Got my Ballasts ordered :)

[s1ingblade]

I'm super jazzed to have been able to order my new digital ballasts today 3 of the new Xtreme Nano 1000 watters.
I still have a lot to learn about grow room design. I will be using my super remote 40 acre Ranch a.k.a. a parcel or just bunch of dirt lol.
I have a super well built and well insulated 600 sq. ft. cabin with power. I sectioned off 4 rooms TWO 9.5'x20' and two 10x10 (approx) the two bigger rooms will be m flowering chambers and one of the smaller rooms will be my Veg. room the other will be my tiny office/bedroom. I am planning on running a 12 site DIY RDWC UC style systems on 30 day staggered rotations in each flowring rooms. For now I will be using two 1000 watt HPS bare bulbs on light movers. The rooms will be exhausted into the attic where there is a exhaust fan that blows out the hot air out of the roof, it is set on a thermostat at 80 degrees F. The mother/clone room will be running for now on a 4' 8 build T5. I only have one 1/4 HP chiller for now and will probably have to get another or a bigger chiller but for now with Winter starting I ought to be fine at least until the second room is up and running. I would love ya'lls advice about using a chiller with a cool coil so I can chill two separate setups? I would love to be able to run the chiller through both systems and thru two Ice boxes.
Today I got the Xtreme Nano Dimmable ballasts ordered from my friend Ryan @ Sunflower Supplies dot com. Trying to convince him to become one of our sponsors.
Here is a little brief description on the ballasts:
The Xtreme Nano supports various recepticles making this a premier addition to your custom lighting setup.This ballast comes in at an unbelievable size at just 9.65" x 4.9" x 2.3" and weighing an amazing 2.9lbs. In addition, it utilizes our trademarked Independent Ignition TimingTM which delivers a 0-15 second ignition delay to each ballast during start-up, thus eliminating power spikes and circuit overload when firing multiple ballasts at once. It also allows for just the right amount of light, giving you the ability to customize between 100%, 75% and 50% settings. Of course, we had to MAKE IT COOL, with the unique vented case design and dual fans it provides for optimal ventilation and cooling. Finally, we included the User Safety Diagnostics Codes to help you see just how well the Xtreme Nano is operating!

Some of the issues I'm stumped on is using a bare bulb lighting setup above the RDWC 12 site setup. With no hoods to run air thru I will be relying on Air Conditioning to battle the heat. The ballasts will be installed out of the rooms either in my office or the attic, not sure yet but since I want to try my hand at growing in a sealed aka perfect room I want to use my Hydro Innovations HydroGen water cooled CO2 Generator and benefit from keeping as much of the co2 in the room instead of running an in and out room where the exhaust fan is constantly dumping out the rooms hot air. I will setup one of the extraction fans to pull the hot air thru a chilled ice box and then run the all season portable a/c when needed. I have a feeling its going to be a rough road for a while dialing all this equipment I got ahold of. I will be doing this all by myself as I have learned the hard way that for me it has to be a solo venture. I have had a nightmare this year with a guy who I thought was a true friend but it turned out the opposite . Never again
So I'll be back tomorrow to do some more thinking out loud. Thanks to all who read this, God only knows I need some insight from the 420 mag members.

 

[Hosebomber]

I would suggest that you use at least a 50% top reflector regardless if you are hanging the bulbs vertically or not. As for adding CO2 and having a sealed room, it will be difficult in the AZ summer to make that a reality unless you are 5 feet below ground and shaded. Make sure you have good circulation first and foremost. The best possible solution that I can think of is having a exhaust duct from the flower room that runs to the intake of the veg room and then exhaust that air into the clone room and exhaust the clone room back to the flower room. It will be easier to control the temps in the flower and clone rooms and you can keep them cooler during those stages as well. Then you have a much larger area to cool the hot air, sealed rooms, and the CO2 that does get exhausted from the flowering room is used in the other rooms as well.

The first rule of growing is to not let anyone know that you are growing. Lose lips sink ships.

 

[Hozona]

Gotta agree with Hosebomber about AZ summers....those 1000w lights put out a LOT of heat...Also if you are planning AC how are you going to get electricity to that parcel, because I know most of those "ranches" don't have it ANYWHERE close. And although the dispensary is open, rest assured that Tom Horne and his County Attorney friend will be doing everything they can to impose their will upon the voters. That's why it's been two years!

 

[s1ingblade]

Yeah 10K later theres power on my parcel, the only one out of 437 forty acre parcels. I just dont know what to do when the lady that does the billing at the power company, she lives two doors down (from my house in town) asks me what Im doing to use 600 dollars a month in power?

I agree about people knowing, I hate the fact that anyone knows, I guess time will tell

 

[kingme85]

Sounds like you got a nice setup going, which strains you plan on growing?

 

[BigIrishDoode]

yeah im as leery as anyone wwhen it comes to ppl knowing about my hobby, at my core im a bit of a hermit/antisocial type i have always been big on privacy even if all i owned was an empty room, its my empty room! sounds like your gonna have a hella cool setup when you get it all dialed in, im concerned that vert bulbs over a flat grow will be a big waste of optimal light, now if you were gonna run a vert /stadium style grow theen hell ya , something to think about,,
you could install a bunch of antennas outside and say your big into hamm radio as an excuse for power usage,and hopefully your ac unit looks huge and visible, maybe get a big welding rig and set it outside, im just spitballin here lol maybey just always pay your bill online as soon as you get it, and establish high usage as soon as possible so its not just a sudden jump, if its all electric house then that will help,install led/cfls everywhere and get all "usage nazi" on everything, set light timers on everything even the refrigerator,houshold electronics, no phantom power at night its amazing how much we waste and can save just by tweaking a few things and adding timers
well hope that helps and gives you some ideas
are you gonna journal this kick butt setup?

 

[s1ingblade]

Kingme85 Thanks, will have it all up in a journal soon. The strains will be Mendo Purps and SFV OG Kush. Nice to meet ya

B.I.D. high bud, yeah I will do my best to pay back with pics and data, got more time on my hands than funds so getting the time to journal will fight off the bordum and recharge my Karma
I am hearin you on the power nazi lol, lots can be done and i've got some plans. Up this morning early cause I cant sleep, new medication and its hell getting used too. Just test driving the diy aero cloner and plan on taking cuttings tonight or tomorrow. Once I've got rooted cuttings and veg em a while I'll start my 1st journal. I want to wait a couple of weeks and make sure its all viable before I start posting and folks start sub'n

 

[s1ingblade]

Took cuttings on the 19th, hopefully in a week or so I can veg them up

Og Kush, The Purps and Raw Diesel. Keep your fingers crossed, this is my first attempt at aerocloning.

 

[s1ingblade]

so far I have hot glued a trash bag under the lid, lowered the sprinklers and this morning I installed some weather stripping around the top of the tote, I cant get it to quit dripping from under the lid. I have also used a second part of a tote with the lower half removed. Only thing I can think of is the ultra cheapo tote I used that has a thin side edge just wont work. Maybe i should've used a rubbermaid? I'd really like to get the hang of the DIY Aero Cloner. I might have to go back to my old way of doing it: RockWool cubes and a tray w/humidity dome? If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions. I was hoping to have some roots within the next 5-7 days, well see I guess.

 

[Hozona]

so far I have hot glued a trash bag under the lid, lowered the sprinklers and this morning I installed some weather stripping around the top of the tote, I cant get it to quit dripping from under the lid. I have also used a second part of a tote with the lower half removed. Only thing I can think of is the ultra cheapo tote I used that has a thin side edge just wont work. Maybe i should've used a rubbermaid? I'd really like to get the hang of the DIY Aero Cloner. I might have to go back to my old way of doing it: RockWool cubes and a tray w/humidity dome? If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions. I was hoping to have some roots within the next 5-7 days, well see I guess.

Two different ways to handle this...Rubbermaid Roughneck...and try turning mister 1/4 turn, lowering manifold, reconfiguring manifold....I am just brainstorming here....hope you get it fixed...

 

[s1ingblade]

Thanks alot hozona, i'll keep ya posted. what should my ph be? I have it set at 6.0 and its temp was 66 F. last time I checked, would I benefit from a warmer temp.? I have a heating mat for seedlings that I could place under the tote.

 

[s1ingblade]

I'd like to see how a smaller tote with a large air stone only would work?

 

[Hozona]

Thanks alot hozona, i'll keep ya posted. what should my ph be? I have it set at 6.0 and its temp was 66 F. last time I checked, would I benefit from a warmer temp.? I have a heating mat for seedlings that I could place under the tote.

66 seems a little cool...in my bucket the pump actually warms the water sufficiently, but the heat mat will do the trick I think. PH is right in the middle of where it should be....between 5.5-6.5

 

[Hozona]

I'd like to see how a smaller tote with a large air stone only would work?

Never done it that way...Aero works so well...the large growers like it....

 

[s1ingblade]

Sweet, thanks zona. as soon as my Lab wakes up at 2330 I'll place the cloner on top of the heating mat. Can't wait to deserve some roots.

 

[Hozona]

Sweet, thanks zona. as soon as my Lab wakes up at 2330 I'll place the cloner on top of the heating mat. Can't wait to deserve some roots.

All my plants rooted that I used the aero on so you should be good. Cloning works really well and generation degradation, from what I have read, is a myth.

 

[Buckshot]

Cloning works really well and generation degradation, from what I have read, is a myth.

...how eloquent

 

[malinjj]

I just dont know what to do when the lady that does the billing at the power company, she lives two doors down (from my house in town) asks me what Im doing to use 600 dollars a month in power?

I agree about people knowing, I hate the fact that anyone knows, I guess time will tell

Tell her and anybody else that you started a "Reptile Breeding Center" and that's why. The lights/heat/ac for the reptiles is about the same as growing MW. Plus people hate reptiles and they will stay away.. LOL Good Luck

 

[Hozona]

Tell her and anybody else that you started a "Reptile Breeding Center" and that's why. The lights/heat/ac for the reptiles is about the same as growing MW. Plus people hate reptiles and they will stay away.. LOL Good Luck

Reps for that suggestion!!!

 

[s1ingblade]

yeah thats a slick one , thanks. It will be a while until I have to worry about it cause until I have the $$$ to buy bigger gauge wire I am stuck with only TWO 20 amp circuits.