Hello everyone, I'm new here & getting setup for my first grow. I have questions & need advice!

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

It did surprise me when I started reading this thread, then added up what my tent cost.
The Gorilla lite 2x2.5 with 1 foot high extender
6 inch speed adjustable fan with carbon filter
3 bubble buckets 3 1/2 gallon (air pumps, stones, hoses, hydro corn...all)
Canna nutes, the full line
Timers-2 one for lights and one for fan
An LED, 250 watts, home made from 5-50 watt each cobs
Seeds. This is key. More than even the light

A killer setup, all top shelf equipment.
Probably a $$$thousand though..

I think I've probably spent about that. I'm still not sure lol I'm afraid to add the total. Like I said before in a post. I'm either going to be happy that I stayed with in budget or I'm going to laugh and get over it. Either way I'm going to burn one and be excited to grow again.

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

yeah im kickin myself in the ass messing with regular seeds FIRST when i have auto fems and normal fems just sittin around. learned alot of shit this first two weeks, considering scrapping and stating from scratch. all the research in the world aint amount to shit when i actually started. fuck the budget i spent without any care and ended up around 1050 after everything is said and done. i have pretty much everything for a while now. will pay for itslef in time budgets make me micromanage personally and then never end up doing anything. coulda had many many harvest in 19 months lol

Yeah I'm regretting taking 19month to decide on shit and read. Fuck I could have had about 8 harvests by now lmao. O well you live and you learn then you join riu. I got some fem seeds and autos. The mail man came to drip them off today but I missed them because the package needs my signature. I'm going to the post office first thing in the morning and grabbing them!

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

yeah im kickin myself in the ass messing with regular seeds FIRST when i have auto fems and normal fems just sittin around. learned alot of shit this first two weeks, considering scrapping and stating from scratch. all the research in the world aint amount to shit when i actually started. fuck the budget i spent without any care and ended up around 1050 after everything is said and done. i have pretty much everything for a while now. will pay for itslef in time budgets make me micromanage personally and then never end up doing anything. coulda had many many harvest in 19 months lol

Btw I love the welded bird lol

 

[jeepster1993]

I have a really fancy led light, that was the budget blower.

Those leds are nice though. Real nice.
However...Not all leds are equal. Some are better than others.

 

[jeepster1993]

I live where the sale of cannabis is legal(Colorado, USA)
Clones and seeds are available at stores. Strange enough...clones and seeds cost almost the same($10 to $15 each)

I grow from seed.

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

I have a really fancy led light, that was the budget blower.

Those leds are nice though. Real nice.
However...Not all leds are equal. Some are better than others.

What light did you go with?

 

[jeepster1993]

What light did you go with?

It was a do it yourself kit from Timber.
This is the one I have. http://timbergrowlights.com/250-watt-cree-cxb3590-5-cob-grow-light-kit/
Made the fixture and assembled it.

This is a pic of mine with Gelato33 under it in my little 2 x 2.5 foot Gorilla tent.

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

I was looking at those the other day. Well those and the hlg'. they are both very nice looking lights. I've got to figure out whats going on with the hid return they keep ducking me around. I'll see where I'm at for budget tonight, Then i will go from there. I just dont know alot about led'. I figure either kit I get, I really cant go wrong. It's the money issue at the moment. I had to spend two nights at a hotel which cost me 600 so that put a damper on alot of shit. If they dont give me the refund for the hid I'm going to just run that till I get an led. I could have definitely afforded it even with out the refund if I didnt have to get a hotel for 2 nights. I can afford it now but I'm not trying to hear my chick freak about all the money I've spent. So if I cant get a kit for a few months then I'll just have to make due. Buttt I'm really really really starting to want one. Especially when I think about how much I'll save on the electric bill. Fucking 22 cents a kwh where I'm at. I figure with the hid, 2, 6" clip fans and 2, 6" vortex fans I'll be pulling at least 900 minimum. That 22 cents a kwh will add up quick. After you go past a certain amount of hours in a month. they raise it up to 42 cents a kwh I'm pretty sure. They will allow so many hours at 22 cents then after you go over its 42 cents. You go over that threshold and its 42 cents for every hour, even the hours it should have been 22 cents. Its fucking dumb. I cant even shop around either. The town I live in owns the electricity farm and obviously they made a monopoly out of it. If I wanted to go solar they actually charge more per kwh to offset what people with out solar pay its fucking crazy! I'm eventually going to buy a few solar panels and a inverter but that's going to be a few months out! For now I'm thinking at least 200.00 a month on top of what i already pay which is between 50 and 150. I mean yeah I can dial it down to 275 or 450 on the ballast but who the fuck wants to do that. I want Christmas trees not fucking daffodils! I honestly thought this was going to be fun and exciting, it's just caused more stress than what it's worth. Partly my fault for being so picky and cautious. I have my reasons though. Partly because people who sell shit just fucking suck and try to rip you off. I'll get over it eventually but right now it's hard. I think once things are up and running I'll feel better. The stress is not caused by this alone. There is other shit going on that is starting to get to me. I'm very laid back and go with the flow but it's all too much at once. Between possibly being ripped off and other things its annoying lol. I'll be ok though!

 

[jeepster1993]

I'm not saving anything on my electric bill as that led is a big light for a small tent.
But...
It grows the dank!! And after all...that is why I grow it myself.

 

[jeepster1993]

So...
In Colorado...
It is legal to grow your own.
In some cities, you are compelled to use led. The thinking is led stresses the electric grid less than parking lot lights(HPS). (And you're less likely to burn your house down too.)
I think...they are full of it. My grow would run a 250 watt HPS if it wasn't an led...running 250 watts.

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

So...
In Colorado...
It is legal to grow your own.
In some cities, you are compelled to use led. The thinking is led stresses the electric grid less than parking lot lights(HPS). (And you're less likely to burn your house down too.)
I think...they are full of it. My grow would run a 250 watt HPS if it wasn't an led...running 250 watts.

We can legally grow here as well. I've not seen anything that says we have to use led but if you own your home and switch over to led' just for regular lighting you can get a bunch of rebates and tax credits. I dont buy into the whole fire burn your house down shit! Sounds like it's a scare tactic. However I've heard plenty of stories of the cheap amazon led' melting and almost catching fire! That light is beautiful. How are you not saving on the electric bill, are you running ac as well?

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

Beans are here, Beans are here!

I didnt want to say anything till I got them in my hand but I got my package From Gorilla yesterday. I actually won the last contest they had through their website. When they contacted me I told them that I was actually going to place an order for some gear that day. They told me they were waiting for the breeders to send over the gear and if I hold off till they get them. they would just combine everything together for me in one package so i didnt have to pay for shipping. They were really nice to me and took very good care of me! Their customer service is amazing and I will definitely purchase with them again. They actually told me to save my money because they were sending me a pretty sweet package. I had told them that I was going to make a purchase with them and although I appreciate them telling me to save my money, I am a man of my word and still made the purchase. They sent out the prize and order last week. they were in the states the next day. 7 days from across the pond into my hands is excellent! Here is a pic of what they sent me. They sent me 2 other things as well but I'm not going to post them as it might give away their method, if you know what I mean.

 

[jeepster1993]

Those beans will be outstanding.

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

Those beans will be outstanding.

Yes, I'm very excited! I can not wait to get going. I'm still waiting on these bum fuck people to authorize that refund. I really, really, really want an led lol I just dont want to start with the hid and then have them say yeah here's the refund, now send it back. Surely that wont go over well with the ladies. I wanted to ask you because I've been looking into the kit you have. Where did you get your frame from and how much was your total after the build? My friend is an electrical engineer and is going to help me with the build which is cool and will save on the cost. I'm going to build the frame my self when I decide to go that route. I've looked around for aluminum channeling but can find a place that sells anything under 20 feet and their prices are crazy. A huge part of my career is welding and working with all types of metal. though the places I can get the hook up do not carry any type of aluminum, only structural steel. I'm definitely not about to use steel for a frame that would be extremely heavy and costly. Yeah I could just buy their ready made kit but what's the fun in that. The friend who is going to help with the build, suggested that I also buy an extra driver. so I can add additional lighting down the road. I'm thinking of possible adding more cobs for horizontal light in the future. In your opinion what do you think, good idea or overkill. I plan on using this space for a couple runs till I feel more comfortable, then I'm going to get a bigger tent and will obviously need more lighting. That's another reason for staying away from prebuilt. I figure if I make my own, when i grow out of my space i can take apart the frame and configure the lights too my needs.

 

[jeepster1993]

That frame is from Home Depot.
It is 2 pieces of extruded angle aluminum like 4 feet long, cut in half, then set the width of the heat sink, then notched with a hacksaw and file, so they fit together in that X patern, then drill the holes to mount the heat sinks. Took an hour or so and those aluminum angle pieces were $10 each, the screws were another $5.
The wiring of the cobs was easy, the rest is plug and play.
I put the power supply(driver) for the light outside the tent as that gets hot at full power, heat the inside of the tent didn't need(although the driver would be mounted in the light frame and placed in the top of the tent, which is where the fan and tent vent is, so that heat would just be vented out with no effect to the ladies.)

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

That frame is from Home Depot.
It is 2 pieces of extruded angle aluminum like 4 feet long, cut in half, then set the width of the heat sink, then notched with a hacksaw and file, so they fit together in that X patern, then drill the holes to mount the heat sinks. Took an hour or so and those aluminum angle pieces were $10 each, the screws were another $5.
The wiring of the cobs was easy, the rest is plug and play.
I put the power supply(driver) for the light outside the tent as that gets hot at full power, heat the inside of the tent didn't need(although the driver would be mounted in the light frame and placed in the top of the tent, which is where the fan and tent vent is, so that heat would just be vented out with no effect to the ladies.)

Wow you made that beautiful frame with only hand tools. That's very impressive! You did a wonderful job my friend! I couldn't find anything like that at homedepot in the one near me. I'll have to order it online when I'm ready. I think that's a real good idea to run the driver outside of the tent, plus it takes away some weight and bulk. I was thinking that the other night in regards to putting the driver outside of the tent! You did an awesome job man seriously. Working with any type of metal is a bitch even if you have experience with it. Well I'm going to finally post everything I've bought with prices and my final balance. I've run some of the numbers and so far I'm happy! I might even be able to afford that kit after all even if they fuxk me on the return. Still nothing yet btw. I'm starting to slowly get over the fact I got fucked. You still never hinted at your final cost. Did you buy the 4 light kit and add a light or is there a 5 light kit that I somehow missed?

 

[jeepster1993]

The lights cost...
It is 3 years old. On its 6th grow. (2 grows a year.)
That Timber link is for a 5 cob, 250 watt set, mine.
The light was about $500
The frame was perhaps another $25.

The stuff is not cheap, but it is like most things..."You get what you pay for".
Those beans you got...not cheap...for a reason...They are worth what you paid.
Same with good quality equipment of any sort.

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

The lights cost...
It is 3 years old. On its 6th grow. (2 grows a year.)
That Timber link is for a 5 cob, 250 watt set, mine.
The light was about $500
The frame was perhaps another $25.

The stuff is not cheap, but it is like most things..."You get what you pay for".
Those beans you got...not cheap...for a reason...They are worth what you paid.
Same with good quality equipment of any sort.

I forgot your link was to your specific kit. I started looking around at other options, one thing let to another and I ended up on bridgelux. From there I started checking out resellers. Then I ended up in an article on autos. It completely slipped my mind. I should have just checked your link again!

 

[SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe]

All right folks, everything is listed with prices.



2×4×7'11" Gorilla Grow Tent, 215.00 www.Gardendistribution.com


2, Vortex S line 6" Inline Fans, 110.00 AP. = 220.00 Gardendistribution.com


6" IPower Carbon Filter, 50.98
Amazon.com


600 Hid Dial A Watt kitt, I.E. Ballast, Cool Hood, Hps Bulb, Mh Bulb, Light Hangers, Timer., 163.95
The one who shall not be named! I dont want you to potentially get ripped off like I might have. Still waiting on a refund but it seems they fucked me!
I do not want you to go through what I have for the last 3 weeks!


6, Off Brand BPA Free 5 Gallon Fabric pots, 13.00
Local Hydro Spot


Roots Organics Player Pack, 60.00
Local Hydro Spot


Black 6"×25' Active Air Insulated Ducting, 16.99
Amazon.com


Roots Organics Original Soil, 16.00 Reg, 25.00
Hookup Local Hydro Spot


Off Brand Digital Ec/Tds/Ppm Meter, 13.99
Amazon.com


Off Brand Digital Ph Meter, 13.99
Amazon.com


Beans, I won in a contest
See prior posting
Gorillaseedbank.com


2'×4' Gorilla Grow Trellis Netting, 5.39
Local Hydro Spot


2, Holmes 6" Clip On Fans, 1@ 10.00 AP. = 20.00
Target


Off Brand Digital Fan Thermostat, 18.99
Amazon.com


6, 13" Lifted Pot Saucers With Air Holes, 10.00
Local Hydro Spot


Gorilla Grow High Cfm Kit, 17.99
Local Hydro Spot


1 Quart Ph Up & Ph Down, 12.00 AP. = 24.00
local Hydro Spot


4, Rope Hangers, 7.00
Local Hydro Spot


For a grand total of, 942.32
I returned a few things I felt I did not need.
If I do somehow manage to take care of the light situation my total will be 778.37. I said my final budget not including beans was 800.00 ~ 900.00 I was going to spend around 200.00 on gear. I managed to get free beans which saved me some money. If that light return ever happens. I probably wont need that extra inline fan and will probably return it. That will bring me down to 668.37. That means I have about 400.00 for a Cob Kit. If I do spend the full 400.00 on a cob. that will bring my total up to 1,065.37. Yes I went past my equipment budget by 42.00 but I got free beans. I'm pretty happy with what I've got for the money spent no matter what way I decide to go. The final budget including beans was 1,100.00. I've stayed under that which I'm happy about. Even if I decide to keep the fan and get a cob kit I'll be at about 1,200.00 that I can live with. Especially for the sweet, sweet dankness. Whatever is not listed, i.e. trimming sheers and such have been givin to me for free. I also plan on upgrading over time but this should be very sufficient for a long while. What do you guys think?

 

[INF Flux]

DIY!!!! Built two of these today. Easy
4 bxeb 2 ft @ $7,47 = $29.88
driver @ $45
baking sheet @ $23
power cord $10
So call it $108 per fixture. This is for a specific application that suits my needs and you'd want to put something together more for your tent, but you get how easy this is?


This is done to the positive wire from the driver as well as the negative side. You can buy waygo connectors if you don't solder.


There are 3 wires to attach to the power cord, color coded.

Using 18g solid core wire, you just stick them into the strips and the wire locks in place. You can see the totality of the circuit here, WAY COMPLEX!

all done.