Any ideas for quality equipment first full indoor grow

skwest

skwest

Member
Just got my Secret Jardin dr 120 the other day and now im on the hunt for the rest of the needed equipment to fill it up. My ideal situation is to have this tent strictly for flowering and to do a somewhat perpetual harvest every few weeks with sea of green method. For those who dont know the tent is roughly 4'x4'x7' which gives me around 115 cubic feet to keep at prime temps. I plan on using a 600W digital ballast, up in the air between a lumatek with the super lumens dimmer, or a quantum or galaxy with a dimmer. I also planned on getting a cooltube or a reflector and venting hot air into the outside room. I now have the dilemma of figuring out how i want to hook up the carbon filter and the light, with their own exhausts. I also plan on getting a 6" vortex inline fan and carbon filter/stealth air box(whichever will work better for longer).

Situation 1. I hook my light up to a lone inline booster fan to just remove light heat. I hook up a vortex to my carbon filtration and have that on variable speed controller thermostatically controlled to increase speed when temps get too hot.

Situation 2. I hook up my carbon filtration to my vortex blower and then push it through my cooltube/aircooled reflector and out the exhaust port. Im concerned that this may not be the best option as i may lose pressure after sucking through filter and not have enough to cool the light making temps too warm in tent. This way would save me from getting another inline booster fan which im not sure would be the right way to cool the fan to begin with.

Situation 3. I hook up carbon filtration to 6" vortex and buy 4" vortex for lone air cooled loght, this way the temps would hopfully be a little lower than situation one with a vortex in place of an inline booster to cool the light. This would be a little more pricey but probobly let me run the 6" vortex at lower rpm with less noise and less work for it.



I will prob get some axial fans to use if negative pressure becomes an issue and will have a wall mounted fan circulating air. Also gonna pick up some yo'yo's for the light and reflector. Any feedback on pro's cons of a cooltube greatly appreciated as i see this purchase happening solely to conserve space in the cramped tent but if a rectangular cooled hood would perform better than that's what it will be. I am also hoping the carbon filter will take care of ALL odors being exhausted as this will be a stealth grow, or as stealth as a giant tent can get. Im ordering all the gear over a couple month period so i can have this tent together for the beginning of next spring, already have everything else needed to go just have to get these few big items.

Any other similar tent growers out there feel free to let me know what u use, every bit of info counts and reading just gives me more ideas when i have the free time for it. Im in Canada too so if anyone has suggestions for online retailers of these products let me know i've been losing sleep shopping around for the best deals.

Thanks ahead of time for all who respond i can't wait to get some serious beans going in here, got a bunch from att. a couple weeks back and its killing me not watching them grow right now, but better prepared than prepaid eh!
 
TheStonedChef

TheStonedChef

Member
I am planning a similar setup but am going to use a 2 x 4 tent instead with a 6" Active Air Inline fan and 6" Carbonaire charcoal filter. In order to initially save $$ I am going to hook exhaust system up to my Cool Tube. Air will travel out of my room through the light followed by the fan and finally through the filter and out my window. And since Co2 isn't in the picture until grow # 2 It just seems like a waste to run 2 fans right now. This will serve 2 purposes, Keep constant air exchange in the grow area while at the same time cooling my light. I will run this fan 24/7 through a variable speed control knob. During the lights on period it will run on high, at Lights off I can switch it to low. And since my whole apartment complex is on the same grid and there are 24 units to suck up energy, I can run my lights during the day!
 
redi jedi

redi jedi

Well-Known Member
skwest said:
Just got my Secret Jardin dr 120 the other day and now im on the hunt for the rest of the needed equipment to fill it up. My ideal situation is to have this tent strictly for flowering and to do a somewhat perpetual harvest every few weeks with sea of green method. For those who dont know the tent is roughly 4'x4'x7' which gives me around 115 cubic feet to keep at prime temps. I plan on using a 600W digital ballast, up in the air between a lumatek with the super lumens dimmer, or a quantum or galaxy with a dimmer. I also planned on getting a cooltube or a reflector and venting hot air into the outside room. I now have the dilemma of figuring out how i want to hook up the carbon filter and the light, with their own exhausts. I also plan on getting a 6" vortex inline fan and carbon filter/stealth air box(whichever will work better for longer).

Situation 1. I hook my light up to a lone inline booster fan to just remove light heat. I hook up a vortex to my carbon filtration and have that on variable speed controller thermostatically controlled to increase speed when temps get too hot.

Situation 2. I hook up my carbon filtration to my vortex blower and then push it through my cooltube/aircooled reflector and out the exhaust port. Im concerned that this may not be the best option as i may lose pressure after sucking through filter and not have enough to cool the light making temps too warm in tent. This way would save me from getting another inline booster fan which im not sure would be the right way to cool the fan to begin with.

Situation 3. I hook up carbon filtration to 6" vortex and buy 4" vortex for lone air cooled loght, this way the temps would hopfully be a little lower than situation one with a vortex in place of an inline booster to cool the light. This would be a little more pricey but probobly let me run the 6" vortex at lower rpm with less noise and less work for it.



I will prob get some axial fans to use if negative pressure becomes an issue and will have a wall mounted fan circulating air. Also gonna pick up some yo'yo's for the light and reflector. Any feedback on pro's cons of a cooltube greatly appreciated as i see this purchase happening solely to conserve space in the cramped tent but if a rectangular cooled hood would perform better than that's what it will be. I am also hoping the carbon filter will take care of ALL odors being exhausted as this will be a stealth grow, or as stealth as a giant tent can get. Im ordering all the gear over a couple month period so i can have this tent together for the beginning of next spring, already have everything else needed to go just have to get these few big items.

Any other similar tent growers out there feel free to let me know what u use, every bit of info counts and reading just gives me more ideas when i have the free time for it. Im in Canada too so if anyone has suggestions for online retailers of these products let me know i've been losing sleep shopping around for the best deals.

Thanks ahead of time for all who respond i can't wait to get some serious beans going in here, got a bunch from att. a couple weeks back and its killing me not watching them grow right now, but better prepared than prepaid eh!
Click to expand...

First let me say, with no disrespect intended, I really don't see the logic to growing in a tent because like you said, how stealthy is 7' tall black tent with duct work coming outta it?

I would sooner use a closet if I had to conceal my grow from other people that may be in the house/apartment. The average closet is about the same size if not bigger. Now if your in an apartment you can't go cutting holes in the outter walls or ceiling to vent, but if your in a house you can vent the closet directly into the attic, you could also mount the filter up there so it doesn't take up headroom.

Anyway you wanna do it, a closet wouldn't draw as much attention as a big tent if someone where to see it.

I would like to mention inline duct booster fans are intended to boost air flow through long runs of duct, they don't have the juice to do much more. I think alot of people mistake these for centrifugal inline fans like a vortex or can-fan.

Anyways enough ranting.....A single 6" vortex would do the job. Might even get away with a 4". The best way to configure your filtration/exhaust would be decided on what has to be in the tent and what you could have outside. If you have to keep everything inside the tent to maintain a "degree" of stealth your gonna lose valuable headroom.

I perfer not to draw hot air from a light through the fan unless its necessary. There is the potential for condensation in the fan, especially if the intake is in the humid growspace.

When using a single ventilation/exhaust system with a filter and need to be aware of whats under vacuum and whats pressurized. What I mean is if you were to chain a filter, hood/tube and fan together in that order. With the hood being on the suction side of the fan its under vacuum aswell as the filter. Now if your hood or tube isn't sealed air will leak into the hood, bypassing the filter, and outside for everyone to smell. Having the fan between the filter and hood will keep the hood pressurized. Any leaks would contain filtered air.....no problems.
 
TheStonedChef

TheStonedChef

Member
redi jedi said:
I perfer not to draw hot air from a light through the fan unless its necessary. There is the potential for condensation in the fan, especially if the intake is in the humid growspace.

When using a single ventilation/exhaust system with a filter and need to be aware of whats under vacuum and whats pressurized. What I mean is if you were to chain a filter, hood/tube and fan together in that order. With the hood being on the suction side of the fan its under vacuum aswell as the filter. Now if your hood or tube isn't sealed air will leak into the hood, bypassing the filter, and outside for everyone to smell. Having the fan between the filter and hood will keep the hood pressurized. Any leaks would contain filtered air.....no problems.
Click to expand...

although humidity might become a problem if the fan was to turn off and on with a timer, I intend to let it run 24/7. When the air in a 2' x 4' grow room is being constantly removed and exchanged by a 6" centrifugal fan (usually 350+ cfm) the problem of humidity is almost nullified. if he did the same it would save on a the cost of a new fan, when the lights are off just turn the fan to low and give it a break when your working in the garden and have the door open. Keep in mind you still need to buy a Variable Speed Control for fans, they are cheap and run between $20 and $30.

In fact you might even be able to keep it on low most of the time, as long as the air is being exchanged once every minute or two.
 
D

dgk4life

Well-Known Member
if you have not bought ballasts yet look into quantum dimmable 1000 watt ballasts.. u can run them at 500 750 or 1000.. gr8 investment..
 
T

tartarsauce

Member
I have a similar set up to yours, I've upgraded things through my grow (I am using a Secret Jardin DR150). I'm finishing off a soil grow now, but have the equipment to move to hydroponics. I am currently using a 600W quantum dimmable ballast, and I have no gripes about it, but the Lumatek ballasts are just better. I have a 4x4 botanicare flood table, 40 gallon panda res., and all the pumps/tubing/fittings for my next grow. I plan on upgrading my light to a 1000W, and will be getting a dimmable lumatek. This will be just for flowering eventually. I am using two Active Air 400CFM inline fans for cooling (with fan controllers of course), and have been using ghetto co2 methods and it's been working fine, but I plan on upgrading the co2 situation next time around as well. I made custom carbon filters off guides on this site (bought 40lbs of activated carbon on ebay for $35, lifetime supply), and have also used a custom ONA bucket/fan method that worked well too.

Use quality seeds if you dump all the money into this stuff, nutes are expensive and so is everything else, don't skimp (or if you do, find a cost effective way to do it until you can afford a quality product) or you'll end up replacing what you skimped on anyway because it'll end up being a problem.

Just my 2c
 
T

tartarsauce

Member
dgk4life said:
if you have not bought ballasts yet look into quantum dimmable 1000 watt ballasts.. u can run them at 500 750 or 1000.. gr8 investment..
Click to expand...
I love my quantum, and I really don't have anything against it, but I won't get another simply because they have a fan, and the lumateks dont--and they get to be about the same temperature. They are quality ballasts, though. I got mine because it was a steal, and it is serving its purpose quite well :) just going to use lumatek from now on out for the completely silent design
 
pluto420

pluto420

Active Member
When it comes to digital ballasts you might want to check Nextgen. I used lumatek and it was ok but had to send it back to them for repairs twice. They always repaired it for free so Lumatek is a good company in that regard. Anyway since getting my nextgen I have had no issues. Here are some specs.


**400 and 600 watt mode will power MH and HPS.

The NextGen Electronic Ballast has a 5 YEAR WARRANTY (3 years full, 2 years pro-rated.)

FEATURES

  • 90v-260v Input Voltage.
  • Runs either M.H. or H.P.S. bulbs.
  • 30% more Light than a Core and Coil Ballast.
  • Fast Lamp Ignition.
    Cold Lamp Starts in Less than 2 Seconds.
    Hot Lamp Restart in Less than 2 Minutes.
  • Universal Lamp Receptacle.
  • Bulb can be ran up to 65 from Ballast.
  • Flicker-Free Operation.
  • Constant Lamp Voltage Output Prolongs Bulb Life.
  • Thermostatically Controlled Fans for Long Ballast Life.
  • Weight: 4.25 lbs.
  • Dimensions: 9.5" x 7" x 2
 
D

dgk4life

Well-Known Member
not a one man but def get the 1000 watt one.. a couple extra bucks but def worth it.. three settings and only need one bulb.. say what? best money spent yet
 
TheStonedChef

TheStonedChef

Member
Unfortunately the 1000 watt Quantum ballast cost almost twice as much as a 600 watt Quantum Ballast. So I think the 600 will do just fine for a 2 x 4 space for now. when I have upgraded everything else than I might try and pick up the 1000 and throw the 600 in the veg room over my moms and older clones. it's nice to hear that this ballast is the real deal. it seems everyone is having problems with all the other digi's these days.
 
D

dgk4life

Well-Known Member
TheStonedChef said:
Unfortunately the 1000 watt Quantum ballast cost almost twice as much as a 600 watt Quantum Ballast. So I think the 600 will do just fine for a 2 x 4 space for now. when I have upgraded everything else than I might try and pick up the 1000 and throw the 600 in the veg room over my moms and older clones. it's nice to hear that this ballast is the real deal. it seems everyone is having problems with all the other digi's these days.
Click to expand...
mine wasnt double.......

https://ssl.cgicafe.com/clients/hmoonhydro.com/quantum_ballast.html
 
skwest

skwest

Member
redi jedi said:
First let me say, with no disrespect intended, I really don't see the logic to growing in a tent because like you said, how stealthy is 7' tall black tent with duct work coming outta it?


---You are very right there, although i do believe in my app that the best way to seal my grow from prying eyes is this tent in my room or my storage closet.


I would sooner use a closet if I had to conceal my grow from other people that may be in the house/apartment. The average closet is about the same size if not bigger. Now if your in an apartment you can't go cutting holes in the outter walls or ceiling to vent, but if your in a house you can vent the closet directly into the attic, you could also mount the filter up there so it doesn't take up headroom.

Anyway you wanna do it, a closet wouldn't draw as much attention as a big tent if someone where to see it.

I would like to mention inline duct booster fans are intended to boost air flow through long runs of duct, they don't have the juice to do much more. I think alot of people mistake these for centrifugal inline fans like a vortex or can-fan.


---This was the info i was looking for actually because I had an inclination that the "booster" fan would not cut it but wasn't sure how i wanted to go about it.



Anyways enough ranting.....A single 6" vortex would do the job. Might even get away with a 4". The best way to configure your filtration/exhaust would be decided on what has to be in the tent and what you could have outside. If you have to keep everything inside the tent to maintain a "degree" of stealth your gonna lose valuable headroom.


---Well i do have my mind made up about the 6" vortex and that its for sure on the to get list. I have been reading over posts on here by people who use the 6" model and have found that many say that using it on a variable speed controller works much better and quieter than a 4" on full blast all the time. Unfortunately i can't see much ending up on the outside of the tent as space is limited allready, but i plan on going 12/12 right from clone in this thing and harvesting every couple weeks/month using either rubbermaid dwc bins or similar aeroponic units to cut down cost on replacing soil and changing reservoirs periodically. Have seen some setups using multiple rubbermaids as res's and just premixing and switching bottom bins.



I perfer not to draw hot air from a light through the fan unless its necessary. There is the potential for condensation in the fan, especially if the intake is in the humid growspace.



---I could not agree more with this suggestion, although i have to say that the condensation build up didn't cross my mind, great to have people think ahead for you sometimes. My intake will be in my growspace but I honestly figured that with a 10 yea warranty these vortex fans would be built to withstand some wear and tear. Hopefully running it constantly on a var. speed controller will minimize this problem



When using a single ventilation/exhaust system with a filter and need to be aware of whats under vacuum and whats pressurized. What I mean is if you were to chain a filter, hood/tube and fan together in that order. With the hood being on the suction side of the fan its under vacuum aswell as the filter. Now if your hood or tube isn't sealed air will leak into the hood, bypassing the filter, and outside for everyone to smell. Having the fan between the filter and hood will keep the hood pressurized. Any leaks would contain filtered air.....no problems.
Click to expand...


---Again, great tip. Went to the local growstore the other day and saw a nice hood they had there, not sure the make but considered picking it up but now that u mention that i know for sure there would be air leaks in that thing. So i guess my best bet would still be to cooltube it and go heavy on the duct clamps. I have read about inline carbon filters and imagined setting one up like so -inline fan - filter - cooltube - ehaust but have never heard any feedback on these nor have i seen any other than the airbox stealth or something like that. Anyone out there ever use one???



TheStonedChef said:
although humidity might become a problem if the fan was to turn off and on with a timer, I intend to let it run 24/7. When the air in a 2' x 4' grow room is being constantly removed and exchanged by a 6" centrifugal fan (usually 350+ cfm) the problem of humidity is almost nullified. if he did the same it would save on a the cost of a new fan, when the lights are off just turn the fan to low and give it a break when your working in the garden and have the door open. Keep in mind you still need to buy a Variable Speed Control for fans, they are cheap and run between $20 and $30.

In fact you might even be able to keep it on low most of the time, as long as the air is being exchanged once every minute or two.
Click to expand...


---I do believe that the latter would be the case here, I think that the 6" vortex is defintately overkill for what i have but have heard that hooking it up to variable speed cont. is much better on the lifespan of the fan and much quieter than simply using a 4" vortex



tartarsauce said:
I have a similar set up to yours, I've upgraded things through my grow (I am using a Secret Jardin DR150). I'm finishing off a soil grow now, but have the equipment to move to hydroponics. I am currently using a 600W quantum dimmable ballast, and I have no gripes about it, but the Lumatek ballasts are just better. I have a 4x4 botanicare flood table, 40 gallon panda res., and all the pumps/tubing/fittings for my next grow. I plan on upgrading my light to a 1000W, and will be getting a dimmable lumatek. This will be just for flowering eventually. I am using two Active Air 400CFM inline fans for cooling (with fan controllers of course), and have been using ghetto co2 methods and it's been working fine, but I plan on upgrading the co2 situation next time around as well. I made custom carbon filters off guides on this site (bought 40lbs of activated carbon on ebay for $35, lifetime supply), and have also used a custom ONA bucket/fan method that worked well too.



---I am also leaning towards the dimmable lumateks, although im stuck between those and the galaxy's and the only difference now is the price and the lumateks not having fans(the quieter the better for me). I have bought some supplies to make a carbon scrubber like some mention on this site but think i will try it only after i have my grow down with bought reliable equipment first. Also have made an ONA bucket but played with different scents/brands before i purchase some ONA gel.



Use quality seeds if you dump all the money into this stuff, nutes are expensive and so is everything else, don't skimp (or if you do, find a cost effective way to do it until you can afford a quality product) or you'll end up replacing what you skimped on anyway because it'll end up being a problem.
Just my 2c
Click to expand...


---I also agree here. Ordered some beans from Attitude a couple weeks back, got some early skunk(sensi seeds), hashberry(mandala seeds), skunk haze(seedsman), mind bender(kc brains holland), and some fem'med ones from DNA, LA woman, LA Confidential and Lemon Skunk. Hoping to get some tasty smoke out of at least one of theses contenders



TheStonedChef said:
Unfortunately the 1000 watt Quantum ballast cost almost twice as much as a 600 watt Quantum Ballast. So I think the 600 will do just fine for a 2 x 4 space for now. when I have upgraded everything else than I might try and pick up the 1000 and throw the 600 in the veg room over my moms and older clones. it's nice to hear that this ballast is the real deal. it seems everyone is having problems with all the other digi's these days.
Click to expand...


---As far as my list goes its either Quantum or Lumatek, have heard the best of things from these two so far.
 
TheStonedChef

TheStonedChef

Member
dgk4life said:
i posted a link for the quantum ballast bro spring for the 1000 its cheaper in the long run
Click to expand...
I am purchasing my quantum 600 on E-bay. It is a link that another grower had posted on another site and several people have purchased from them. New 600 watt Quantum switchable Ballast - $196 with free shipping.

I can buy 2 600's for the same price as a 1000watt. here is the link-

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Ballast-600-watt-Electronic-Ballast-Quantum_W0QQitemZ200382874477QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&itemid=200382874477
 
TheStonedChef

TheStonedChef

Member
skwest said:
As far as my list goes its either Quantum or Lumatek, have heard the best of things from these two so far.
Click to expand...
I've read a lot about people having to have the Lumatek Ballasts repaired way too often, some ultimately ended up buying Quantum's later on. Due a search and you will see the complaints on the Lumatek's far outweigh those of Quantum's.
 
S

smoking chef

Well-Known Member
Here is my set up. dark room 120. 1000 hps. sun system xxxl hood sealed. fan outside of tent sucking thru light. Vortex fan sucking exhaust out and thru carbon filter wich is outside of the tent. timer for c02 and exhaust are on separate timers. When co2 is on exhaust is off. works great temps stay around 74.
 
T

tartarsauce

Member
skwest said:
---I also agree here. Ordered some beans from Attitude a couple weeks back, got some early skunk(sensi seeds), hashberry(mandala seeds), skunk haze(seedsman), mind bender(kc brains holland), and some fem'med ones from DNA, LA woman, LA Confidential and Lemon Skunk. Hoping to get some tasty smoke out of at least one of theses contenders
Click to expand...
Nice man, you will love that LA Confidential. Trust me when I say that. Lemon Skunk is nice, too, as is LA Woman, but LA Conf was some of the finer bud I've come across.

As for the ballast, quantum and lumatek are pretty much the same as far as reliability and performance, but the quantum's are not completely silent. If you care about noise (neighbors?) then go with the Lumatek. Personally, I'd go with the Lumatek just because I know if the fan goes in the Quantum it might break--just one more thing to replace in the long run. If the lumatek has no fan to fail, then it shouldn't ever be an issue. The nextgen ones look nice, but a little pricy.

As far as prices go, you can get a 1000W Lumatek dimmable for $300

http://www.greners.com/ballasts/brand/lumatek/lumatek-electronic-ballast-hps-mh-1000w-120v-240v-dimmable.html
 
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