Tent setup & opinions on new equipment

So I've been out of the scene for some time now. over 10 years When i was growing before I was very close to a grade school and with my kids being in grade school was worried they would snitch on me accidentally the schools in the area at that time were putting pressure on the young ones to tell on mommy daddy type BS. Anyway now i can legally have 5 plants so I want to set up another room.

My question for you guys how much has technology changed over the last 10 years? Mainly curious about led's they were quit gimmicky back then and now they seem to be better high priced but working. So I'm curious should I invest in LED or stick with HPS?

I'm also used to flood & drain and waterfarms DWC thinking im gonna stick with DWC I have been looking at under current systems they seem pricey but they also seem like the flow is light years ahead of the waterfams setup i'm used to.

Any info on updated controllers or combo meters fans chillers R/O machines welcome. I appreciate any help in saving me time in reading for hrs on the different LEDS and systems and things I am looking for any tips advice on equipment for my new setup. Still not sure if i should build a room now or stay in a tent like what i am used to.

My budget will be what it take sto do it right and not cut corners i dont have time for DYI i am to busy for that. I would like to stay under 10k if possible but will gladly spend that to have a up to date automated room. Again thanks for your time

Just a few thoughts:

If quality LED is in your budget then that is the way to go for sure. Something like the HLG 650r for example. Remember that with LED in order to attain optimal leaf surface temperatures you generally need a warmer canopy temperature than you do with HPS because the LED lacks infrared output that is so abundant with HPS.

If you are going to use AC then a minisplit is likely the best option and mitsubishi makes the best ones, make sure it has auto restart after outage and a low ambient rating that will get you through winter.

WECO makes some really top notch water filters although they are pretty universal with most taking the same filter cartridges and membranes. Axeon makes really good membranes. A Permeate booster pump (not to be confused with a pressure booster pump that uses electricity) uses the pressure of the brine/waste h2o to increase the pressure of the filtered water. This in turn saves you a lot of waste water, especially when you are filling a pressure tank or fighting back pressure from a partially closed float valve.

When it comes to hands off automation I would look at flood and drain with a large reservoir. I run my flood and drain for a whole cycle without dumping the res. I use a float valve in the reservoir thats fed thru a solenoid valve on a timer, this auto tops off the res during the dark when there will be no floods and all the water has returned to the res. If you add a dosing pump setup to the equation you would avoid the manual PPM / pH adjustments. You also don't require a chiller with flood and drain.

phishphan1995 said:

Still not sure if i should build a room now or stay in a tent like what i am used to.

Click to expand...

Personally if you plan to grow with more than one or two lights I would build a room. If it will be a smaller grow then the tent is likely the way to go provided you aren't setting it in a hot garage lol.

Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna stay DWC so can stay with in my legal limit and grow bigger plants. I have a lot of exprience with the water farms setup and i always liked the production from them. As far as AC unit goes i will be growing in a unfinished basement i like using basements for several reason but to name a few are easy access to water drains no outside light and steady temps.

I have considered just framing in a room but this is a new house only 7 years old and we don't plan on staying here but 3 more years then we are building so i will probably go the tent route until we move. I am struggling with 5x5 or 4x8 5x5 is one light but i fee like will be crowded since i want to DWC. So any suggestions or food for thought there would be great.

Whats your thoughts on the current culture system or do you not have one?

I should of been more clear about automation i am more concerned with monitoring and combo meters would like a controller that has a app for my phone or controller that will allow me to control things remotely if i need be.

What are the top LED brands to look at? Do they help with temps in the room a lot or is it negligible?