Want to play about with the arduino running something like an automated hydroponic system, and have temperature, moisture and light sensing down in theory.
The trouble Im having is when it comes to switching on equipment that runs of the mains (240V AC) light, water pump, ventilation........iv got no experiance with relays and dont want to just jump into stipping wires and playing with 240V!!!!
I believe i need to be looking at a solid state relay, so could do with some advice on this and current ratings.
SSR is a good choice (that's what I used to control a 240VAC motor). Ratings depends on the equipment in question.
If you aren't familiar with playing with mains voltage, get some help, do lots of reading, etc. It isn't rocket science, but there are some safety issues that may not be immediately obvious if you've only worked with low voltage stuff.
The important thing to remember with a SS relay is that when it is off there is a small leakage current and you can still get an electric shock if you touch the contacts of the supposed off side.
So best think of it as on and powered down and don't mess with it unless it is unplugged.
You could try buying a remote controlled outlet. They have all the high voltage stuff sealed in a nice box (maybe even safety standards approved) and come with an IR remote control to operate it. All you have to do is program the Arduino to send the IR codes.