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jbeeebz
Stranger


Registered: 12/09/13
Posts: 24
Loc: New Jersey
Last seen: 10 years, 9 months
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Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan??
#19493366 - 01/29/14 07:41 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Hello everyone. I am finally at the fruiting stage on the PF tek. Here is the list of my gear and what you need to know:
-Colom rust spore strain -half pint BRF/Verm cakes. -FC is a sterilite tub about 13"deep X 28" long X 18" wide -Fischer analog thermohygrometer. Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EI03QUO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Okay, so I birthed 3 of my 7 cakes yesterday. Dunked for 18hrs and rolled. 100% colonized and looking great. The FC has 4" of washed and strained perlite. Instead of mist/fan I have an automated system hooked up using an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier. Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Designer-Series-Filter-Humidifier/dp/B00G2WQR8O/ref=sr_1_5?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1390690712&sr=1-5&keywords=honeywell+ultrasonic+humidifier
Tubing runs into the FC and provides FAE and moisture. It is on a timer and I am still working on what times are best. The temperature is also being automated in the tub by using a thermostat rigged up to a space heater that is heating the relative space around my FC. I am providing light to the FC using a light source that is on a timer. 12hrs on/12 off.
here is my question. I am able to reach 95% RH after the humidifier pumps into my FC. Is it still necessary to fan the chamber out myslef? I have been doing it to help the evaporation process but it drops the humidity down so low! Since it drops to dramatically, should I run the humidifier immediately after they are fanned to bring the moisture back in? Because once the lid is back on, it shows a 30% RH and i would hate to leave it at that. I have the humidifier on a cycle: Runs for 5 mins every 2 hrs. I need advice!
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Quexl

Registered: 12/17/13
Posts: 1,443
Loc:
Last seen: 9 years, 10 months
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: jbeeebz]
#19493530 - 01/29/14 08:10 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Hey jbeeebz, I use an automated ultrasonic system also. Mine is set to run continually at a specific setting that I know gets my chamber to 93%RH. When I want to 'mist & fan' I just crank my utlrasonic to high to fill the chamber with fog. After about 20 minutes, I turn it back to the 93% setting and fan out all the fog really well. Then I put the lid back on without the tube attached, deliberately leaving dry air in the chamber. After an about an hour or so I stick the tube back in at the 93% setting. Twice a day or so, depending on what's happening in the chamber.
The reason I do it that way is that once you fog the cakes, fanning out the damp air and leaving dry air in there lets moisture evaporate off the surface of the cakes.
If you have glistening wet cakes and the air is at near-saturation evaporation won't occur, or at least it will occur very slowly. As I understand it, the aim is to actually have moisture evaporate off the cakes themselves.
Ultrasonics need a lot of messing around with, and most people can get away without actually using one. They're typically used on larger setups.
You have to be veeery careful not to forget about your chamber, and leave the tube out overnight. The perlite works as a good buffer, but you still need outlet holes for gas to escape. I put them at the perlite horizon opposite the tube inlet since I suspect CO2 creeps along the surface and doesn't infiltrate the perlite. Just a hunch!
Hope I could help!
Edited by Quexl (01/29/14 08:15 PM)
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Fungal growth
Lootinint



Registered: 03/21/10
Posts: 3,641
Loc: under a rock in your yard
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: Quexl]
#19493610 - 01/29/14 08:31 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Its very easy to waterlog cakes with a humidifier. Trays do well though. If youre just messin around and can afford to screw up majorly trying to dial your setup in, then you'll have fun. But if you're inexperienced and want to ensure a good harvest, you've gone a bit overboard. Just fruit in an sgfc. They require very little maintenance.
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 62,905
Loc: Van Isle
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: Fungal growth]
#19493617 - 01/29/14 08:34 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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i'm with FG here, automation should be left to gh's
-------------------- It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn
I'm tired do me a favor
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jbeeebz
Stranger


Registered: 12/09/13
Posts: 24
Loc: New Jersey
Last seen: 10 years, 9 months
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: Quexl]
#19493699 - 01/29/14 08:53 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Thanks Quexl. I forgot to mention that I have 1/4 inch holes drilled all over my chamber so I have a way for co2 to escape. Does your system provide good yields? I have been doing basically what you have said, except instead of twice I was fogging the chamber maybe 4 times and then fanning. The only problem I am running into is maintaining high relative humidity after I fan. Does your RH drop significantly after you fan? Is it necessary to maintain 93% RH 24/7 using this system? Thanks!
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Quexl

Registered: 12/17/13
Posts: 1,443
Loc:
Last seen: 9 years, 10 months
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: jbeeebz]
#19493850 - 01/29/14 09:20 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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If by holes all over you mean literally holes ALL OVER, you're already on your way to making the SGFC that the others are talking about. It's the norm, it works well, you just need to have a place where it can live happily. I don't 
If you're going to stick with the ultrasonic, you have to consider positive pressure, laminar flow, and all kinds of nasty stuff to get it "just right". I can't sort of dictate what you should do, it's just a lot of playing around.
Yields are largely determined by genetics, the FC is just to provide ideal conditions for fruiting.
You actually want RH to drop after fanning, for a while, to allow evaporation. Mine drops down to room level, which is a cool 20% where my chamber is. When I pipe in the mist again it jumps back up to normal in about 20 minutes.
I want to keep mine at 93% stat, so I run it continually. I tried the pulse method on a timer for a while, but I kept getting blotch on my caps.
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jbeeebz
Stranger


Registered: 12/09/13
Posts: 24
Loc: New Jersey
Last seen: 10 years, 9 months
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: Quexl]
#19493899 - 01/29/14 09:31 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Not all over actually. I put holes on the long sides of the FC. I followed a guideline that I found on this site by a trusted cultivator. I cannot seem to find the link at the moment and I will work on finding that for you. Basically, I drilled 1/4 holes in a pyramid shape. Just above the perlite layer, there are about 10 holes. 9 on the row above that row (spaced two inches apart each way). The pattern continues all the way to the top of the FC, leaving 3 holes on the top row. It still holds the fog very well for some time before it begins to evaporate.
Thanks for your advice. I'm glad i'm not the only one trying out an ultrasonic setup. Every time I make a thread, people tell me I'm wasting my time and that I should just build a SGFC. While I like that idea, I like tinkering around and experimenting. Having an automated system is nice, I will just have to find the perfect method for me and hope for good results. As long as I don't let the cakes dry out, and I allow the mist to evaporate off the cakes, I can't see why this won't work
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Fungal growth
Lootinint



Registered: 03/21/10
Posts: 3,641
Loc: under a rock in your yard
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: jbeeebz]
#19493990 - 01/29/14 09:50 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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You've got a decent grasp on automation. It can work. Theres just a lot of work that goes in to dialing it in. Its not a time saver. Thats what most want from it. Since you like to tinker, a greenhouse can have a small footprint, and you can do a lot more with it.
Edited by Fungal growth (01/29/14 09:50 PM)
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PussyFart
Retired Cultivation Extrodinaire



Registered: 04/08/12
Posts: 22,502
Loc: Orbiting Earth
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: jbeeebz]
#19494010 - 01/29/14 09:55 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
jbeeebz said: I have 1/4 inch holes drilled all over my chamber so I have a way for co2 to escape.
Quote:
Quexl said: If by holes all over you mean literally holes ALL OVER, you're already on your way to making the SGFC that the others are talking about.
Quote:
jbeeebz said: Not all over actually. I put holes on the long sides of the FC. I followed a guideline that I found on this site by a trusted cultivator.
If you do not have holes in the top and bottom you are still trapping more co2 in the chamber than you want, and if you have perlite in the bottom you are rendering it useless without the proper airflow.
--------------------
THIS HOBBY IS NOT FOR THE IMPATIENT! PLEASE BE PATIENT, DON'T BE A PATIENT!
A Tale of 10 Isolates, GT Cluster Clone Monotubs, RR's Let's Grow Mushrooms DVD,
SGFC(Shotgun Fruiting Chamber), Monotub Tek, Damion5050's Coir Tek, TL's Tek List, Frank's Tek List,
EvilMushroom666's Pasteurization Tek, How It Should & Shouldn't Look - NEW CULTIVATORS GUIDE
*** *** AFGHAN KUSH GROW LOG *** ***
Edited by PussyFart (01/29/14 09:56 PM)
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Quexl

Registered: 12/17/13
Posts: 1,443
Loc:
Last seen: 9 years, 10 months
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: jbeeebz]
#19494108 - 01/29/14 10:19 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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You don't have to link me, I get the idea of it. It's just trying to be in the shape CO2 is supposed to diffuse.
Quote:
Every time I make a thread, people tell me I'm wasting my time and that I should just build a SGFC.
Uh huh. They probably tried the ultrasonic at some point and couldn't get it to work on something that small.
It will work! It's just hard to give others advice on how to get them working properly. There's no 'tek' for it.
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vikingsc
Mushroom Enthusiast



Registered: 01/11/12
Posts: 1,214
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
Last seen: 11 days, 14 hours
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Re: Using Humidifier system. Should I still fan?? [Re: Quexl]
#19494142 - 01/29/14 10:30 PM (10 years, 11 months ago) |
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Don't forget that evaporation of the surface is the main pinning trigger. This is the main purpose for fanning and misting.
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