improving my Dr120: Dirt sog or add more dwc buckets?

[phattybudz]

I'll be starting another round in august/september and I'm thinking about every possible way to improve my system. It's in a dr120, 600w lumatek, 6 bucket (modded waterfarm buckets) dwc and I've also got 4+ medium soil plants that sit next to them and on top of the rez/controller bucket right now.

I was thinking I could do a few improvements for next time and I'll most likely have another space available for vegging under fluoros.:

-possibly go c02 and a 1k light (I'd go 1k now but without c02 it would be too hot) My friend has some c02 stuff he'll let me use or sell me for cheap, and I could afford a 1k light if I sold my old 600W stuff I'm sure.

-possibly a fresh air intake? just using passive intakes right now (would this be worth it?)

-Adding 2 more dwc buckets and keeping about 4 small/medium soil plants (this would be pretty easy and cheap, <$50 for buckets, tubing, and airstones right?)

-OR I could do a soil or coco SOG... I'm not sure how many I would want to do/what size. I'm also not sure what I'd have to buy for the soil sog; how much would all the pots and soil cost me? That's all I need right? I'm not worrying about nutes yet.

*edit* OR I could do DWC in rubbermaid containers, not sure how many/which size to use for those dimensions, and how much that would cost...any suggestions?

Opinions on which of those systems could produce more for me?

 

[bluenorth]

why not add one more 600w lumatek. you would end up with 180000 luman versus 130000 from a 1000w. You could air cool the lights with your vent and add co2 in the sealed room.

 

[phattybudz]

Hm, that hadn't occurred to me. I could use 1 6'' vortex to cool both lights with duct splitters? Seeing as how I think I overpaid for my lumatek, I was investigating cheaper options, and besides getting a lumatek online for cheaper, I saw THIS
on ebay. I'm sure everyone will advise me against it but it's $175 for ballast, reflector, bulb, and a free timer... which is RIDICULOUSLY cheap! Probably too good to be true? It would be $400 for a lumatek/yield master 2/super hps on bghydro...

 

[phattybudz]

Well I thought about this a little more and I think for at least the next run I'm going to do an experiment and run 6 buckets and 4-6 soil plants, and see which turns out better now that I feel a bit more confident I won't screw them up. If my buckets yield more I'll stick with em, put in 2 more and still have room for 4 small or 2 medium soil plants.

I'm probably going to add c02 and maybe another 600.

 

[Harry Gypsna]

id say fresh air intake fan for sure-before even thinking fo messing with Co2.
i wouldnt use a 1000 in that tent mate even aircooled thats gonna be a bitch and a thou needs to go like 50-60 cm above the tops(I know ive used em and seen the scorching) so thats a lot of height ur losing.
I wouldnt even bother with the Co2 at all until ur decided on what growing setup ur using, have used it several times and have it totally dialled in. Using co2 is a waste of money and gas unless youve got absoloutely everything else running totally perfect, consistently.
What have you got in the way of enviromental controls? im building a friggin excellent controller for the venilation, low speed at lights off, mid speed when the lights are on-but if the temp rises a thermostat will turn it to full speed, and turn on a heater if needed at night. Using a 5 step transformer speed controller( not a dimmer/triac/potentiometer) and the ATC800 aquarium temop controller. Watch out for it-gonna be called super duper fan controller

 

[phattybudz]

That sounds sick, all I'm doing right now is running a 6'' vortex at med-high when the lights are on, I'd do it stronger but I'm venting out a window and the noise of the rattling blinds would be sketchy. And I've got a water chiller...

I think you're probably right about the c02, I was just thinking since I was going to be able to use it for free from a friend it might be worth a try.

What do you think about two 600's, too hot unless I got another fan probably?

As far as the intake goes, what kind/what cfm would you recommend?

 

[Harry Gypsna]

Hi, In that size tent, to be honest a single 600 is perfect- its what that tent size is designed around really.
the basic rule with iontake and oiutake fans is the intake fan should be between 30-50% less powerful than your extraction fan...generally whichever fan u use for extraction-pick the next size down from the same range to use for input. If you were using for example a Systemair RVK 150A1, 6 inch, moving 450 M3/Hr to extract, the you would want to get the next size down so the RVK 125, 5 inch 225 M3/Hr for the intake.
Oh yeah, sorry I dont know how to convert the cubic metres per hour rating which our fans over here in the UK and europe are measured by into CFM
Is your light in an aircooled hood or cooltube, using a third fan for that would be more efficient too...
there are lots of things you can do to tweak your enviroment.... look in my sig for a basic type temperature/speed controller unit(you may have to find local parts and check the wiring with someone who knows the score where you are) or watch out for my new one coming as soon as its finsihed(not cheap but shit-hot)...
im really jealous of your darkroom....ive been eyeing those tents for about 8 months...just havent got enough height in the building my grow is at currently.... Ive got a friend who is using the same one youve got and the 240-the one thats like 2 of yours side by side, he vegges in the 120 and flowers in the 240-that would be my ideal combo... secret jardin have got a 480 as well-now thats a fuckin tent LOL, jez, you could live in that thing if times were really rough haha.
Be lucky

 

[PurplePotion]

I'll be running a 400W CMH and a 600W HPS in my DR120. Both lights are in SuperSun2 hoods. Going to be using a 276CFM Dayton to cool the lights separately, and a separate 276CFM Dayton for tent exhaust through a carbon filter. Hopefully this will be enough to keep the temps in check.. if not, I'll just buy a bigger fan for the lights .

Plan on doing a perpetual soil grow in 5x5 pots. They will start under the CMH, and work their way towards the HPS side week by week.. by the end of the bloom they will be completely under the HPS.

 

[phattybudz]

cool thanks for the input guys, I think I'll spring for an intake, will that increase my yield? I'll look into a controller too when Im settled at my new place, and get my veg space up and running quick.

I love the darkroom after ditching an HH! I will get another if I don't have closet space for sure.