Aeroponic Space Shuttle

earl how long should i vegg some origianl blueberry and some jacky white from seeds in your syetem before i go to flowering. and i live in humboldt county

In this pic :
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x140/earlon3rd/000_884.jpg

I was wondering what peices you use to connect the two rez and the smaller pvc pipe. I wanna use two rez but I need some advice on what parts i need and can get from home depot or lowes, etc to connect them together like you've done.

Huero. I really don't know how long it takes to veg your strain.
I have never grown Blueberry.
I always veg to a certain height(24"),
and not a point in time.

Klepto, the part you need to connect the bottom of the tubs is called a 1/2"Bulkhead Fitting.

Bulkhead fittings are much cheaper online.
You need 4, if you build it like mine.

I have the crossflow tubes on both sides,
at the bottom of both blue tubs.

Having two cross flow tubes,
keeps the solution level in both tubs,
and adds stability to the whole machine.

You may notice I have a garden faucet on the 1/2" cross flow tube.
Not necessary.

This was my original idea for drainging the tubs,
but the bulkhead fittings left too much solution in the rez,
and that is why I went to the basket drains,
mounted on the bottom of the tub.

I hope this helps you keep going
on your assembly.

,

so can i do the samething veg to a certain hieght?

huero said:

so can i do the samething veg to a certain hieght?

Click to expand...

How much vertical room do you have?

.

8 to 9 feet

Here are some rules of thumb that I grow by.

If you start your seeds on 12/12
and leave the light 12/12
the plant will only grow 13 nodes
and finish at about 12 inches.
Yield will be very poor.

If you veg to 16 inches, or 11 nodes,
the plant will double in height.
Yield is average.

If you veg to 13 nodes or more,
or 24 inches or more,
the plant will more than double in height.
Yield will be above average.

Of course you need to have enough side lighting,
to handle plants that large,
or the lower budz won't produce to their full potential,
and the extra veg time would be a waste.

So you need to balance veg time,
with your ability to light the plant.

.

thnaks earl when i start about 2 weeks i show you pic

one more question .can i use rockwool instead of those rocks with the 3 inch pots? and whicht is the best way to start my seeeds in, using our system

Earl said:

Here are some rules of thumb that I grow by.

If you start your seeds on 12/12
and leave the light 12/12
the plant will only grow 13 nodes
and finish at about 12 inches.
Yield will be very poor.

If you veg to 16 inches, or 11 nodes,
the plant will double in height.
Yield is average.

If you veg to 13 nodes or more,
or 24 inches or more,
the plant will more than double in height.
Yield will be above average.

Of course you need to have enough side lighting,
to handle plants that large,
or the lower budz won't produce to their full potential,
and the extra veg time would be a waste.

So you need to balance veg time,
with your ability to light the plant.

.

Click to expand...

Well damn, mine have vegged for going on 4 months now.. under T5's. When the rest of the equipment arrives they should be beasts.

They stand about 16" tall now.. I'll expect some serious height and buddage.. I might have to train them a bit.. and definitely trim away some of the lower branches.

E

Hi Earl, nice to meet you, this is my first post here.
I read through the whole thread twice to make sure I didn't miss anything...
I have a few questions if you don't mind.
1) You listed "epoxy" as one of your materials. I assume thats what you used to attach/seal the 6" pvc to the storage bins?
Could you be more specific as to what you used...I am having a tough time finding something to use for the same purpose?
2) My plumber friend tells me he has quit using plumbers putty in favor of silicone, do you forsee any problem using silicone with the drains in the bottom of the tubs? Again, I assume you keep the strainers in the drains, do you have any leakage through the strainer? I saw in another thread you put a connector/valve for a garden hose on the end of those drains, so I guess any leakage just collects in the drain waiting for a flush?
3) Do aquarium chillers not contain pumps? I think by looking at your setup you have to pump the water into the chiller? Does it pump it out?
4) You have a float valve in the RO rez that triggers RO rez refills from the RO machine in what looks like a bathroom? And another float valve that triggers rez refills in the pump side rez? If not, what mechanism do you use to keep the RO rez at desired capacity?

Sorry for all the questions, I love your setup and am just very curious!

Also, something of note, I tried to find a decent hole saw set on ebay, but the shipping was rather expensive, so I did some looking, and anyone with a harbor freight store close by, they have a ~6$ hole saw kit.

Thanks for the great info Earl.

EdgeKurl said:

1) You listed "epoxy" as one of your materials. I assume thats what you used to attach/seal the 6" pvc to the storage bins?
Could you be more specific as to what you used...I am having a tough time finding something to use for the same purpose?

Click to expand...

The epoxy I use comes in a tube like this.

I got it from the local plumbing supply house,
so your buddy should know about it.

2) My plumber friend tells me he has quit using plumbers putty in favor of silicone, do you forsee any problem using silicone with the drains in the bottom of the tubs? Again, I assume you keep the strainers in the drains, do you have any leakage through the strainer? I saw in another thread you put a connector/valve for a garden hose on the end of those drains, so I guess any leakage just collects in the drain waiting for a flush?

Click to expand...

Silicone is good, I would listen to your plumber friend.

There is a slight flaw in my design,
as the plumbing fittings I use,
are not designed to be under pressure.

The bell reducer is a loose fit
and needs plumbers epoxy to make it leak proof.


You can see I keep a pan under the fitting,
since I haven't dealt with this issue yet.

I dump it once a week.

3) Do aquarium chillers not contain pumps? I think by looking at your setup you have to pump the water into the chiller? Does it pump it out?

Click to expand...

The chiller does not come with a pump.

The chiller will recommend a flow rate.

You need to size the pump for the amount of head you have,
to get the "flow rate" through the chiller,
and everyone has different head requirements.

Along with "flow rate," a pump's "head pressure"
(or more accurately "pressure-head," "shut-off head," or "shut-off pressure")
is a term often used in pump literature to describe how powerful a pump is.

"Flow rate" is simply the volume of water a pump can move
during a given amount of time.

Pump flow rates are usually expressed in gallons per hour
or gallons per minute.

"Head pressure" on the other hand is more complicated.

"Head" may be simply defined as any resistance to the flow of a pump.

When pump manufacturers list the head pressure,
they are referring to the vertical discharge pressure head.

Described in very simple terms, a pump's vertical discharge "pressure-head"
is the vertical lift in height (usually measured in feet of water)
at which a pump can no longer exert enough pressure to move water.

At this point, the pump may be said to have reached its "shut-off" head pressure.

Shut-off head is the loss due to
the pipe entrance and exit,
sudden expansion or contraction,
bends, elbows, and other fittings, filters, or valves, etc.

So you must take into consideration,
all of the factors contributing to your head pressure,
and then size your pump accordingly.

Don't panic.

Get a a big mag drive pump,
and you can easily adjust the flow rate down.

If your chiller requires a 400 gph flow rate,
then get at least a 600 gph pump.

4) You have a float valve in the RO rez that triggers RO rez refills from the RO machine in what looks like a bathroom? And another float valve that triggers rez refills in the pump side rez? If not, what mechanism do you use to keep the RO rez at desired capacity?

Click to expand...

I had to install the RO machine near a water supply,
and the bathroom was close by.

The RO machine has to drain as it makes RO,
so that is another reason to mount the RO machine in the bathroom.

I have a 1/4 inch line running from my bathroom to my grow room,
where the RO rez is located.

This 1/4 inch line is connected to a float valve in the RO rez.

The RO rez is in the grow room,
sitting three feet above the "grow rez"

The "grow rez" has another float valve,
which is connected to the RO rez.

.

well I decided to come leave a comment on your grow, since you have been so much help to me

WOW!! seriously! I definitely want to know how much you harvested of that giant mama!! And I'll just bet it tastes amazing

well done!!

hahhahaha funny you touched on this topic earl.

you and email convinced me to get a RO system.

Im installing in the bathroom as well. I first decided to use a saddle valve....but those things are nothing but trouble!!!!!!!!! The damn compression wouldnt act right. the pressure would just spit the tubing out.

but i've found a savior....john guest angle stop valve adapters....fucking sweet! those quick connector are a life saver with no leaks!!!!!!!

i have a few questions. how did you run the drain line so it wouldnt interrupt average everyday use of a bathroom? i was thinking about just running it to the toilet...but that would have the toilet constantly drain the commode when it passed that fill level. i wanted to drill a hole in the sink drain....but im not sure how i would come up with a quick fix to patch the hole.

few more questions.....im still a little confused on the float valves as i have a RO res, but i dont want alot of tubing and such coming from it.....i thought about doing a controller bucket with a float valve but im not sure..... could you take some detailed pics or post some of the float valves and how it is setup? which tubing goes where and how many??

Earl said:

Click to expand...

Hey, I have one of those in my toilet!

lol



E

Thanks for all the good info Earl.

You are qiute welcome,
thanks for helping me overgrow!

Here is a shot of plant number 2.



Here is the big girl
pulled back from #2

Ummmmm. What Does One Say Too Those Pic's........hooooooly Sht. I Hope U Have A Chair And A Wipe.... Db. Dammmm Earl.

I take it that sativas love supplimental side lighting?



E