NEED ADVICE ON 2400w SETUP

[KarlosKlone]

Hello folks! Starting a new Op in a few weeks and need some advice.
Here's the dimentions of the room I have to work with:
6'Hx 5.5'Wx 18'L

My two options:

4-600w HPS
4- plants per lamp
SCROG method using Blumats to water.
3gal pots of coco

OR....

4- 600w HPS
20 plants per lamp
SOG METHOD in 1gal pots of coco on 2- 3x6 flood tables using Pico's drip manifold and floraflex drippers.

My area of main concern is my height restrictions. 10-12" for the hood and a few inches between ceiling and hood, 12-16" for bulb-to-canopy clearance, 2' for plants, and 2' for drain table/pots. REALLY Cuts it close. I LOVE the SOG compared to SCROG, due to the lack of training and no veg time. I have a veg room, but vegging out 16 large plants and training them is much more time and space consuming vs vegging 3-4 mothers and just cloning for SOG.

Also, with 2400w of air cooled lighting, will heat be a major concern? The temperature in the winter in the room is around 45-50F. I have a heater on a timer (for the lights OFF Period) just in case but can't set up AC in this grow.

 

[Speed of green]

if you can exchange the air 2x per minute then you should be able to match the ambient temperature.

id go for the sea of green, make sure your drip is setup proper, hand watering 80 plants with a pump and wand multiple times a day will not be fun.

you can put the trays inches off the floor and run the tray drain to short hose into a condensate pump. the condensate pump turns on automatically when water is present. pump to a drain or a handy 50 gal drum.

also PICO's drip field/loop works well with open 1/4" lines, but if you wanna put drippers on them you will need a diaphragm pump to supply adequate pressure, your standard mag drive pump doesnt have the pressure to push water through drippers.

also if you go the dripper route you should look into pressure compensating drippers, they deliver equal quantities every time.

There is a landscape supply place i do most of my shopping at, they have very good prices and locations across the country. EWING IRRIGATION


this is my setup,

reservoir>diaphragm pump>accumulator tank>pressure regulator>check valve>black 1/2" tubing>black 1/2" tubing>stake>2GPH pressure compensating dripper

these plants are all in greenhouses (2.5gal coco) but the principle is the same, they are watered multiple times a day on a timer with no issues.

To setup 80 plants in a small room you should spend less than $200 if you buy the bits and pieces from the right place.

Also you can build your own trays for really cheap if you're handy. order up some EPDM from amazon, or if you have a buddy who is a roofer you might be able to get it locally, some plywood, 2x4's, a through hull fitting for the drain, a stapler and a drill.

 

[DunHav`nFun]

Much respect for showin personal experience with your setups Speed...now....

Not to take away from OP`s thread , but what`re your plans with bare bulbs in vertical cooltubes using flood tables ?......that said....

Back to the thread....Everything Speed spoke of on top fed setups is spot on , although I rocked Pico designed setups with 1/4" open end driptubing with basket stakes that sprayed 360 degrees around the containers without getting near the mainstems......

The biggest question is can you dial the clone factory it takes to feed the beast with a SOG setup , and if so more crops per yr will be rewarded with increased plant numbers versus increased veg time on less plants guaranteed.....but....

Pico manifolds demand equal length tubing to each plantsite for equal flow and pressure once manifold is pressurized , but with pressure compensated drippers that`re guaranteed to clog at some point in the game when least expected , the use of Dripclean @ .4 ml per gal is needed to prevent residual salt buildup in feed equipment for insurance.....now....

Vegtime for SOG without strain knowledge of how much each plant will stretch once 12/12 trigger is pulled creates the "X" factor , and IME you`d be better off by using fully rooted clones with maybe a weeks veg to acclimate the plants to the big lights and then flip em.....that way you know where they end up by end of stretch in relation to the lights so you can add appropriate vegtime the next run if needed for more stretch , foliage and budsites for yield increase.....anyways....

Multiple top fed drip sequences have been proven to be some of the best producing setups to date with coco once dialed , and remember with 80 plants , you need 1 oz plants for 5 lbs just as a reference , , so vegtime will need adjusting with each strain to optimize max yields from the grow area....regardless....

Good luck .....DHF..........

 

[KarlosKlone]

Much respect for showin personal experience with your setups Speed...now....

Not to take away from OP`s thread , but what`re your plans with bare bulbs in vertical cooltubes using flood tables ?......that said....

Back to the thread....Everything Speed spoke of on top fed setups is spot on , although I rocked Pico designed setups with 1/4" open end driptubing with basket stakes that sprayed 360 degrees around the containers without getting near the mainstems......

The biggest question is can you dial the clone factory it takes to feed the beast with a SOG setup , and if so more crops per yr will be rewarded with increased plant numbers versus increased veg time on less plants guaranteed.....but....

Pico manifolds demand equal length tubing to each plantsite for equal flow and pressure once manifold is pressurized , but with pressure compensated drippers that`re guaranteed to clog at some point in the game when least expected , the use of Dripclean @ .4 ml per gal is needed to prevent residual salt buildup in feed equipment for insurance.....now....

Vegtime for SOG without strain knowledge of how much each plant will stretch once 12/12 trigger is pulled creates the "X" factor , and IME you`d be better off by using fully rooted clones with maybe a weeks veg to acclimate the plants to the big lights and then flip em.....that way you know where they end up by end of stretch in relation to the lights so you can add appropriate vegtime the next run if needed for more stretch , foliage and budsites for yield increase.....anyways....

Multiple top fed drip sequences have been proven to be some of the best producing setups to date with coco once dialed , and remember with 80 plants , you need 1 oz plants for 5 lbs just as a reference , , so vegtime will need adjusting with each strain to optimize max yields from the grow area....regardless....

Good luck .....DHF..........

I can keep the room supplied with enough clones. I'll need 80-100 clones every eight weeks, taken when flowering room reaches week 6 of flowering. This way, the day I harvest I can do a deep clean of the room and plant the next run.

I'm doing exactly what you mentioned in another location. Multi feed on PC drippers. Floraflex 2GPH to be exact. 1gal pots of coco with c99 rooted in root riot plugs. Given one week to establish themselves once rooted. then straight into flower. 24 plants per 1K.

This new room will be 40 per 3x6 tray. Here's where I need some help guys: my electrical situation here for this setup is 2 separate lines on their own breakers. They are both 10-15amp breakers with what looks like 12/2 wiring. One socket per line. When I hooked up TWO 600w lights on one surge protector into one of the lines and watched for 30min. Both igniting at the same time did not trip the breaker or the strip, but after 30min the surge protector cord was very warm. guy at the hydro store warned me that 2 lights on one outlet was not safe.

 

[Speed of green]

you can get a beefier surge protector, one rated for 2000 watts should do. i never used surge protectors, most ballasts have a fuse next to the plug.

 

[KarlosKlone]

Installed 20amp breakers for each line. Each line is running two 600w lamps. Going to do a SOG under 2, and SCROG a couple overgrown mothers from the veg room under the other two. I have an 8" inline fan exhausting the 4 lamps. 750CFM. Will this be adequate? Here's how I plan to vent:

==>light==light= =light==light<==
¥
Fan
V
scrubber

 

[DunHav`nFun]

Just remember .....Volts x Amps = Watts.....

110/115/120 x 20 = 22/23/2400 watts with 75% useable safely so 2-600`s is 1/2 usage +/- and fine.....

For over 20 yrs I aired on the side of caution and ran each 600 on it`s own 15 amp breaker for fire safety due to growing in
unoccupied rental homes.....now....

However much restriction from the 750 cfm fan coming from 4 lights and thru the flex duct and scrubber will determine what environmental factors will be needed for dialage inside the room.....anyways.....that`s the X factor and will only be learned by the doing to see the outcome for future needs....

Hope all goes well.....and....

Peace.....DHF........