micro grower's prop heater - We need a DIY

[CaptainStoner]

This is one of the things i've been thinking of, what with how bloody cold it is here, cloning is going to be difficult. Reptile heat mats are cheap but I think get too hot without a thermostat, which are expensive.. we must be able to do better.

i've an idea of my own using some resistors or resistance wire as a heater element but how to put something like that in/under a prop and get even heat distribution?

if i can solve that i could make a heater that could be used on like a fan speed control from a PC to give controlled heating, anything from 2 to 16 watts.. something I thought the MacGuyvers of IC should be cogitatin'.. our next GENIUS invention on these boards

 

[PeteWeedSeed]

One way I can think of is to use a 5 or 11 watt bulb and wrap aluminum foil around it. Then have the fan blow air onto it.

Should work... light and heat go hand in hand.

 

[grow1620]

a waterbed heating thingie has a temp control, I don't know how much they cost though.

 

[CaptainStoner]

The point is that a heating element is just a resistor, which is just a coil of wire.. so we can make heaters easily - my idea was to get a coil of resistor wire mounted between two plastic trays, with some kind of thermal transfer medium in the gap..

 

[fatigues]

a waterbed heating thingie has a temp control, I don't know how much they cost though.

on eBay? about 10 bucks for a used one, controller and pad included. Quite a long unit too.

 

[grouchy]

Mount your remote ballast under a false floor. Kill two birds with one stone.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Is prop a propagator as in a cloner? I do the bubbler thing with an aquarium heater in the res.

A heat mat shouldn't come in direct contact with the tray, you'd want a spacer of some sort like a cookie rack. Adjusting the distance between mat and tray may be all the "thermostat" you need.

 

[Hephaestus]

Ditto on the aquarium heaters - There are some decent units out there for small grows... I've got one of the little 25w hydor aquarium heaters running in my tank (retrofitted an old won bro's thermostat I had around) to keep the little system above 75...

 

[HempHut]

You can use a timer on a reptile heating mat if it's too hot for your needs -- a half hour on and then a half hour off as a cycle, for example. It just takes a bit of dialing in to find the right cycle for your application.

 

[VerdantGreen]

i think its worth investing in a thermostatically controlled propagator from a garden centre. a little more expensive but that may save you a lot of money in cooked seeds/clones.

otherwise i agree with freezerboy. put space or insulation between your mat and pots. an aquarium thermometer poked into the soil an inch will keep you up on the temps

V.

 

[mrred]

i had 2 heat mats got the one i use now at goodwill with low medium and high before that i adjusted the space between the mat and tray. then you might want a box or room for the clones, you could flip your exhaust around so it blows air in where the exhaust is at, thata will blow the hot air from the bulb down to the clones

 

[CaptainStoner]

Yeah buying a heated prob would be easier but would also unfortunately take up all the space in my veg box so i'd have no room for moms or revegging.

Nice idea on the putting a gap between the mat and the tray, will need to be lifted anyway to get close enough to the light.. i think that's pretty much all i need actually.. anyone ever seen those kits you can buy.. like an electronics project kit ? they're more common in the US but even here in the uk we can get a kit for a digital thermostat. I'm going to be using a couple to control temps in my boxes - they can control heating and cooling.. i'll figure out a bridge to use the 'stat to alter my fan controller's voltages to control cooling.. and use the 'stat direct to control some small heaters.

works out at environment control for the equivalent of about $7 at current exchange rates.. set a target temp with a range (hysteresis) so if the cab or the cloning station drop or rise away from the desired temp, the 'stat deals with it.