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magnumzero said:
Instead of screen just use large-ass perlite

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13shrooms said:
if anything dont make the holes any bigger on the bottom just put something between the bottom of the sgfc and your wire mesh, then put your perlite on your mesh.  that way the perlite doesnt clog the mesh either.

its not going to change any dynamics to the performance besides more FAE/humidity but you will have to re-moisten the perlite more often due to the rapid moisture evaporation from the all increased FAE if it in fact increases FAE cuz hole sizes arent different.

it just may allow for better circulation of the convection currents wicking moisture up and increasing humidity much more but for a shorter period of time.



tyr it with a hygrometer in the sgfc and see how soon you need to re moisten the perlite once Rh drops off and how soon its back in range then repeat etc....

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Maybe something like a dish drainer (if you could find the right fit), or even some cut up milk crates with a piece of fiberglass window screen draped across it just to keep the perlite an inch above the bottom of the SGFC for improved FAE. But like you said you would have to test to see if it would dry the perlite too fast or not. I think it would just provide a small amount more FAE due to the holes being cleared and the perlite would still stay hydrated by over spray from misting. I am going to try it and my constant FAE monotub idea one of my next grows. I will post grow logs on them so everyone can keep track of my horrible failures... "It'll never work"

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3n1gm4 said:
RR said there is a science to why the air flows from the bottom to the top and the size of the holes, I was just wondering if you just enlarged the bottom holes if it would mess with this natural upward airflow?

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RogerRabbit said:

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3n1gm4 said:
RR said there is a science to why the air flows from the bottom to the top and the size of the holes, I was just wondering if you just enlarged the bottom holes if it would mess with this natural upward airflow?

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larger holes in the bottom would result in less velocity through each hole, thus less moisture would be absorbed by the air.
RR

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RogerRabbit said:

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Morelman said:

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RogerRabbit said:

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larger holes in the bottom would result in less velocity through each hole, thus less moisture would be absorbed by the air.
RR

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I disagree.  Have you ever seen fog on a windy day?

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do not listen to this guy

yes, I have seen fog on a windy day, San Francisco is windy and foggy most mornings on the bay.  oh, so is London.

the only reason I suggested a spacer of sort is so your holes dont clog up decreasing your airflow.

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13shrooms said:

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Morelman said:

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RogerRabbit said:

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larger holes in the bottom would result in less velocity through each hole, thus less moisture would be absorbed by the air.
RR

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I disagree.  Have you ever seen fog on a windy day?

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do not listen to this guy

yes, I have seen fog on a windy day, San Francisco is windy and foggy most mornings on the bay.  oh, so is London.

the only reason I suggested a spacer of sort is so your holes dont clog up decreasing your airflow.

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That was all I was looking for in the beginning then I started to think that maybe larger holes would let more volume of air flow past more of the perlites surface but at a slower speed due to the larger holes. Then I thought that this would create a positive pressure on top decreasing FAE.

So I have decided that trying just the perlite suspended over the same size holes would be best to try first. Just to put it next to an identical one and see if one significantly outperforms the other. Because if all the bottom holes are debris free they should really shoot in the air, just wont know what RH it would hold if it increases the FAE allot. May have to do some type of hybrid hole design on top to keep RH up if it boosts FAE big time.

Dunno I will try it though, I have two Identical tubs and I will measure and drill the holes exactly to spec, same # of holes in same spots and the only difference will be the perlite raised a half an inch or so off the bottom with a screen on the one. Then when I get my readings of the RH, if my hybrid can hold its RH for more than a week, then I guess I will try doing some type of side by side, trying to keep it as evenly done as possible, too see if it increases FAE enough to make an unmistakable difference in pinning and growth. The only problem I see encountering in it is an easy inexpensive way to raise the perlite with easy to come by simple to assemble or install materials.

Screw a pizza tray thing, I'm talking like a flat dish drainer or oven rack, or egg crate cut into flat pieces or something that had some sort of frame like property with a fiberglass window screen draped over it covering some of the sides too, and the perlite would rest on the window screen that was raised just a half inch or so above the bottom of the FC. Anyone can say that the perlite would just clog the window screen holes but that doesn't even make sense. The screen IMO would make over 80% of the bottom area of the perlite layer open to the air flowing through the holes, when the SGFC only has maybe 5% at the very most open to the air flowing through the holes,the rest of the bottom layer of perlite is just sitting on the plastic beside the holes. My idea would let air pass through more of the perlite than just what is right above the hole by raising it and exposing the cracks and crevices that hold the most moisture, increase FAE and in theory increase evaporation and humidity. We shall see, because I will speak no more of it unless I build one and it holds its RH for longer than a few weeks then I will do a side by side and worst case scenario is I have to rehydrate more.

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Fryer Mike said:
but then your little pizza tables will clog up.

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If anyone has a good idea for what I could use to attach the screen to and lay in the bottom of the FC without covering the holes please let me know, otherwise I was thinking of maybe using a stronger metal screen instead of the fiberglass one and just attaching it to the walls of the FC suspended just above the bottom. Thanks for the support with this idea I really think if I find an inexpensive easy solution with the screen it might change the way monotubers feel about shottys.          

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3n1gm4 said:
My walmart only has perlite in the summer, and using larger perlite wouldn't expose more of the perlite's bottom surface area to the air for more airflow although it would keep it from falling through the holes. Making bigger holes would probably make a pressure differential that was bad for the natural airflow or something anyway. We would need the expert who built it to comment on it. Where you at RR?

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Just thought id pop in and say wal mart just started putting out the garden supplies around here. I just went in and cleaned out the entire rack of perlite Got 7 bags, the cashiers in the garden section were shooting me really dirty looks as i was shoving bag after bag into my cart with a big shit eating grin on my face. It was a priceless moment. Im planning on having 2 96 quart SGFCs to hold all my cakes once theyre ready to be birthed, so to cover 5" of the bottom with perlite is gonna take a shit ton of the stuff

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Just thought id pop in and say wal mart

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RogerRabbit said:

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Just thought id pop in and say wal mart

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Fuck walmart unless you like contributing money to prevent people from having access to health care, you want to stop planned parenthood from helping pass out birth control pills, and you want everyone to make slave wages, and you like huge budget deficits because only little people pay taxes and billionaires get a free ride at your expense.  I haven't stepped foot in a walmart store since 1982, so you can bet your ass there is nothing for growing mushrooms you need from that shit hole.

Your local hydroponic store has huge bags of Perlite for a fraction of the cost walmart charges.  If you need a good source, check out www.thermorock.com
RR

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I didnt mean to strike a nerve good sir

Personally i dont mind wal mart, its got everything i need all under 1 roof and withing a mile and a half from my apartment complex, so i go all the time. As for the employees wages, i myself worked at wal mart when i was 18 (first ever job) and let me say this, the employees steal way more than the customers do. Every employee at wal mart knows they get paid shitty and the benefits are garbage, so they make up for it in merchandise