Guys, the cold weather is on its way in the UK. I'm looking at the best ways to keep temps at 20-24c. I'm thinking of insulating my tent with kingspan insulation externally. Internally though, is it just as important to heat the water source aswell as the ambient temperature. Please let me know what you think.......? I want to be well prepared.
Wilma hydroponic system.
Growing diablo xl auto ( big devil/jack herer).
Tia,
Eljinjro
With hydro you want your nutes cool like around 65-68F/17-20C.
I have an electric heater that has a small fan in it and that's plugged into a baseboard heater thermostat I picked up at a hardware store and wired into an electrical box with cords coming out each end. When my lights go out it makes sure my temps don't get too low. The thermostats on small heaters aren't great for maintaining an even temp in the dark time so the heater is left on high and the thermostat turns it on when the temp gets a degree lower than where I set it.
I don't recommend the oil-filled heaters. They take quite a while before they warm up enough to begin heating the space and then continue heating it after they are switched off while they cool down. I used to use one and had 7 degree swings in my temps but with an electric radiant heater there's only a couple degree fluctuation. Just don't get one with the red hot element in front that can set fire to flammable stuff that may get in front of it. One that works like a baseboard heater is way safer and an oil-filled one will work if you already have one or safety is a concern.
My room is 7x9' and I have lots of empty space to the side for a heater. A 16 fan bolted to the ceiling runs 24/7 to keep the air well mixed and temps even from floor to ceiling. Tents can get damn crowded but heaters can be hung off the floor too.
I found this nice heater at a garage sale new in the box for $20. Has two 750w elements in it so I have just one switched on and if it ever burns out I can switch to the other one. The thermostat sits on a shelf upwind from the heater but I pulled it down for the picture. I covered the heater with a sheet of plastic while spraying plants and forgot to take it off when done. The heater came on a few times during the night but didn't even warp the plastic much less melt it. The steady flow of air from the 16" fan probably helped.
Behind it is a 500w baseboard heater I bought but when I wired it up it barely got warm. Didn't think to check the voltage on it first and it's 240v while line voltage here is 120. Bought some wire but haven't wired into my main panel and run it into the room yet. Another chore in the job jar yet to be done.
During their day I have Temp/RH and speed controllers to operate my 6" inline exhaust fan so temps vary but 3 or 4 degrees all day too. A well controlled climate is one of the main things needed to have a good grow. The speed controller is a ceiling fan controller wired into a box like I did with the thermostat. I have 2 High/Low electronic thermometers in there to keep track of temps and humidity. One is remote with the screen just above my monitor so I can check things while typing here and watching TV.
The Temp/RH unit uses a Heat/Cool thermostat and bathroom fan humidity thermostat wired in series. Can be bought at any hardware store and mounted on any old metal box. Buying the parts would cost more than buying a pre-made unit online tho. The speed controller is above the box.
In case you do want to build your own. The speed controller could be wired in tandem with them to make a nice unit too.
Good luck and good growing!
