It's A Fuct World

hornedfrog2000

Well-Known Member
Hey Al. I've been watching your work for a long time. Like years. Anyway, do you still use floros, or did you end up switching to MH for your moms? I notice your clones have massive thick stems. Just wondering what you like better.
 

Highhopes99

Active Member
hello Al, just a question about wiring.



H<INTAKE FAN> N CONNECTS TO NEUTRAL@BOTTOM
H
H
HHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
H H H
P H H H
O THERMO SWITCH MOTOR SPEED HHHHHHHHHHHH
W> H H
E HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TO SCRUBBER>
R

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN


I hope this diagram makes sense.
N= Nutreal or white
H= Hot or black
Trying to wire my exhaust to run on motor speed controller when thermostat is switched off (temps are low). but It seems to power my intake fans as well.

is this possible or will i need to get another independent thermostat for my intake?

thanks in advance.
 

Highhopes99

Active Member
hello Al, just a question about wiring.



H<INTAKE FAN> N CONNECTS TO NEUTRAL@BOTTOM
H
H
HHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
H H H
P H H H
O THERMO SWITCH MOTOR SPEED HHHHHHHHHHHH
W> H H
E HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TO SCRUBBER>
R

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN


I hope this diagram makes sense.
N= Nutreal or white
H= Hot or black
Trying to wire my exhaust to run on motor speed controller when thermostat is switched off (temps are low). but It seems to power my intake fans as well.

is this possible or will i need to get another independent thermostat for my intake?

thanks in advance.

that did not come out in the right fomat. It will make scene when you view it in ( reply with Quote)
 

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
thanks for the response. yeah im already expecting them to die. what would it look like on the bottom of the stem if there was rot though?
If the stem tip is brown & squishy, it's rotted. Cut it back until you see no more brown matter in the stem. Remember, the rooting medium should be kept just damp, never wet or saturated.

...thankx! ...and again for the concern. My technique atm, the ladies go from the ezcloner into 3" netted pots filled with growrocks only, which is put into the fence post filled with growrocks....flood and drain.
...I cover the tables/medium with panda poly because I was having fungi growth on the uppermost layer of the rocks :dunce:....I have holes/slits in the poly where the medium is located....they seem to like it, and the poly seemed to help lower RH levels a bit....I'll keep your words in my mind for a future experiment....really glad to have you on the boards ;-)
Were you getting fungus or algae? Algae is green- and won't generally cause much problems for your plants. Algae is a plant and will eat some of the nutes on the uppermost level of the medium but won't compete much with the cannabis plants' roots, since they're deeper down in the media. Like any plant, algae needs light, water & nutrients to grow. Shielding the media from light will stop it, as you've done, but the moist/dark conditions may favour growth of pythium, fusarium or other things which will do damage to roots. If you're using a flood system, you have the option of not flooding as deeply- this can help keep the media tops dry, which will also inhibit algae growth.

Thanks for the thanks. :)

thanks once again al
No worries. :)

Hey Al. I've been watching your work for a long time. Like years. Anyway, do you still use floros, or did you end up switching to MH for your moms? I notice your clones have massive thick stems. Just wondering what you like better.
Thanks for reading. :)

I use a 400HPS over my mums. There's 3x twin tube fluoro fixtures in the clone box. I did try a MH conversion lamp over the mums for a while but it didn't work as well as the 400HPS.

hello Al, just a question about wiring.



H<INTAKE FAN> N CONNECTS TO NEUTRAL@BOTTOM
H
H
HHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
H H H
P H H H
O THERMO SWITCH MOTOR SPEED HHHHHHHHHHHH
W> H H
E HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TO SCRUBBER>
R

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN


I hope this diagram makes sense.
Sorry, but it doesn't!

N= Nutreal or white
H= Hot or black
Trying to wire my exhaust to run on motor speed controller when thermostat is switched off (temps are low). but It seems to power my intake fans as well.

is this possible or will i need to get another independent thermostat for my intake?

thanks in advance.
Oh, OK, I see what you're trying to do now. I'm pretty sure I wrote something about that some time back. I even recall drawing up a schematic for it... however, changes in the way RIU is set up no longer allow me to get to my image library.

Aw hell, I'll draw it again...

tstat_msc.gif

This arrangement will allow a fan to run at a low speed at all times- whatever you set it to with the MSC- and when the temperature exceeds the setpoint on the thermostat, the MSC will be bridged out and the fan will run at max speed, until the air temp falls below the thermostat's setpoint. You can run more fans (such as your intakes) by connecting them in parallel with the motor as drawn in this diagram.
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
Hey Al,was reading the discussion between yourself & Trichome fiend & i see where he is running flood tables using panda plastic as a lid.

Ive been running all 8 of my flood tables with panda plastic covering the top well over a year now with no problems at all,its the cleanest & whitest my roots have ever been,some of the roots are thinner than a human hair.

I use 30% H202 in my rez & change it out once a week,when i uncover the tables after harvest the root masses are spotless,the plastic lid on the table took care of several problems i was having.

With 8 seperate 4ft x 8ft tables going at once you know what humidity conditions were like to control, i constantly fought powdery mildew,the plastic knocked my humidity problem right out,the room is stable now between 30% & 40%.

I also had concerns with the medium staying wet around the stalk & causing root rott,i ran 2 full crops with hydroton in the net pots with no rott,after those grows i stopped using medium in the net pots just because its a pain in the ass no matter what medium used,i have no medium in the tables at all,in the net pot i have the plant grown out in natural sponge instead of rockwool.

I take a couple chunks of natural sponge & wedge the clone into the pot to hold it up till the roots take hold & thats it for medium,getting rid of the medium helped me out alot,rock steady ph too.

Im not sure what method to call my grow style,the plastic over the table is wrapped over the sides & clamped in place,i then cut 4" holes to accomidate the 5" net pots,over the drain & flood tubes i cut small access holes,the inner table area is pitch black & roots grow like a mo fo,i flood once an hour so the area between the table & underside of the plastic has a fog inside the area at all times so i think its a mix of flood n drain & aero,its a healthy grow.

Just wanted to let ya know the plastic over the table is the bomb & might help you if your still batteling humid conditions in your room,its been spot on for me.
 

Highhopes99

Active Member
Sorry, but it doesn't!



Oh, OK, I see what you're trying to do now. I'm pretty sure I wrote something about that some time back. I even recall drawing up a schematic for it... however, changes in the way RIU is set up no longer allow me to get to my image library.

Aw hell, I'll draw it again...

View attachment 1841160

This arrangement will allow a fan to run at a low speed at all times- whatever you set it to with the MSC- and when the temperature exceeds the setpoint on the thermostat, the MSC will be bridged out and the fan will run at max speed, until the air temp falls below the thermostat's setpoint. You can run more fans (such as your intakes) by connecting them in parallel with the motor as drawn in this diagram.
Yes that is what I am trying to do thanks for the great diagram.
but how would one hook up intake fans to the thermostat controll without the power
looping back causing the intake to run continually on the msc. I want the intake to shut of and on with the thermo switch and not msc when the switch is open (disabled) .. maybe some sort of diode relay that only lets power flow toward the fan? :confused: thanks for your time Al.
 

trichome fiend

Well-Known Member
Hey Al,was reading the discussion between yourself & Trichome fiend & i see where he is running flood tables using panda plastic as a lid.

Ive been running all 8 of my flood tables with panda plastic covering the top well over a year now with no problems at all,its the cleanest & whitest my roots have ever been,some of the roots are thinner than a human hair.

I use 30% H202 in my rez & change it out once a week,when i uncover the tables after harvest the root masses are spotless,the plastic lid on the table took care of several problems i was having.
....right there with ya...beautiful roots, and RH in check.
 

Long Dogg

Member
I took off this site when you started a new job a while back, I learned so much from you.
Glad to see your back teaching the masses.

Thank You
 

don2009

Well-Known Member
BIG Al. B
You need to familiarise yourself with some basic electrical concepts. The most important is the current carrying capacity of the house wiring and any cabling or connectors you use to run all your stuff. Current is expressed in Amperes (often abbreviated amps). All devices intended for use with AC mains electricity will be labelled with the amount of current the device will consume or will carry.

The device may also be marked with the power consumption or power carrying capacity, measured in Watts. Power (in Watts) = Current x Voltage. A device that runs on a 240V mains voltage that draws 1 Amp can be said to be using 240 watts. A device running on 120V that draws 2A is also consuming 240W.

House wiring is divided up into several circuits or daisy-chains of power point outlets. Each chain or 'circuit' has its own circuit breaker (or fuse, in very old houses). Circuit breakers disconnect the mains power when the load has exceeded the rating of the breaker. The bedrooms may be on one circuit breaker, the kitchen on another, the laundry on another, the water heater on its own circuit, etc. This is why you have several circuit breakers in your home's breaker box.

I am in Australia, where the AC voltage at household power points is 240V. Much of what I'll discuss will be based on 240V wiring, but it applies also for 120V mains as used in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, etc.

Most 120V residential wiring also provide 220 or 240V for high power appliances like electric stoves, water heaters, clothes dryers, etc. The reason for 220/240 service is that when you need to deliver a large amount of power (in watts) to a device, remember that Power = Current x Voltage. When voltage is halved, current must be doubled. If you are running a 1000W load on 240V, it will draw about 4.1A. A 1000W load on 120V will draw 8.2A. Current carrying capacity is dependent upon the diameter of the wires. Thicker wires can carry more current. Thin, smaller gauge wires tend to get warm when you draw too much current through them. However, if you double the voltage, the current is cut by half to deliver the same wattage. Growers in the US may wish to install a 220/240V line from the breaker box into the op and buy lighting to suit that voltage.

In residential house wiring, most of the individual circuits are designed for operating low power devices like lighting and small appliances. The rating for lightly loaded ckts as such is usually somewhere around 8 - 15A. Everything you connect to a ckt adds to the load on that ckt. A 1000W HPS lamp will usually pull about 4.6A on 240V (there's about .5A loss in the ballast, which leaves the ballast as heat). An oscillating fan may draw about 60W, or .25A (250 milliamps, or 250mA) for 240V mains. To determine the load you're placing on a ckt, simply add up all the amperage figures on all the devices you connect.

To avoid overloading a ckt, the load connected must be lower than the rating of the ckt breaker. For best reliability and safety, I recommend that you do not load a ckt to more than 80% of its capacity; in example, don't put more than an 8A load on a 10A ckt. This assures that the wiring and connectors will run cool and thus with a high margin of safety.

Bear in mind that some devices like HPS lighting have a very high current draw on startup but then settle back to a lower current draw once warmed up. A 1000W HPS may pull 6.5A when striking the arc and warming up but then will fall back to about 4.6A. For this reason, you could not put two 1000s on a single 10A ckt, even though their combined running current (9.2A) would be less than 10A. Even if you stagger the start times by about 5 mins, if one lamp is warmed up and running at 4.6A, when the other lamp starts, it may be pulling 6.5- the combined draw from both lamps, one running, one starting, will be about 11.1A- which will likely trip the 10A breaker.

Use of extension cords is not a good idea with high-power devices like lighting due to the highly variable quality of the connectors and assembly work. A lot of cheap Chinese extension leads, despite carrying UL or other safety certification insignia, are poorly made and use substandard connectors. If you must use an extension cord for high power devices, it's best to buy heavy-duty plugs & sockets and assemble them yourself to cable of known quality and wire gauge.

For the greatest degree of safety, run a dedicated cable from your breaker box to the op. Install a breaker specifically for the op. Use standard flexible house wiring cable, often called Romex. Make a power distribution board with high-quality power point outlets mounted on a plywood panel, which you can hang high above the floor, away from any potential water splash areas. Keep all cabling off the floor.

Surge suppressors are not generally useful in a grow op. They're good for protecting sensitive low power electronics from line surges, but the stuff you'll use in a grow op is not normally susceptible to damage from line surges. However, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters or GFCIs, do have a purpose in grow ops. GFCIs detect current leaking into the ground lead- this can be caused by water intrusion into a device or wiring or by an insulation fault. GFCIs will cut current flow to a device if an unsafe condition is detected.

Don2009
Hey Al iM not a big social person even on the internet. But when I first came to RIU I went to the forums section just off of instant and I knew I wanted to do hydro and I went straight to your thread harvest every 2 week and I immediatly started reading non stop very profound shit bro. Then I was so excited you seem like a celebrity to me, I was like dame I wish I could of been around when you was, just to think of a question to get an answer. lol 4 real. An d I almost got a lecture from you on this post WOW! Thanks bro But I really needed the info not just some Q&A shit. Anyway Al can you refer me to some electrical litature so I can learn the basics to get my issue solved the way you learn? Im really stressing this shit now I did not expect this much $$$$$$$$ and complex knowledge. Espically with electrical everytime I say this is it with spending $$$$ theres another important issue. I spend almost 4-5k just to get my bull shit yields trying to get to your yield and op going now electrical. Is there any thing else vital I have to worry about? Can you do a thread about your thoughts on electrical and the price on getting your op going exactly the way you going now? Thanks bro your a scientist.
 

Highhopes99

Active Member
....right there with ya...beautiful roots, and RH in check.

Hey nice setup,
What kind of air stone size are you using in your Rez?
I'm looking into requirements for my 120 liter res for flood and drain perlite, any suggestions? Also would love to see some pics of your root development inside your tables( maybe when you chop). Thanks
 

Destillat

Active Member
panhead and trichome thanks for your responses! This is my first grow with the panda film but I have experienced all of the benefits you're speaking about. Nice to know i'm on the right track
 

trichome fiend

Well-Known Member
Hey nice setup,
What kind of air stone size are you using in your Rez?
I'm looking into requirements for my 120 liter res for flood and drain perlite, any suggestions? Also would love to see some pics of your root development inside your tables( maybe when you chop). Thanks
...the more air in your res the better, but I use those cheap 6" blue strips sold at walmart in the pet/fish area....I put 2-6" strips in each 40 gallon res..... I also use the whisper pumps sold in their fish isle....alot of oxygen will be mixed in your water as the table floods/drains, along with H2O2 in there....my tables do pretty good.

...I've never ran straight perlite, so I wouldn't be the best person to speak on it....but, I would most definately get the large chunk perlite....fox farm sells their "Big and Chunky" here's a link --> http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_en___US452&q=fox+farm%27s+large+perlite#q=fox+farm's+large+perlite&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADFA_en___US452&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=QuKdTpWsE4rCsQK4yLSDCg&ved=0CDAQrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=3fef7adf3901cf7e&biw=1440&bih=733
 

hiluxphantom

Well-Known Member
u got any advice on meally bugs?
and what kind of bulbs should i get I'm thinking of 4 400 hortilux blues or 2 600s and a 1000or maybe 4 400s plus a 1000
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
panhead and trichome thanks for your responses! This is my first grow with the panda film but I have experienced all of the benefits you're speaking about. Nice to know i'm on the right track
Damm skippy your on the right track,the farther along you go with flood n drain the more you will despise using any type medium,the shits a mess,a bitch to clean,a bitch to lug around ect.

Im an old fart & lifting heavy shit isnt my scene,same with cleaning filthy shit im not some cleaning hag who digs cleaning rocks that smell like sewer foder so i stopped using any medium at all & have the best results so far.

My table is empty,then i stretch the plastic over it with a few xtra inches on all sides,clamp one side with little spring clamps & pull that baby tight from the other side & clamp,makes the plastic tight as a snare drum skin.

When i chop i blow the top of the table with an air wand so no debris gets into the table & when i uncover the table its an awesome sight,roots 12 inches long minimum & white as snow,the best part is if you leave the pumps going till you clean the table so the roots stay wet cleaning takes about 15 minutes.

Try & get away from mediums as ive seen only negatives with all mediums,with no medium all you have to do is increase flood times & your done,no other changes from standard flood n drain.

One of these days i will post up some pics of my set up.
 
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