i have a few questions that i’d like to pick some brains about and get some feed back on so i’ll ask away.
what are you guys using to keep dust controlled in your tents?
what kind of ac/controller for the ac would you recommend? i have a double hose portable ac unit but its not controllable unless i turn it on every single time and would like something that can kick on by a controller since i work a lot thats really the only issue i had was keeping temps under control on my first round due to having to turn the ac on and off at odd times
what kind of auto irrigation would some of you recommend as stated i work a lot so would like to have as much automated as possible
these are the only things i had issues with were temps and dust and irrigation would love to hear what everyone does and what works for them any feedback/advice is greatly appreciated!
Can’t you just leave the ac on 24/7? The thermostat on it should make it not run much during the dark period, and it might still be useful for humidity control. If it is making your garage hot, then a temp stat and exhaust blower to vent the garage would be a good idea.
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As far as dust in tents goes; I used to use HEPA vacuum filters connected to a short piece of ducting and put those in the lower vent ports of the tent. Still allows for your inline fan to pull air into the tent from outside, without all the dust and other crap you’re concerned about. I never had a problem with pests or mold during the years I grew, I like to think this was a contributor. Someone else may have better ideas though.
Can’t really give much insight on anything else, I preferred to hand water, but my grow was never more than a 2x4 veg and a 4x4 flower. I remember trying auto-irrigation for a round or two, I just used one of those mechanical timers connected to a pump in a reservoir and a series of perforated tubes in the pots to drip, drain to waste. I don’t remember the timing or frequency I used.
The 12000btu portable AC I had was good about regulating the overall room temp so I wasn’t concerned with any extra controls. I was just exhausting the tents into the room, and exhausting the AC out the window. Worked like a charm. 4x4 had a 6" inline and the 2x4 had a 4". I hear great things about the inkbird temp controller though, try looking into that.
Depending on the controller installed on the AC an external controller won’t do anything unless the AC unit can automatically turn on when supplied with electricity. Basically it needs to turn on as soon as you plug it in without having to be there in person to press the “on” button. Unless the AC can do this, a controller wont help.
If you can get an energy effecient portable AC that can connect to wifi (look for alexa compatibility), that will work exactly how youre asking and connect to your phone so you can control it from anywhere.
For dust a simple air filter on your intake will suffice as long as your exhaust fan is running strong enough to pull through. Id be surprised if it wasnt, even a cheap fan should be strong enough.
Google simple drip lines with a water pump for irrigation. Depending on how big your tent is a basic drip irrigation system would be cheap, keep in mind you would also need a water collection setup as well to capture all of the runoff and get it out of the tent. Look into shallow pan condensate pumps for expelling water.
There are also bottom fed, gravity irrigation systems called Autopots that are super low maintenance you just dont have much control of the dosage.
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i willl definitely look into a portable ac like you stated and thats what i was thinking about doing for the dust is just putting a air filter over the air intake and changing it out as needed thank you for the advice/input much appreciated!
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Buy a mini split. They come with auto restart features.
dont have mini split money unfortunately thats why i was hoping to just use a portable ac for the time being until i have the funds for one
Mini split is dirt cheap now adays.
have any specific brands in mind?
Check out blue ridge I think is decent. I picked one up for 650.
Glad to help, definitely hook up as much as you can to your phone if you arent going to be around much. Like your hygrometer, humidifier, AC, and if possible your irrigation to run through wifi so you can control your grow anywhere on your phone.
Smart home appliances have made home growing much easier