Smoke Alarm in the Tent

[tobh]

Wait.. what do you mean by "back of a fan and was a light" i've been paranoid about my oscillating fan lately

i forget who i was talking to, but they mentioned knowing of a grow that got busted because of a dirty fan igniting. definitely something to be aware of, and accept that fans are wear components in setups. there's no real good way to clean them and once those windings get caked with enough dust, they can become ticking time bombs.

 

[2Bad]

Yikes...guess it's time to replace it

 

[tobh]

not a bad idea. if you're concerned about it, just spend the $20 for a new one. cheap insurance man.

 

[GoodShit97]

i forget who i was talking to, but they mentioned knowing of a grow that got busted because of a dirty fan igniting. definitely something to be aware of, and accept that fans are wear components in setups. there's no real good way to clean them and once those windings get caked with enough dust, they can become ticking time bombs.

An air compressor with a blower nozzle gets them pretty clean, but sometimes that gunk is just as sticky as my weed and wont come off with anything.
Thats when i toss them and get new ones lol.

 

[2Bad]

do we think oscillating fans are a bigger threat than stationary ones?

 

[tobh]

An air compressor with a blower nozzle gets them pretty clean, but sometimes that gunk is just as sticky as my weed and wont come off with anything.
Thats when i toss them and get new ones lol.

yeah that shit can get to be like toothpaste once it gets thoroughly mixed with whatever lubricant they use in those things. not sure if it's also some of the insulator burning off the windings that ends up being so damn sticky. regardless, it's nasty shit.

i've recently just started dumping my 6" clip fans and 12" oscillating fans on a buddy that grows mushrooms for his tents. figure a few runs in my tent is a reasonable lifetime for a fan, then he can get a couple months of use out of em before they die from being in 90%+ humidity.

 

[tobh]

do we think oscillating fans are a bigger threat than stationary ones?

any electrical component that has exposed windings like fans do should be considered a hazard with a limited serviceable life. especially given the harsh conditions we run them in. with good maintenance you can extend that lifespan but they shouldn't be viewed as permanent fixtures.

centrifugal fans and blowers are a bit different given how they're constructed and what they're designed for, but any bladed fans like oscillating or clip fans should all be considered disposable.

 

[2Bad]

any electrical component that has exposed windings like fans do should be considered a hazard with a limited serviceable life. especially given the harsh conditions we run them in. with good maintenance you can extend that lifespan but they shouldn't be viewed as permanent fixtures.

centrifugal fans and blowers are a bit different given how they're constructed and what they're designed for, but any bladed fans like oscillating or clip fans should all be considered disposable.

Ya making me too worried now I may just quit after this harvest lol

 

[tobh]

Ya making me too worried now I may just quit after this harvest lol

i mean, let's be realistic -- you could be struck down at any random time by some act of nature. just as in all of life, taking proper safety precautions significantly reduces risk, but you can't reduce risk if you don't know what your threat model is.

 

[2Bad]

i mean, let's be realistic -- you could be struck down at any random time by some act of nature. just as in all of life, taking proper safety precautions significantly reduces risk, but you can't reduce risk if you don't know what your threat model is.

yea but if we count up all the electrical products you need to run a large room or tent it's probably not worth the risk to a person doing it on a budget or that can't afford a safety protocol. I mean i'm def gonna get a fire alarm. I'm a paranoid person.

 

[2Bad]

oooo this one has a spot you can hook it https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Po...MI0bnG_-yi_wIVIfTICh00jQ38EAYYCCABEgIdq_D_BwE


guys how many would I need of these for a 4x8 tent

 

[tobh]

yea but if we count up all the electrical products you need to run a large room or tent it's probably not worth the risk to a person doing it on a budget or that can't afford a safety protocol. I mean i'm def gonna get a fire alarm. I'm a paranoid person.

that's a fair assessment. really, everyone should have fire extinguishers and alarms in their residence anyways. they're kinda like first aid kits -- better to have and not need than to need and not have.

it's not just grow related stuff either, so i wouldn't say you need to be overly paranoid specifically about the grow equipment. shit, a mouse can chew through wires in your walls and your place go up in smoke anyways (that's what the root cause of my house fire was). having healthy paranoia is good, but don't let it consume you. just be attentive to your gear and you'll be fine

 

[tobh]

oooo this one has a spot you can hook it https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Po...MI0bnG_-yi_wIVIfTICh00jQ38EAYYCCABEgIdq_D_BwE


guys how many would I need of these for a 4x8 tent

how tall is the tent

 

[2Bad]

how tall is the tent

I believe 6.5ft tall

 

[tobh]

you'd need two of the 2.8kg balls to effectively protect that tent

 

[2Bad]

you'd need two of the 2.8kg balls to effectively protect that tent

Perfect ty! i'm def gonna get them

 

[2Bad]

Damn I just realized those are only the 1lbs lmao. So if I got 12lbs its gonna cost 140$ is this the best deal you think I can get?

 

[Bandit420]

Here's a video of the Flame Defender I have in my room in case Y'all have ever wondered what it looks like when one goes off..

 

[2Bad]

Here's a video of the Flame Defender I have in my room in case Y'all have ever wondered what it looks like when one goes off..

Yea I like that for sure I just googled for them and saw it only listed on random hydro stores or ebay. I prefer to get on amazon or straight from the company themself . On top of that not sure if it would work for a 4x8x6.5 area what do you think @Bandit420 ?

 

[Bandit420]

Yea I like that for sure I just googled for them and saw it only listed on random hydro stores or ebay. I prefer to get on amazon or straight from the company themself . On top of that not sure if it would work for a 4x8x6.5 area what do you think @Bandit420 ?

Probably be better off with two or just one 12KG.
I bought mine local and last time I was there I remember seeing a few more in the warehouse. Kinda surprised there's not more online. Widely available in the Middle East and Asia though?
I wonder if this is something that got caught up in buyouts of the indoor garden industry and production was cancelled? I know when Scotts/Miracle Grow, AKA Hawthorne, bought out major brands like General Hydroponics, Gavita, Sunlight Supply, Hydrofarm, and others we lost a lot of good products and those that are gone are getting harder to find, usually sitting on a back shelf of a shop somewhere collecting dust.

 

[Rootsruler]

Probably be better off with two or just one 12KG.
I bought mine local and last time I was there I remember seeing a few more in the warehouse. Kinda surprised there's not more online. Widely available in the Middle East and Asia though?
I wonder if this is something that got caught up in buyouts of the indoor garden industry and production was cancelled? I know when Scotts/Miracle Grow, AKA Hawthorne, bought out major brands like General Hydroponics, Gavita, Sunlight Supply, Hydrofarm, and others we lost a lot of good products and those that are gone are getting harder to find, usually sitting on a back shelf of a shop somewhere collecting dust.

After a quick look through the Flame Defender looks like it would work the best. The one I posted is really for under a car hood and not so much in an open tent environment. Do you think a 2KG one would suffice?

 

[Bandit420]

After a quick look through the Flame Defender looks like it would work the best. The one I posted is really for under a car hood and not so much in an open tent environment. Do you think a 2KG one would suffice?

A 2KG is good for about a 4'x4' coverage area. Mine is in a 10'x10' room but I centrally located all electric connections on one wall and mounted the FD above it all.

 

[Rootsruler]

I have a fused power strip connected to 2 lights and fan that pull around 5 amps total inside the tent. I would imagine you placed it where you did as that would be the most likely place you'll have the first flare up but in my case I highly doubt a 5 amp draw through a 15 amp fuse will amount to much as far as danger of a fire. I'm thinking it would be best to hang it in the middle over the lights as lights, for me, pose the biggest chance of catching fire.

Am I wrong?

 

[LJFarming]

I have a fused power strip connected to 2 lights and fan that pull around 5 amps total inside the tent. I would imagine you placed it where you did as that would be the most likely place you'll have the first flare up but in my case I highly doubt a 5 amp draw through a 15 amp fuse will amount to much as far as danger of a fire. I'm thinking it would be best to hang it in the middle over the lights as lights, for me, pose the biggest chance of catching fire.

Am I wrong?

Good chance I am wrong and didn’t hear the electrician correctly nor read electrical wiring for dummies correctly but I believe the fuse/breaker should be 20%+ smaller than potential max power draw by code.

This makes the breaker/fuse trip if a short circuit happens. So if 14gauge wire will potentially be fine if 20 amps are drawn you still put a 15amp breaker in the panel and if the user plugs 18 things in to the circuit drawing 16+ amps the breaker trips keeping the user safe because the user had 5 power strips plugged into 1 power strip.

Nobody should ever listen to my electrical advice because I only know enough to be dangerous

 

[Rootsruler]

Whenever I've done a build I've tried to tally up the amps I'll be pulling for the entire operation up to the fax machines. I'll total it all up and rate my main box at least 30% higher so that I have enough headroom in case I missed something or I want to add something else on later. Same goes for wiring. Although it isn't necessary I usually go a grade up from what is "accepted". While copper is expensive that dude with the fish line and EMT bender is even more expensive. I'd rather err on the side of caution than kick myself for having to pay for an additional pull. Also, hot wire requires more amps to pull electricity through it.

When I built out sea containers I'd attach a 480v or 240v fused knife switch on the outside next to the mini split compressor depending on what the site had at hand. I'd split the source into 2 subs inside the container. One 240v sub and one 120v sub. High voltage stuff like HID lights and A/C on the 240v box and everything else on 120v.

Was it the right way to do it? Not sure but so far no one has died that I know of from the builds I did. I did have an electrician check it the first time I did it and he said it was correct but I'm not a licensed electrician to be able to agree with him.