General Grow Room Design Questions

OhmBuddha

Member
Hello RIU ommunity!

I have just a few quick questions I wanted some feedback on before moving forward with my next cycle.

1) I have a TrolMaster HydroX and Growers Choice e-720. My question is this.

The Trolmaster gives me the ability to dim the led fixture if it goes over a specific set temperature, according the TrolMaster tech support, for every 1 degreeF over the set point, the light dims 10%.

As a clear example, if your temperature set point is 80f, and your light is set at 100%, if the room then reaches 80F, the light will dim to 90%, if the temperature gets to 81F, it will dim to 80% etc.

I have tested this, and have found that there is a slight delay, and very rarely does it dim it fast enough to stay within the 1F range, or 10% range. It very often goes down 20-30% and then stabilizes the temperature. If I have the AC completely off, using only the dimming feature, it will always keep it within 3 degrees of where I set it, however it is dimming which is my concern.

Part 2 of question 1: I also use the TrolMaster temperature controller to control my 10k btu ac unit. The way this plug works according the TrolMaster tech support again, is there is a 3 degree delay essentially. So if I set the AC to come on at 80F, it will kick on until it reaches 77F, which normally actually cools the room down to around 76 or say 4 degrees cooler then the set point.

My question really is, is there any way the dimming feature is beneficial over just using the temperature controller? Is there any ideal way to use both to my benefit? I’d prefer to run the ac as little as possible, as dim the light as little as possible. Any thoughts?

2) I run a DWC system. Single containers 20 gallons each.Does anyone have a good way to check for light leaks in the containers? My only thought was when empty to put a light inside and turn off all room lights and see if I can see any light coming out?

3) Normally I pump each solution out with a submersible pump, this run I put a ball valve on each container with a T and hooked up an In-line 1/10th HP pump to them. The pump is was hardly getting any water out, or would have taken hour to get 20 gallons out. I am pumping down and there is no upward height the pump need to achieve. However the drain hose is 100ft. Do I need toget a larger pump? Or what does anyone else recommend to drain from the valve on the bottom of the Rez?

4) How long can water/solution sit in a control Rez if not recirculating and only used to top off other containers? As long as light is not available do I need to provide agitation or o2?

5) I am having trouble controlling lights off temperatures, I can mitigate this by turning off the lights during the day, however temperatures are still approaching 65F, which I know is not a deal breaker, however I would like to keep the night temperatures a lot warmer. Is there heaters specifically designed for grow tents that don’t emit any light?

The tents are in an upstairs loft, which has no door and is essentially an exposed room. I want to make this a lung room and build a door, is this my best bet to control temperatures and humidity? Making the lung room water so that the tent cannot get so cold?

6) Humidity, I had a 5 gallon evaporative humidifier inside the tent, however I was concerned about cleaning the unit mid grow and possible air quality concerns if not cleaned frequently enough. Which plays into question 5 and the lung room, is this my best bet again? Humidifier in the room and open up a passive intake on the tent?

7) lmLast question is about nutrient recommendations for DWC?I currently use H&G aqua flakes. Just curious on what others recommend while I’m at it.

I appreciate anyone who took the time to read all that and I apologize for the block of text. If anyone needs any questions answered feel free to shoot them my way.

I added a photo of one of the 5x5s getting setup. The cooler on the right is done and is going through some stability testing. Making sure no light leaks, temperature is within range, no water leaks etc.



Thanx again, Happy Growing!



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