I Bought A Laminar Flow Hood

[ExNavyInSTL]

This hobby is so much fun that I invested in a Flow Hood.

I'm not a handyman, so the DIY route would never happen.

With a budget of $400-ish, I looked around (including our sponsors) and found a few very nice options.

Mycology-Supply Laminar Flow HEPA Bio Hood Model 2 ended up being my choice.

This model is their "Model 1" (13" x 15") mounted on top of a Bio Hood cabinet.

Supposedly, this configuration creates a 24 x 24 of positive pressure workspace.

Other features they list are:

• CNC plasma-cut aluminum construction.
• 99.97% @ .3 micron HEPA filter
• True Laminar Flow
• Commonly available Replacement Filter (AP1518)
• Mushroom Flow Hood
• 110 Volts
• Built-in blower
• Built-in Internal LED lighting
• 24" x 24" x 24" positive pressure cabinet with generous viewing window.
• Made in USA

It was over my budget, but after an excellent Black Friday Discount, I got it for $525.00.

That seems pretty good, considering you get protected downward flow.

Considering the bulk of this unit, I expected shipping to hurt more than it did ($66.28).

After taxes, the final total ended up at $599.76.

Of course, I used PayPal's "no-interest if paid in 6 months" deal to ease some of the pain.

They are made to order, so I won't see it until 2-3 weeks from now (fingers crossed).

I'll be rocking out with Sammy "Agar" before I know it.

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This is what the Model 1 looks like with an optional cover.

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Below is the cabinet without Model 1.

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Here are the two pieces married up.

 

[Stoned Ape]

I got a flow hood about a month ago 12x24 inch. Pure luxury compared to the still air box.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

That's what I am thinking as well.

I'm experiencing quite a few failures to spawn and contaminations. It would be more practical to test on Agar beforehand. Hopefully, it helps cut back on wasting all the spawn materials.

By the way, shout out to one of our sponsors here: @Spore Genetics

Website: Spore Genetics

I've had zero failures to spawn and no contaminations thus far from their spores.

My Blue Meanie Cube 5x Concentrated spores were super fast to spawn and are in the micro bins now.

The Maui Platinum (PES Hawaiian) looks just as healthy but is slower to spawn.

The same goes for their Thai Tanic (Thai Lipa Yai), which is healthy but slower.

There must be something to their "5x" concentrations.

I got a flow hood about a month ago 12x24 inch. Pure luxury compared to the still air box.

 

[Tokin Roll]

It sound like you are well on your way now @ExNavyInSTL

I hope all works out well for you.

Be safe and grow well my friend,
Tok..

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Thanks @Tokin Roll ... right after you posted that comment, I received a "Tracking #."

So, reviews are soon to follow.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Wouldn't you know it ... it arrived today!

So far, I am impressed with the quality.

However, it's sheet metal, so be careful for cuts when setting it up.

---

Let's take a tour:

Below is the main "box" for the filter unit.

It's assembled all the way up before adding the "brain" unit.

The plexiglass comes well protected. I used my cheap latex gloves to deal with the part.

Of course, it won't be long until it has my nose and face grease all over it.

---

Let there be light ...

Same thing as above, but I dimmed the kitchen lights to show off the internal LED lighting.

---

Filter Unit from 3 Sides

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The Whole Kit with the Filter on Backwards

I noticed the filter orientation after I sat down to make this post.

---

The sheet pan (26" x 18") was my idea. It's a $20 cheapie from Amazon.

The base-unit interior is pretty much 24" x 24."

---

Bonus: I Made Willy's Pasteurizing Unit

It is pretty basic, just a:

• Heavy-duty container (I went a little smaller).
• High-Temp Tubing (1/4" ID for my Presto)
• Small Clamp for tubing and Pressure Cooker Nipple
• High-Temp Gasket Material (same as homemade self-healing injection port)

His method includes a long-stem BBQ Thermometer (see small pic), which is centered on the lid, and then the Hight-Temp Gasket seals it to the lid.

However, I just used my "Meater," which is wireless and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi.

 

[Stoned Ape]

The flow hood looks very well made. The stainless steel should be easy to keep clean. So with that pasturising u run steam through the substrate?.my little pressure cooker has done a good job but I am looking for a cheap way to do bulk.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

In his video, he puts his substrate mix in a heavy-duty trash bag (field capacity) and ties it tight to keep steam-condensing water from permeating the media. In his case, the needle from the thermometer makes a tight seal.

In my situation, I just used mason jars with aluminum foil only to keep the "water" out since I had it to field capacity already going in.

My first time using it is going on right now.

It took a while for things to get moving. But now, it is cruising to near 150ºF. Soon, I'll have to figure out how to "throttle" it in the sweet spot for pasteurizing.

As you can see from this chart, it is taking too damn long. This certainly makes the bucket or ice chest method seem much more economical. You know, pour some boiling water in and check it the next day.

On the other hand, I'll know what exactly is going on in real-time.

The fun is in the experimenting.

The flow hood looks very well made. The stainless steel should be easy to keep clean. So with that pasturising u run steam through the substrate?.my little pressure cooker has done a good job but I am looking for a cheap way to do bulk.

 

[Stoned Ape]

A good excuse to sit back and smoke a few while waiting.

 

[CaptainLucky]

This hobby is so much fun that I invested in a Flow Hood.

I'm not a handyman, so the DIY route would never happen.

With a budget of $400-ish, I looked around (including our sponsors) and found a few very nice options.

Mycology-Supply Laminar Flow HEPA Bio Hood Model 2 ended up being my choice.

This model is their "Model 1" (13" x 15") mounted on top of a Bio Hood cabinet.

Supposedly, this configuration creates a 24 x 24 of positive pressure workspace.

Other features they list are:

• CNC plasma-cut aluminum construction.
• 99.97% @ .3 micron HEPA filter
• True Laminar Flow
• Commonly available Replacement Filter (AP1518)
• Mushroom Flow Hood
• 110 Volts
• Built-in blower
• Built-in Internal LED lighting
• 24" x 24" x 24" positive pressure cabinet with generous viewing window.
• Made in USA

It was over my budget, but after an excellent Black Friday Discount, I got it for $525.00.

That seems pretty good, considering you get protected downward flow.

Considering the bulk of this unit, I expected shipping to hurt more than it did ($66.28).

After taxes, the final total ended up at $599.76.

Of course, I used PayPal's "no-interest if paid in 6 months" deal to ease some of the pain.

They are made to order, so I won't see it until 2-3 weeks from now (fingers crossed).

I'll be rocking out with Sammy "Agar" before I know it.

---

This is what the Model 1 looks like with an optional cover.

---

Below is the cabinet without Model 1.

---

Here are the two pieces married up.

Very impressive unit and fantastic deal. . Welcome to the fantastic fungus family @ExNavyInSTL. Looking forward to seeing all of your new projects. CL.

 

[BeccaBuds]

If I may offer a suggestion, wrap the tote with space blanket to hold the heat in and it will come up to temp faster, @ExNavyInSTL (note it will cool slower as well). That stuff reflects 80% of the infrared back. Probably wear out after a few runs but it will tell you if I'm right or my "thought experiment" is off the rails, lol!
Flow hood is awesome as is the Myco Wily tek, btw.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Great idea. This will be here between 0400-0800.

If I may offer a suggestion, wrap the tote with space blanket to hold the heat in and it will come up to temp faster, @ExNavyInSTL (note it will cool slower as well). That stuff reflects 80% of the infrared back. Probably wear out after a few runs but it will tell you if I'm right or my "thought experiment" is off the rails, lol!
Flow hood is awesome as is the Myco Wily tek, btw.

 

[CaptainLucky]

Wouldn't you know it ... it arrived today!

So far, I am impressed with the quality.

However, it's sheet metal, so be careful for cuts when setting it up.

---

Let's take a tour:

Below is the main "box" for the filter unit.

It's assembled all the way up before adding the "brain" unit.

The plexiglass comes well protected. I used my cheap latex gloves to deal with the part.

Of course, it won't be long until it has my nose and face grease all over it.

---

Let there be light ...

Same thing as above, but I dimmed the kitchen lights to show off the internal LED lighting.

---

Filter Unit from 3 Sides

---

The Whole Kit with the Filter on Backwards

I noticed the filter orientation after I sat down to make this post.

---

The sheet pan (26" x 18") was my idea. It's a $20 cheapie from Amazon.

The base-unit interior is pretty much 24" x 24."

---

Bonus: I Made Willy's Pasteurizing Unit

It is pretty basic, just a:

• Heavy-duty container (I went a little smaller).
• High-Temp Tubing (1/4" ID for my Presto)
• Small Clamp for tubing and Pressure Cooker Nipple
• High-Temp Gasket Material (same as homemade self-healing injection port)

His method includes a long-stem BBQ Thermometer (see small pic), which is centered on the lid, and then the Hight-Temp Gasket seals it to the lid.

However, I just used my "Meater," which is wireless and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi.

State of the art setup you got there, very cool. CL

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Change of Plans:

For those of you on the journey with me ...

I woke up this morning only to realize the thermal blanket does arrive until 0400 - 0800 tomorrow.

So, I cleaned up the jars and decided to go the "Dry" route in the oven.

---

The plan:

• Run oven at 250ºF until the thermometers read 150ºF or so
• Then back down to 170ºF
• Once internal temps hit 160ºF - set the timer for 90 minutes
• Cool Them Down
• Get Busy with my Shoe Boxes in the LFH (if spacing works)
• Then get that monster out of the kitchen to keep my marriage pasteurized ; )

---

I couldn't believe all of those jars fit.

I want the steam method to work, mostly because it keeps this hobby out of the kitchen

Although, if the oven is proficient at getting the same results it seems like a much cleaner way to go.

---

When I started, it was 10:44.

The ambient temp was about 72º center jar.

As you can see, I am "borrowing" my BBQ/Smoker Probes instead of the Meater.

The Meater has a limited battery life before getting back on the charger.

By the way, these wireless Temp Probes are fantastic if you cook SousVide style. They can be problematic on a BBQ grill if they end up in a direct line with flame or a flare-up. That's because they can only handle about 500ºF, which is fine if you offset your pit or plan for it somehow.

I'll track hourly times and report when complete.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Follow Up

The oven was highly efficient.

My game plan was to run at 250 until internal temps were 150 and then cut back to 170. Even with leaving the oven door open for a while to remove some hot air, the internals raced to 200ºF.

In the future, if I am not in a hurry, I might go 170 in the oven all through the process.

Another thought: if time is an issue, maybe 200 until 140, then go to 170, and include an open door for a short period.

As for the Steam Method, I have the thermal blanket, and I also bought some hi-temp foam insulation for the hi-temp silicone tubing.

Final Thought: The oven would be fine if I were only preparing enough substrate for one or two shoe-box containers.

Extra Final Thought: This experiment was for CVG, not manure. I wonder if reheating rehydrated manure adds a delightful fragrance to the home.

I just ordered a 5-gallon bucket of dry manure mix, so that experiment is on the horizon.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Hey, @ExNavyInSTL, did you inoculate your liquid cultures with spores? If so, how long was it before you saw any colonization? Curious because I just shot my first ever jars of LC last Saturday and they look like they are barely getting going.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

If I remember correctly, I created my LC from an LC syringe.

I didn't read the fine print when I bought my first batch of syringes. I just assumed everything was in a spore state.

I say this because when I bought my next batch, the little black dots of spores were very obvious.

What I shot into my LC Jar looked more like the puffy clouds, which is what the LC looked like when it matured.

Hey, @ExNavyInSTL, did you inoculate your liquid cultures with spores? If so, how long was it before you saw any colonization? Curious because I just shot my first ever jars of LC last Saturday and they look like they are barely getting going.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Thanks, @ExNavyInSTL. My Blue Yeti syringe was LC and the 2 jars I shot with it are doing very well. The other 3 jars shot with spores are barely getting going today after inoculating Saturday. The Purple Mystic looks to be developing slower than the B+ or Blue Meanie spores.

 

[Stoned Ape]

So if you have spores and want to do lc it looks like spores to agar and then the grown out agar to lc would be the way to go.

 

[BeccaBuds]

That's where master slurry cultures have an edge on LC; you can start your spores on the agar in the master slurry jar. My LCs will need to be grown out on agar to make sure they aren't contaminated before I can use it. Willy Myco has a good vid of the master slurry tek on youtube.