rocket (Mar 18, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> From my use of it today. It's really only useful for good hard buds, anything too large and you're better off hand trimming. Definitely helps the process move along, but not really liking the surface trichome damage it does either. But when the dispensary is calling for as much volume as they are, it would be crazy to hand trim that much.
> -Shifty
> 
> Also, a Tangie shot from today.View attachment 3635496


Tangie from reserva prada or crocket?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 18, 2016)

Reserva privada


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## letdown shifty (Mar 22, 2016)

BUMP!
So, the dispensary emptied out my flower in 1 week. They have patients on a waiting list for my flower. It's been met with an overwhelming positive feeling. So happy to be helping so many patients and proud of every delivery I made, as far as quality goes. Now the dispensary, will have to deal with patients that want my flower but have a little wait. Excited for some new strains I have coming. keeping my Pineapple Kush, Tangie, Critical Kush, and adding Zod, Black Kush, and Grape Kush.
-Shifty


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## sky rocket (Mar 22, 2016)

Which strain you grew that the dispencary was in need of?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 22, 2016)

Critical Kush & Tangie


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## sky rocket (Mar 22, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Critical Kush & Tangie


I might have to get some of that Tangie. Did you get your Tangie from clone or did you grow from seed?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 22, 2016)

From seed. Ordered from attitude Seedbank. They are a bit expensive for a 6pack. But very much worth it.


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## sky rocket (Mar 22, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> From seed. Ordered from attitude Seedbank. They are a bit expensive for a 6pack. But very much worth it.


Nice! Did you find a keeper out of the 6 pack and what was the flower time with your Tangie's?


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## letdown shifty (Mar 22, 2016)

The Tangie that I've experienced was From a promotional offer on my last purchase. Had a single seed of it, and was a keeper plant. Lost the strain in my move, so just ordered another 6pack as well as other stuff. Flower time is right around 55 early to 70 days with some flush time depending on nute levels ya run.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 24, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Tired of hand trimming everything! Picked up this beauty to help my hands out.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019J2ZE1O?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
> Next step is an industrial trimmer. Dispensary is making me work hard, gotta get my grow started fast.
> -Shifty


Yeah the trimming gets old. If you pick one up let me know how it works. Ive always been a little afraid if them kiefing the bud too much, but who knows.


----------



## AKGrowAreo (Mar 24, 2016)

ThaMagnificent said:


> Ak,
> 
> Is it possible to run this whole setup on a single 20 amp circuit or do lights, fans,etc.. have to run on a separate circuit from the pumps?


You could run 1 1000w and everything else on one 20 amp as long as you dont have ac, and dehumidifier. When you add more lights, dehum and ac you'll need to break it up


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 24, 2016)

I just cracked Reserva Privada Kosher Kush and Kandy Kush. Ill let you know how it all turns out...


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## letdown shifty (Mar 24, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Yeah the trimming gets old. If you pick one up let me know how it works. Ive always been a little afraid if them kiefing the bud too much, but who knows.


Picked it up, and used it. Didn't care for how much it does kief the bud, but it saved so much time on the smaller stuff. I still hand trim anything of any significant size.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 24, 2016)

Also, having a hard time jumping on my final heating/cooling decision. Was set to pickup a 4 zone mini split, but was then warned that the outdoor unit sometime freezes up during cold weather. Not something I want to happen during a cold Michigan winter, so now I'm looking at getting a smaller forced air furnace to do my heating & cooling. The hard decisions are holding me up with this build out.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 24, 2016)

Nice man! I think I may have to do get one for the smaller nugs.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 24, 2016)

You know what I like about my thread? There have been no haters or trolls. I am sure that they will come around someday, but I sure am stoked on all the positivity around here. Plants like positivity too, at least thats what my hippie friend said. lol. Lets keep it up! Thanks to everyone for all their support!


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## letdown shifty (Mar 24, 2016)

Learned years ago, that negativity is not good for anyone involved. But, you can still have a positive vibe in telling someone they are wrong in their thinking.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 24, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Also, having a hard time jumping on my final heating/cooling decision. Was set to pickup a 4 zone mini split, but was then warned that the outdoor unit sometime freezes up during cold weather. Not something I want to happen during a cold Michigan winter, so now I'm looking at getting a smaller forced air furnace to do my heating & cooling. The hard decisions are holding me up with this build out.


Hmmm. In Alaska we know a thing ot two about cold weather, well at least before global warming we did. JK lol. I have heard about people building a box or room around their outside unit of their mini splits with adjustable vents to keep them from freezin up.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 24, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Hmmm. In Alaska we know a thing ot two about cold weather, well at least before global warming we did. JK lol. I have heard about people building a box or room around their outside unit of their mini splits with adjustable vents to keep them from freezin up.


I've heard that also. Put a request for help out to a friend in the hvac supplier/design trade for suggestions on best path. Also here is an updated layout, will be 2 identical floor plans minus the bathroom.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 25, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> I've heard that also. Put a request for help out to a friend in the hvac supplier/design trade for suggestions on best path. Also here is an updated layout, will be 2 identical floor plans minus the bathroom.View attachment 3640268


Cool man. Only 2k watts? If so you are not gonna need hardly any, if any AC in the winter and you would be able to get by with a portable ac unit no problem in the summer. I am in the process of ditching my AC all together and going with cool boxes daisy chained together and rigged up to a thermostat. I have one set up and its putting off a ton of cool air just being connected to cold tap water. My plan is to set a res full of glycol in a freezer and pump that shit through the ice boxes. Im thinking it'll be good enough to cool 6k watts. http://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Innovations-904490-Ice-6-Inch/dp/B002JLAC3I


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## letdown shifty (Mar 25, 2016)

I'm debating if light movers are the best option, or 2 lights per 6'x8' rail area.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 25, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> I'm debating if light movers are the best option, or 2 lights per 6'x8' rail area.


I would put 2k watts over each unit and put those on a LightRail 5 that can move up to 3 lights at a time. I am putting my 3 - 1k watters on one light rail.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 25, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> I would put 2k watts over each unit and put those on a LightRail 5 that can move up to 3 lights at a time. I am putting my 3 - 1k watters on one light rail.


Not sure what purpose a light mover would have, after I put a Bigfoot hood over each unit. The light footprint is supposedly close to 6'×6'.


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## kachiga (Mar 27, 2016)

Really nice grow log try for that. I am start to use strong nets. Why use a 2x? Is the top more to hold the weight?

Thanks


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 29, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Not sure what purpose a light mover would have, after I put a Bigfoot hood over each unit. The light footprint is supposedly close to 6'×6'.


The footprint may be enlarged with xxxl's, but thats just spreading the 1000K around. A mover would help get light to other areas of the plant that would not otherwise ever see that light of day, thus increasing your yield anywhere from 15 to 40 percent depending on how you set it up.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 29, 2016)

kachiga said:


> Really nice grow log try for that. I am start to use strong nets. Why use a 2x? Is the top more to hold the weight?
> 
> Thanks


Thanks man. I will post pics soon of my new set up. I ditched my tents and build a custom room.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 29, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> The footprint may be enlarged with xxxl's, but thats just spreading the 1000K around. A mover would help get light to other areas of the plant that would not otherwise ever see that light of day, thus increasing your yield anywhere from 15 to 40 percent depending on how you set it up.


Yeah, understand all that. Just meant that I don't see physically what a mover would do. In a space that would be 8' wide × 6' long, 2 hoods with dimensions of roughly 43" × 32". I'd be better off just equipping some side lighting for the area around hoods.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 29, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Yeah, understand all that. Just meant that I don't see physically what a mover would do. In a space that would be 8' wide × 6' long, 2 hoods with dimensions of roughly 43" × 32". I'd be better off just equipping some side lighting for the area around hoods.


Cool man. Sounds like you've got it all figured out. I watched my best friends grow in a similar space to your increase his yield by an average of 37% by adding movers to his 4k watt set up that already used xxxl hoods. I was really impressed with the difference. Nothing like adding wattage without adding much electricity.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 29, 2016)

Nah, I figure it out as I go. I've contemplated going with a single de 2k fixture on a rail over each 2 flower units, or I could go 2 smaller footprint fixtures on a rail. Nothing set in stone, reason why I like to hear experience & input.
-Shifty

Edit: sorry didnt actually mean a de bulb. But rather a reflector running 2 bulbs, such as this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrofarm-Raptor-8-Air-Cooled-Grow-Light-Reflector-Hood-w-Dual-Lamps-RP8ACD-/231549503027?hash=item35e96d0633:g:s1sAAOSwgQ9VyNbf


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 30, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Nah, I figure it out as I go. I've contemplated going with a single de 2k fixture on a rail over each 2 flower units, or I could go 2 smaller footprint fixtures on a rail. Nothing set in stone, reason why I like to hear experience & input.
> -Shifty
> 
> Edit: sorry didn't actually mean a de bulb. But rather a reflector running 2 bulbs, such as this
> ...


Dude! Those dual reflectors are fucking boss! You would probably want to incorporate water cooled heat exchangers for the hoods or possibly duct some AC directly through the hoods to keep the temps down, but who knows... 

Why cant the damn LED industry get their shit together and come out with some products that beat HPS? I simply cant trust LED to beat HPS yet. A decade ago I was saying that everything would be LED by now, and here we are 10 years later and I am saying the same shit. Seem like the technology has moved slower than it should have, but maybe I am just impatient.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 30, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Dude! Those dual reflectors are fucking boss! You would probably want to incorporate water cooled heat exchangers for the hoods or possibly duct some AC directly through the hoods to keep the temps down, but who knows...
> 
> Why cant the damn LED industry get their shit together and come out with some products that beat HPS? I simply cant trust LED to beat HPS yet. A decade ago I was saying that everything would be LED by now, and here we are 10 years later and I am saying the same shit. Seem like the technology has moved slower than it should have, but maybe I am just impatient.


I really like those hoods. I'll be updating to them, after I get some money flow coming in again. I've also considered the lec fixtures, but I know & trust hps. So, I'll pickup 2 of the linked hoods, and 4 digital ballast (researching which brand I wanna pickup). Side note, just spent $400 on electrical wiring (12/2 & 10/3) + a sub panel & receptacle boxes. So that I can build out the grow space. Ordered my EDPM rubber for my flooring also. Money out, sigh.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 30, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> I really like those hoods. I'll be updating to them, after I get some money flow coming in again. I've also considered the lec fixtures, but I know & trust hps. So, I'll pickup 2 of the linked hoods, and 4 digital ballast (researching which brand I wanna pickup). Side note, just spent $400 on electrical wiring (12/2 & 10/3) + a sub panel & receptacle boxes. So that I can build out the grow space. Ordered my EDPM rubber for my flooring also. Money out, sigh.
> -Shifty


On your way there bro... once you're up and running that money will be flowing back your way.


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## AKGrowAreo (Mar 30, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> I really like those hoods. I'll be updating to them, after I get some money flow coming in again. I've also considered the lec fixtures, but I know & trust hps. So, I'll pickup 2 of the linked hoods, and 4 digital ballast (researching which brand I wanna pickup). Side note, just spent $400 on electrical wiring (12/2 & 10/3) + a sub panel & receptacle boxes. So that I can build out the grow space. Ordered my EDPM rubber for my flooring also. Money out, sigh.
> -Shifty


I also really like these http://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Innovations-904493-Ice-8-Inch/dp/B003AZD15S?ie=UTF8&keywords=cool box hydroponics&qid=1459362901&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
This would do the trick...


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## letdown shifty (Mar 30, 2016)

Don't think the inline chiller is necessary, as I'll be pulling air from my veg room thru the hoods and Back out. The veg room will be climate controlled.


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## letdown shifty (Mar 31, 2016)

Picked up one of these also (link bottom). Flowering can't get here soon enough, damn this moving houses. Lol. So much happier where we are at though, would give up a growth cycle over and over again for that change.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351542879607?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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## questiondj42 (Mar 31, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Dude! Those dual reflectors are fucking boss! You would probably want to incorporate water cooled heat exchangers for the hoods or possibly duct some AC directly through the hoods to keep the temps down, but who knows...
> 
> Why cant the damn LED industry get their shit together and come out with some products that beat HPS? I simply cant trust LED to beat HPS yet. A decade ago I was saying that everything would be LED by now, and here we are 10 years later and I am saying the same shit. Seem like the technology has moved slower than it should have, but maybe I am just impatient.


What keeps you from trying out some of the cottage LED products that are available? Say, the TimberLED or the TastyLEDs? 

My first grow was with a Kind K3 L600. Which, I was very pleased with, despite not having any reference with HIDs.

I've added 3 TimberLED CXB200s for the second run. And I am very, very, very happy with the Cree CXB3590s. In fact, they're so powerful that, even 18" off the canopy, I've had to turn the intensity down because it's bleaching the leaves. 35 days in and I am very happy with what I'm seeing. They're performing leaps and bounds better than the Kind.

I had originally gotten 2 Timbers for flowering (3K) and 1 for veg (4K), but my veg tent is not tall enough and I can't turn the light down enough to keep from yellowing the leaves. So I took the 4K out and put it in the flower tent and replaced it with a 2' 4 tube T5.


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## questiondj42 (Mar 31, 2016)

This is what I've got going on currently. They're pretty burnt, which is embarrassing. Switching from DWC to Aero with Dyna-gro had a bit of a learning curve.


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## Budley Doright (Mar 31, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Tired of hand trimming everything! Picked up this beauty to help my hands out.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019J2ZE1O?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
> Next step is an industrial trimmer. Dispensary is making me work hard, gotta get my grow started fast.
> -Shifty


I have been wondering how they work? My trim pros are a tad large and Wasteful for what I do now, but it's still a giant ass pain .


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## letdown shifty (Mar 31, 2016)

Budley Doright said:


> I have been wondering how they work? My trim pros are a tad large and Wasteful for what I do now, but it's still a giant ass pain .


The trimmer works pretty good. Was a shock going from hand trimming everything, to using that. Found a happy medium, I hand trim everything greater than a lighter and throw the rest in and spin. I'd easily spend the Money again, as it saves lots of time in smaller stuff that I'd normally toss in a salve.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Apr 1, 2016)

questiondj42 said:


> What keeps you from trying out some of the cottage LED products that are available? Say, the TimberLED or the TastyLEDs?
> 
> My first grow was with a Kind K3 L600. Which, I was very pleased with, despite not having any reference with HIDs.
> 
> ...


Well I guess cost has been my only thing holding me back. Every time I go to buy an LED I end up getting cold feet just buying another couple 1k HPS for less money that one LED. Good to hear some advice on quality brands. Maybe Ill add an LED soon as supplemental light. Thanks for sharing your experience!


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## questiondj42 (Apr 1, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Well I guess cost has been my only thing holding me back. Every time I go to buy an LED I end up getting cold feet just buying another couple 1k HPS for less money that one LED. Good to hear some advice on quality brands. Maybe Ill add an LED soon as supplemental light. Thanks for sharing your experience!


You're welcome! The costs are a bit high, but they seem to be coming down/becoming more viable with the COB technology. If heat isn't an issue, there's definitely no drawback to going with HID! I'll share more once these plants are closer to harvest.


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## Budley Doright (Apr 1, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Well I guess cost has been my only thing holding me back. Every time I go to buy an LED I end up getting cold feet just buying another couple 1k HPS for less money that one LED. Good to hear some advice on quality brands. Maybe Ill add an LED soon as supplemental light. Thanks for sharing your experience!


It's a scary amount when the majority of advice on forums is HID is still better. But yes I would love to try a new COB setup. Perhaps a good project for the late summer nights on the porch .


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## WeedFreak78 (Apr 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Tired of hand trimming everything! Picked up this beauty to help my hands out.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019J2ZE1O?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
> Next step is an industrial trimmer. Dispensary is making me work hard, gotta get my grow started fast.
> -Shifty


 I just picked one up. Did yours smell like old tires? I washed the crap out of it, kinda made it better, but. .idk. I try to avoid anything that isn't "food grade" and I'm pretty sure these aren't. I tried wrapping the rubber seal in plastic wrap, kinda helped. 
Like you I trim bigger/top buds by hand. I throw all the lower stuff in the spinner, that usually becomes mostly my stash. ..I can't, in good conscience, pass off buds that I consider lower quality, so I keep it, it still does the job. I will say it doesn't hurt trichs nearly as much as I expected, especially once you learn the adjustments.


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## WeedFreak78 (Apr 7, 2016)

How did you come to the 80sec/8 min cycle? I'm running 1 on/4 off, per SB thread, everything seems OK, but cutting cycle time down could save a lil electrical and heat in the res. 

Your cooling system, it uses tap water in a DTW type system? Sensor turn it on, flow tap water through the system, to drain, until temps drop? I'm at a point where I don't need a huge temp drop, 10F maybe, and only for like 2 months, middle of summer. Water cost me .0004 cents a gallon, so a DTW system wouldn't be too cost prohibitive. 
I also have one of those office water dispensers I'm going to try to steal the cooling circuit out of. Idk what is duty cycle is though, I might be using it outside its design range. If I can use it to cool a ~30 gal res, I can probably do a wort chiller setup like yours and keep it closed loop.


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## letdown shifty (Apr 7, 2016)

WeedFreak78 said:


> I just picked one up. Did yours smell like old tires? I washed the crap out of it, kinda made it better, but. .idk. I try to avoid anything that isn't "food grade" and I'm pretty sure these aren't. I tried wrapping the rubber seal in plastic wrap, kinda helped.
> Like you I trim bigger/top buds by hand. I throw all the lower stuff in the spinner, that usually becomes mostly my stash. ..I can't, in good conscience, pass off buds that I consider lower quality, so I keep it, it still does the job. I will say it doesn't hurt trichs nearly as much as I expected, especially once you learn the adjustments.


Completely agree with everything you said. Also, yes it had a definite rubber smell (old tire). I was getting black hands from handling it, like you said, it went straight into a wash & scrubbing.
-Shifty


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## AKGrowAreo (Apr 7, 2016)

WeedFreak78 said:


> How did you come to the 80sec/8 min cycle? I'm running 1 on/4 off, per SB thread, everything seems OK, but cutting cycle time down could save a lil electrical and heat in the res.
> 
> Your cooling system, it uses tap water in a DTW type system? Sensor turn it on, flow tap water through the system, to drain, until temps drop? I'm at a point where I don't need a huge temp drop, 10F maybe, and only for like 2 months, middle of summer. Water cost me .0004 cents a gallon, so a DTW system wouldn't be too cost prohibitive.
> I also have one of those office water dispensers I'm going to try to steal the cooling circuit out of. Idk what is duty cycle is though, I might be using it outside its design range. If I can use it to cool a ~30 gal res, I can probably do a wort chiller setup like yours and keep it closed loop.


I started at 4 on 1 off as did most of the @StinkBud peeps. A more advanced version of SB's setup was nicely showcased and used by @superstoner1 in his threads. I believe that he is the original dude that tested the 8 min of 80 sec on with excellent results. I ran a side by side of the two times settings and with the 80n sec on 8 min off I have 20% higher yields, my res temps were an average of 5 degrees cooler, and yes it used slightly less power. I def recommend switching to 8 min off 80 sec on. I believe it provides much better oxygen to the roots and that's how you get the better yields.

Do you have access to fresh cold water and a drain? As long as you're not on metered water you can run my DIY chiller with instructions on page one or 2 of this thread. Its cheap and easy to build and beats the hell out of the off the shelf chillers. 

If you do not have access to cold water and a drain? If so, then you could still run my chiller with a res set inside of a fridge (cheap as fuck on CL) with a submersible pump in the res and a return line back to the fridge res and get the same effect without all the wasted water. Same concept as my chiller just without the fresh water and drains. I really think this would be a better option that the water cooler. You could take it to the next level and use glycol inside the rtes in a freezer and be even more efficient! I will eventually go that route.


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## AKGrowAreo (Apr 7, 2016)

Good friends = good trimmers :~)


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## letdown shifty (Apr 7, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> Good friends = good trimmers :~)


Ain't that the truth.


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## letdown shifty (Apr 7, 2016)

@AKGrowAreo so what timer are you using for 80sec on - 8 min off, please link me as I'm curious.


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## WeedFreak78 (Apr 7, 2016)

AKGrowAreo said:


> I started at 4 on 1 off as did most of the @StinkBud peeps. A more advanced version of SB's setup was nicely showcased and used by @superstoner1 in his threads. I believe that he is the original dude that tested the 8 min of 80 sec on with excellent results. I ran a side by side of the two times settings and with the 80n sec on 8 min off I have 20% higher yields, my res temps were an average of 5 degrees cooler, and yes it used slightly less power. I def recommend switching to 8 min off 80 sec on. I believe it provides much better oxygen to the roots and that's how you get the better yields.


 I've always wondered how dry the roots should get between cycles, mine are usually always wet, or at least damp. I kinda remember reading about wanting them to almost dry between cycles. I think it promotes a finer root mass, but I dont remember exactly? 
I might try it out, like I said everything looks good right now, so I really don't want to change what's working. Also, my timers a bitch to set, I don't like messing with it. It took me way too long to get it within 10 secs of 1on/4off , it's something like 1:08 on/3:56 off. I still think it should have been closer, but I almost smashed it after an hour plus of messing with it. Way too fine of adjustment on its dial movement. 



AKGrowAreo said:


> Do you have access to fresh cold water and a drain? As long as you're not on metered water you can run my DIY chiller with instructions on page one or 2 of this thread. Its cheap and easy to build and beats the hell out of the off the shelf chillers.
> 
> If you do not have access to cold water and a drain? If so, then you could still run my chiller with a res set inside of a fridge (cheap as fuck on CL) with a submersible pump in the res and a return line back to the fridge res and get the same effect without all the wasted water. Same concept as my chiller just without the fresh water and drains. I really think this would be a better option that the water cooler. You could take it to the next level and use glycol inside the rtes in a freezer and be even more efficient! I will eventually go that route.


 I'm on a meter, but like I said it, works out to $0.0004/gal at my rates. Still wouldn't want to pay for it. I've always had a crazy idea of burying a 55+ gallon drum under the slab in the basement as an earth chiller setup, some coils and pumps, it'd be sweet. Ground temp at 15-20ft down is like 55-60F all year. I have a sump hole already cut, I just need to dig. Shit, I might hit even hit water, we have a high water table here, can't get a bigger cooling res than that. .lol. 
I have a large standup freezer I only keep a little food in. Since it's just me now, I only use 1 shelf in it really. I've thought about just using the empty space for cooling. It'd be dual purpose, and I'm already paying for it. 
I'm weighing my options, probably just going to back burner it for a cycle, enjoy the summer without that stress.


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## letdown shifty (Apr 7, 2016)

Looking at upgrading my fixed 1 on 4 off cycle timers to these. Anyone know of a cheaper deal? Or better product?

http://growgreenmi.com/analog-24hr-recycling-timer?gclid=Cj0KEQjwipi4BRD7t6zGl6m75IgBEiQAn7CfF2YNHVpyMBtwrPcvAimdtUZsJmS6OtOQuHzbs-N9f_YaAm3F8P8HAQ

Or

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Titan-Controls-Spartan-Series-Repeat-Cycle-Timer-702894-Single-Analog-Timer-/131759121050?hash=item1ead74a29a:g:rZUAAOSwxvxW8JWu


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## questiondj42 (Apr 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Looking at upgrading my fixed 1 on 4 off cycle timers to these. Anyone know of a cheaper deal? Or better product?
> 
> http://growgreenmi.com/analog-24hr-recycling-timer?gclid=Cj0KEQjwipi4BRD7t6zGl6m75IgBEiQAn7CfF2YNHVpyMBtwrPcvAimdtUZsJmS6OtOQuHzbs-N9f_YaAm3F8P8HAQ
> 
> ...


http://growgreenmi.com/sentinel-gps-blc-1a-wm-basic-lighting-temperature-controller-wall-mount

Made in 'Merica, buy 'Mericans. ETL listed. RoHS compliant. I've got 3.


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## AKGrowAreo (Apr 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> @AKGrowAreo so what timer are you using for 80sec on - 8 min off, please link me as I'm curious.


http://blueprintcontrollers.com/Product/Details/BDCT601
This baby works great and I bought it for about a bill at the local hydro shop so they can replace it if I have a failure.


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## WeedFreak78 (Apr 7, 2016)

letdown shifty said:


> Looking at upgrading my fixed 1 on 4 off cycle timers to these. Anyone know of a cheaper deal? Or better product?
> 
> http://growgreenmi.com/analog-24hr-recycling-timer?gclid=Cj0KEQjwipi4BRD7t6zGl6m75IgBEiQAn7CfF2YNHVpyMBtwrPcvAimdtUZsJmS6OtOQuHzbs-N9f_YaAm3F8P8HAQ
> 
> ...


I have the autopilot. ..it sucks to set. The dial goes 15sec-2mins-10 minutes...in about a quarter inch. ...try setting 5-, 6 or 7 minutes. Way to fine of adjustment .see my post above...I almost smashed it. 

I like the Titan products personally, I have separate fan and light controllers of theirs. Now I know they have a timer, and it seems affordable, I'm going to have to get one or two. Want to buy a used autopilot...lol.


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## letdown shifty (Apr 12, 2016)

I couldn't wait, Jumped on those reflectors.


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## Budley Doright (Apr 12, 2016)

WeedFreak78 said:


> How did you come to the 80sec/8 min cycle? I'm running 1 on/4 off, per SB thread, everything seems OK, but cutting cycle time down could save a lil electrical and heat in the res.
> 
> Your cooling system, it uses tap water in a DTW type system? Sensor turn it on, flow tap water through the system, to drain, until temps drop? I'm at a point where I don't need a huge temp drop, 10F maybe, and only for like 2 months, middle of summer. Water cost me .0004 cents a gallon, so a DTW system wouldn't be too cost prohibitive.
> I also have one of those office water dispensers I'm going to try to steal the cooling circuit out of. Idk what is duty cycle is though, I might be using it outside its design range. If I can use it to cool a ~30 gal res, I can probably do a wort chiller setup like yours and keep it closed loop.


If your careful taking it apart you could throw the chilled bucket thing right in the Res and see how it works, I have one but was not careful lol. The copper line broke so now I need to reweld it and re charge so it's sitting in garage taking up space lol. I'm thinking it would cool a 30 gal Res but need to give it a shot. It's pretty much set at one temp I think but that would be easy to fix with a cheap stat like I use on my passive setup. Let me know how it works if you try it so I can take mine to the dump if needed lol.


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## Papa_roach (Apr 25, 2016)

Great thread with lots of good info!

I took an old water cooler from my office and converted it to a home made water chiller. The only issue I have had is I needed to put it on a timer because it gets too cold if I leave running 24/7. Once I get some time I plan on making a new thermostat for it.


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## letdown shifty (Apr 25, 2016)

Hello Everyone, hope life is going well. Sorry I've been absent a while, still in transition mode from my move. Work is progressing, albeit slower than I pictured in my mind. Here are a couple update shots of the new grow space getting prepped. 2nd floor only right now, then I move onto the 1st floors.


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