Ok I'm interested in trying out hydroponics for the first time. I have some experience w/ indoor growing in soil but I've never tried hydro before. I'm a pretty handy person, not trying to brag but I'm pretty sharp too, I guess you could say i'm mechanically inclined. I say this because I would like to avoid spending $1000+ or more (or less) on an easy to use pre-made ready to go hydroponics system. IMO all the complete systems in catalogs seem extremely overpriced for what they are. & for the area I would like to cover, it would be expensive.
Ok, so i guess you get the point. I wanna do it myself. For a while I looked into Ebb & flow systems & I'm confident I could build my own & save some money. Then I started thinking about a drip hydro system. I think I could build my own drip system & save alot more money. Ok, so I start trying to estimate the price of building this drip system. Getting stuff from Home Depot where possible to save money (Like converting a rubbermaid bin into a reservoir as opposed to paying alot more to buy one from a hydro supplier) and browsing the indoor gardening catalogs for the rest. But on a drip system I'm left w/ a couple questions.
First off, I'm not completely sure how the drip fittings connect & what hose sizes should be used. If I could look @ this stuff in a brick & mortar store then I'm sure i could figure it out for myself but alas i can't. I'm stuck w/ just a catalog. Understand I do not want to just plug a hose & poke holes in it. I want to do many plants off of 1 pump & 1 reservoir so I want to use drippers that will give the same ammount of water to each plant.
So on page 169 of the sunlight supply catalog there are some "1/2 GPH Drippers". This looks like just what i need. But the description confuses me...
"Raindrip®s turbulent flow PC (pressure compensating) drippers maintain their rated flow rate for 10-60 psi inlet pressure. These
drippers can be used at the end of 1/4 tubing feeders or can be inserted directly into 1/2 Raindrip® hose. Ideal for heavy soil."
Ok, this sounds like you use one @ the end of a 1/4" hose. But I'm not sure about the "inserted directly into 1/2 hose" part. Does this mean you can use it @ the end of a 1/2" hose (just like the 1/4")? That doesn't seem right to me, either it fits a 1/2" or a 1/4", (how could it fir both?). Or maybe, does it meant that you can punch a hole in the side of the 1/2" hose and insert it there, then you could add several of them downthe length of a 1/2" hose without the need for T's?
My other question is about a pump. The 1/2 GPH fittings say that they will deliver 1/2 gallon per hour (obviously) but the water pressure needs to be inbetween 10-60 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch). Well pumps are not sold with a PSI rating, they are usually labeled w/ a GPH rating though. I understand this because I'm sure depending on how big a system you a running it will determine how much pressure (PSI) is on the line. But I'm wondering if there is any formula someone knows or any other way to figure out how much pump i need to be withing the 10-60 psi range for my system.
Ok, so i guess you get the point. I wanna do it myself. For a while I looked into Ebb & flow systems & I'm confident I could build my own & save some money. Then I started thinking about a drip hydro system. I think I could build my own drip system & save alot more money. Ok, so I start trying to estimate the price of building this drip system. Getting stuff from Home Depot where possible to save money (Like converting a rubbermaid bin into a reservoir as opposed to paying alot more to buy one from a hydro supplier) and browsing the indoor gardening catalogs for the rest. But on a drip system I'm left w/ a couple questions.
First off, I'm not completely sure how the drip fittings connect & what hose sizes should be used. If I could look @ this stuff in a brick & mortar store then I'm sure i could figure it out for myself but alas i can't. I'm stuck w/ just a catalog. Understand I do not want to just plug a hose & poke holes in it. I want to do many plants off of 1 pump & 1 reservoir so I want to use drippers that will give the same ammount of water to each plant.
So on page 169 of the sunlight supply catalog there are some "1/2 GPH Drippers". This looks like just what i need. But the description confuses me...
"Raindrip®s turbulent flow PC (pressure compensating) drippers maintain their rated flow rate for 10-60 psi inlet pressure. These
drippers can be used at the end of 1/4 tubing feeders or can be inserted directly into 1/2 Raindrip® hose. Ideal for heavy soil."
Ok, this sounds like you use one @ the end of a 1/4" hose. But I'm not sure about the "inserted directly into 1/2 hose" part. Does this mean you can use it @ the end of a 1/2" hose (just like the 1/4")? That doesn't seem right to me, either it fits a 1/2" or a 1/4", (how could it fir both?). Or maybe, does it meant that you can punch a hole in the side of the 1/2" hose and insert it there, then you could add several of them downthe length of a 1/2" hose without the need for T's?
My other question is about a pump. The 1/2 GPH fittings say that they will deliver 1/2 gallon per hour (obviously) but the water pressure needs to be inbetween 10-60 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch). Well pumps are not sold with a PSI rating, they are usually labeled w/ a GPH rating though. I understand this because I'm sure depending on how big a system you a running it will determine how much pressure (PSI) is on the line. But I'm wondering if there is any formula someone knows or any other way to figure out how much pump i need to be withing the 10-60 psi range for my system.
