What's new
  • ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!

"the high-pod"

hazeydayz

Member
Mind doing a DIY tutorial, your name shall live on ahaha
seriously though, your project did amazing and deserves to be replicated by others ahaa so please think about making one and get back to us soon, take care
 

hazeydayz

Member
Hey since the sockets used are the special ones the have a clip (preventing the lights from slipping out) would it work to get the regular 2G11 Sockets and doing it so that the socket is at the bottom supporting the bulb on the bottom...so basically upside down. would this hold the lights well? Thanks

I ask this because it is quite hard to find the 2G11 Sockets from the retailer that have the clips
 

fatigues

Active member
Veteran
Hey since the sockets used are the special ones the have a clip (preventing the lights from slipping out) would it work to get the regular 2G11 Sockets and doing it so that the socket is at the bottom supporting the bulb on the bottom...so basically upside down. would this hold the lights well? Thanks

I ask this because it is quite hard to find the 2G11 Sockets from the retailer that have the clips

Sometimes, retail is not the way to go. But it just takes a phone call and your parts will be available to you without much fuss. The part you want is a 2G11 socket, part # CF2G11-RSM-REL.

An electrical supply company is the best source for those sockets. They can order them in as a special order from an Etlin Daniels distributor. They are not that expensive and most electrical supply companies can order from Etlin Daniels (ED is a huge electrical parts supplier with a global business.)
 
1

10jed

Just thought I would throw this out there since it popped into my head. Great thread btw... really good idea!

Anyways, a gutted water heater would really shine being set up like this.
They are often elevated off the floor so bottom intake would work

It is not uncommon for a home to have 2 water heaters

A drain leading to a floor drain wouldn't be odd

They often use a "power vent" so that would explain the fan and noise as well as the exposed vent pipe out the side wall

They are often wrapped in insulating blankets which would be a stealthy way to cover access points.

To see how a power vent water heater is set up you could probably visit a model home during an open house. Power vented water heaters are more energy efficient and are commonly used in new construction.

I've never gutted a water heater before but I'm reasonably sure it could be done.

Also, as opposed to drainless soil, hempy method would possibly work nice in this although lights would have to be further off the bottom I would think... maybe shorter tubes and more of them.

anyways, great idea, and I hope this can help someone out!

Jed
 

kcbudz31

Member
I like the water heater idea - you'd also have no problem running a fresh water supply line inside the cab if you so wished!
 

yesum

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I wonder if you could get away with 4 lights and get a similar yield?
 

geemail

New member
Can anyone tell what is the piece that looks like glass under the lid?
[FONT=&quot]Infectualize[/FONT], said it was reflective but looks like glass?

Any ideas? I can see it is spaced to allow for the air movement.

G
 
This was a sick grow. That water heater idea is more brilliant. If anyone decides to do a thread on that please let me know.
 
Last edited:

BoneGlass

New member
Hope it's alright to bump this older thread. I plan to do a similar grow but had some questions first.

I was thinking of using 9 55w lights instead of 6 (using 3 workhorse 7 ballasts). Will this be too many lumens for the space? I'm not going to be using CO2 if that matters. Would the added electricity cost be worth it?

Also, I was wondering if yield would be better with one big plant or with 3 cuts of the same plant grown close together in the middle. I will be using a 5 gallon DWC bucket underneath the trashcan. The single larger plant seems like it would be a better producer, but I'm not sure. Would the larger plant take a lot longer in veg?

Thanks in advance!
 

yesum

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
^^ i have no experience of growing with these, but will offer advice anyways. i would say the hi-pod could have done as well with 4 lights, so no do not overload your grow with lumens. about 7000 lumens per square foot is the limit without co2. i suppose you will get a little more growth with more lumens, but it is diminishing returns. inefectualize was not going for grams per watt btw.

if you have money to spare tho, do what you will. also, he needed reflectors behind the bulbs for a good increase in light and yield. one other thing, he needed more space for the plant to fill in imo. these lights will penetrate a good 10 inches, plan for a 20 inch or larger diameter plant(i would go larger). if he had done all that i said, i think he could have gotten a gram a watt. that plant was about 18 inches diameter by my guess
 

Anti

Sorcerer's Apprentice
Veteran
Great idea... who can explain the vents to me? :X


Thanks,

Black Doctor, M.D.


He's using transparent cylinders (likely the kind that you get to put over standard 4ft fluorescent tubes at the hardware store). The cylinder goes around the light and is attached to an elbow joint that pulls fresh air in from outside the highpod.

That way, when the lid is on and the exhaust fan is running, fresh (cooler) air is pulled through the tubes and over the lights, constantly cooling them by extracting the heat before it can get to the plants.
 

blackdoctormd

New member
He's using transparent cylinders (likely the kind that you get to put over standard 4ft fluorescent tubes at the hardware store). The cylinder goes around the light and is attached to an elbow joint that pulls fresh air in from outside the highpod.

That way, when the lid is on and the exhaust fan is running, fresh (cooler) air is pulled through the tubes and over the lights, constantly cooling them by extracting the heat before it can get to the plants.

Ahh... That makes sense. Thanks.

Also, by drainless soil mix do you mean a mix that doesnt have to be flushed? Can someone elaborate please?


Thanks,

Black Doctor, M.D.
 

jdmramon

New member
Congradulations on your yield, when I first saw this thread I was interested in the one plant many lights method you took and was rather surprised at your high numbers. I enjoyed reading this thread and thought it was a great experiment. And please dont take any offense to this, But why have the lights on the side where only one plant soaks up all the energy and not have the lights in the middle facing outwards and more area of canopy?
 
I think you should make a DIY kit with nutes nad all, but with everything prewired, so you just have to plug and play. all thats needed in a trash can and a few tools and your on the way to getting 5+ounces lol
 

justinb721

New member
. I would like to eventually have four of them each with a plant that is two weeks younger than the next, so it would be kind of a perpetual harvest.


I know this thread is old but I had an idea that involves the 4 can perpetual harvest. 4 cans is a great idea but 4 cans of the same size may be less effeciant as 4 different size cans. I thought you could start a plant in a 5 gallon bucket using the same technique as your large can. As the plant grows move it to a larger can. And so on. Saveing electric and also using it more effeciently. Shit ,you could even use your can you have now as the 3rd can and do the final in a 55 gallon drum or bigger! All with the 1 fan.
 

fatigues

Active member
Veteran
. I would like to eventually have four of them each with a plant that is two weeks younger than the next, so it would be kind of a perpetual harvest.

I know this thread is old but I had an idea that involves the 4 can perpetual harvest. 4 cans is a great idea but 4 cans of the same size may be less effeciant as 4 different size cans. I thought you could start a plant in a 5 gallon bucket using the same technique as your large can. As the plant grows move it to a larger can. And so on. Saveing electric and also using it more effeciently. Shit ,you could even use your can you have now as the 3rd can and do the final in a 55 gallon drum or bigger! All with the 1 fan.

Hey. It may ba two year old thread - but it is also one of the most influential threads on ICM. It merits the attention.

I have a couple of units which are variants of these (the PLLar). You can use one fan to operate two of them more or less reliably, but not three. There are too many points where the air flows in to each unit; consequently, the air flow is not balanced or equal when you start adding multiple units.

I would recommend one fan per unit. I use a TD-100x. It's quiet, smooth and has a powerful airflow and is utterly reliable.

I would not recommend using units like this for a perpetual harvest. If you want something like that, go for a more standard 400wCMH scrog grow or 600 HPS in a cab/room or in a tent, in the same manner of hundreds of other grows shown on ICM.

The niche and strength of a 330w in 44 gallon can (or 440w in a 55gal barrel) High-Pod style grow is its ability to deliver a significant amount of indica weed (6 to 8.5 ounces) from seed in a simple to use unit that does not use HID in about 4 to 4.5 months.

(You should NOT use this style grow for a sativa or sativa dominant plant. Even a 55 gallon barrel is not tall enough and your yeild will greatly suffer.)

If you are smoking 1 to 1.5 ounces a month for personal use, the indica output of this unit is as "perpetual" as it needs to be even if you simply germinate from seed every time. You'll always have weed and a fair bit of it too - without having so much weed (or plants) that a bust will result in a charge that will attract a serious sentence in most jurisdictions. It's called growing smart. It is not, however, a grow method which will ever make you rich.

That's the strenth and main advantage of the Hi-Pod. For a personal grow? Ideal.

To do these units correctly and squeeze out maximum performance from them, you need to take care in their assembly and use quality parts. For exmaple, the "$20 fart-fan-in-a-bucket" approach is just not a reliable method of cooling, let alone for odour control -- and it is WAY too loud. You need to use a decent fan here. Cool tubes? Again - build it smart and solid. Go with clear 2" Central Vac Tubing and elbows not with flimsy T12 tube guards.

As you proceed along and add hydroponics (drip, DWC or Low Pessure Aero - it all works) to these grow units too, it all adds up. This increases the cost of each grow unit considerably and before too long, you will find it is simply not economical to use this method to obtain larger yields. (Hydroponics can shave a few weeks of time off of your grow cycle though!)

Every tool has its uses. A 440w High-Pod style grow is all about obtaining a great personal harvest from one plant without going to HID. In that sense, it is one of the ultimate micro-grow style methods. It is especially fun as the high yield from just one plant stems from a phenomenally bushy growth that not even those using 1000w bulbs see from their own plants. It also helps that you are growing them in white light -- the plant is more attractive to look at and interact with during the course of the grow under white light.

If everybody had one of these units in their basement, there would not be another joint sold on planet earth ever again.

But even though I am a huge fan of this style of growing, I freely admit that this tech does not scale on a practical basis. Beyond its niches - I would look to other solutions.
 
Top