Leaving LED grow lights on when going on vacation?

GeneBanker said:

As far as my grow area goes I’m a control freak. For some reason I just can’t let them do it. They are smart and good kids. It’s a personal tick I can’t get over. They always offer. They hate to see me struggle getting up. I’m in good shape too. Just have really bad knees. I feel like if I surrender now. It’s the gateway to surrendering.

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Just surrender to something like hiking ( flat land ) and smoking some of the weed the yin's handle

It's a gamble. What are the odds that something will happen within your vacation time? Are you comfortable betting against those odds? . I realize that my answer is a whole lot of nothin, but there is a gamble in everything you do.

For the OP, I bought a nest "smart" smoke/CO detector and mounted it in my grow room. This will alert my phone if it detects anything, no matter where I am.
I wanted to be able to "set it and forget it" for atleast 10 days at a time if i needed to.
I set up in RDWC
Auto fill PVC floats for water top off
PH doser to monitor 24/7 and keep it where I want
Timers for everything from my dehumidifier to lights
Sensor push monitor, so I can observe temp and RH from anywhere
I also have a smart monitor so I can check conductivity, ph and water temp
Smart Leak sensors to alert my phone if water is on the floor
I pretty much can give a fresh feed of nutrients, lock up, and not come back for 10-14 days.
If I'm concerned while I'm gone, I can check all my environmental parameters on my phone.
I can also double check for leaks, or smoke on my phone if I'm feeling anxious

ÒÒlegilizeitÒÒ said:

For the OP,

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Killer advice!

Here is my "monitor system" from my phone
The PH, water temp, and conductivity monitor is a bit crude (a security camera), but works lol

PadawanWarrior said:

Does the light shock you?

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It's a mars hydro 100W, if you touch the bottom while it's on it does electrocute you, yes.

Glad to hear in general it's ridiculous to ask such a question, means it's safe, I live in an apartment complex in Mexico with hundreds of people, just want to be sure I don't cause any harm.

In total I think I'll be running about 800-900W max from 1 or 2 outlets once I add more lights, I know in the US outlets support 1500W, I'm confident in Mexico it's the same.

Beehive said:

I was wondering that also. How are they getting watered?

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Neighbor helps me out - I do have a timer as well, forgot to mention it in the original post. I run them at 18/6 and later on 12/12

RenaissanceBrah said:

It's a mars hydro 100W, if you touch the bottom while it's on it does electrocute you, yes.

Glad to hear in general it's ridiculous to ask such a question, means it's safe, I live in an apartment complex in Mexico with hundreds of people, just want to be sure I don't cause any harm.

In total I think I'll be running about 800-900W max from 1 or 2 outlets once I add more lights, I know in the US outlets support 1500W, I'm confident in Mexico it's the same.

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Don't touch the bottom. Problem solved.

Short answer: yes you can go away and leave your grow lights running. If your neighbour can come over to check on things and water your plants you’re good to go

As far as I know, LED lights like the Mars Hydro are pretty low heat, so there’s not much risk of overheating, especially with a 100W light. As for the fan, it’s not always necessary with LEDs, but if you’re adding another light and the room gets warm, it might be worth considering. If you're worried about this while traveling and need peace of mind, you could always have your neighbor check in on things more regularly. And if your trips involve flying, you can get cheap business class tickets. It could be a good option in some cases.

RenaissanceBrah said:

Always wondered, is it a bad idea to leave my apartment empty for like a few days to a week or two at a time, while my grow lights are running?

I get pretty paranoid about it. My neighbor helps me out and checks in every few days, but I'm always worried about a fire starting or something.

I run a 100W Mars Hydro white LED, and thinking about adding another one in (200W total).

Also wondering, is a fan necessary to cool that Mars 100W Hydro LED?

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well mars has a history of going up in flames. but you need to think about what stage of growth are you if you are in late flower should be okej, but if you are in the stretch or veg the plant might grow in to the light dry out and maybe burn but definitely ruin your tops