Another newbie posting up his very first hydroponics setup :)

Not exactly sure how I was introduced to hydroponics, I think the local garden shop had a seminar (which I didn't attend).

Started doing some research online and to be honest, I'm not exactly sure which design I decided to go with.

I ordered brackets, pumps and other items from a hydro-shop and picked-up the pvc components at the local hardware store.

We are going to start off with zucchini, tomatoes and maybe some strawberries as they don't see to be doing that great in the soil.

I thought this would be a great time to post up...especially since I haven't glued anything yet


As you can see the setup is outdoors...secured off the 4x4 fence posts.





I'm using 4" HDPE pipe, believe it's normally used for outdoor drainage?





Pipe location will provide enough room for a trellis (plant support) to be added later.





I'm wondering if 100% silicone caulking would be a good alternative, as I'm not sure the HDPE pipe will play nice with PVC glue...


a 22 gallon container will have 250gph pond pump as well as an air-stone.

Will be using 1/2 feed line and 1 1/4 drain line.





Before I start drilling holes, should I have the outlet and drain on opposite sides of the water container?




any pointers regarding my setup would be appreciated.

thanks

check again what type of material your pipe is made of . HDPE is not compatable with any glue or silicone. It will peal off. HDPE is what milk bottles and shampoo bottles are made of. Slick and nothing will stick permently . Also , I don't think you have a big enough pump and reservoir for your project. If you Google your questions , I think you will be able to find a few formulas to help figure this out.

totally diggin' it. perfect set-up for a small yard. best of luck, and look forward to seein' it run.

Yes, an awesome idea and looks really cool! Not sure that I have any helpful info for you but I will be sure to keep an eye on this. I was under the impression that nothing stuck to that drain pipe your using......though, idk.
What climate zone are you in or what temps do you plan to be dealing with? Does that system run nft or some variation? Yeah, you may want a bigger pump.....that looks to be sending quite a bit of solution up that 1/2" line.

Looks really cool! Plus rep 4 dat!


peace gman

Hmmm...I think I would try to bury some larhe tank underground as my rez..that way it would stay dark and cool all on it's own...

missnu said:

Hmmm...I think I would try to bury some larhe tank underground as my rez..that way it would stay dark and cool all on it's own...

Click to expand...

Eventually i wana do a huge tree in a hot tub with the heater pulled out and replaced as a chiller. might have to tone down the pumps but thats a project for another day ^_^. Only thing i can see happening with this is high water temps, might need to get a water chiller and brew some teas.

Yup, I'd bury your res at the very least. Also agree that you'll want a bigger pump. Epoxy will glue anything to anything, but I'm sure many would advise against it, as it's pretty nasty stuff. I am of the opinion that when it's dry, it's dry. There may be some leaching, but I doubt it would be an issue. I'll be sure to let everyone know when I get mine up & running. Looking good though.

i think that this outdoor system will kill the plants, hydro is not intended for outdoors, because direct sunlight fries roots, whereas soil acts as insulation for rootzone, add to it that the pipe nft system is the hardest to maintain the res temps. sorry, but this is what i personally believe will happen...

I agree that without precautionary measures that zem is right. I am about to find out if my measures will get the job done. I buried two 55 gallon drums almost completely to act as my res. That should keep my nutes cool. As for root zone, I went with 10" PVC, and a friend recommended adding a thermal chimney to cool the 8' section of PVC. All I'm waiting on is another pump, and some finishing touches, but should be finished in a day or two, and ill post what I got. Been working my ass off on it, so I hope like hell its gonna work. I think you can make it happen, but it may turn out to be a hell of a lot more work.

is the OP even here?

Firgure out a way to oxegenate the pipe, I built a simular system and that was a draw back. Also, lol cut your lawn dude.

growinman said:

What climate zone are you in or what temps do you plan to be dealing with? Does that system run nft or some variation?

Click to expand...

climate zone = 7


nft? nutrients?

Bigz2277 said:

is the OP even here?

Click to expand...

OP?

chrishydro said:

Firgure out a way to oxygenate the pipe, I built a similar system and that was a draw back. Also, lol cut your lawn dude.

Click to expand...

LOL
no lawn, thats beach grass...live about 2blks from the ocean.

I like the idea of oxygenating the pipe...your talking the 1/2 feed line, right?


previous garden is on a raised bed.





added a frame for poly sheet support, plants are doing great.

Don't think hydro will get that hot...guess I'll find out.



underground rez sounds like great idea.
Soil is very sandy, which would make this pretty easy...



Looks like I'll pay more and switch to regular PVC pipe (hdpe glue issues) and a larger pump.


thanks again for the feedback.

NFT refers to the type of growing it looks like you are doing. Stands for Nutrient Film Technique.
OP means operator, like the operator of the post.
a 1000 watt light can raise water temp through an uninsulated bucket. What you think the sun will do.
Hes asking what region you live in to access the climate you will be dealing with. Living close to the beach will probably run some some humidity issues so watch for Powdery Mildew.

Also keep in mind there is not much base support in these systems so you wont want to veg much in this system.

On-line calculator results were around 10ft
Will try moving the rez to the inlet side of the system, and test (before upgrading to a larger unit).

also thinking of options to add air-stone into inlet side of the system.

GO NFT POWER!!!

growinman said:

Yes, an awesome idea and looks really cool! Not sure that I have any helpful info for you but I will be sure to keep an eye on this. I was under the impression that nothing stuck to that drain pipe your using......though, idk.
What climate zone are you in or what temps do you plan to be dealing with? Does that system run nft or some variation? Yeah, you may want a bigger pump.....that looks to be sending quite a bit of solution up that 1/2" line.

Looks really cool! Plus rep 4 dat!


peace gman

Click to expand...

You are correct, its not PVC.

What if you took a length of air tubing and poked holes all over it with a pin. You could run this the length of the tube and hook one end of it to an air pump. Clamp off the other end and run it right down the bottom center of the pipe. You could also run some drip emitters dripping through the medium that they are in. That would oxygenate it pretty cheaply.

Just tossin' it out there..

Any updates?

Currently in another state = nope

I moved res to the start of the system, and buried it to help keep it cool.
I'll probably make a cover and border later...clean it up a bit.

I also tested the pump...didn't attach a line, only the 1/2" barred fitting that came with it.
Height of water-stream measured 3ft...switching fitting to 3/8" and adding a line allowed water to reach slightly over 5ft.
Looks like I might be able to make this pump work.


From some scrap pieces of HDPE, I tested some sikaflex construction sealant





Waited a day before testing with higher water pressure...no leaks encountered

sikaflex has to be better then epoxy...right?

Choose your poison, lol. If you're worried about small amounts of leeching both are probably pretty nasty. I don't think you'll have any issues. Some people freak out at using PVC, but I think they're paranoid.