WHAB: Still Forming Woodworking Shop & Future Grow Residence

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I did successfully bump the shipping...

but, I still don't know which of the 2 items it applies to .

,
WHAB

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On a positive note:

That bulb-seal in that sped up order and this...

*everything to the right of the brown bag and excluding my old 4" inline fan, and the medicine bottle with hardware for my vertical reflector and the speed square, that is *

12 feet of 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch Aluminum angle and 25 feet of 1/2 inch PVC...

3way 90's (going to have down leg on each corner this time where the last one teetered...caps to close the legs to keep the pressure from escaping), and extra T's for the added cross bars.

Cloning Machine II 0002 04012021.jpg (1.22 MiB) Viewed 1066 times

And, all new Stainless Steel hardware (I'll use packing tape as a sort of Mylar layer like I used to use in Aviation to prevent galvanic action (corrosion))...

is the new Cloning Machine II.

Oh, and Diatomaceous Earth, just in case!

Here's to look up and forward!

,
WHAB

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This is a pleasant surprise, although not entirely unexpected...

This...

according to Amazon had a delivery date of "April 13 - April 20".

This afternoon I got a text message from FedEx. The message said they had received a shipment and that it would arrive April 3rd. I didn't know what the shipment was, what was arriving April 3rd. Amazon just emailed me to say it was the order above, a Hydrofarm BAC100A Xtrasun 1000W MH/HPS Convertible Ballast, 120/240V. I only know because the FedEx shipment number, the un-associated # I received hours ago, now matches Amazons.

This morning is looking up already!

Now, all I need is some living plants to put under it!

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WHAB

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Well, they're still alive, it seems

I checked the pH with the untrustworthy, discontinued Bluelab pH Truncheon I tried to save and put back into service.

I feed at 2pm/8pm, 2am/8am. I checked the pH just prior to 2pm fill... it's was reading 5.8 (I suspect it is higher as I don't see the color of the plants improving, BUT do I adjust it down the other way and wind up too low? )...

...but,

When I get the new Bluelab pH Pen - which I hope they don't discontinue and leave me stranded again - I'll see where it is sitting and I 'may' empty the reservoir, fill it with water softened well water, get the pH in control and flush the plants for a day.

It's not a nutrient problem (although that white slime still has me puzzled. I've looked for it again and it hasn't occurred but that one time), it is an uptake (lockout) problem as Mister G properly identified!.

Photo Day - Veg Day 6:

pics prior to Lights On....extra Sleepy (poisoned sleepy!)

Veg Day 6 0007 04022021.jpg (1.36 MiB) Viewed 1056 times

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WHAB

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On a completely unrelated BUT positive note: ( )

My nearly 20 year old factory race car (2002 Camaro Z28) - that needs tune-up (nearly 70,000 miles since last tune-up), an oil change and its tires rotated *really just noting it needs a tune-up and oil change*) - is stilling getting GREAT gas mileage. This was mixed city and highway driving, which makes it even better!

BUT also, $3.19 per gallon!

Overall ,
WHAB

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I just spent more than an hour with both UPS (I identified shipper as FedEx earlier, it is not FedEx...I was wrong) and Amazon.

I see where the package is - 2+ hours North of me. It has to drive 3+ hours (around an hour past me) to get to the distribution center it will be delivered from, then about 1 hour to get to me.

I tried to intercept it. UPS tracking offers "Delivery Options". I tried that. It said I had to contact the Sender (Amazon). I contacted Amazon (Chat), they said I had to contact the shipper, UPS, BUT, if that didn't work contact Chat again.

It didn't work. I went back to Chat with Amazon again and it wouldn't connect to chat again for some reason, BUT could they "Call Me". I said yes.

They called me (Sort of surprised me. I had never used that option before. They were quick!). We went back and forth for a few minutes then they said they'd contact UPS. I was on that call - mostly on hold - for more than 1/2 hour and they came back and said no alternatives are available.

I know there are a few Drop-Off points in the town nearest me. I know the truck has to drive right past one of them to get to the distribution center about 1 hour farther South that it will be put on another truck and delivered to me almost another hour North.



I tried.

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WHAB

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One shipment made it! It arrived in good order, package undamaged.

Hydrofarm BAC100A Xtrasun 1000W MH HPS Ballast...

Hydrofarm BAC100A Xtrasun 1000W MH HPS Ballast 0002 04032021.jpg (1.3 MiB) Viewed 1015 times

While it is fantastic this arrived so quickly and in good physical shape, it is the other package I am desperate for.

The Bluelab pH Pen has been sitting about 1 hour away since 5:49am...

I did a local search looking for a pH tester (electronic or strips) and I don't find anything...

,
WHAB

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I started working on Cloning Machine II. I duplicated the location of the center feeder pipe. I went to see how it lined up and where I can locate the additional pipes I have planned for this upgrade.

The sites are not measured equally. I checked a few sites and they're not where they should be, they're not aligned.

That's weird and messing with my head!

Besides the fact that I now see I incorrectly located the center feeder pipe in the wrong place to begin with, it shouldn't be directly under the sites, the net pots. All of them, the original and the added pipes should split the difference (centered) in between the rows.

I know why I made it that way originally. The manifold sort of balanced on the pump sitting on the bottom of the tank. It did balance that way most of the time but a tug on the cord could seriously disrupt the balance. I put 2 add-on legs on it that worked for a little while. I adhered them to the underside of the tubes, one with white silicone, one with Gel Super-Glue. The silicone did not hold on for very long at all.

Balance won't be necessary in this iteration. I will make 4 capped off legs in each corner to support the manifold regardless where the pump is in the system. Right now, I am considering not putting the pump in the center of the tank. It doesn't have to be there with the legs for balance. For balanced pressure, it seems like it would need to be centered. BUT, this isn't multiple jet engines that need to see fuel at the same rate consistently!

Now, I'm going to 'try' and better align the spray nozzles in between all the sites, on first blush, adding an additional 1 or 2 feeder pipes.

I plan to put 180° spray nozzles all around the perimeter of the tank and 360° spray nozzles everywhere else. I used 90 spray nozzles in the former set-up and only added 360° spray nozzles this last time I used it.

Since nothing is properly aligned I 'may' have to skew the pipes out of square a bit to make them line up with the misaligned net pots!

Still eternally thankful for the amazing effort and kindness of the person that made and sent it to me - whoever that was I'll get'er running right.

Afterthought: I 'may' have to put a small hole (drill) in the bottom of the cap on each leg so nutrient doesn't pool in there and turn bad, collect algae (potentially). A small hole the pump can push nutrient out of and put it back into circulation.

Afterthought - Afterthought: I 'may' be overthinking this!

Here's to trying!

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WHAB

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I think I solved the misalignment problem. I rotated the manifold 90°. I'll get the increased total of nozzles and better alignment. They're still not equally spaced but I can better find the middle of each row. I drew a line at the edge of each row of holes (splitting the difference) and you can see they vary in width

I then found the 'near' middle of those widths to place the T's.

I'll have to remake that left side (the manifold is upside-down in all the pictures up to this point, btw ) as it's abandoned out there by itself with no matching T on the other end any longer.

Coincidentally, I over-bought T's yesterday. I only needed 4 in the redesign I've now scraped. I bought 6. I caught it at check-out but went with it anyway. I still need 3 more T's in what you see BUT, there are 3 T's in the old manifold I can scavenge!

Then, off of the grid you see above, I'll put the 360° nozzles in the diagonal grids in between the sites.

And, in case you were wondering, have thought of it, because I have ...I could double the amount of sites to 30 by adding holes in between the existing holes. Getting someone to plasma/laser cut the holes in this Stainless Steel locally 'might' be a problem. I could also make one out of aluminum. 'Maybe' even plastic IF I could find one that size.

I don't see a current need for more than 15 sites right now....but, maybe in the future.

I see now - literally just now - I can use that miss-located T I mentioned above for the stand pipe for the pump that feeds the manifold. Hmmm.

On The Fly Engineering!

,
WHAB

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This is looking pretty good!

A little more and I should be done, as far as I can go without having the nozzles.

I can bring the left and right ends in a little bit IF I find they need to come in to get the spray nozzles spraying where they need to spray!

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WHAB