1st from Seed Grow (Cowboy Style)
- Thread starter Don Gin and Ton
- Start date
Londoner
Well-Known Member
Ello mate, lookin good, indeed this is the boring stage.
I never noticed that you put the extra envirolite in, i always put a couple of enviros in with my 600 come cooler weather, they really help with any dull less lit areas, i just hang mine vertically on the hanging flexes you can buy, you can get em pretty damn close too! Just be carefull theyll still burn leaves if they touch or are too close, many people seem to think they wont for some strange reason.
I never noticed that you put the extra envirolite in, i always put a couple of enviros in with my 600 come cooler weather, they really help with any dull less lit areas, i just hang mine vertically on the hanging flexes you can buy, you can get em pretty damn close too! Just be carefull theyll still burn leaves if they touch or are too close, many people seem to think they wont for some strange reason.
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
haha i know its sad but i still love looking to see how much theyve grown overnight even though i cant really tell..... the big enviro is just temp till the tent arrives this week 
then those girls are going under the 400 hps i was wondering if i could get away with putting a 600w in the same fitting?? i got the set up from a mate whos a sparky n shall we say like my grow its a bit cowboy/ghetto stylee.... the ballast doesnt look like any ive seen in any shop.....pic tomorrow
then those girls are going under the 400 hps i was wondering if i could get away with putting a 600w in the same fitting?? i got the set up from a mate whos a sparky n shall we say like my grow its a bit cowboy/ghetto stylee.... the ballast doesnt look like any ive seen in any shop.....pic tomorrow
Londoner
Well-Known Member
haha i know its sad but i still love looking to see how much theyve grown overnight even though i cant really tell..... the big enviro is just temp till the tent arrives this week
If its a 400w ballast you can only use a 400w lamp with it, you can put a 600w lamp in the same reflector and E40 screw fitting theyre universal, you just need to change the ballast over to a 600w.
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
awlright londoner heres the pic of my previous cowboy setup, the last grows ive done have been with this bad boy (without even a reflector just white walls, the shame haha)
1st pic the light rig. 2nd 3rd pic a side project.HAHAHA
4th the ladies.
ordering my tent today ( not the bud box ).............
1st pic the light rig. 2nd 3rd pic a side project.HAHAHA
4th the ladies.
ordering my tent today ( not the bud box ).............
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Londoner
Well-Known Member
Woah man, that light set up looks dodgy mate.
Its all wired up in solid core twin + earth!
Is the earth even wired to the plug? Looks like just the live n neutral goin from the ballast-plug?
Are you running a timer + contactor relay with that?
Id get a sealed ballast box asap mate, and your mates a sparky?? lol
Im no spark mate but i do work in the building trade alongside sparkys and thats just dodgy man.
Its all wired up in solid core twin + earth!
Is the earth even wired to the plug? Looks like just the live n neutral goin from the ballast-plug?
Are you running a timer + contactor relay with that?
Id get a sealed ballast box asap mate, and your mates a sparky?? lol
Im no spark mate but i do work in the building trade alongside sparkys and thats just dodgy man.
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
The side project is a swiss cheese plant ! its totally unruly so i chopped it down n stuck it in a bucket of water about 2 weeks ago n all the white roots have grown in just plain H20 i need to visit BnQ n get some more soil soon anyway....
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
Woah man, that light set up looks dodgy mate.
Its all wired up in solid core twin + earth!
Is the earth even wired to the plug? Looks like just the live n neutral goin from the ballast-plug?
Are you running a timer + contactor relay with that?
Id get a sealed ballast box asap mate, and your mates a sparky?? lol
Im no spark mate but i do work in the building trade alongside sparkys and thats just dodgy man.
Yup its a dodgy as it gets i must say though it hasnt burnt my house down yet n ive been using it for months?! forgive my ignorance but whats wrong with soild core n earth? as for the earth being wired to the plu, you know ive never looked, ill check when i get home. ive been using an envirolight timer/contactor for one light you know the one with the flip down plastic thing to stop it getting knocked. its been fine so far.
as for getting a sealed ballast box it's going to have to wait for at least a month or two possiblyfunds being tighter than a ducks arse ( ive just moved into my own gaffe, just me to be able to do this )
yeah my mate is a sparky, i have no idea whether hes a good one thoughyou've got my paranoia building now i might have to get someone to check this over for me, i guess as another temporary measure * sighs* i could get a 200w Red enviro but i was trying to avoid that, as the 125 enviro was going to take care of momma and the 400 to flower. i reckon the 400 will give better results than a 200 w enviro?! what you think.
cheers for all the guidance aswell by the way!
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
cheers though am starting to get worried about the wiring/fire risks
its as ghetto as it ghetts heheh
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
yeah thats the plan... am considering getting a 200w red enviro or i saw on ebay a complete 600w hps setup for £72 ish with reflector ballast n bulb i might just bite the bullet n spend some more cash i dont have :/
Londoner
Well-Known Member
forgive my ignorance but whats wrong with soild core n earth? as for the earth being wired to the plu, you know ive never looked
as for getting a sealed ballast box it's going to have to wait for at least a month or two possibly
yeah my mate is a sparky, i have no idea whether hes a good one though
A 400w will be far superior to the 200w enviro.
cheers for all the guidance aswell by the way!
The reason solid copper core wiring isnt great is because its meant for static wiring installations, in other words, put in a wall, under floors and in ceilings etc etc and then left there, solid state cable is used when the there will no movement in the cable, see when solid core cable has been bent and moved around a few times, the cable core has a habit of breaking, if you get a piece of bare copper solid core cable and bend it a few times it will become weak and snap, with flex you can bend it all you want.
The earth isnt connected, i can see it pointing up in the air not connected to anything, and i can clearly see only two cable cores going from the ballast-plug lol
And the cable going into the plug isnt secured properly, looks like the plugs cable clamp is clamping down on the two inner cores as opposed to clamping down on all three cores plus the outer insulation of the cable.
Dont mean to sound a dick but insulation tape wouldnt help much, it isnt earthed, if the anything becomes live theres no earth to carry the current away. zzzzzzzzz lol
Have a look mate, complete 600w systems £45, theyre second hand but come with a 6month warantee from a big name growshop.
It says theyre available to collect from the store, but you could e-mail them and they might send one out?
Hydroponics Second Hand Deals, London/Surrey
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
shows you how much i know....well....... looks like ill be shelling out not as much then! cheers again for the heads up londoner i guess its a small miracle i havent burnt my house down or electrocuted myself
guess ill be getting a new setup on payday i figure i wont need it as im only 3 ish weeks into veg from seed. another two weeks is payday so alls good...
after discussions with a friend ive decided not to earth it via a radiator.....
told you it was cowboy style.
thanks londoner
Londoner
Well-Known Member
i guess its a small miracle i havent burnt my house down or electrocuted myself
after discussions with a friend ive decided not to earth it via a radiator.....
Earthing via a radiator? roflmao OMG!
Yea you can earth via a radiator, BUT, did you check that all the radiators are earth bonded up to code and connected to the earth strip found in the consumer unit? And test the earth continuity?If its not connected (and people often remove the bond connectors because they think its unimportant
) then its useless earthing to it, youd still get fried in the event of you touching the ballast casing or anything else metal if it becomes live because of a wiring fault, and i can see a couple of them LOLAnd the whole thing is mounted on a wooden board too, ballasts and other electrical equipment ideally shouldnt be near any combustible material, ballasts can get really hot and the wood can ignite should there be even a spark coming from a faulty ballast.
Mate do yaself a favour and get a proper ballast and reflector as soon as you can afford it, its not worth the risk mate for 45 quid.
Dont mean to shit on your sparky mate or your light its just Iv read so many stories about growroom fires and 99% percent of them are caused by badly wired ballasts and substandard electrical gear, and i wouldnt want you to become part of the statistics and if there is a fire and your lucky to escape with your life, you'l only be branded a psycotic, extra strong skunk induced drug factory mastermind, you know how it is here in the uk
eh.
Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
Earthing via a radiator? roflmao OMG!
If its not connected (and people often remove the bond connectors because they think its unimportant
And the whole thing is mounted on a wooden board too, ballasts and other electrical equipment ideally shouldnt be near any combustible material, ballasts can get really hot and the wood can ignite should there be even a spark coming from a faulty ballast.
Mate do yaself a favour and get a proper ballast and reflector as soon as you can afford it, its not worth the risk mate for 45 quid.
Dont mean to shit on your sparky mate or your light its just Iv read so many stories about growroom fires and 99% percent of them are caused by badly wired ballasts and substandard electrical gear, and i wouldnt want you to become part of the statistics and if there is a fire and your lucky to escape with your life, you'l only be branded a psycotic, extra strong skunk induced drug factory mastermind, you know how it is here in the uk
alright londoner! hahahaa ME?!? just see the news can't you "a super potent skunk addled criminal mastermind suffering psycosis with a poor electrical knowledge burnt down a flat somewhere in the north of england last night"
it wasnt the sparky who suggested i earth via the radiator, I'm not that crazy... yeah ill be getting a new light setup pronto i reckon a 600W for my 1.2 x1.2 x2 should be more than ample. scary bit is my boss was like, ive set up much more dangerours things and used them for years! i said well i was just going to bin it but if you want it..... so it has a new home
ive got some new pics of the girls after i stransplanted the couple i had doubled up in one pot. all looking well even the snaggletooth one however its nowhere near as developed as the rest.
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Don Gin and Ton
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Don Gin and Ton
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so i got paranoid about the smell in the cupboard i was using ( its under my neighbours staircase 
so i moved them inot their own room n built a makeshift box haha it was like building a fort as a kid, two chest of draws with the metal frame of the bed over it to hang the light and stuck the mylar over the lot!
plus side is the smell is contained and theres now room for a 6inch oscilating fan
there was some mixup with my tent order apparently they cant send the thing to a different address to the cards or some bollocks.... so its just being sent today
anyhow the new cowboy style box as is:
so i moved them inot their own room n built a makeshift box haha it was like building a fort as a kid, two chest of draws with the metal frame of the bed over it to hang the light and stuck the mylar over the lot! plus side is the smell is contained and theres now room for a 6inch oscilating fan
there was some mixup with my tent order apparently they cant send the thing to a different address to the cards or some bollocks.... so its just being sent today anyhow the new cowboy style box as is:
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Don Gin and Ton
Well-Known Member
1.2m x 1.2m x 2m sounds quite small when you look at it in actual fact its frickin big, and a bastard to put together after a smoke.... a two person job ( my lass had to help her not being stoned was deffo the key )
i got a secret jardin(£114.82) over the bud box(144.99) and to be honest i think i should have paid the extra looking at it, the airflaps have nothing to hold them up and are far from lightproof...also the cross bars for tensioning the roof dont quite fit properly
though there was an extra one?!?! see pics
the reflective inside is nowhere near as reflective as the mylar in my cupboard either
but i guess thatll change when the 600hps is fitted.
overall am happy with it as the plants are now stinking up a spare room instead of the cupboard under the nieghbours stairs.....
i got a secret jardin(£114.82) over the bud box(144.99) and to be honest i think i should have paid the extra looking at it, the airflaps have nothing to hold them up and are far from lightproof...also the cross bars for tensioning the roof dont quite fit properly
though there was an extra one?!?! see picsthe reflective inside is nowhere near as reflective as the mylar in my cupboard either
but i guess thatll change when the 600hps is fitted. overall am happy with it as the plants are now stinking up a spare room instead of the cupboard under the nieghbours stairs.....
