Update Fan controls and help text so it's more clear for users

Ideas & Feature Requests
#22

Sounds good :ok_hand: I’m pleased with the performance so far. :sunglasses:

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#23

I imagine you’ll publish a list of changes?

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#24

Yes, and on the top of that we will create a thread here in the community as a changelog.

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#25

I am interested in purchasing the niwa, but I have a super small 100 cubic sq ft grow box. I currently run the exhaust fan for 30 seconds every 3 minutes.

Will I still be able to do this and use it for VPD?

Since it’s just a 2x3 I am trying my best to keep exchanging fresh air while finding the cheapest way to maintain VPD I am frankly getting tired of it

I have a heater, humidifier, dehumidifier, and exhaust fan. I will probably run AC in the summer since it is in the garage pulling home air from the kitchen to an upstairs bedroom. (I know how to wire a relay, and all my appliances turn back on after power pull )

Thanks

#26

Hello @Williamgrow , with the Hub controller you can only define minutes per hour (not 30 seconds every 3 minutes) you want your fan on for ventilation purposes. Then the fan and all the other climate control devices will trigger on/off based on the recipe/stage settings.

I hope it helps!

#27

Thanks for the quick response, I still want to make this work so is it possible to wire the same circuit power to the outgoing power wire for my AC exhaust fan?

So, to control the exhaust fan, I would not use the minutes per hour feature on the Niwa but would only use Niwa for maintaining VPD from the exhaust fan cord plugged into the Niwa I would splice in 120v from a custom digital timer plugged into a different receptacle on the same circuit breaker circuit.

If power from the Niwa does not damage my digital timer, will power from the timer damage the Niwa unit? Or am I ok?

I really want to use the Niwa since it is so cost effective and a great piece of mind, so maybe I should use a couple little solid state relays to play it safe!?! Plus I will also want to connect the exhaust fan back to my temperature safety circuit (temp unit at top of box), unless Niwa has that feature too.

#28

PS, I am a little confused on why the exhaust fan ventilation setting is set to minutes per hour, I know this setup is great for medium and even large grows with relays, but it seems to me there is a huge small stealth grow clientele that could easily afford $200 but could use a bit more granular ventilation control. Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone just to have a regular cycle setup like a digital timer has?

One for daytime And one for dark? Just 2 fields selectable in seconds, minutes, or hours. IE: ON for 1 minute, OFF for for 5 minutes.

(If you are worried about people complaining your system does not work consistently after setting this setting, you could warn them by changing the ventilation settings background to RED with a small message “Constantly exhausting your grow room could interfere with Niwa’s ability to maintain proper climate, especially if your grow area is less than 100 cubic feet or 3 cubic meters”)

#29

Hi @Williamgrow, I’m not sure if I understand the first question, take into account the Grow Hub power limitations, and if you are going to install relays or additional systems please have a professional certified electrician doing that for you as it can be dangerous.

I appreciate your feedback on the ventilation cycles, I understand the current limitation, and we are considering other options for the future, the challenge is not interfering with the climate controls.

#30

Can I split my 6" AC exhaust motor power cord into two AC plugs so it can be turned on via an outlet digital timer on cycle as well as the grow hub?

#31

So if I have humidifier and dehumdifier plugs configured for target levels, the fan will only activate if the temperature gets too far above the target, correct? If this is the case, how many degrees over the target will trigger the fan? Thank you!

#32

Hello @FuzzyBunny, yes that’s correct! In order to protect your climate control equipment (heater, fan, A/C, humidifier or dehumidifier), the Grow Hub enables a “dead band” for both temperature control and humidity control.

  • Temperature dead zone range: 0.5ºF
  • Humidity dead zone range: 2%

For example: If you set a humidity target of 65%, and have a humidifier assigned to your Grow Hub, your humidifier will turn ON when the current humidity is lower than 63%; and it will turn OFF when humidity is greater than 65%. On the other hand, If you set a humidity target of 65%, and have a dehumidifier assigned to your Grow Hub, your dehumidifier will turn ON when the current humidity is higher than 67%; and it will turn OFF when humidity is lower than 65%. This dead zone will prevent your humidifier and/or dehumidifier from turning ON and OFF constantly when the current humidity is close to your humidity target.

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#33

Thank you so much for the detailed reply!

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