twofivejuliet
New Member
I recently purchased several new items, thought I would take the time to offer my review and opinions in case anyone is interested.
Hurricane 8" Inline Fan 745 CFM--Bigger room required more exhaust. This fan was bought to replace a 6" inline fan I had used for years, but I cannot recall the manufacturer of that one. This fan is probably a little quieter than the old 6". I have the ducting split, one side goes to a Black Ops Carbon Filter in the flower room, the other side of the duct goes directly to the grow room. This fan has excellent air flow. I first mounted the fan to a support beam in the attic. I changed my mind and hung the fan using rope. Seems to be quieter, as in less vibration. I have one complaint, and this may be the case for every brand of inline fan. Why is the lip so narrow on the intake side? It can be very difficult to make a good attachment with ducting and zip ties. I used ducting tape and the special zip tie tightening tool. Way more difficult than it should be. Just and extra 3/4" on the lip of the fan would work wonders.
Active Aqua Grow flow Ebb and Flow Hydroponic System--This came as a complete system with 12 sites. Everything included: 7 Gallon Controller Bucket, two submersible pumps, 55 gallon drum, 12 inner buckets, 12 outer buckets, and all of the tubing and connections. First, this thing is a real pain to set up. The first time, I followed the instructions, made all the connections, turned it on for a test run, lost 5 or 6 gallons of water on the floor. Took everything apart, used Gorilla Glue 100% Silicone around every connection. As soon as I moved the buckets, the cured silicone just split. Took it all apart again. Cleaned all the Silicone off, used thread tape on every connector where the rubber hoses connect. After that, I sprayed the outside of each connection with Flex Seal and let cure. This seems to have done the job. System works great.
Aqua Clone Super Sprouter 24 Site Deep Water Cloning System--I like the system, very easy to use. I am a little disappointed in my first results. I only had a 50% success rate. I used to have 80-90% just using the spongy pods, Clonex gel, and a dome. I haven't cloned in a while, could have been my mistake. System works fine. Came with everything needed, except Clonex solution.
Solar Flare T5 High Output Fluorescent Fixture 8 bulb/40,000 Lumen--I have used a similar Hydrofarm brand for years. Both lights seem to function equally well. The Solar Flare seems to weigh less, but it does not have daisy-chain capabilities like the Hydrofarm. Wasn't a big deal to me.
Solar Flare T5 High Output Fluorescent Fixture 4 Bulb/20,000 Lumen--same as the 8 bulb above, though I do not own another brand for comparison.
Blue Lab Truncheon Meter--Reads PPM's on the 500 or 700 scale, or has the EC scale. Very simple to use and read. Works great as a stir stick as well.
HM Digital PH-80 Hydrotester--Simple to use, works great.
Titan Controls Spartan Series Cooling Thermostat--Very simple installation. Has temperature settings for night and day, and you can set the differential at -+2, -+4, or -+6. Awesome piece of equipment.
Sun System 1 1000 Watt Double Ended Ballast With Self Diagnostics--you can adjust the wattage as follows: 600, 660, 750, 825, 1000, and 1150. I can't actually see a difference in the brightness of the light after adjusting, but if I have a choice on how much wattage to use, I like it. I currently have it set on 600, and will adjust as the flowering stage progresses.
Sun System Blazer Double Ended Reflector--Simple to use. I like the method of installing the double ended bulbs. Works great. Good coverage.
Ushio HILUX GRO 1000 Watt Lamps--So far I really like it with the Sun System equipment listed above. Super bright, good coverage. I do not have results to offer for longevity of bulb, and I would have a hard time using harvest weight with a review on a lamp. I have a new room, different nutrients, switched from soil to hydroponics, and I have great climate control now. Nothing to use for comparison.
Eco Air Commercial Air pump 1--Puts out some serious air. I only bought it to run air to 3 mother plants in a DWC setup. The pump came with a 6 site connector for the air hoses, and each site has a lever to turn the air off from that site. First, I set the pump on the floor. When I tested it, I quickly realized that it severely vibrated a 2100 square foot house. I placed a 15" stack of towels under it as a test, with little to no difference in the amount of vibration. I ended up hanging the pump from the ceiling with rope. I also bought small poly something seating mats from Walmart, and stacked 3 under each DWC bucket. The Air Stones in the buckets vibrate too. This all helped a great deal. I can still hear a mild hum downstairs, but the central heat and air covers that when it is running.
3 Deep Water Cycle Sites--I cannot recall the brand, and I scraped the stickers from the sides before using. I imagine they are all relatively similar. These each came with a 5 gallon bucket, and a lid with the mesh type pot in the center. I drilled a hole on the outer edge of the lid for the air tubing. I have only used a flood and drain type hydroponic setup in the past. This DWC setup is interesting. I am currently using Emerald Harvest 2 part nutrients, and UC Roots. Probably the healthiest, most robust seedlings/early veg plants I have ever had. Very impressed with the simplicity and results of this DWC setup so far. I am only using the DWC system for mother plants.
I believe that covers about everything. I'm still early in the process of using this stuff, but I've gotten enough use to give an opinion. Hope this helps anyone looking to get started, or just needing new equipment.
Hurricane 8" Inline Fan 745 CFM--Bigger room required more exhaust. This fan was bought to replace a 6" inline fan I had used for years, but I cannot recall the manufacturer of that one. This fan is probably a little quieter than the old 6". I have the ducting split, one side goes to a Black Ops Carbon Filter in the flower room, the other side of the duct goes directly to the grow room. This fan has excellent air flow. I first mounted the fan to a support beam in the attic. I changed my mind and hung the fan using rope. Seems to be quieter, as in less vibration. I have one complaint, and this may be the case for every brand of inline fan. Why is the lip so narrow on the intake side? It can be very difficult to make a good attachment with ducting and zip ties. I used ducting tape and the special zip tie tightening tool. Way more difficult than it should be. Just and extra 3/4" on the lip of the fan would work wonders.
Active Aqua Grow flow Ebb and Flow Hydroponic System--This came as a complete system with 12 sites. Everything included: 7 Gallon Controller Bucket, two submersible pumps, 55 gallon drum, 12 inner buckets, 12 outer buckets, and all of the tubing and connections. First, this thing is a real pain to set up. The first time, I followed the instructions, made all the connections, turned it on for a test run, lost 5 or 6 gallons of water on the floor. Took everything apart, used Gorilla Glue 100% Silicone around every connection. As soon as I moved the buckets, the cured silicone just split. Took it all apart again. Cleaned all the Silicone off, used thread tape on every connector where the rubber hoses connect. After that, I sprayed the outside of each connection with Flex Seal and let cure. This seems to have done the job. System works great.
Aqua Clone Super Sprouter 24 Site Deep Water Cloning System--I like the system, very easy to use. I am a little disappointed in my first results. I only had a 50% success rate. I used to have 80-90% just using the spongy pods, Clonex gel, and a dome. I haven't cloned in a while, could have been my mistake. System works fine. Came with everything needed, except Clonex solution.
Solar Flare T5 High Output Fluorescent Fixture 8 bulb/40,000 Lumen--I have used a similar Hydrofarm brand for years. Both lights seem to function equally well. The Solar Flare seems to weigh less, but it does not have daisy-chain capabilities like the Hydrofarm. Wasn't a big deal to me.
Solar Flare T5 High Output Fluorescent Fixture 4 Bulb/20,000 Lumen--same as the 8 bulb above, though I do not own another brand for comparison.
Blue Lab Truncheon Meter--Reads PPM's on the 500 or 700 scale, or has the EC scale. Very simple to use and read. Works great as a stir stick as well.
HM Digital PH-80 Hydrotester--Simple to use, works great.
Titan Controls Spartan Series Cooling Thermostat--Very simple installation. Has temperature settings for night and day, and you can set the differential at -+2, -+4, or -+6. Awesome piece of equipment.
Sun System 1 1000 Watt Double Ended Ballast With Self Diagnostics--you can adjust the wattage as follows: 600, 660, 750, 825, 1000, and 1150. I can't actually see a difference in the brightness of the light after adjusting, but if I have a choice on how much wattage to use, I like it. I currently have it set on 600, and will adjust as the flowering stage progresses.
Sun System Blazer Double Ended Reflector--Simple to use. I like the method of installing the double ended bulbs. Works great. Good coverage.
Ushio HILUX GRO 1000 Watt Lamps--So far I really like it with the Sun System equipment listed above. Super bright, good coverage. I do not have results to offer for longevity of bulb, and I would have a hard time using harvest weight with a review on a lamp. I have a new room, different nutrients, switched from soil to hydroponics, and I have great climate control now. Nothing to use for comparison.
Eco Air Commercial Air pump 1--Puts out some serious air. I only bought it to run air to 3 mother plants in a DWC setup. The pump came with a 6 site connector for the air hoses, and each site has a lever to turn the air off from that site. First, I set the pump on the floor. When I tested it, I quickly realized that it severely vibrated a 2100 square foot house. I placed a 15" stack of towels under it as a test, with little to no difference in the amount of vibration. I ended up hanging the pump from the ceiling with rope. I also bought small poly something seating mats from Walmart, and stacked 3 under each DWC bucket. The Air Stones in the buckets vibrate too. This all helped a great deal. I can still hear a mild hum downstairs, but the central heat and air covers that when it is running.
3 Deep Water Cycle Sites--I cannot recall the brand, and I scraped the stickers from the sides before using. I imagine they are all relatively similar. These each came with a 5 gallon bucket, and a lid with the mesh type pot in the center. I drilled a hole on the outer edge of the lid for the air tubing. I have only used a flood and drain type hydroponic setup in the past. This DWC setup is interesting. I am currently using Emerald Harvest 2 part nutrients, and UC Roots. Probably the healthiest, most robust seedlings/early veg plants I have ever had. Very impressed with the simplicity and results of this DWC setup so far. I am only using the DWC system for mother plants.
I believe that covers about everything. I'm still early in the process of using this stuff, but I've gotten enough use to give an opinion. Hope this helps anyone looking to get started, or just needing new equipment.
