HELP ME PLAN MY NEW ROOM PLEASE....NEED SUGGESTIONS

[mister420green]

Hey everybody. If you look at some of my pics you'll see that I don't mess around. I just bought a new place in the mountains and will be moving there late Dec. I need help planning the room or rooms, I have some ideas but need some more creative input.

First, the op will be on the bottom of the house where there is about 1200 sq ft of space divided into 3 rooms. Used to be a massage therapist home biz. This is what I have now: 13 X 1000 switchables most on 240 but 2 or 3 are on 120, 2 X 400 halide, 1 X 750 HPS, 5 ton ac unit with air handler (so cooling isn't an issue - however we're moving in the middle of winter so I won't need it for a good couple of months, but even in the summer months it's not that hot) 4 water chillers 1/4 and 1/10 (2 of each), 5 X 55 gal res's, 1 X 100 gal res, shitload of pumps ranging from pee stream to pressure washer, 2 brains from bucket system, about 110 buckets from bucket system, CO2 Gen. runs off propane, Harvest Mater Pro Plus controller, Sulfur burner, 5'5 Carbon Scrubber, all hoods are air cooled - mix of 8" and 6" diameter.

So this is what I'd like to do. I really want to do an aeroponics/high pressure mist type system in the fence posts. However, I love coco. So I need a way to set up both types of systems and then I have this idea that I'd like to have as an experiment area where I can try out fogging. So please get creative. I can't say funds are unlimited, but whatever can't be bought can be built, right? Also, I was going to build a greenhouse (we got 2.5 acres with the property) but have no idea how to do it. I mean I can look at pictures and construct one myself, but I've never grown in a green house. So basically the bottom of the house will be used for the rooms and then once I get the greenhouse built I'll have another area. So please help. I can't seem to grasp a plan. The dilema is that I want something easy but I also want bigger yields. I like to be in the room everyday but I may want to leave for a week. The issue with aero is the power going out in any circumstance...it happens. I don't want to lose a crop. So I was thinking of running coco and then the aero but isn't that kinda crazy? Am I just high? Please help with designs and issues. Get creative as you want. I was even thinking of putting in a mist system or fog that comes on in the middle of the night to coat the leaves. My buddy does this and says he has no insects ever in his garden. K. I'll shut up now and wait for some ideas.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

IME aero & leaving for a week should not be in the same sentence or paragraph.

Sounds like a big plan, 1200 feet or 13,000 watts. Not a small grow. I would go with ebb and flo buckets or tables. Simple and you can use the coco. For power issues, you can run your pumps on a battery backup. But with the tables, I know you can go 24 hours w/o watering.


Make sure to take pics

 

[Grizz]

just to many possibilitys to narrow one down for you. your going to have to decide what works for you and go for it.Im sure it will all fall into place once you get there and figure it out.I love coco myself and hand water but for something as big as your talking auto watering will be a must. I really couldent imagine leaving any kind of grow for a week. I would worry all week.

 

[sarek]

ebb n flow w 6" rockwool and 40 gal res per table. No problem to leave for a few days and still produce unbelievable. Lo tech is more idiotproof than aero.

 

[terminalc]

Ya thats pretty good size. Sounds like you got it down pretty well already. Since you already have most of the equipment i would go ebb n flow with coco. I've been wanting to try out one of the bucket systems, would they work with coco or just hydroton? Is this going to be powered by the grid? Are you worried about the power consumption?

 

[mister420green]

Yamaha - I know leaving for a week is a huge step for me. If I leave for a day I stress. During the past few days I've thought about it and decided against it. I've had way too many failures to risk the power going out or pumps, chiller whatever. So now I'm down to coco and rockwool cubes on 4X8's all with drip of course. Hmmmm, wonder what the better yield is...
Interesting thing is, I found this site on the web (in the wee hours of the morning after smoking a bowl so I don't know where it is) where this guy hooked up solar panels to his pumps. It was the coolest thing. So that may be an idea.

Josey Whales - Ditto. Just like what I said above. I've left for literally 6-8 hours and something has gone wrong. Not just once, but it's like this fucking curse. Damn ladies are too needy.

Sarek - Very nice input. Let me ask you a question on that. With 4X8's how many can you fit per table? Also, rockwool has to be treated every time right? So...let's hypothetically say that 86 can fit per table and I'll probably be running 4 or 5.... that's 5 X 86 that puts me at 430. Steep. I know, but it can be done. But I'm gonna need a big ass container to prep the rockwook, correct? (Sorry, not that familiar with rockwool, always use jiffy pellets)

Terminal C - Ahhh, the good ole power grid. I will be running a generator and adopting solar and wind electricity within the next coming year. I shouldn't be too bad. Worse case scenario, I'll have to chill out on lumen output and try to squeeze as much in as I can. Also, for what it's worth, as long as you pay your bill to the electric company you shouldn't raise any eyebrows. Of course I have friends that get it before it's metered and have been fine for the last 6 years. ( This isn't just one house it's 16) So, I've seen both be beneficial. If you're making enough to pay then pay. But my only input on that is investigate changing your days to 18-20 'total hours' meaning - lights on 6 off 12, or on 7 off 12, or on 8.5 off 12 - whatever you want to put it on. You'll need a cycle timer or be disciplined enough to go in on time (not recommended). This also throws off the software in the power companies software that may be privy to noticing 12/12 tell tale sign. I haven't heard of anybody personally getting nabbed that way, but I do have some friends that work for the electric company and this is what they've told me. Is it true? I don't know, I haven't seen it with my own eyes. To each their own I guess, if you tap, do it right or you're gonna kill yourself. If you produce enough just pay.
Oh, and I do have those buckets but it's like those things gave me bad luck. Not a decent harvest came out of those. So, to me it would be like going back to a girl who slept with my brother...FUCK NO.




BTW thanks for all the replies and input. I'm leaning towards the rockwool, it's just the soaking prep work that I have to get over. I know they've given sick yields, but I'm totally new to that medium. Coco, I love (with the right nutes). Has anyone ever used GH with rockwool with nice success?

 

[yamaha_1fan]

I ran aero before and it was great, plants grew like... weeds LOL. But I had so MANY problems. Pump failed, timers failed, misters clogged, misters popped out of the tubing, etc. Every time, no more did a few hours go by before the problem was found and the plants were almost dead. My moms were bent over almost touching the floor.

I leave my E&F for 2-4 days w/o worry. If nobody is around I set up the DH to drain into one table. Otherwise someone dumps the DH water into the tables..

I think battery backups would be much cheaper than solar panels. Also depends on how long the electric is out. A 2-3 hour outage is not going to hurt anything. My plants have gone 24 hours plus w/o watering cause of my mistake. The system has been very solid.

Also plan on having a work area with maybe a really big sink..

You could use 55 gallon drums to treat that rockwool

 

[mister420green]

Yamaha -- Do you know where the battery backups are found, meaning, can I get them from the shop asking them for 'battery backups'? In all honesty, I've never even seen one... at least not that I can remember. Hmmm, maybe I have and just didn't notice it. If you could, please enlighten me a little more. Thanks for that input. Saving money is what it is all about. I know what you are saying with the aero, I didn't check the ph for about 6 hours the other day and it dropped drastically. Did a res change (only 17 gal, no biggie) and now they're bursting out like they should. I did however run into an issue at 3 am (oh, our wonderful lives) where my light controller box decided to stop working except for 4 outlets. (I run 11 lights)

That little box in the middle is the controller box. Stupid mutherfucker only powers four of my lights now. The 2 in the front and the 2 in the back.



Plus, I'm at the end of my budget, actually way far and extended over my budget, so now I have this to worry about, plus the move coming up, good god, does it ever stop???!!! Man, I cannot tell you how Murphy has had his grasp on my balls for this past year in what some would call a learning experience. I don't regret it, just wish I would've been more prepared. Now everything is good and this shit happens. Have any ideas where to find one of those for dirt ass cheap?