downhill21
Well-Known Member
I’d like to tap into the huge knowledge base of experienced, hands-on growers here, to figure out how to improve my primary grow space. While I know there are many diligent researchers out there, I have been one of them. This time I’m really looking for the voice of personal experience.
I grow in dirt, hand-feed, with some minor environmental automation. Powerbox 7500 controlling 1-2 1000w HIDs, old C.A.P. co2 burner (natural gas) run from a 6 year old Titan 4-burner co2 controller. 2 burners plugged, 2 burning. Room is 6x7x7, framed but enclosed in panda. I’m a long term renter, so have to be able to pull it all apart every 2 years, for a month. If not for that, I would certainly insulate, Sheetrock, etc. The panda, with The Hatch for access, is pretty air tight. Everything is taped with white Gorilla Tape. I have a shelf built, to hold the dehuie up for gravity drain, but haven’t yet bolted it to the wall. There’s a hole in that wall (drilled in 1/2” ply) n hardware to drain it w/out losing the airtight. All the parts are here, just haven’t gotten to it. All hardware is attached to 1/2” plywood screwed to standard wood wall studs. I can assemble or disassemble quickly with my drill / driver. Small LG thermostat controlled window shaker (maybe 8k btu - don’t remember for certain). Proteus Temp & RH wireless sensor so I can soothe my paranoid mind often. (2) air-cooked Magnum XXXL 8” - Input air from lung room basement, vented back into same space. Inlet @ floor level, outlet ceiling height. I use Hortilux HPS & have only 1 Ushio MH bulb. The purple, electronic ballasts are in the lung room area, not in The Room. I have a variety of different Temp & RH gauges / meters around the room, never quite trusting 1. 1 old school analog, 2-3 digital of differing manufacturer. The Proteus seems dead nuts on temp, but sketchy on RH. It’s a new purchase, so still evaluating it. Will need to review data logs n such to see if it’s off by a predictable degree, or just random. It can be about 4 or 5 RH off, which seems a lot. I mean, if I believe the actual RH to be 55, the proteus might read anything from 50-60, while the other meters will be +\- 1, or possibly all in agreement.
Room is in the basement, in a state permitting 12 plants. I am legal. Running (1) 1000w HPS or MH, the room will stay @ 77F (lower, if I want it) with dehui & co2 burner doing their things. Running both HIDS 1000w, I’m easily pushing 81F w/co2. I’m aware that many people might consider that adequate. The next two months will be hotter here, & I want more control there. I don’t wanna be pushing high temps all the time. Prolly the solution is a bigger wall shaker, but that has to be a later purchase. There are some visible pin holes in the panda, but the leakage is minimal, as evidenced by co2 burner cycle times, the RH & co2 ppm. Will soon tape even the pins.
Anyway, I’m interested in what improvements y’all might recommend.
I grow in dirt, hand-feed, with some minor environmental automation. Powerbox 7500 controlling 1-2 1000w HIDs, old C.A.P. co2 burner (natural gas) run from a 6 year old Titan 4-burner co2 controller. 2 burners plugged, 2 burning. Room is 6x7x7, framed but enclosed in panda. I’m a long term renter, so have to be able to pull it all apart every 2 years, for a month. If not for that, I would certainly insulate, Sheetrock, etc. The panda, with The Hatch for access, is pretty air tight. Everything is taped with white Gorilla Tape. I have a shelf built, to hold the dehuie up for gravity drain, but haven’t yet bolted it to the wall. There’s a hole in that wall (drilled in 1/2” ply) n hardware to drain it w/out losing the airtight. All the parts are here, just haven’t gotten to it. All hardware is attached to 1/2” plywood screwed to standard wood wall studs. I can assemble or disassemble quickly with my drill / driver. Small LG thermostat controlled window shaker (maybe 8k btu - don’t remember for certain). Proteus Temp & RH wireless sensor so I can soothe my paranoid mind often. (2) air-cooked Magnum XXXL 8” - Input air from lung room basement, vented back into same space. Inlet @ floor level, outlet ceiling height. I use Hortilux HPS & have only 1 Ushio MH bulb. The purple, electronic ballasts are in the lung room area, not in The Room. I have a variety of different Temp & RH gauges / meters around the room, never quite trusting 1. 1 old school analog, 2-3 digital of differing manufacturer. The Proteus seems dead nuts on temp, but sketchy on RH. It’s a new purchase, so still evaluating it. Will need to review data logs n such to see if it’s off by a predictable degree, or just random. It can be about 4 or 5 RH off, which seems a lot. I mean, if I believe the actual RH to be 55, the proteus might read anything from 50-60, while the other meters will be +\- 1, or possibly all in agreement.
Room is in the basement, in a state permitting 12 plants. I am legal. Running (1) 1000w HPS or MH, the room will stay @ 77F (lower, if I want it) with dehui & co2 burner doing their things. Running both HIDS 1000w, I’m easily pushing 81F w/co2. I’m aware that many people might consider that adequate. The next two months will be hotter here, & I want more control there. I don’t wanna be pushing high temps all the time. Prolly the solution is a bigger wall shaker, but that has to be a later purchase. There are some visible pin holes in the panda, but the leakage is minimal, as evidenced by co2 burner cycle times, the RH & co2 ppm. Will soon tape even the pins.
Anyway, I’m interested in what improvements y’all might recommend.
