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Hydroponic System Setups

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Hi all!

Just wanted to share my system in which I've created.  It's been a work in progress for 3 months now and it get more exciting by the minute. Since this is my first time with anything hydroponic related, I seem to have experienced multiple miscalculations along with messy spills.  However, with each mistake it only gets easier and continues to grow.  I wanted to share my most recent achievement in maintaining water flow.  Hopefully it gives people ideas and is helpful. 

 

Here it was on 5/6/14

 

I wanted to change my delivery system so myself and a friend created this on 5/15/14.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it's time work on the drain side system.  I will keep you posted on the progress but it will most likely occur in late June. 

SleestaksRule's picture

It looks like you have room to expand on it.  What are your plans?

I'm planning on expanding the system to at least 8 tubes.  I have to figure out my lighting first.  What I'm currently doing is not working.  The lights I have are old ones, which I put new ballasts in, that are bulky and too heavy.  I'm looking at different options, but I definitely want to stay with fluorescents on this project.   I will be growing outdoors as well if the season ever lets me!  

 

I'm planning on expanding the system to at least 8 tubes.  I have to figure out my lighting first.  What I'm currently doing is not working.  The lights I have are old ones, which I put new ballasts in, that are bulky and too heavy.  I'm looking at different options, but I definitely want to stay with fluorescents on this project.   I will be growing outdoors as well if the season ever lets me!  

 

SleestaksRule's picture

How is your system going?

My system is doing quite well.  I've been able to successfully grow a lot of different herbs, lettuce, kale and broccoli (which I had to plant outdoors because it got too big, I didn't realize how big the broccoli got).  I hit a couple of snags, one being financial which has delayed my drainage project until at least July.  The other snag was that I wasn't getting enough pressure from my manifold to push the water through the black tubes.  To remedy, I placed my manifold above the grow tubes and let gravity do it's work.  It's not perfect, but I'm positive once I install my drain side all will be corrected.  The water currently pumps to quickly which causes a two of my four (installed one more) tubes to overflow with water, making quite the mess in my kitchen.  I believe it's because my outake is only a 1/2 inch black tube.  If I get it to 1 inch or 2 the pump shouldn't overwhelm the system allowing the water to drain quicker. 

My other project is my lighting.  I need to get better lights or rather less bulky lighting fixtures.  I just watched your video on the gorilla light cord things and it gave me some good ideas.  So, thank you for that.  But I will have to make due for what I have at the moment.  I occasionally check out craigslist for the warehouse lighting, but I've only found a couple in the Milwaukee area and I haven't found the time to leave my Chicagoland home to get them.

Thanks for all your postings and I will keep you updated on future projects of mine!    

 

 

SleestaksRule's picture

Now you made me go look at craigslist, hehe.  I found about 5 selling in the Chicago area.  Most were $50.  $25 in Elburn but that's even a drive for me and I'm West of the city.  The original ones I bought were near Naperville.  One thing I have learned is that new bulbs will way out perform old ones.  I did a side by side test and there was a huge difference.

So, I finally completed phase 2 of my project, the drainage.  This works well, but wasn't exactly what I was trying to do, but it works! 

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/T9a7pqS.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/L0USHub.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Fspxlvq.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/C89adau.jpg?1[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/j5zhSJe.jpg?1[/IMG]

 

Now that it's draining faster, I'm able to increase my water flow which helps fill all of my tubes.  I can't wait for these strawberries to fruit!

 

 

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