Never saw those in my country
What are they? To drop in the containers or to "be" the containers? Because I already have the containers I will be using, not gonna replace them anytime soon.
Minimum DWC Res Temps?
- Thread starter karmeron
- Start date
What are they? To drop in the containers or to "be" the containers? Because I already have the containers I will be using, not gonna replace them anytime soon.
The Waiter
Active Member
hmmm well im out of ideas for the time being. Ill see if i can think up anything cheap and creative
Well I suppose dropping bottles of warm water in them during lights out will be ok, a bit annoying having to do it everyday, but it wont be for the whole year. Or I'll have to bite the bullet and get a cheap heater.
At least though I know that it wont actually damage plants that cold, but just slow them up, which isnt too bad. temps are currently 57F in the air pump room, so its not too bad at the moment.
Well personally I'd bite the bullet and do the hot water bottle thing and get those root temps up! I've been battling for 2 weeks of 60* temps, I finally got my water temps up to 67* two days ago and everything you see white happened just last night! Finally!!
BeaverHuntr
Well-Known Member
They are the water jugs you see sport teams use to drink on the side line of soccer, basketball any major sport.Never saw those in my country
BeaverHuntr
Well-Known Member
My water temps got as low as 58 in the winter and it didnt effect the plant at all, then again this was in flower so a young plant in veg lower temps might slow the growth a little ..
That's possible. I'm dealing with babies so a more mature plant can handle the cooler temps. I saw your results so I'm not going to dispute anything!
And now I won't stress out if my water temps drop a bit once they grow up a bit more.In my current situation, my plants weren't thriving, droopy, yellow, etc. even after fixing everything else! I changed water temps and they became much healthier. As long as this trend continues why change?
I guess it comes down to just watching your plants and let them "tell" you what they need. Let's say, even if they are in 40* water (highly exaggerated) with big healthy green leaves and just a bit of slow growth, why change what's working?
BeaverHuntr
Well-Known Member
Ohh i agree plants in veg are fragile so stick with what works for you.. Every strain is different I always tell people who want to grow to " do your home work" find a growing method and stick with it and BE PATIENT ..That's possible. I'm dealing with babies so a more mature plant can handle the cooler temps. I saw your results so I'm not going to dispute anything!
In my current situation, my plants weren't thriving, droopy, yellow, etc. even after fixing everything else! I changed water temps and they became much healthier. As long as this trend continues why change?
I guess it comes down to just watching your plants and let them "tell" you what they need. Let's say, even if they are in 40* water (highly exaggerated) with big healthy green leaves and just a bit of slow growth, why change what's working?
I was thinking of this heater here - hxxp://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=11047513&fh_view_size=150&fh_start_index=0&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=heater&fh_eds=%DF&fh_refview=search&ts=1294354024299&isSearch=true to heat the intake air for the water pump. As its electricity it doesnt give off CO2 (no fuel/flame), so I wouldnt be pumping CO2 into the rootzone. Would this be ok on the lowest setting, just to get the temps up maybe 10F just on lights off?
I was planning on running in the cold temps, bt I didnt know it affected vegging plants as much as it does
I was planning on running in the cold temps, bt I didnt know it affected vegging plants as much as it does
BCcannabis
Well-Known Member
Once you get your grow room temps up your res will warm up too and hold its heat through the dark cycle.
How does it hold the temps during lights off?
BCcannabis
Well-Known Member
When there is a change in room temp, the res will "hold" its heat a little longer then the room. Just because air is not as good an insulator as water. Also not sure if it has been mentioned but if your pots are directly on a concrete floor it will make the water colder.
And I know it still may not be feasible for your purpose but just wanted to show you that aquarium heaters are cheap and not a huge electricity user. These are only $0.99 on ebay and use 50w of power, they are made to be in ponds and aquairums so i think would be safe enough directly in your res's.
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-50-W-Automatic-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Pond-Water-Heater-/390278065077?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ade62abb5
And a lot of people use the frozen water bottles, so i would give the hot water bottles a shot, might be surprised with the results. Have you done this yet?
And I know it still may not be feasible for your purpose but just wanted to show you that aquarium heaters are cheap and not a huge electricity user. These are only $0.99 on ebay and use 50w of power, they are made to be in ponds and aquairums so i think would be safe enough directly in your res's.
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-50-W-Automatic-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Pond-Water-Heater-/390278065077?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ade62abb5
And a lot of people use the frozen water bottles, so i would give the hot water bottles a shot, might be surprised with the results. Have you done this yet?
Thanks for the advice. I have foam underneath the containers for insulation.
I dont think those heaters are 99c, thats just the starting price and they dont ship to my country
also an extra 300w total is a fair bit.
I havent tried the water bottles yet, still waiting on some parts (shipped, but not delivered), as soon as i get them I can test the whole thing out. If your saying that the water holds heat longer than air and warmer air temps will heat the water, il probably be ok as I have an air heater for the intake for "lights off" so that should keep the air temps in acceptable range and at the same time keep the containers at the right temp. As soon as i get the rest of the parts il test run it and see where im at.
Insulation is perfect! If you have any blankets, newspapers, old magazines (you get the idea) wrap them around your water tanks.Thanks for the advice. I have foam underneath the containers for insulation.
I dont think those heaters are 99c, thats just the starting price and they dont ship to my country
also an extra 300w total is a fair bit.
I havent tried the water bottles yet, still waiting on some parts (shipped, but not delivered), as soon as i get them I can test the whole thing out. If your saying that the water holds heat longer than air and warmer air temps will heat the water, il probably be ok as I have an air heater for the intake for "lights off" so that should keep the air temps in acceptable range and at the same time keep the containers at the right temp. As soon as i get the rest of the parts il test run it and see where im at.
We are dealing with thermodynamics. Whether you are talking hot or cold, both of these properties "radiate" towards each other in an attempt to equally mix and reach an equilibrium. Insulation is basically the process of keeping two different environments from reaching equilibrium through the radiant exchange of energy.
Different materials transfer this "radiant" energy at different rates and basically in this order from lowest rate to highest rate and based on materials normally used in a grow room and with the same amount of energy being introduced into the outside environment (lighting, pumps, etc.):
- Foam/fiberglass Insulation
- wood, plastic, newspaper, blankets, towels, your warm body
- water
- air
The trick is getting your water temps to an optimum temperature and keeping them there as long as possible by slowing energy (heat/cold) transfer by using insulating materials. Then do daily checks and adjustments. In your case do something to warm the water in your tanks to 75* and then let the temps slowly drop through the day (lights on). The better you insulate means the rate of your swing will be lower over the same time period.
Put it this way, unless you can keep the air temperature of your grow space at 68*, which is hardly reasonable, you need to insulate to slow down the rate of energy exchanged between your water environment and your grow space...period.
Same goes with your grow space, heat/cool the air to the right temp and then insulate the space to reduce the amount of energy transfer to the outside space.
And trust me, I've done everything you can do to an air pump to try to get the water temps to change including running the air pump in a freezer!!! Unless you are running in less than a gallon of water you won't see any real change.
Yes it's what I believe from experience. I've been battling water temps for almost a year now. First it was too hot and I had brown slimy roots. Then I try again in winter and now it's too cold. Both time though, I kept trying to fix the water, while just ignoring and living with high Air Temps (88*) in summer and low air temps in winter (62*). So now I've changed it up. The cabinet is sealed and insulated. Air only enters the cab from where I want it to come in. I now try and make sure that incoming air is between 65* and 75*. I do this by hooking my fans up to a fan controller and controlling how fast air is moved through the cabinet. If it's too cold I slow down the fans and let the light heat things up. If it's too hot, I speed the fans up and get rid of the heat. Below is a link to my grow journal right at the point where I'm dealing with this. Read from this point forward and see if this all doesn't make sense for you.
https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/311054-variety-grow-perpetual-mini-scrogs-10.html#post5131587
So far I have to give a resounding FIX. I just upgraded my bulb from 250w MH to a 400w CMH bulb which raised cab temps up by 6 degrees. Turned up the fans and brought it right back down. Check it out and tell me what you think about it.
Yes it's what I believe from experience. I've been battling water temps for almost a year now. First it was too hot and I had brown slimy roots. Then I try again in winter and now it's too cold. Both time though, I kept trying to fix the water, while just ignoring and living with high Air Temps (88*) in summer and low air temps in winter (62*). So now I've changed it up. The cabinet is sealed and insulated. Air only enters the cab from where I want it to come in. I now try and make sure that incoming air is between 65* and 75*. I do this by hooking my fans up to a fan controller and controlling how fast air is moved through the cabinet. If it's too cold I slow down the fans and let the light heat things up. If it's too hot, I speed the fans up and get rid of the heat. Below is a link to my grow journal right at the point where I'm dealing with this. Read from this point forward and see if this all doesn't make sense for you.
https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/311054-variety-grow-perpetual-mini-scrogs-10.html#post5131587
Hi mate, nice cab, very neat and well built, I like a grower that pays attention to detail
. So it seems the key to your issues was air temps and insulation.I saw you had a lot of problems at the start, glad you got them sorted.
Have you ever read any of "lucas's" threads?
Check this out - http://www.cannabis-world.org/cw/showthread.php?t=892
Its a very long thread, but if you manage to get through it, it might make your or any grow a hell of a lot simpler, things like H202 is not a fix for any problems and no need to use it ever if your water temps + pump powerful enough (H2O2 only adds a quick/temporary source of O2 to the water) and simplifying nutrient usage (that was Lucas main focus - simplifying). That thread was a god-send for me, it gives you info on all the little things too. Its a good read.
Thanks for the info on the insulation and air temp stuff, I have a gas heater for the air temps and a fan controller on the way, so i should be fine. As soon as I get the controller I can test the whole thing out.