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

[GrumpAzz]

Hey all. Tonight I had one of AC Infinity's UIS control plugs fail. It failed closed, which means power was still being supplied to my equipment which, in this case, was my space heater. The internal relay, in my opinion, should at least be a normally open contact alongside an internal circuit breaker, which would required a controller, such as the 69 pro, to allow power to the equipment that is utilizing the plug while preventing them from being overloaded. These, however, contain a normally closed contact allowing them to function with or without a supplemental controller.

Thankfully, with the 69 pro's wifi connection, I was able to notice the issue within 30 minutes of the UIS plug's failure. Had I not have noticed, my space heater would have ran on high indefinitely. My exhaust fan would've kicked up to 10 to try and remedy the situation and save my plant, but this phere's no telling whether or not it would've been able to outcompete the heater, though. This may have resulted in a fried plant that's nearing harvest and/or a fire in my back room.

Aside from the redundancy (why work without the controller when you could just use the recept), the main issue is the potential fire hazard this presents. We all know the dangers of leaving a space heater unchecked. Had I been too tired to check in on the plant, there very well could have been too much heat passing through the receptacle for too long a period of time, subsequently resulting in a fire.

STAY SAFE OUT THERE Y'ALL

 

[GrumpAzz]

I have emailed AC Infinty and am patiently waiting for their reply. I'll keep y'all in the loop.

 

[Stoneyluv]

nice catch!!! you're right though, they should design it to fail open not closed. I'm curious as to what they say man. the best of luck getting it replaced but how do you even go forward trusting it? i couldn't. you might have to wire in your own fail safe.

 

[Observer]

I have emailed AC Infinty and am patiently waiting for their reply. I'll keep y'all in the loop.

Nice appreciate that.

Maybe they'll respond quickly/heavily, that'll decide my respect for them.

So far it seems they offer quality for a little extra buck.

But I've never had AC products, and here we are.

 

[tobh]

nice catch!!! you're right though, they should design it to fail open not closed. I'm curious as to what they say man. the best of luck getting it replaced but how do you even go forward trusting it? i couldn't. you might have to wire in your own fail safe.

yeah, this kind of issue is significant and can destroy a brand. ACI has done really well, but if something as simple as this is fucked, what's to say every other component they've made isn't? what's one to do when theur T6 turns into a jet turbine for about 10 seconds before the plastic blades melt and fuel the inferno the motor just started?

 

[Observer]

yeah, this kind of issue is significant and can destroy a brand. ACI has done really well, but if something as simple as this is fucked, what's to say every other component they've made isn't? what's one to do when theur T6 turns into a jet turbine for about 10 seconds before the plastic blades melt and fuel the inferno the motor just started?

Exactly what i was getting at too

whoopsie

curious to see their response, that sounds bad like a recall type level bad.

 

[tobh]

Exactly what i was getting at too

whoopsie

curious to see their response, that sounds bad like a recall type level bad.

the part that concerns me is they're probably owned by the same parent company as Mars, Spiderfarmer, Vivosun, et al. A Chinese company isn't going to give two shits some Americans are going to burn their shit down because they blindly trusted a "premium" product to perform at its price point. They got their money, they couldn't care less.

 

[Observer]

the part that concerns me is they're probably owned by the same parent company as Mars, Spiderfarmer, Vivosun, et al. A Chinese company isn't going to give two shits some Americans are going to burn their shit down because they blindly trusted a "premium" product to perform at its price point. They got their money, they couldn't care less.

Touche.

 

[tobh]

let's be real. all this gear is a cheap commodity since legalization. there are profiteers in every vertical, every step of the process. solid names have always been expensive, and they're not in the general conversation: grodan, gavita, hlg, sun systems, apollo, gorilla tents, etc. nah, they're still in the shadows where the real players are. these new "common" brands are a direct result of legalization and opportunism. ACI, I hate to say it, is in that group too, because they made their stake in a "commercial" fan at a consumer price point, and have expanded. with their growth, of course they're gonna cut corners because their investors want a bigger return, faster, and this might be their Achilles heel. A plug with a bad circuit design that was more or less likely duplicated from the same circuitry running in their more basic hardware.

 

[Observer]

let's be real. all this gear is a cheap commodity since legalization. there are profiteers in every vertical, every step of the process. solid names have always been expensive, and they're not in the general conversation: grodan, gavita, hlg, sun systems, apollo, gorilla tents, etc. nah, they're still in the shadows where the real players are. these new "common" brands are a direct result of legalization and opportunism. ACI, I hate to say it, is in that group too, because they made their stake in a "commercial" fan at a consumer price point, and have expanded. with their growth, of course they're gonna cut corners because their investors want a bigger return, faster, and this might be their Achilles heel. A plug with a bad circuit design that was more or less likely duplicated from the same circuitry running in their more basic hardware.

I remember them just making intake and exhaust now all this other shit

It's the same pattern as the other ones you mentioned, leads credence to you're thought - just another chinese Shell company.


I am insanely good at noticing patterns.

 

[tobh]

case in point, i remember when an 8" vortex fan that moved 500cfm was $250. a 1000w HPS with a magnetic ballast and a batwing hood was $500. shit, a 1000w DE CMH from gavita new still costs $750. those aren't consumer grade prices. but you can get a 1000w equivalent full spectrum LED for $200, a 400CFM fan for $60. the math adds up depending which side you look at it.

 

[freezeland]

I noticed my humidifier device type changed to a plug the other night. I think ac infinity pushed either a firmware or software update out. Maybe that update is buggy.

 

[GrumpAzz]

I noticed my humidifier device type changed to a plug the other night. I think ac infinity pushed either a firmware or software update out. Maybe that update is buggy.

Might be, but I took the failed UIS plug and tested it out. I still get 120 through it but the controller can't shut it off. No bueno

 

[GoodShit97]

Kinda glad i still have the 529 controllers. They just run my exhaust fans and have been running almost 24/7 since 2019.

So far ive had zero faults with them, but as we all know with all things, the more stuff it controls, the more issues you have.

 

[freezeland]

Might be, but I took the failed UIS plug and tested it out. I still get 120 through it but the controller can't shut it off. No bueno

That sounds like controller issue, not a cable.

 

[freezeland]

Try moving that cable to a different device and port. It would rule the cable out. I’d also try controlling a different type device from that effected port. That would indicate if the port is bad.

 

[Bandit420]

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

 

[Anthem275]

let's be real. all this gear is a cheap commodity since legalization. there are profiteers in every vertical, every step of the process. solid names have always been expensive, and they're not in the general conversation: grodan, gavita, hlg, sun systems, apollo, gorilla tents, etc. nah, they're still in the shadows where the real players are. these new "common" brands are a direct result of legalization and opportunism. ACI, I hate to say it, is in that group too, because they made their stake in a "commercial" fan at a consumer price point, and have expanded. with their growth, of course they're gonna cut corners because their investors want a bigger return, faster, and this might be their Achilles heel. A plug with a bad circuit design that was more or less likely duplicated from the same circuitry running in their more basic hardware.

It is funny you mention those brands. Grodan, Gavita and Gorilla. A simple best grow tent of 2023 search will likely not even show Gorilla. Why is that? or better yet best led grow light of 2023. Bet Gavita is not even on the list but I am sure Viperspectra is on that list with their POS stuff.

 

[GrumpAzz]

Try moving that cable to a different device and port. It would rule the cable out. I’d also try controlling a different type device from that effected port. That would indicate if the port is bad.

It's most definitely not the cable. It's The UIS plug, itself. The internal relay won't allow the controller to switch it off. Swapped plugs and it's chugging along like before.

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

Very nice write-up, Bandit. I should've had you send the email.

As a first time grower, I've been very impressed so far with all my ACI gear. I'm completely in the dark though, as the equipment I have now is the only stuff I've purchased yet. I'm nearing the end of my grow and, so far, the plugs have worked flawlessly. No issues whatsoever, until yesterday. That plug had been running my Vornado heater on high for a couple months straight. Like you said though, it does kick on and off repeated. You can set a buffer to avoid that, but I didn't like the difference between on and off. With these plugs, I've been able to keep the tent within 1.5 degrees and 1.5% humidity from my setpoints. My slightly OCD ass likes that.

I imagine they're built to fail like most everything else these days. Sad state of commercialism we're living in.

 

[GrumpAzz]

It is funny you mention those brands. Grodan, Gavita and Gorilla. A simple best grow tent of 2023 search will likely not even show Gorilla. Why is that? or better yet best led grow light of 2023. Bet Gavita is not even on the list but I am sure Viperspectra is on that list with their POS stuff.

Money. It's a pay-to-play world we're in.

 

[Anthem275]

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

Glad you posted this @Bandit420. I have similar opinions about some of these new companies and products. For me names like Trolmaster, Gavita, Fluence, Gorilla and such go a long way when shopping. Heck I do not have any CLW stuff but I do knw they have stood the test of time.

 

[Anthem275]

Money. It's a pay-to-play world we're in.

Part of the challenge/problem is when someone states things like I really like my XYZ product. How long have you been running it? Oh 3 months. No insult intended but how does that stake up to someone running something for over 5 years and it is still doing its thing.
@Bandit420 kind of said a lot more than his comments on ACI. with his comments a bout commercial quality.

 

[Bandit420]

It is funny you mention those brands. Grodan, Gavita and Gorilla. A simple best grow tent of 2023 search will likely not even show Gorilla. Why is that? or better yet best led grow light of 2023. Bet Gavita is not even on the list but I am sure Viperspectra is on that list with their POS stuff.

I've always found it peculiar how the best out there is never mentioned and this flooded market of disposable gear gets so much run.
One of my exhaust fans is a Dayton. You never hear about Dayton anymore. That Dayton has been up in my crawlspace pulling hot air out of my g/room since 1998. I paid $250 for that fan. Today an inline can be had for less than $40 but will it last 25 years? That dang Dayton might outlive me!! Dayton also makes fans that can be hosed down for cleaning! That's unheard of for most.
Another brand I hold in very high regards but rarely mentioned..Air King. Got an air king wall mount that's been going strong for almost 10 years. Only reason I have small ACI is for the oscillation. If air king made that fan I'd have no issue paying up to $100 for it because of their known quality and have been around for so long

 

[GrumpAzz]

Part of the challenge/problem is when someone states things like I really like my XYZ product. How long have you been running it? Oh 3 months. No insult intended but how does that stake up to someone running something for over 5 years and it is still doing its thing.
@Bandit420 kind of said a lot more than his comments on ACI. with his comments a bout commercial quality.

No feelings of insult, man. I kind of intentionally put my ignorance out there. I know nothing of what to buy because, like you say, I just googled "best this or that" and ran with it. I joined the farm and saw a lot of people touting different brands. I did go with BlueLab for my meters because they seemed to come highly recommended. Aside from that, i went with what seemed affordable and of decent quality. I went with ACI for most of my stuff simply because I like the single controller for multiple devices.

I've learned a lot on this first grow

 

[Anthem275]

I've always found it peculiar how the best out there is never mentioned and this flooded market of disposable gear gets so much run.
One of my exhaust fans is a Dayton. You never hear about Dayton anymore. That Dayton has been up in my crawlspace pulling hot air out of my g/room since 1998. I paid $250 for that fan. Today an inline can be had for less than $40 but will it last 25 years? That dang Dayton might outlive me!! Dayton also makes fans that can be hosed down for cleaning! That's unheard of for most.
Another brand I hold in very high regards but rarely mentioned..Air King. Got an air king wall mount that's been going strong for almost 10 years. Only reason I have small ACI is for the oscillation. If air king made that fan I'd have no issue paying up to $100 for it because of their known quality and have been around for so long

One word to the wise. The old King Air 12" Ocsilating fans worked really well. I would no longer recommend purchasing the newer stuff. I did a write up on them in here somewhere. They basically sold out to the replace every year group

 

[Anthem275]

No feelings of insult, man. I kind of intentionally put my ignorance out there. I know nothing of what to buy because, like you say, I just googled "best this or that" and ran with it. I joined the farm and saw a lot of people touting different brands. I did go with BlueLab for my meters because they seemed to come highly recommended. Aside from that, i went with what seemed affordable and of decent quality. I went with ACI for most of my stuff simply because I like the single controller for multiple devices.

I've learned a lot on this first grow

I completely understand. If you like the all in one controller stuff take a look at Trolmaster. I had everything running thru one. AC, lights, dehumidifier, humidifier, watering, Co2. They offer the ability to do everything but at a cost. Been running their stuff for many years and I have only once had to replace a CO2 meter

 

[GoodShit97]

Bet Gavita is not even on the list but I am sure Viperspectra is on that list with their POS stuff.

I bet Gavita isnt on that list either.
I so wish i had the money to shell out on a Gavita or CLW for my 4x4 but i just dont. So i gotta run with these POS options cause theyre 1/4th of the cost. No, they wont last as long but they still get the job done lol.

So far out of the 4 of 5 brands of cheap POS chinese lights ive run, Mars was the absolute WORST and they prolly hold the #1 spot for "best led grow light of 2023" cause they pay for that spot, we all know it lol.

 

[Anthem275]

No, they wont last as long but they still get the job done lol.

When you say they get it done. Can you explain? Are they performing at the same level but just for a shorter amount of time?

 

[GoodShit97]

When you say they get it done. Can you explain? Are they performing at the same level but just for a shorter amount of time?

Im gonna say definitely NOT the same level.
No spectrum tuning, no light controller option, probably not even close to the same diodes, internals, etc.

But it still grows plants from seed to harvest with good results.

This here was grown under a Phlizon PL-4500 450w quantum board i picked up at $184 last summer.
Im sure itd only be better under superior lighting considering its the MAIN driver of the plant itself.

 

[Bandit420]

No feelings of insult, man. I kind of intentionally put my ignorance out there. I know nothing of what to buy because, like you say, I just googled "best this or that" and ran with it. I joined the farm and saw a lot of people touting different brands. I did go with BlueLab for my meters because they seemed to come highly recommended. Aside from that, i went with what seemed affordable and of decent quality. I went with ACI for most of my stuff simply because I like the single controller for multiple devices.

I've learned a lot on this first grow

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