Maximum Yield USA 2012 March | Page 60

Double Nothing or A Grower’s Life by Casey Jones Fraser In hydroponics—as in life— it always pays to have backup Are your grow lights on? Are you sure? Maybe your timer, ballast or lamp is failing right now and you’re sitting here reading this article! I’m not trying to make you paranoid, but experience has taught me that indoor grow gear fails—fans burn out and air stones quit bubbling. And to make things more complicated, we cannot predict which items are going to break down next or when it’s going to happen. If you take your garden seriously, you won’t mind paying for insurance in the form of some spare gear. Here are several items that occasionally fail and some suggestions for dealing with—or even preventing—catastrophes. 58 Maximum Yield USA | March 2012