Simple grow room gadgets that make you life easier

[Ckbrew]

Opinions are like a box of bag seed, you never know what you are going to get. Everyone be polite. This is a place for information exchange and helping each other. Most people come here to relax, learn, and share.

[Gingerbeard]

I don't quite know what happened on page one so I'll start this thread on page 2 with Ckbrew . It's a positive post.

[Smoklahoma]

Didn't make it ,but these PH dosers sure make life a little easier.

[SoOrbudgal]

I swear i get more info off you guys and your McGuyvers some of you are just natural tinkers Smoklahoma that's a awsome setup for doseing.

[Ckbrew]

Interesting. How does that system work?

[Smoklahoma]

The probe floats in the reservoir all the time. The control only does above or below, not both. I have mine set to activate if the PH rises above 6.2. The control turns on the pericalastic pump and adds drops of PH down until it reaches 6.1then turns pump off. It usually floats down to 5.8 after pump turns off.

[bboyfromwayback]

That’s nice to have

[Gingerbeard]

An airstone to oxygenate water.
12" of stiff irrigation hose pushed through and caulked into the lid of a flat, half gallon juice bottle. Makes for an easy watering to the plant in the back corner of my tent. I do half a gallon, per plant, then go back and give them another. It slows down the watering so less runs out.

[bboyfromwayback]

I use a piece of an old garden hose and just spill it when I pour. Never thought of your idea for a funnel but I like it👍🏻

[Poppa]

I made a funnel hose setup for when topping off reservoir or for pouring out the few ounces left in the bucket when doing reservoir changes. There is a funnel every auto parts store in the U.S. I'm sure sells it is made with a long tapered spout that I've found stays connected to a piece of 1/2" I.D. irrigation hose with friction. Only down side to mine is the opening you pour into is a little small so need to watch how fast you pour into it. I do plan to add to this thread in next couple of days with pics of the different things I bought or made to make growing easier or more enjoyable and will add pic of my funnel then.

[Gingerbeard]

A sled made from futon slats and heavy duty casters, with a 30" square piece of plywood on top for my tent to sit on. Most I've put is eight people in the tent to see what the sled can hold. No problem.
Home Depot moving boxes, with fans, as a flowering chamber for a plant taller than my tent. Never put no people in that.

Pridefully, previously posted pictures.

[Jimmynuetron]

I’ve been using fly fishing line to tie my branches down. A simple knot won’t slip and it’s easy to untie. It cuts into the branch a little like anything does. A branch tied to this nail pulled the line so hard it bent the nail.

[Jimmynuetron]

This is my first try with this and it works great.
i lined the lid with parchment paper and fill the box with frozen bud. Use silkscreen fabric to separate the box from the top. Line the two up, turn over and shake the trichs into the lid. ( if bud falls all over the floor and you lose a pound of pot, your doing it wrong ). Good luck

[Ckbrew]

You are drying the trim/bud first correct? Freeze by dry ice or regular freezer. Nice.

[Jimmynuetron]

Yes, very dry, and just the freezer. I will prepare the box next time and freeze the whole thing. Great yield, looks like Blonde Lebanese

[Ckbrew]

Mouth watering...

[Ckbrew]

Time to kick this thread back up. I think I have posted my watering tube/funnel, but I have improved it. I added a ball of stainless steel scrubby to the delivery end. Just stuff it in the end of the tube. This acts to diffuse the water stream as it exits so no more divits in the top of the media, but due to the large surface area, the water passes through quickly.

[Ckbrew]

And this little gadget that keeps track of power use, watts being drawn and a few other things. I would recommend this brand over others due to improvements. Backlit readout, total Kwh used memory, pigtail extension so it can be plugged in tight spaces. I've always been curious how much power was used per season. I didn't start at the beginning but I can estimate based on data.

[Bootsy]

The Power Meter is one of my fav's too. This is not really a gadget, but something I have used with much success over time. For lights which give off quite a bit of heat, getting your exhaust nearby, and especially over top will catch a lot of the heat before it dissipates. For example, see the photo, in which I taped a piece of flex ducting to the tent exhaust outlet and ran it the 16 inches over to the ballast of the 250W LED light and got to reduce my 6 inch AC Infinity from speed 5 to 3. I forget the difference in wattage, but it was quite a bit so saving that much energy. AND - that much less air going through the filter which has a finite life would make it last longer, and for me in winter it reduces the amount of humidification needed. If you're having heat issues, almost a no cost thing to try??

[Ckbrew]

In an attempt to keep the drivers cool on the LED lights, I have been salvaging heat sinks from computers and other things. I put them on the drivers to help keep them cool. There is also a dedicated fan blowing air down on the driver and light.



From computers


From an old wood stove fan

[SoOrbudgal]

Excellent thinking

[Bluey]

Perhaps an extension cord to get the drivers off the top of the light as that produces a lot of heat. If the cord is long enough you can get them out of the room into a cooler place which will work wonders for the light, the driver and the room. I run my drivers in my office which hangs around 65⁰F to 72⁰F and I've removed 4 very inefficient flood lights I was using so my existing air-conditioning can cope with maintaining climate.