Ace Malawi and Cycloptics Greenbeams: caught in the Under Current!

[timmur]

Oh man, where to start. I guess I'll have to get around to making a full grow journal at some point. They were vegged for a while, as I had a lot of issues early on, as I mentioned briefly before and are at ~300 ppm at the moment. I'm using dry nutrients: Peters Hydrosol/Calcium Nitrate/Epsom Salts, no CO2.

The Malawi were feminized, I started with 6, one didn't pop and I gave one away.

You should! Thanks for the details.

 

[pug1010]

Hi Timmur

I've been reading your thread and your helpful comments on a few threads ... thanks for all the info. I rarely comment (as there is so much to learn), but really like your setup - it made me totally rethink my grow ideas. I've used mh and led lights and am now looking forward to trying the greenbeam systems on my next grow. I've also used tents, greenhouses, rooms and outdoor gardens, but never thought anything like the eden grow room existed.

I have sent an email to them about prices but there is very little non-sponsored info about these grow rooms. I am really looking forward to hearing about your experiences with them .... hopefully very positive. I am initally curious about ease of taking down and setting up the rooms (I move around a bit) and if there are any problems with water buildup through transpiration or condensation. Also wondering if you went with the floor.

Thanks again and I'm really looking forward to reading about your adventure.��

 

[timmur]

Hi Timmur

I've been reading your thread and your helpful comments on a few threads ... thanks for all the info. I rarely comment (as there is so much to learn), but really like your setup - it made me totally rethink my grow ideas. I've used mh and led lights and am now looking forward to trying the greenbeam systems on my next grow. I've also used tents, greenhouses, rooms and outdoor gardens, but never thought anything like the eden grow room existed.

I have sent an email to them about prices but there is very little non-sponsored info about these grow rooms. I am really looking forward to hearing about your experiences with them .... hopefully very positive. I am initally curious about ease of taking down and setting up the rooms (I move around a bit) and if there are any problems with water buildup through transpiration or condensation. Also wondering if you went with the floor.

Thanks again and I'm really looking forward to reading about your adventure.��

Thanks pug.

You can go to this link to get an idea about pricing. Just plug in your zip code and you'll get a list of dalers near you. Follow one of those links to their site with pricing info.

I did opt for the floor. I doubt there will be issues with condensation as this is basically a walk in cooler.

 

[pug1010]

Thanks heaps timmur

I'm in Vancouver, BC ... but will put in a Washington postcode to get an idea. Nice thought process to think about walk-in coolers ... makes sense.

 

[pug1010]

The prices are actually more reasonable than I expected for the US Cooler's cold rooms.

Just wondering … a few questions timmur, if that's okay …
Are the Eden Grow Rooms the same as the US Cooler's cold rooms - the sizes look a bit different? If not, were there any big adv/disadv between the two?
I'm also wondering, what accommodations in the grow room panelling are made for power and intake/outtake fans - do you have to drill these yourself? Also … are you planning on drilling in the GB mounting brackets into the grow room ceiling?

Fascinating stuff … I am really looking forward to this … please spoil us with photos

 

[timmur]

The prices are actually more reasonable than I expected for the US Cooler's cold rooms.

Just wondering … a few questions timmur, if that's okay …
Are the Eden Grow Rooms the same as the US Cooler's cold rooms - the sizes look a bit different? If not, were there any big adv/disadv between the two?
I'm also wondering, what accommodations in the grow room panelling are made for power and intake/outtake fans - do you have to drill these yourself? Also … are you planning on drilling in the GB mounting brackets into the grow room ceiling?

Fascinating stuff … I am really looking forward to this … please spoil us with photos

The Eden Rooms are the same. All one company with multiple applications.

Power will be surface managed. I'm mounting the GBs to the ceiling using Rivnuts. I'll detail the whole thing this weekend as that's when the build out is scheduled. Holes have to be drilled for mini split line set and power. More to follow.

 

[Ez Rider]

The Eden Rooms are the same. All one company with multiple applications.

Power will be surface managed. I'm mounting the GBs to the ceiling using Rivnuts. I'll detail the whole thing this weekend as that's when the build out is scheduled. Holes have to be drilled for mini split line set and power. More to follow.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you...

 

[Randall Stevens]

What do you mean by "power will be surface managed"? Thanks. Great project BTW. Top of the line across the board.

 

[Ez Rider]

What do you mean by "power will be surface managed"? Thanks. Great project BTW. Top of the line across the board.

I believe he means "surface mounted". Mounted on the walls, not inside them.

 

[Randall Stevens]

Thanks EZ. Makes sense

 

[timmur]

Yep, that's what I meant!

 

[pug1010]

Thanks timmur … can't wait to see the setup

 

[timmur]

So just wanted to elaborate on mounting things to the walls and ceilings of this room. The recommendation is to bolt through the entire wall panel when mounting moderately heavy items. This is not feasible in my situation so I had to come up with an alternative. I chose Plusnuts. They are deigned for precisely this situation.

The lights and fans will be mounted using these and number #8 screws. They are going to be a bit of a pain as they require a hole to be drilled for each one. Not a huge deal, but it will be a little time consuming.

 

[Ez Rider]

So just wanted to elaborate on mounting things to the walls and ceilings of this room. The recommendation is to bolt through the entire wall panel when mounting moderately heavy items. This is not feasible in my situation so I had to come up with an alternative. I chose Plusnuts. They are deigned for precisely this situation.

View Image

The lights and fans will be mounted using these and number #8 screws. They are going to be a bit of a pain as they require a hole to be drilled for each one. Not a huge deal, but it will be a little time consuming.

Looks like it accepts a bolt/all-thread. Where does the #8 screw come into it? How does it attach to the ceiling/walls? I'd use unitstrut to hang all those lights. The brackets on the luminaire's are designed for unistrut.

 

[timmur]

Looks like it accepts a bolt/all-thread. Where does the #8 screw come into it? How does it attach to the ceiling/walls? I'd use unitstrut to hang all those lights. The brackets on the luminaire's are designed for unistrut.

It works like a rivet. You have to drill a hole and then use a tool to install. When its finished a #8 screw will fit in the threads. My thought was to use #8 screws with washers to mount the bracket directly to the ceiling. I was trying to avoid the unistrut as it adds a couple of inches and I was trying to preserve every inch. Do you see an issue with that?

 

[pug1010]

Hey timmur

I suppose it really depends on whether you think you'll need the strength of one or two steel sheets - the in-between insulation isn't going to provide much strength. I understand not wanting to go through the whole panel though. Is it possible to drill at the panel joints … they should be the strongest areas - just a suggestion … i'm not a builder.

I hope this is okay to mention timmur … it is a bit off topic … but have noticed that both you and Ez help each other out a fair bit … also I can't pm ...

I remember reading Ez's thread about his GB setup and not being able to add carbon dioxide as he lived close to the grow area … a while ago I bought a cheap co2 meter to test how much co2 one person gives off and the viability of ducting the air into the tent from a living area or bedroom … it was a huge amount and very close to the recommended 1500-2000 ppm. Perhaps living so close to the plants might be spreading the love indirectly … and cheaply. More money for GB lights. If interested … I bought if from:
http://www.zyaura.com/products/zg106.asp

Again … sorry for the off topic nature … just want to contribute a little, as you guys have both helped me greatly.

 

[Ez Rider]

It works like a rivet. You have to drill a hole and then use a tool to install. When its finished a #8 screw will fit in the threads. My thought was to use #8 screws with washers to mount the bracket directly to the ceiling. I was trying to avoid the unistrut as it adds a couple of inches and I was trying to preserve every inch. Do you see an issue with that?

I get it. The tube receives the #8, and the plate is a backing plate, that sits on the roof...correct?

 

[timmur]

I get it. The tube receives the #8, and the plate is a backing plate, that sits on the roof...correct?

Almost, but not quite. The plate in the picture represents the thin metal skin that is the front surface of the wall panel. Check out the pic below. The thin sheet metal and the expanded plusnut are shown on the blind side of the panel where the foam insulation is. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[timmur]

Hey timmur

I suppose it really depends on whether you think you'll need the strength of one or two steel sheets - the in-between insulation isn't going to provide much strength. I understand not wanting to go through the whole panel though. Is it possible to drill at the panel joints … they should be the strongest areas - just a suggestion … i'm not a builder.

I hope this is okay to mention timmur … it is a bit off topic … but have noticed that both you and Ez help each other out a fair bit … also I can't pm ...

I remember reading Ez's thread about his GB setup and not being able to add carbon dioxide as he lived close to the grow area … a while ago I bought a cheap co2 meter to test how much co2 one person gives off and the viability of ducting the air into the tent from a living area or bedroom … it was a huge amount and very close to the recommended 1500-2000 ppm. Perhaps living so close to the plants might be spreading the love indirectly … and cheaply. More money for GB lights. If interested … I bought if from:
http://www.zyaura.com/products/zg106.asp

Again … sorry for the off topic nature … just want to contribute a little, as you guys have both helped me greatly.

No worries on the off topic - I know the originator of the post and I can smooth things over, lol!

It's not a matter of not wanting to go completely through the panels, which BTW I don't, but really because I have no access to the backside of the panels.

I really like your idea of using natural sources of CO2. It certainly could be helping EZ out! nice CO2 monitor BTW!

 

[pug1010]

Thanks timmur

The plusnuts look good - like you said before ... same principle as a rivet, but looks stronger. Looking at your project planning ... I'm pretty sure that you've checked the loads on the nuts and also the steel in the ceiling panel.

I'm a liitle confused about the use of a screw or a bolt. It looks like the inside of the exposed part of the plusnuts has a thread, which you could screw a threaded bolt into. Does plusnut also sell a bolt or screw to fit into the nut or do they have recommendations - it would be great if they had tested a range and know which ones work best with their system?

In any case ... the above is just micro stuff ...the rivnuts will be a nice clean install. Really looking forward to seeing the lights hung - I like the look of the GBs and reckon you have designed a very functional and beautiful grow environment, that should put a smile on your dial everytime you enter it .... nice.