Equipment maintenance?

[Dr. Green Fang]

Curious... I know it's good to use bleach and water and wipe down your tents each grow, but I'm wondering if it's good to do things such as;

~Take ballasts apart and rid them of dust etc
~Take light fixtures apart, use windex on glass and / or do something with the bulbs
~Take vent blowers apart and clean them out. Maybe check barrings?
~Ever clean your ducting? I'm sure that's fine tho? :confused2:

Just a thought I had, wanted to run the though out in the wild MP, and see what I get for answers. I just want to prevent a fire or other hazard at ALL costs!! :aok:

 

[ShOrTbUs]

i wipe clean everything between grows. as far as "maintenance" goes, i always clean the dust out of anything electronic, with compressed air. anyone with a background in electronics knows, the key to a long life is cleanliness.

 

[Dr. Green Fang]

I'm a computer tech (personal, not professional) and all around handy guy :aok:


I assumed the dust in ballst thing, just wondering "all" aspect of maintenance and / or something I should consider.



Cheers for popping into the thread!

 

[ShOrTbUs]

i have yet to take apart my inline fan and check out the inter workings for myself, so i'm not really sure if cleaning it out will help. i believe they use ball bearings, which will be covered in some type of bearing grease that keeps them from rusting or collecting dust/dirt etc. i'm confident the bearings are good to go for at least a few years without maintenance. BUt like i said, i'm not entirely sure of what and how everything works on them.

 

[BackWoodsDrifter]

Reckon I give everythin a spring cleanin sort of makeover ever time I start gain. Just like starten right how I ends up is ussualy all wrong but fills me pouch

BWD

 

[nouvellechef]

I am the opposite. I have ran maybe 20 plus cycles in my tents, no bleaching, no wiping down. I sweep and vacumn and that's it. The inline fans and ballasts have basically not turned off in 5 years. But I don't run digital anything either.

 

[Dr. Green Fang]

Oh wow Nouvelle ... that's more like how I'd do it, but I really really want to be preventative!!

 

[Hushpuppy]

The fans have sealed bearings so there is no need to open them. The light fixtures and ballasts really depend on how dusty your environment is. I don't wipe down everything each time unless there is some mess, pollen, bugs, or fungus problem. I would do it at least yearly or bi-yearly just because. As was said, with electronic balasts, it is good to keep them dust free, not as much for static issues as they are usually encased in resin to protect from that, but just for cooling efficiency Just my 2cents

 

[NorCalHal]

With the Digi ballasts, it's a good idea I guess it would be a good idea to clean em out with air, but if you take off the cover, it will kill the warranty.

Cleaning the glass on the hoods is a must, I do it every click. Other then that, that's about all I do.

 

[Dr. Green Fang]

Excellent thoughts in this thread!

I think I would rather break open the ballast and void warranty than have small potential for fire. My mind goes constantly thinking of a fire.

 

[orangesunshine]

i wipe the walls, clean the glass on the hoods, run some bleach tru the plumbing, occasionally use a bug bomb, and soap and hose the trays---only time the fans get shut down is to burn sulphur