Live Stoners Distance grower

[Slater]

@Slater any ideas how to increase the temp in the tent? It's in the garage so starting to really suffer from the cold. I thought maybe one of two options: increase light cycle to 24/0 from 18/6 or add a small oil filled rad like below...
maybe turn off the monkey fan too?
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in a garage you say, with a bit of elbow grease (and you will need to throw some money at it) we can sort it... I grow in a uninsulated loft all year so I'm a dab hand at battling temps... it will take bit of effort on your part. I will be honest, no easy fix here.

Your first move is to insulated your tent and stop heat from escaping... I recommend insulation foam board (foil both sides) of minium of 5cm thick (the 10cm is the best and if you can afford it get it) its pricey but worth every penny you save on heating over the winter... also it will help keep the heat out in the summer, two jobs for the price of one... if the tent is on your garage floor I would also get some insulation underneath it or raise up on a small platform... It cost's but this will save you the most money over time.

after you have addressed the the tent I would install a heating system on a thermostat (Inkbird thermostat controller is what to look for)... You are best off with a couple (maybe 3) tube heaters on the floor, get the 3ft 180w ones that's what I use and it does the job pretty well. Only the coldest of coldest nights have they struggled... With the controller you can set it to day and night temp as well... gets real fun dialing in the perfect environment each grow. You will love having that control over your tent.

Where do you draw your intake air from ? ... this is an area people forget to think about is the temp of the air coming into the tent, get some control over that and your in business.... I draw my intake air from the house so I utilized the heating through the winter and in the summer I get the cool air from up stairs in the house... bonus factor in the winter due to windows being closed the CO2 builds up in the house and I get to draw into the tents... free CO2 at levels that would shock you. You will be amazed at how much it builds up... I see a huge difference in my grows in the winter, I always get that couple more Oz than expected out of each grow.

I would either go full 24 / 0 or 20 / 4 for light cycle to help keep the temps up

I know it sound a lot but its the only way to deal with this is to go full hog or you will chasing your tail until summer, trust me I have been through all this and there is only one way to solve it and that's money and plenty of effort... basically you have to design an insulted heat controlled box

Give me a bit and will get you some pics of my set up from the out side to show you what I have done.

 

[Slater]

another thing you may need to address is your water rez temps, if they drop below lets say about 15c you will need to get a fish tank heater (set to 19c-20c)... your using auto pots so I don't know weather you will need one seen as some of the nute solution is standing still in the tent warming up... you may not need it but its worth having as a back up.

 

[Chronic_passion]

Thanks bud, that all makes sense and I can arrange all of that but it won't be for a couple of weeks. I'll look at modifying the setup after this grow for the future. Kingspan boards are exceptionally good. I currently have a layer of laminate flooring underlay under these pots but after your suggestion above I'll get extra Kingspan to cover the base of the tent.
I'll also look into the Inkbird and tube headers as suggested. I can have them delivered and ready for when I get back.
In the mean time I'll remove the timer and get the system on 24/0 to try and keep the temps up.
I had thought about the heater for the res but wasn't sure if it would be wasted energy if the water sits in the Autopot trays. Having said that I have read the nutes are best dished up at 20C and with winter well on its way... could be a good option to stop it possibly freezing!
My intake is simply the Velcro vent opened up in the side of the tent. I think this is obviously why GG is so purple. It's right in front of the open vent. Good to know about the feed from the house and the CO2. I don't think there's a way I can do the same but I'll investigate.
Really appreciate all your help and would love to see a pic of your setup for inspiration.

 

[Slater]

here you @Chronic_ passion that's sounds like a plan get the grow finished and do the up grades, you may find correx cheaper than kingspan, depends where you get it from.

this is with 5cm board... you will need to fashion a door of sorts that holds it self up

this is the inkbird I use... I love this bit of kit

if you draw you intake air from the house I recommend you use insulated ducting, it keeps the the air warmer and stops condensation from building up in your ducting... there can be a lot of moister in your home from breathing

forgot to ask where does your extraction air go?

 

[Chronic_passion]

Dude that looks like a sweet setup.
I've managed to source the Inkbird and heaters. Another great step to full automation. They're being shipped as I type.
I've been meaning to sort out the garage for a while, so I'll design a proper home for the girls... all nice and cosy with a lot more privacy.
My extraction air just pumps into the garage. Ducting just rests on top of the tent. The Rhino pro filter does an amazing job eliminating their perfume! Seems like wasted warm air to me. Any suggestions?

 

[Slater]

My extraction air just pumps into the garage. Ducting just rests on top of the tent. The Rhino pro filter does an amazing job eliminating their perfume! Seems like wasted warm air to me. Any suggestions?

just keep an eye on your RH, you maybe OK throughout the winter but buy summer unless your garage is well ventilated you may hit some problems... your ideal situation would be to extract away from the garage, maybe though a vent, under the tiles, into a cavity wall space, under the floor

 

[Chronic_passion]

@Slater sorry for hassling you but you seem to have got your environmentals tuned! You're also in the same climate as me, so your my best source off advice
Just read all 64 pages of Slaters Loft...
I must say in impressed with how fast you've come and all the mods. Now I'm dreaming of invisiblesun LED boards... Kudos my man
Anyway, it's made me think a lot about our last comms regarding my temp issues. Especially regarding your hotbox... you mention in the thread that you were going to do a write up of your hotbox build but I can't find it anywhere?
I have a small oil rad lying around and plenty of acoustic ducting. Do you think it'd be worth building one for my setup?
You also say it's linked to your Inkbird... would you suggest running the hotbox and tube heaters on the same device?
I also saw you mention about an SMSCOM for your RVK. I have the 6" which is waaay too powerful for my setup so I've bought one to help moderate the extraction. Which in turn should also help with temps.
Cheers for your help once again

 

[Chronic_passion]

Update Day [HASHTAG]#64[/HASHTAG]... starting to fatten up nicely
BM seems to be loving life in the back right and GSC's shade leaves are starting to yellow...

 

[Slater]

@Slater sorry for hassling you but you seem to have got your environmentals tuned! You're also in the same climate as me, so your my best source off advice
Just read all 64 pages of Slaters Loft...
I must say in impressed with how fast you've come and all the mods. Now I'm dreaming of invisiblesun LED boards... Kudos my man
Anyway, it's made me think a lot about our last comms regarding my temp issues. Especially regarding your hotbox... you mention in the thread that you were going to do a write up of your hotbox build but I can't find it anywhere?
I have a small oil rad lying around and plenty of acoustic ducting. Do you think it'd be worth building one for my setup?
You also say it's linked to your Inkbird... would you suggest running the hotbox and tube heaters on the same device?
I also saw you mention about an SMSCOM for your RVK. I have the 6" which is waaay too powerful for my setup so I've bought one to help moderate the extraction. Which in turn should also help with temps.
Cheers for your help once again

give me a bit and shall draw you a diagram on how to biuld one, its dead easy... its a mini oil rad (on a inkbird thermostat) placed in a large lined cardboard box (insulation foil backing for radiators to line the box). Holes at each for the for the intake air going through the box... As the air get's drawn in to the box it get warmed up. It help to have your main extraction fan on controller so you can then slow the air down... I also cover the box in loft insulation just help

 

[Chronic_passion]

give me a bit and shall draw you a diagram on how to biuld one, its dead easy... its a mini oil rad (on a inkbird thermostat) placed in a large lined cardboard box (insulation foil backing for radiators to line the box). Holes at each for the for the intake air going through the box... As the air get's drawn in to the box it get warmed up. It help to have your main extraction fan on controller so you can then slow the air down... I also cover the box in loft insulation just help

Thanks @Slater. The description is enough. I'm quite creative so I'll knock something together.
So do I understand correctly that the hotbox is on the Inkbird but the tube rads are on 24/0? Would you not put both on the Inkbird?
I've sorted the SMSCOM for my main extractor so that'll slow things down.
Thanks for your help