AeroJunkie's High Pressure Air-Assisted Hydro-Atomized Aeroponic System (HPAAHAAS)

[Trichy Bastard]

I too have some embarrassing roots, BUT, damn the plants have hung in there. I am not adding compressed air beyond the aquatec 8800, which is misting much better after I increased the pressure. I was taking pics yesterday, but the camera battery needed recharging. will post today.

Frankly, I am shocked that these clones are still alive. They have been through hell and back, due to a combination of pump pressure being too low + inside the mist heads they were missing the pressure valve, which is clear, and hard to see unless you know what you are looking for.

The 3 straggly roots belong to the single clone photo. There are actually more roots but they are stuck together. While they appear smooth, they actually have serrated barbs all along the length. Once that got sorted, all clones began to recover and develop new leaf sets. Amazing.

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Fingers are crossed PF... I think my opinion based on watching your experiences is that although the initial setup is more involved, I think there is actually less maintenance and issues with an accumulator based setup. I appreciate your drive to achieve consistantly good results, and enjoy watching your progress. I'm hoping my new crop will be a reasonable success, hopefully as good as r0m's, or better if I get lucky. I should have the chamber cooling mods done within a week and give it a go.

 

[aerojunkie]

I hope you figure it out Aj... Gees, don't be shy posting... We're mostly less advanced than your setup, and I don't think a single person here is really judgemental, the whole point of these threads are to share knowledge and improve. We know full well that you're not impressed with the current results, but perhaps we can all learn from it. To be honest it's nice looking at someone's perfect results, but it makes me more comfortable with my own failures to see others also go through the same, and I learn alot more from them. Petflora is a good example of being quite humble, he posts the good, bad and the ugly, and I feel I learn just as much what to do, as what not to do from it. I certainly don't think he's a lesser person for posting brown roots at times, and doubt anyone else does either. I think the only time I get somewhat judgemental is when someone isn't humble, or refuses to consider the knowledge and advice of others, and then posts some ugly roots and brags how awesome they are- lol... Of course we're all in pursuit of the perfect roots, but it's not a contest between eachother, but with each person and themselves. To be honest- I am considering starting an HPA issues thread, perhaps in that context we can all feel comfortable showing our issues, and can all learn from them. The only thing stopping me is that I have a feeling all the soak-ponics LPA aero crowd will start chiming in, not realizing we're in a totally different category.

Thanks TB, I'm working out the kinks as best I can but I just found a new issue. I located a small leak in my chamber and I'm going to have to shut it down completely to fix it. I'll clone my current stock then fix the problem. I'll most likely either add 2 more nozzles or at the very least raise the existing two. Ill post pics shortly in hopes that someone else can benefit from my issues.

 

[Trichy Bastard]

Thanks TB, I'm working out the kinks as best I can but I just found a new issue. I located a small leak in my chamber and I'm going to have to shut it down completely to fix it. I'll clone my current stock then fix the problem. I'll most likely either add 2 more nozzles or at the very least raise the existing two. Ill post pics shortly in hopes that someone else can benefit from my issues.

Cool man, good luck with that. Too bad it's so involved in the repairs and you can't just dab something on it (or Duct tape?) to finish the current crop out and do something more permanent afterwards. Do you mean a leak as in letting air and light in?

 

[PetFlora]

I uncovered another problem, which is probably overlooked by most hydro growers: THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF YOUR pH METER.

The probes only last ~ one year + when battery life is below 95% you will get false readings. Between battery replacement & tip you might as well buy a new meter

 

[mrflamboynt]

hang in there bro you will figure it out.....

 

[DIYer]

Save your money, all meters do what you just realized. These pH strips are cheap and all ive used for years in my HPAero system.
http://www.indigo.com/test-strips/gph-test-strips/ph-paper-4-7.html?from=GoogleBase

 

[DIYer]

I just adjusted my Aquatec 8800 (fyi a 1.5 allen type tool for mine + no resistance, it turned easily)

Hey man, i have the Aquatec 6800, it has the same screw on the front you turned, and ummmm, you're not going to believe this unless you unscrew the 7 star bolts holding the front on and see for yourself, but that screw has control over absolutely nothing inside the unit. Well at least I'm 100% sure it does nothing in the 6800 model, i even read on another sites forum someone talked to the manufacturer and they said it does nothing. I'd love to know if it really has any function in the 8800, the spec sheet from the manufacturer is the same for both. http://aquatec.com/booster-pumps.html

 

[aerojunkie]

Cool man, good luck with that. Too bad it's so involved in the repairs and you can't just dab something on it (or Duct tape?) to finish the current crop out and do something more permanent afterwards. Do you mean a leak as in letting air and light in?

Well, my crops are basil so I'm not worried at all. I took just about every cutting I could and put them in my cloner. The leak is at the bottom of the chamber and is allowing water to leak through and potentially become a mold issue. The bottom layer of polystyrene sheeting lifted slightly. Its a fairly easy fix but it needs to be completely dry.

 

[aerojunkie]

I uncovered another problem, which is probably overlooked by most hydro growers: THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF YOUR pH METER.

The probes only last ~ one year + when battery life is below 95% you will get false readings. Between battery replacement & tip you might as well buy a new meter

Do you maintain your probe with cleaning and storage solution? Have you tried leaving your probe overnight in some hanna cleaning solution? Also, never store your probe in distilled water or the filling solution will leak out of it.

Here is a good site on maintaining and reconditioning your probe.

http://delloyd.50megs.com/moreinfo/ph.html

BTW. I have had my Hanna pen for over 2 years now with no issues. At one point I stored it too long without use or storage solution and I was able to recondition it while still maintaining its accuracy.

 

[aerojunkie]

hang in there bro you will figure it out.....

Thanks bro, the only concern I have right now is the thin roots. I've been curious as to whether or not people using fogponics have encountered the same issues I have been noticing.

 

[Trichy Bastard]

Thanks bro, the only concern I have right now is the thin roots. I've been curious as to whether or not people using fogponics have encountered the same issues I have been noticing.

I have a dominaero Fogponic setup, I think it's really meant to be just a cloner, although the manufacturer, Jesse James' wife told me they have gone to harvest in it. I hadn't given it a good enough chance due to over heating without a chiller and don't have much experience with it yet. There is a guy named "oldMac" on ICmag who might be able to answer. Also your buddy fatman was posting there fairly recently in the nutrient section, but I think he got the usual boot again. Some things never change...

 

[PetFlora]

Do you maintain your probe with cleaning and storage solution? Have you tried leaving your probe overnight in some hanna cleaning solution? Also, never store your probe in distilled water or the filling solution will leak out of it.

Here is a good site on maintaining and reconditioning your probe.

http://delloyd.50megs.com/moreinfo/ph.html

BTW. I have had my Hanna pen for over 2 years now with no issues. At one point I stored it too long without use or storage solution and I was able to recondition it while still maintaining its accuracy.

As I mentioned, when I called Hanna tech support, he told me they only last ~ 1 year. I am careful to keep the tip wet, but did not calibrate very often. Fail, it will. Perhaps frequent calibration once it is > 8 months old will be an indicator


DIYer, I watched the mist while turning the screw, so yes, it worked on my 8800

 

[DIYer]

Oh man,.. no offense but thats really hard to believe,.. the spec sheet for the two are the same. Before i would believe that nut does a thing id want to see the inside, it's 7 star bolts to see what that nut actually screws up against inside, i bet a bowl its nothing. Once it's apart you can clean it out too. If you don't have a filter pre pump the little black suction cups inside the pump can get shit behind them and it effects the flow more then anything I've found.

I use to own a Hanna too, total waste of money IMO. Is your res separate from your plant roots? I run a DTW system, with the plants never touching the res solution pH never swings. I use those test strips at a nickel a strip, test only once every 2 weeks, which is how often i need to refill my res.


Peace

 

[Trichy Bastard]

Do you mean Hanna meters are a waste, or meters in general?

You don't necessarily need to see the inside of the cap where the screw is if you can see a linear relationship between adjusting the screw, and the pump's outout pressure. I have not myself, but plenty of other reliable sources have said it made a difference. One important thing is to get a meter that automatically adjusts for temperature, otherwise you need to take the measurements all at the same solution temperature. Mine does, but I noticed some older/lesser models did not.

I originally wanted a bluelab truncheon, but my local shop told me if I bought a Hanna they would indefinitely warranty/replace it forever, all I had to do was bring it back and they would exchange it. So far it has been quite accurate and good for me for almost a year. As all meters- it needs calibration at least once per week- even when brand new.
Like you said- in general, we don't need to check the solution more than when we first fill the res as in HPA we tend to use drain to waste, but it's my opinion since the ph doesn't drift, and HPA is finicky, that only a calibrated meter is the best way to maintain the best ph environment. But I am known to be a perfectionist ...

 

[Trichy Bastard]

As I mentioned, when I called Hanna tech support, he told me they only last ~ 1 year. I am careful to keep the tip wet, but did not calibrate very often. Fail, it will. Perhaps frequent calibration once it is > 8 months old will be an indicator


DIYer, I watched the mist while turning the screw, so yes, it worked on my 8800

So, if you only used your meter once per month, the probe would only last for 12 uses? I really think this is more like tires on a car, where there may be some degradation over time seperate from usage, but in the end what matters most is how much use it gets- therefore being on a set time schedule will probably have you getting replacement probes in an inefficient manner. I'm sure Hanna would love to sell you more probes though- they're not cheap.


Is there some kind of really good pot going around lately? I can't seem to decipher most of my PM's due to them being not understandible in wording as well as spelling.

 

[DIYer]

You don't necessarily need to see the inside of the cap where the screw is if you can see a linear relationship between adjusting the screw, and the pump's outout pressure.

That's what i thought too, i also thought i saw a difference when i adjusted mine. The eye sees what it wants a lot. Personally id need to see the inside on this one to believe it.

I'm sure Hanna would love to sell you more probes though- they're not cheap.

That pretty much sums it up right there. It's just one of many big scams to get your money. I get some don't like test strips because some strip brands can be vague if there meant to cover too broad a range of pH, but the ones i buy, and linked up there, are perfect for what we grow, and come with a very nice color chart on the front of the pack. My plants never spot or show pH issues and there all i use.

As for ppm meters, there the only meter i would say aren't a waste of money, pH meters are because they all ware out stupid fast for you to believe there supposed accuracy ever. I use a truncheon ppm meter myself, best damn meter ever, and it doubles as a great stirr too.

 

[aerojunkie]

I have yet taken apart my aquatec pressure switch but I gather it is most likely the same as my shurflo, which I have on numerous occasions disassembled. The allen screw on my shurflo only serves to tighten the tension of an internal spring which in turn increases the pressure needed to trip the micro switch shut off. It is a very simple design. I have both raised and lowered the pressures in my system by turning the allen screw in or out many times.

 

[PetFlora]

I use the meter at least twice a day on ~ 3 different reses. I always clean my probe, but not in a recommended cleaning solution. That is about to change...

http://cheaphydroponics.com/store/view-all/bluelab-ph-probe-cleaning-kit/prod_186.html

 

[DIYer]

Sure, waste some more money why don't you! lol. You think $20+ solution in a cute bottle is going to keep a device that all manufacturers know is shit, from shitting the bed? For $20 you could buy enough never wrong pH strips for a life time. Stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. Or get ready to go down a long ass road of buying products you do not need to grow a freaking weed. You ever stop to think how much pH changes in the wild when it rains? Sorry, but your plants don't give a poop you test pH multiple times a day.

 

[aerojunkie]

Sure, waste some more money why don't you! lol. You think $20+ solution in a cute bottle is going to keep a device that all manufacturers know is shit, from shitting the bed? For $20 you could buy enough never wrong pH strips for a life time. Stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. Or get ready to go down a long ass road of buying products you do not need to grow a freaking weed. You ever stop to think how much pH changes in the wild when it rains? Sorry, but your plants don't give a poop you test pH multiple times a day.

Do you have an EC meter? These hanna meters are convenient because both the PH and Ec probes are in a single unit. Surely its debatable as to the longevity and worth of a PH meter by itself, but how do you go about measuring EC? I know I will eventually need to replace my unit but as far as I'm concerned, its just the nature of the game I'm in.