Enter the Monolith: Under Current 10 meets Home Box

[Boylobster]

Oh. My. God. What a horrid, black-hearted, mind-raping nightmare. But it's over. Again. Finally. Shit.

So here's the story: those who have been following along (who am I kidding? :itwasntme) will recall that I had to redesign the Under Current to break it out into a grid. Well, at almost exactly the same time, the impeller on my water pump cracked, and it was suddenly only able to push perhaps 25gpm. This was a blessing in disguise, as my Under Current Serpent design is seriously flawed. Because all of the water in the system is flowing through so many 90 degree elbows, the pump running at full power moves water faster than it can flow through the system. The result? Within a few minutes, the control bucket will overflow. Obviously, this situation could not continue.

Since I had to drain the system for this flushing anyway, it seemed this was my chance to break the system apart AGAIN and replace the Serpent design with all new, custom manifolds. Needless to say, things did not go as smoothly as I'd planned, for a number of boring reasons. Bottom line: they spent two nights in the dark, in their flushing solution, while I got my act together.

I would be just fine living the rest of my life without ever having to break that fucking thing down again while it's full of huge, flowering plants. :swear We're short on tears, but my plants are now quite literally drinking my sweat and blood. ANYway... here's a schematic of the new layout, a shameless ripoff of the Under Current Evolution. I give you... the UC Devolution!

The precious, cursed manifolds:

Per TrichromeFan's request, here are a few shots of them just after their two-day flush, right before the lights *finally* come back on.

I went ahead and pushed the nutes higher than I have yet, above 1000ppm. We'll see how they respond... and if the flushing and a properly flowing system corrects the pH issues.

A word for the DIYselfers out there... I'm all about building my own shit, but here's some free advice: don't build a brand-new, experimental system for use as your primary grow. Yeah, I got it done, but I'm not at all sure if the headache was worth the sense of rugged independence. :wondering There's a lot to be said for having a system like the Under Current drop on your doorstep, ready to rock. But nooooooo, I just had to fuck with it, didn't I??? :D :D :D Sorry gang, not trying to write a novel here - it's been a long day.

 

[Boylobster]

Oh snap, sorry Twist - good thought on the stretching. It'll be interesting to see what happens next run, when they have more space.

As for my water, yeah, a guy in a truck hauls it on out. I'll be renovating the plumbing soon, however, to eliminate the heavy usage problem. I'm pretty sensitive on security, don't you worry about that! :)

Edit: Pool company!!! :rofl I'm definitely not in your neck of the woods! ;) Hell, half the people in my town don't even have indoor toilets, let alone pools. Hee-hee!

 

[Loudblunts]

from reading your thread (like you asked me to)....

i have a few things to say, but i read it last night and kinda forgot

however, ill touch on two things.


yes, you were feeding your plants entirely too low of food. increase and just follow the chart. maybe im asking too much from you since im new on these boards and all.... but trust me? i posted pics as proof in the pudding, i wouldnt do anything intentional to harm/hurt your babies/plants

i would not tell you anything to blow smoke up your ass.

secondly, far as stretching goes, if you are afraid of it...and/or worried about it....just pinch the shit outta them stems...aka super cropping.

just pinch and pinch until she (the cola you are pinching) falls over. she will grow back towards the light

and third....any specific reason you are using PPM instead of EC? if not, here's a good article i think you should read:

http://www.getbluelab.com/Support/Understanding+what+ppm+scale+to+use.html

 

[sedate]

But nooooooo, I just had to fuck with it, didn't I???

I'm the same way man.

I mean - that DIY system you built probably taught you an awful lot - while saving a nice bit of coin. Those UC systems are absurdly pricey for some plastic tubing and and a handful of impellers and housings.

With some economic scale, methinks they are well into the 400 - 500% markup range from production costs.

I can never - never - never - pay for a complete system of anything sufficiently technical.
Not a computer.
Not a stereo.
Not a growroom.

 

[TrichromeFan]

Holy shite man! You are on a crazy run of bad luck!:fighting0087:
On the bright side, your girls look like they are in good health, especially in light of the couple of setbacks.
Man, you cracked out the new plumbing and a diagram pretty quick there. You must have had some practice before. :giggle
What is the centers on the newest revision?
Do you think that this one will be the winner?
By the way, what kind of pump died on you and how old was it?
PS,
Thanks for the pix
Now let's see those buds a swellin':cool0041:

 

[Boylobster]

Loudblunts, thanks for stopping in! Ok, ok, I believe you, and your pics don't lie! ;) I'm gonna' stay within my comfort zone through the end of this run, but I'm going to give your recommendation a try for the next, starting with the veg cycle. As to your second point, stretching doesn't really concern me per se, it's just that I hadn't seen *this* plant stretch like that. When you're trying a new line of nutes and a new system, you could see how that would be a little disconcerting. :)

Sedate, yeah, I hear you. After a good night's sleep and finding all to be well in the morning, I'm feeling a lot better about my rugged independence. And you're right, of course - the more difficult something is, the greater the potential for learning. I know the UC systems cost a hefty premium over the sum of their parts, but their custom plastic *is* nice. The buckets and lids are a lot nicer to work with than Rubbermaid totes. :itwasntme Honestly, I just really like the UC staff. They're hella' cool.

Trichrome! You know, the funny thing is that it was actually very, very fortunate that my pump broke when it did without failing entirely. If it had remained functional, I wouldn't have be able to use it all - temps couldn't have been controlled, nutes couldn't have mixed, bad news all around. With the pump limping along, it could just move enough water through the shitty Serpent design without overflowing the control module.

To your questions:
The system is now on 30" centers, horizontally and vertically. The tent is 95"x95", so that makes everything almost perfectly square, with half spacing along the walls. Go me.

This revision is definitely the winner, FSM be praised. The passive flow through the system easily outpaces the 950gpm pump I used to refill it, so BOOYAH!!! :party

The pump was a 700gpm Danner Mag-Drive that came with the UC system. It didn't die, but the impeller magnet cracked. It's essentially brand new, and it just needs a new impeller, though I don't know why it failed in the first place. I should mention that Daniel at UC shipped me a new one the instant I mentioned it. :heart

Ok, that ends our test of the emergency broadcast system. Be sure to tune in Wednesday night when we resume our regularly scheduled programing.

 

[TrichromeFan]

Trichrome! You know, the funny thing is that it was actually very, very fortunate that my pump broke when it did without failing entirely. If it had remained functional, I wouldn't have be able to use it all - temps couldn't have been controlled, nutes couldn't have mixed, bad news all around. With the pump limping along, it could just move enough water through the shitty Serpent design without overflowing the control module.

To your questions:
The system is now on 30" centers, horizontally and vertically. The tent is 95"x95", so that makes everything almost perfectly square, with half spacing along the walls. Go me.

This revision is definitely the winner, FSM be praised. The passive flow through the system easily outpaces the 950gpm pump I used to refill it, so BOOYAH!!! :party

The pump was a 700gpm Danner Mag-Drive that came with the UC system. It didn't die, but the impeller magnet cracked. It's essentially brand new, and it just needs a new impeller, though I don't know why it failed in the first place. I should mention that Daniel at UC shipped me a new one the instant I mentioned it. :heart

Ok, that ends our test of the emergency broadcast system. Be sure to tune in Wednesday night when we resume our regularly scheduled programing.

See, look at that. I always say look at the positive side, and there you go...
Lessons learned and no plant death! Bravo:anim_19:

I know that those mag drive pumps are good. You probably just got a random defective one. That is mighty good of the UC guys to help out when in need. That usually is the deciding factor in who I make future purchases with.

I also like that you made the best use of your floor plan now, and it symmetrical and all.
I definitely think that maybe on the NEXT run, maybe go with a slightly shorter flowering height, to reflect the 30" centers. :rauch08:

 

[Boylobster]

I definitely think that maybe on the NEXT run, maybe go with a slightly shorter flowering height, to reflect the 30" centers.

Haha! Yeah, well, believe me, their current flowering height was not by design! :D Sweet jeebus, to think that I'd planned on running *two* UC 10 systems in that tent...

Oh, and Loudblunts, the reason I'm not reporting salinity in EC is that my meter only gives the conversion, not the direct EC reading. I would actually prefer EC, but it's what I've got on hand and the moment, y'know?

 

[Shady]

I must say despite all the obstacles, you've done a great job Boylobster! Just curious if you are on a 0.5 conversion ratio for PPM's? :wondering

 

[Boylobster]

Ooooh. Ouch. Y'know, I was sorely tempted to concoct some plausible little lie to save face, but... well, f$$k it, it's the truth.

Turns out I *do* have a meter that reads EC, and it's been reading in uS/cm the entire time. :dull Good lord. I must have told myself that it was a ppm readout meter when I bought it, and thereafter blocked myself from actually *seeing* the thing. I. Am. Amazing. I can't decide if I'm amused or depressed. :shake

Anyway, the *EC* has, apparently, been kept around .65. I started their new solution at about 1.1, and without topping off (to check the rate of consumption) they've brought it down to .9 in a night, so I think I can feed 'em a little more.

...yikes. Well, thanks Shady. No wonder I was having such a hard time finding the conversion factor for my pen. :D ...ugh.

 

[Shady]

:D Hahaa you crack me up brah! I love your honesty. It def seems like you are real low on the EC and PPMS... 1.1 EC at 0.5 conversion is 550 PPM's which is what I feed small clones in veg... Just don't make a big jump, but rather gradually raise the EC over the next couple weeks as we don't want you to burn your pretty ladies... :cool

 

[Boylobster]

Yeah, we wouldn't want them to get fat... ;) I'm just gonna' start tossing sticks of butter into the rez.

Man, it looks as though a lot of people rock an EC between 1.4 and 1.6 at this stage, which is probably close to what full-strength H&G nutes would get me to. Where have I read *that* before? Sigh. Some people just catch on faster than others, I guess. :itwasntme I'm off to grease up my buddies...

 

[TrichromeFan]

BL,
don't beat yourself up too bad. :fighting0087:

1 this has been entertaining at least for some.
2 you learned something
3 you still have healthy plants :banana:

Now let's get those levels GRADUALLY increased up to the program, and Victory!:icon_cookie:

PS, What kind of pen are you using?

 

[Boylobster]

Haha, yeah, I've got some bruises, but I'll be alright. :) I'm glad somebody's laughing at all my :swear.

Every day is learning, yes. And you're right, the plants still look pretty damned happy. I'm comfortable enough with how they look that I'm getting eager to start the next run.

Warp factor 1, *engage*! My pen is an Oakton EC Testr, and I've been quite happy with it. It's always consistent, and rarely needs calibration. When I do calibrate, it's yet to be very far off. :yes

 

[TrichromeFan]

]I'm comfortable enough with how they look that I'm getting eager to start the next run.

Sounds good, but don't forget you gotta finish this run first! :character0113:

I like the Oakton pens. I have had a few in the past and they were always my favorite.
This time around I went with a Hanna wall mounted combo meter. So far, I like it a lot.

 

[TyKaycha]

I'm just gonna' start tossing sticks of butter into the rez.... :itwasntme I'm off to grease up my buddies...

:rofl !!! That's some funny stuff there!

 

[Boylobster]

Up.
Date.

Day 35 of flower - I wasn't sure I'd get this far. Manifolds are tight, pumps and fans are humming away, and nutes have been bumped up to EC 1.3.

Let's pop in and say hello, yes?

Sleeping beauties...

Wake up and get back to work!

The next hapless subjects of the UC Devolution Test Program... they were a little long in the cloner. :itwasntme

Now we'll see how the buddies respond to a more intense feed program. The Next Generation is being started on the recommended full strength H&G Aqua Flakes regimen. There are three clones each of three different strains in the starter system, so that ought to help settle the CalMag question once and for all - at least in my garden. :)

Check in next Wednesday to see how week 6 treated 'em!

 

[Loudblunts]

:D

 

[TrichromeFan]

So far so good. It looks like there is no ill effects from the nute increase.
How long were those clones in your cloner?
I always had used the rockwool starters, but I really like the looks of the aeroponic cloner better. I take it that you just gently backfill the net pots with hydroton with the clone in place?

 

[Boylobster]

So it would seem. :) I didn't top off last night, to see what their rate of uptake is. EC dropped by .15, so they're still eating nutes faster than they're taking up water.

As for the little guys, they were in the cloner for *far* too long, :D, about two and a half or perhaps three weeks. I had roots after 7 days, however, and 100% survival. A clean spray cloner does a damn fine job if you keep the temps in line. And yeah, for placement, that's exactly right: I just settle the roots at the bottom of the pot, holding the clone at the height I want, and dump hydroton on top. Pretty straightforward.

If you like, I'll throw up some pics of how I did *my* cloner, but there are, of course, millions of ways to skin those poor cats. :)

Man, I can't wait (read: will have to wait) to see how these buddies finish up! :party I don't even dare guess at a final weight at this point; I just can't tell! It's all so new! :D