🔥 PSA regarding ACI's UIS control plugs and a potential FIRE HAZARD 🔥

[GrumpAzz]

IDK how other growers approach this but when it comes to forums and sponsored products getting tons of run like they do at THCF and others, I tread very lightly. #1 is I don't want to or like to argue with people on the internet and I can see how people are steered into making choices I would not make. Don't wanna step on toes, don't wanna get banned for trashing a sponsor, and don;t wanna hurt anybodies feelings if they feel they were given great advice.
So for somebody like me who just likes to talk shop and have fun with other growers, I avoid much of that discussion. Been around long enough to spot the snake oils and wonky products directly aimed at new growers and they used to piss me off but there's so many now I just let it go.
The online LED wars conditioned me to be like this. At a time when Chinese junk lights were getting run and people arguing which junk was the best junk, I was dabbling with USA made Lumigrow, Illumitex who would later go on to be Fluence, and CLW. All it really took was time to prove which lights were best but there were people arguing over lights that had yet to complete a grow and the basis for the argument was how well it was packaged and how fast was the shipping. You don't hear of Blackstar or GLH anymore. Mars Hydro took their hits and finally came around to something good but still way behind in tech. Vipar and Spider pretty much following that Mars playbook meanwhile Gavita, Fluence, CLW, HLG and a few others are lapping those guys in tech and efficiency.

If you ever get a chance I highly recommend going to a cannabis trade show like the old Maximum Yields trade shows. Not a business expo but one where companies show off their gear and what's coming in the new season. You learn a lot at those shows and you see things that are so far above and beyond what's promoted by sponsors on forums. There was a time not long ago when some of the things I'd see advertised on forums would be laughed out of a max yield show. The max yield show is no longer around but there's others and they're usually in legal states

Advanced Nutrients about got me to buy their 27+ part product line with their flashy lables and shit. I'm doing just fine with GH's 3 part. Will I upgrade when I'm out? Maybe, but only through a trusted BudBuilders advice.

I grabbed the SpoderFarmer light but and tent because it was a good deal at the time and I liked their logo lol, but I didn't like the flashy orange for the rest of the shit and went with ACI because blacked out is cooler to me.

I'm learning a lot here at the anti-farm that is BudBuilders and I love it.

 

[tobh]

Advanced Nutrients about got me to buy their 27+ part product line with their flashy lables and shit. I'm doing just fine with GH's 3 part. Will I upgrade when I'm out? Maybe, but only through a trusted BudBuilders advice.

I grabbed the SpoderFarmer light but and tent because it was a good deal at the time and I liked their logo lol, but I didn't like the flashy orange for the rest of the shit and went with ACI because blacked out is cooler to me.

I'm learning a lot here at the anti-farm that is BudBuilders and I love it.

when you run out, 100% recommend going to salts. economically and performance wise, they're significantly cheaper and easier to work with imo. @Anthem275 can recommend some fantastic options, and I can throw you some input as well.

 

[GrumpAzz]

when you run out, 100% recommend going to salts. economically and performance wise, they're significantly cheaper and easier to work with imo. @Anthem275 can recommend some fantastic options, and I can throw you some input as well.

I've barely touched my gallon jugs but I've read good things on Jack's. Moe talked me onto learning the game with my GH. I bought gallons because I initially planned a 4 site system with 18 gallon resevoirs. I'm pretty glad I went the single plant route. It's been a lot of fun giving just her that extra special treatment.

 

[Bandit420]

Advanced Nutrients about got me to buy their 27+ part product line with their flashy lables and shit. I'm doing just fine with GH's 3 part. Will I upgrade when I'm out? Maybe, but only through a trusted BudBuilders advice.

I grabbed the SpoderFarmer light but and tent because it was a good deal at the time and I liked their logo lol, but I didn't like the flashy orange for the rest of the shit and went with ACI because blacked out is cooler to me.

I'm learning a lot here at the anti-farm that is BudBuilders and I love it.

Funny you mention AN.
I was at the Max Yield show in San Francisco they day he was locked out. I wanna say 2010? It's been a while. But yeah his advertising was a gimmick and everybody knew his nutes were sourced from the same place as GH and others. And he was trying to dog GH as some sort of wet noodle line while his were baddass toughguy nutes. It was so stupid.
He had a fit and left with his strippers then later that weekend hired an airplane to fly an AN banner over the show building. Big Mike was something else. His partner Remo later went on to do his own line of nutes, Remo Nutrients.
Few years after that a local shop here quit selling the AN line because of those crazy food charts and customers blaming the shop when they torched up gardens. No question though, his advertising worked and made him tons of money even if many of the products were not even close to being as advertised

 

[freezeland]

UIS plugs to nutrients, lol.

 

[GrumpAzz]

It'll make it's way back around if I ever receive an email back from them... til then it's just nice having the discussion progress which will keep the thread towards the top for more visibility. Maybe just me and Bandit are using them?

 

[moe.red]

I’m planning to play with the aci stuff when I win the raffle. I have several fans but currently unconnected.

 

[GrumpAzz]

Here's the response. I'll keep following up.

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Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. We do apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced with our products.

I understand that this issue could've have been prevented if the outlet had closed when the device failed, we are very sorry that this was not the case. I would be happy to pass your feedback along to our team so that they can look into this issue more and consider making changes to prevent this from happening again. I understand that this was a fire hazard and the results could have been worse. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

I will definitely be forwarding your message along to our developers. I would like to provide them with more information on the usage if you can please provide more information. How long was the outlet in use before it failed? Were all 3 UIS plugs connected to the same controller when this happened? Please also provide the heater specs if possible. Any additional information will be very helpful. Thank you in advance.

From here, I would be happy to replace the defective outlet for you if you're interested. If not, I can look into return options for you if the plugs were purchased recently, we can take them back for a refund.

I look forward to assisting you with this matter. Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that you have experienced as a result of this situation. If you have any other questions, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you accordingly.

 

[tobh]

Here's the response. I'll keep following up.

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Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. We do apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced with our products.

I understand that this issue could've have been prevented if the outlet had closed when the device failed, we are very sorry that this was not the case. I would be happy to pass your feedback along to our team so that they can look into this issue more and consider making changes to prevent this from happening again. I understand that this was a fire hazard and the results could have been worse. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

I will definitely be forwarding your message along to our developers. I would like to provide them with more information on the usage if you can please provide more information. How long was the outlet in use before it failed? Were all 3 UIS plugs connected to the same controller when this happened? Please also provide the heater specs if possible. Any additional information will be very helpful. Thank you in advance.

From here, I would be happy to replace the defective outlet for you if you're interested. If not, I can look into return options for you if the plugs were purchased recently, we can take them back for a refund.

I look forward to assisting you with this matter. Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that you have experienced as a result of this situation. If you have any other questions, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you accordingly.

This is about the best response I could hope for, tbh. I would offer the details they're asking, and also have them send a pre-paid shipping box and label so you can send the defective unit back for them to diagnose it physically. Taking details like that and looking at schematics won't tell the full story.

BUT now I wonder why it would matter about all three being connected to the same controller unless they know there are some kind of regulator issues within the controller's design...

 

[GrumpAzz]

Here's my reply

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Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I'll do my best to provide the information you're looking for.

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The outlet was purchased on February 1st from the AC Infinity eBay seller and has been in use since early May of this year, around the 10th, so roughly 4 months. I have only been using 2 of them as the third was a backup, and yes, they've been plugged into the same Controller 69 pro. The other outlet has ran a humidifier since sometime in March. That outlet seems to kick on and off more frequently, but the humidifier only uses roughly 60 watts. The heater I'm using is the Vornado VH200. I have had it set at the highest temperature setting and the switch is on level 3 which uses approximately 1500 watts. It does run quite a bit but for only a minute or two at a time.

I know it may not be the most cost effective way of remedying the situation, but they should really inlcude some sort of overload device, like a breaker or fuse. When it comes to potential fire hazards, a couple bucks shouldn't break the bank. Regardless of the relay, the outlet itself is another potential point of failure and, if possible, should include some sort of protection. A normally OPEN relay doesn't solve the problem if the relay itself melts and welds itself closed, which is very possible.

Another recommendation, if I may, would be to render the plug useless if it's not plugged into a controller. That way, should any part of the chain fail (controller, port, cable, UIS), the outlet will not continue to provide power to a piece of equipment. This could be accomplished with a normally open relay and that makes perfect sence because without a controller, why would someone plug anything into it? They could just plug it into the receptacle that the UIS plug is utilizing.

Again, thanks for the quick response and I look forward to hearing back from you.

 

[GrumpAzz]

This is about the best response I could hope for, tbh. I would offer the details they're asking, and also have them send a pre-paid shipping box and label so you can send the defective unit back for them to diagnose it physically. Taking details like that and looking at schematics won't tell the full story.

BUT now I wonder why it would matter about all three being connected to the same controller unless they know there are some kind of regulator issues within the controller's design...

I'm wondering if they're trying to diagnose the issue and want to rule out the controller. You're right though.

 

[tobh]

I'm wondering if they're trying to diagnose the issue and want to rule out the controller. You're right though.

That's my train of thought as well. The controller shouldn't be in the equation unless there's a design flaw that they're trying to keep under wraps or is poorly documented in the user documentation. Something smells burnt either way.

 

[Bandit420]

I doubt it's the controller as well. Or the app. It's the plug.
I've spliced my controller and everything works fine and the remote wifi works as I've controlled it from 5 miles away.
Mine are past the return date. I'm tempted to open one up and compare it's guts to other plugs. Maybe somebody here knows the fix but I'm real tempted to just chalk this one up to another bad buy and toss it on the scrap heap of other bad buys I have piled up.

BTW this is a swing in the topic but I'm tossing out several blue plug fans but cutting the cords off to keep those blue plugs. The blue plug is just a fused plug, designed as a safety measure for things that can burn out and short like fans and dehumidifiers. I'm gonna install blue plugs on all my ACI fans just as a little extra safety measure.
Blue plugs are always something I look for and was bummed out to not see them on these fans. It will void the warranty but I'd rather have a blue plug in there than a warranty after the fact if a fan fails due to burnout.

 

[GrumpAzz]

I doubt it's the controller as well. Or the app. It's the plug.
I've spliced my controller and everything works fine and the remote wifi works as I've controlled it from 5 miles away.
Mine are past the return date. I'm tempted to open one up and compare it's guts to other plugs. Maybe somebody here knows the fix but I'm real tempted to just chalk this one up to another bad buy and toss it on the scrap heap of other bad buys I have piled up.

BTW this is a swing in the topic but I'm tossing out several blue plug fans but cutting the cords off to keep those blue plugs. The blue plug is just a fused plug, designed as a safety measure for things that can burn out and short like fans and dehumidifiers. I'm gonna install blue plugs on all my ACI fans just as a little extra safety measure.
Blue plugs are always something I look for and was bummed out to not see them on these fans. It will void the warranty but I'd rather have a blue plug in there than a warranty after the fact if a fan fails due to burnout.

Yeah no doubt it was the controller. I swapped it to control my humidifier and it couldn't shut it off.

The 69 pro is the bee's knees, from a newbie perspective. I've checked in on the graph from a couple states away. It works like it's supposed to.

Inline fuses could easily be added to any cord and they're relatively cheap. Good thinking there. It doesn't really stop the plug from overheating internally, though.

 

[SiamSam]

After a long exasperated sigh...I'm not surprised one bit.
Out of the box, I'm not impressed at all with the UIS plugs. In my mind I thought to myself, do not rely on this to manage anything of great importance and even though they claim a high watt load, I wanna say 1500 without looking it up, there's no way I'd trust it to manage anything over 300 watts.

I say this coming from vast experience using commercial grade equipment. Not to brag and not that I'm a commercial mega crop grower or anything like that but I've always felt that if you can have commercial/professional grade equipment in your personal grow, it will perform and last thru all the hardships we put it thru.
I feel the same about other things too like a preference for aircraft or marine grade hardware for jobs that may only require budget grade hardware. I prefer that durability is all.

So after years of working with very durable and reliable gear I knew right away ACI was not that. But maybe there's some use I'm not seeing I thought to myself.
I gave the UIS an opportunity to impress me by controlling a measly 500 watt air conditioner. It failed.
No fire or anything dangerous, but it would flicker. Very rapidly turning on and off, maybe 40x in one minute. 500 watts was kicking it's ass. And for an AC that requires 3 minutes to pass before restart, that little $20 plug could've fucked up my $200 air conditioner.
Good thing I still have my Blueprint controller. A beefed up workhorse of a day/night thermostat that controls that AC and seems to tell me if you wanna go bigger I got your back. No heat at the plug, accurate and reliable control...Can't ask for more than that!

I have another UIS plug with intention to control a fan set to cool down heat exhaust from my lights. It's set for a certain temp range. I've got my eye on it an do not trust it even though it's a basic temp range and the fan is only 115 watts. I may end up putting that fan on a photosensor plug so it turns on with the lights and turns off with them as well instead of using temp control.
I also have an analog control for cooling and can use it.
But yeah the UIS plug is on short notice in my room. IDK even know if I want it as a smart plug either since the alexa plugs are way better and all sorts of customizable. Maybe 10 years ago the UIS plug woulda been a cutting edge plug but today I ask, why are you even here?

I'd put ACI in a category where if you don't have to deal with an extreme environmental challenge, you grow inside a tent, and all you need is basic control and can use equipment in the ACI family to manage that, I would expect it to do well.
If anything is outside that box...You deal with heat or cold that requires AC or heaters, if you grow in a large room or cab, if you have over 1000 watts of lighting, or if you need to control something outside the ACI family of products, I'd advise you to look at other options from Titan, TrolMaster, Autopilot, etc. Those guys are all about commercial grade but they do have offerings more in line with the small personal grower in mind too and that's who I rely on when it comes to the most important things in my room. For me, ACI and it's fans with control is about all the use I can find in their products

Its like Jerry Garcia sang, 'show me something built to last'

 

[SiamSam]

You can register as a buyer on Liquidity Services’ Web site right now, as I did recently, and place bids in any of hundreds of auctions. I didn’t do that, but I did spend a pleasant morning studying items that other people were bidding on, among them a two-pallet lot containing six hundred and fifty-four pounds of sports-related Amazon returns. The lot included seven pellet guns, six clear-plastic umbrellas, an assortment of punching bags and punching balls, a double-bladed lightsabre toy, a shatter-resistant over-the-door mini basketball hoop, eight yoga mats, a minnow trap, an indoor exercise trampoline, a pair of hiking poles, a kickboxing shield, a car refrigerator, two hoverboards (one with Bluetooth and one without), a jump-rope rack, a quiver’s worth of crossbow bolts, a fourteen-gallon red plastic gas can with a siphon pump, a set of four badminton racquets, and a mountain-bike handlebar. There were a hundred and fourteen items in all, and Liquidity Services had estimated their combined original retail value as six thousand five hundred and seventy-six dollars. The lot ended up attracting fifty bids. The winner paid nine hundred and twenty-five dollars, shipping not included. None of the fifty bidders were willing to offer more than fifteen cents on the dollar, and even at that price they were taking a chance, since there was no guarantee that any particular item would still function. Returned items are often damaged, dented, scratched, or inoperable, and even ones that don’t look too bad can be missing parts or accessories.
I also followed the auction for a truckload of women’s designer shoes: a little more than four tons of returns, all in their boxes, many in brand-new condition, with an original retail value that the company estimated as a hundred and eighty-one thousand seven hundred dollars. That auction expired with no bids, even though two hundred and fifty potential buyers, plus me, had looked at it. That outcome helps to explain why one R.L.A. attendee described apparel returns to me as “a nightmare.” Clothing is tough: fashions go out of fashion quickly, and the items are likely to be one-offs. From The New Yorker

 

[GrumpAzz]

Here's the next reply in the customer service chain of emails. I accepted their offer for a replacement as long as the shipping costs are on them.

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Thank you for getting back to me with your information.

I can assure you that this issue will be addressed with our developers, I will be passing your information and feedback along to them for further investigation. I know that our team is currently looking into all issues related to this product so this is being taken very seriously. We do thank you for using our product and sharing your feedback with us.

I understand that you already had a replacement on hand, so from here if you would like to return the defective unit back for a refund or a replacement, I would be happy to help you out. We would like to take the defective unit back for testing. Please let me know if you are interested in a replacement or a refund so that I may assist you accordingly.

I look forward to assisting you with this and hope to hear back from you soon!

 

[Rootsruler]

I’m planning to play with the aci stuff when I win the raffle. I have several fans but currently unconnected.