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[H.A.F.]

That's what I figured as well. Which to me ain't worth $136

I dunno maybe it is. Lol

If you had a business - meybe?

I'd say hell no. More stuff to mess up. It's like the pH meters with replaceable tips instead of disposable ones. I use Apera, but the way I see it, they want to sell replacement tips. My "disposable" one is a year old, and still working, but may be dying now. Starting to need calibration more often so I ordered another one. Less than $50 for a year+ of use - I'm good with that.

 

[H.A.F.]

I also went from cal-mag+ to the Humboldt Gold (or something like that) because it was $10 cheaper per qt.

 

[diggs99]

If you had a business - meybe?

I'd say hell no. More stuff to mess up. It's like the pH meters with replaceable tips instead of disposable ones. I use Apera, but the way I see it, they want to sell replacement tips. My "disposable" one is a year old, and still working, but may be dying now. Starting to need calibration more often so I ordered another one. Less than $50 for a year+ of use - I'm good with that.

Ya i dont mind spending cash on stuff i need, but that extra $136 could be put to better use elsewhere in the garden

Still gotta buy a good timer to run my lights yet.

Any recommendations? I got this light controller in my cart to buy, need a timer to go with it.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008NP7HNM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1


Its gonna be running 1440w of LEDs

 

[H.A.F.]

Ya i dont mind spending cash on stuff i need, but that extra $136 could be put to better use elsewhere in the garden

Still gotta buy a good timer to run my lights yet.

Any recommendations? I got this light controller in my cart to buy, need a timer to go with it.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008NP7HNM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1


Its gonna be running 1440w of LEDs

Nah, I'm still on the little mechanical timers from lowes. Let me know how it works. The only thing I see is that it might be electronic rather than digital. I would rather have a cheapo timer that I need to adjust (or not) every few weeks than to have one that resets if the power trips off line. Afternoon thunderstorms are a thing here, but the power company is on it. I have lost power a few times, but back on in an hour or two - usually during my daytime lights-out. Remembering to reset a timer would be a pain for me.

 

[Renfro]

Maybe you guys can lend a hand, do any of you know anything about these bluelab meters/moniters?

trying to buy one that sits in my rez and moniters temp/ph/ppm or ec

not sure what the difference in these 2 are, other than the price?

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00KCT15Q2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B003PD2N8Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1


@Renfro mentioned these to men before, not sure if same or not.

The 716484 has more features like it will allow you to connect it and check numbers via the internet. The BLU2300E is simpler and probably what you are looking for.

 

[H.A.F.]

hashtag - nailedit

 

[Renfro]

Remembering to reset a timer would be a pain for me.

Sorta defeats the purpose of having a timer in the first place.

I am very picky about timers.

First, the mechanical ones, if the power goes out they stop running so the time is going to be off. Major PITA. I prefer a RELIABLE digital timer that remembers the proper time and the programming settings after a power outage. Reliable is the key here. I have had timers that just end up flashing 12:00 with all the programming cleared for no good reason. The timer I use is one that goes in where a wall switch would go, like for outdoor lighting. It is programmable in 30 minute increments, very simple. I don't know the model, I had a different one in there from Leviton that would reset for no reason, so I replaced it with this one. I have heard so many horror stories about people using the programmable plugin timers from the hydro store.

I used to get this little square one that was reliable, had a shit ton of them, they were made by intermatic, sold at home depot and the like. I used them for many things but flood and drain pump timing was a critical one that they never let me down on. They don't sell that one anymore though.

One of the worst timers I had were the digital version of intermatics 30 AMP 240 volt timers, metal boxy job, normally a water heater timer. I had bought some to use in a grow back in missouri and they all had the issue of flashing 12:00 and losing programming. I had 3 in that setup and they were all random, so one timer here and one timer there, sometimes two at once. Defeated the purpose of having timers, ended up running things on a contactor bank with one of the little plugin intermatics that was reliable. lol Two timers, same brand, one great, one sucks.

So what timer is super reliable? Off the shelf right now I will have to defer on that question as I haven't bought a new one in many years. I will add a pic of my lighting timer thats done me good since about 2009. Zero issues, just 100% reliability.



A timer like mine can be wired in a two gang box with a receptacle that it controls. Then you can plug your lighting controller trigger cord/s into that. I am sure that you can find a reliable digital timer that is a simple plugin option though. One could make a thread asking about the most reliable digital programmable timer currently available.

One thing I never do is buy a controller that has a built in timer. If the timer goes bad it's a much bigger hassle. Use the lighting controllers that have trigger cords, very flexible setup.

 

[Renfro]

Also, you can build your own lighting controller really easy:

https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/grow-light-controller.php

That shows the basics.

 

[diggs99]

Sorta defeats the purpose of having a timer in the first place.

I am very picky about timers.

First, the mechanical ones, if the power goes out they stop running so the time is going to be off. Major PITA. I prefer a RELIABLE digital timer that remembers the proper time and the programming settings after a power outage. Reliable is the key here. I have had timers that just end up flashing 12:00 with all the programming cleared for no good reason. The timer I use is one that goes in where a wall switch would go, like for outdoor lighting. It is programmable in 30 minute increments, very simple. I don't know the model, I had a different one in there from Leviton that would reset for no reason, so I replaced it with this one. I have heard so many horror stories about people using the programmable plugin timers from the hydro store.

I used to get this little square one that was reliable, had a shit ton of them, they were made by intermatic, sold at home depot and the like. I used them for many things but flood and drain pump timing was a critical one that they never let me down on. They don't sell that one anymore though.

One of the worst timers I had were the digital version of intermatics 30 AMP 240 volt timers, metal boxy job, normally a water heater timer. I had bought some to use in a grow back in missouri and they all had the issue of flashing 12:00 and losing programming. I had 3 in that setup and they were all random, so one timer here and one timer there, sometimes two at once. Defeated the purpose of having timers, ended up running things on a contactor bank with one of the little plugin intermatics that was reliable. lol Two timers, same brand, one great, one sucks.

So what timer is super reliable? Off the shelf right now I will have to defer on that question as I haven't bought a new one in many years. I will add a pic of my lighting timer thats done me good since about 2009. Zero issues, just 100% reliability.

View attachment 4343412

A timer like mine can be wired in a two gang box with a receptacle that it controls. Then you can plug your lighting controller trigger cord/s into that. I am sure that you can find a reliable digital timer that is a simple plugin option though. One could make a thread asking about the most reliable digital programmable timer currently available.

One thing I never do is buy a controller that has a built in timer. If the timer goes bad it's a much bigger hassle. Use the lighting controllers that have trigger cords, very flexible setup.

Thanks for the detailed response bud.

Ya i stayed away from looking at the controllers with built in timers, for the reason you mentioned. This is the controller i think i am gonna buy, its priced ok and seems like it will do the trick. Tell me if theres a reason i shouldnt lol

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008NP7HNM?pf_rd_p=46535598-d2e0-4bc4-8392-182d8c1e93fc&pf_rd_r=91RTKSE80TEXWTY08BZP

I already have 2 digital timers from vivosun that ive been using with my 600w hps and 315 cmh since i started, apparently they are good enough to run up to 1800w. So it seems one of them will be good enough, plug controller into timer and done deal.

Also, you can build your own lighting controller really easy:

https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/grow-light-controller.php

That shows the basics.

Ya that does seem dooable, i dont think i am interested in building it tho lol, my electrical knowledge is very limited, im already NOT looking forward to wiring up these new lights lol.

I figure, ill just buy what i need and spend my time worrying about getting it all setup and running properly lol

 

[H.A.F.]

I think you missed my point.

Sorta defeats the purpose of having a timer in the first place.

I am very picky about timers … One thing I never do is buy a controller that has a built in timer. If the timer goes bad it's a much bigger hassle. Use the lighting controllers that have trigger cords, very flexible setup.

If the power goes out, most timers will "suffer" the results. With a mechanical one no matter what happens the timer will still be on 12/12 when the power comes back on.

You may have had a period of time without lights, and it might screw up your daily schedule for a bit, but when the power comes back on they are still in 12/12 - regardless what happened in the down-time.

I am not completely against electronic/digital, I would just want to make sure it had that "time keeping" feature before I dropped $$$ on it.

 

[Renfro]

Thanks for the detailed response bud.

Ya i stayed away from looking at the controllers with built in timers, for the reason you mentioned. This is the controller i think i am gonna buy, its priced ok and seems like it will do the trick. Tell me if theres a reason i shouldnt lol

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008NP7HNM?pf_rd_p=46535598-d2e0-4bc4-8392-182d8c1e93fc&pf_rd_r=91RTKSE80TEXWTY08BZP

I already have 2 digital timers from vivosun that ive been using with my 600w hps and 315 cmh since i started, apparently they are good enough to run up to 1800w. So it seems one of them will be good enough, plug controller into timer and done deal.

The lighting controller you linked looks like exactly what you need. The timer only needs to power the coil in the contactors so it's not gonna be doing but a few miliamps. The power for the lights is switched by the contactor inside the controller and not the timer itself. You will need to feed the lighting controller with 10 gauge wire, metal clad is probably the easiest, and run that to your panel with a 30 amp double pole breaker. Or you can wire it with a dryer cord and plug it into a 30 amp dryer outlet. That is the power for the lights. The timer just powers the trigger cord to flip the internal contactor that controls the 30 amps.

 

[diggs99]

The lighting controller you linked looks like exactly what you need. The timer only needs to power the coil in the contactors so it's not gonna be doing but a few miliamps. The power for the lights is switched by the contactor inside the controller and not the timer itself. You will need to feed the lighting controller with 10 gauge wire, metal clad is probably the easiest, and run that to your panel with a 30 amp double pole breaker. Or you can wire it with a dryer cord and plug it into a 30 amp dryer outlet. That is the power for the lights. The timer just powers the trigger cord to flip the internal contactor that controls the 30 amps.

Ok perfect, my electrician bro is gonna pop by when im ready and do a few things for me, this will be one of them i guess.

That controller says 120v...does that mean it can just plug directly into any exisitng wall plugin? or does it have to go wired back to the panel as you say above? still trying to figure out how all of the voltage and amps work in regards to our setups.

So clueless it hurts lol

 

[Renfro]

Ok perfect, my electrician bro is gonna pop by when im ready and do a few things for me, this will be one of them i guess.

That controller says 120v...does that mean it can just plug directly into any exisitng wall plugin? or does it have to go wired back to the panel as you say above? still trying to figure out how all of the voltage and amps work in regards to our setups.

So clueless it hurts lol

The trigger cord is 120v so it just plugs into a timer or directly into the wall if you want it on all the time. The power that the controller switches can be either 240 or 120 depending on how you wire it to your panel. Obviously 240 volt gives twice the wattage available with 120 volt. So unless your intending to plug in fans or other items that use 120 volt you should opt to wire the controller for 240.

 

[diggs99]

Bare with me bro, trying to wrap my head around all of this.

So theoretically , can the controller be plugged into the timer which is then just plugged into normal plugin?

 

[Renfro]

can the controller be plugged into the timer which is then just plugged into normal plugin?

Thats how the trigger cord is designed to work but the real power for the lights themselves (the controlled power) is from the 30 amp 240 volt feed.

 

[diggs99]

Thats how the trigger cord is designed to work but the real power for the lights themselves (the controlled power) is from the 30 amp 240 volt feed.

Ok so the juice has to come from a 30amp breaker from the panel to power the controller for the lights, which in turn is plugged into a timer , I have that right?

So do the environmental controllers just go plugged into normal plugins? Or do they require similar wiring?

 

[Renfro]

Ok so the juice has to come from a 30amp breaker from the panel to power the controller for the lights, which in turn is plugged into a timer , I have that right?

yes

So do the environmental controllers just go plugged into normal plugins?

yes, unless you are controlling more current than that circuit can handle, in that case there are slave relays that can be wired up to control a heavy load, same principal as the lighting controller.

 

[diggs99]

Nah just gonna run the exhaust on the temp side and humidifier on the rh side. So should be well within the circuit load

 

[Renfro]

Yeah usually more of an issue if controlling an AC and a dehumidifier.

 

[diggs99]

Yeah usually more of an issue if controlling an AC and a dehumidifier.

Ya makes sense.

Well other than the environmental controller(exhaust and humidifier) and 4-5 of the 16" oscillating fans, i shouldnt need much else plugged in, lights will be running through controller as we discussed.

what am i forgetting or missing i wonder lol