big plant ppk

[TerpeneTom]

Does anyone have the pictures d9 posted?

Thanks for the quick response, Dabs. I did look at those pictures prior to posting, but i'm having difficulty, must have purchased the wrong male fittings (3"...), because the measurements are not correct in my case.

 

[TerpeneTom]

When I cut my 3" male carlon piece as demonstrated it comes to be ~ 4" wide, and that's not including the ridges.

Why was this new tailpiece adapted? What happened to the sole pvc pipe?

Thanks

 

[Ttystikk]

Catman, you said it, lol Anyway, the experiment is there and my gear is actually pretty amenable to this at the moment, I'll have a closer look.

Yes, been using Jacks for years- and finally figured out the basic fact that one need not add much to it for good results, lol. There's an outfit in Colorado Springs that makes nutrient salts and their version has quite a bit more micro nutrient in it, by an average of 50%. This plus higher levels of mag sulfate means a level of attention to detail I find appealing. Then there's the price, at a little over $40 for a 25lb bag of their 5-11-26! That will last me a for a bit, lol

http://chem-gro.com/cart/product_info.php?products_id=58

For those reading this, they sell fifty pound bags of calcium nitrate as well, for similar prices.

Finally, MKP, or mono potassium phosphate, the main ingredient in those 'secret' 0-50-30 mixes for stupid money per silly little packet... they do want $75, but that buys you a FIFTY POUND TUB, lol

 

[flat9]

When I cut my 3" male carlon piece as demonstrated it comes to be ~ 4" wide, and that's not including the ridges.

Why was this new tailpiece adapted? What happened to the sole pvc pipe?

Thanks

When I cut my 3" male carlon piece as demonstrated it comes to be ~ 4" wide, and that's not including the ridges.

Why was this new tailpiece adapted? What happened to the sole pvc pipe?

Thanks

I just made a couple more of these. Definitely the 3" carlon fittings are correct. Maybe you grabbed a diferent fitting by mistake? Sometimes things get moved around in the store. At the threads of the male piece it should measure 3.5" (corresponds to the outside diameter of 3" PVC -- the inside diameter is 3").

Steps:

1) Saw male fitting off just above where it becomes wider above the threads. This creates a lip which will support the tailpiece of the tub. Including the lip itself, the piece may be about 4" wide (I don't know exactly, haven't measured it).

2) Drill 3.5" hole in bottom of tub, and insert male piece into the hole. Note that the male adapter, measured at the threads, should be about 3.5" (aside: 3" PVC has an outside diameter of 3.5").

3) Glue your tailpiece of 3" PVC (about 5" long should do) or ABS into the female adapter (see pic in step 1).

4) Screw onto the male piece. Should look like this now:

5) Use 14" zipties and some glue to secure gutter screen (with 1/8" squares or smaller) on tailpiece:

6) Drill 4.25" hole in bucket lid to secure tailpiece:

 

[TerpeneTom]

Thanks much, Flat9.

The Carlon piece (3" Male) I purchased has an outside diameter of 4", and as I mentioned, that is not including the ridges. The thread is 3.5" and fits somewhat loose inside a 3.5" hole.

I have decided to take another route, which is similar, but requires a smaller pipe, albeit only by a .5" or so.

 

[flat9]

Yep that's the right fitting. It's okay to be a little loose inside the 3.5" hole..... tighten with the female fitting and it won't go anywhere. Glue it if you like.

 

[TerpeneTom]

Wow, I thought the piece was supposed to be flush with the tub... I have been here using a damn Dremel to create a hole that the 3" Clean out adapter would fit into (after sawed to the perfect height and using a 3-3/8" hole saw), then using gorilla glue and silicon to make certain it will not fall (although it was already snug and would not budge with significant pull).

I've been to all the retail hardware stores and have asked employees at every location and we were all stumped, the measurements were just not working although it seemed as so on the forums.

This is my real first project I must mention. The Vals (values and lifestyles) survey did accurately describe me as a experience based personality, opposed to a maker. The employees rightfully think (know) I am a damn fool.

Thanks again, Flat9. I do appreciate the responses, this has been a difficult (frustrating) journey, trying to prove to myself I can build something, damn't.

 

[flat9]

LOL. No worries man! Sorry I haven't been on ... just saw your message.

Not sure I understood completely what your confusion is w.r.t. the build, but basically you drop the male piece into the hole when the tub is right-side-up, and screw the female piece onto the threads of the male piece when it's upside-down. 3.5" hole saw is the perfect size for drilling the hole in the tub since the male piece just fits through, and the female piece is screwed on the male piece on the underside of the tub... hope this helps!

But yeah, the build works perfectly. Delta9nxs came up with a great design for this one, and it drains pretty fast (about 2 or 3 minutes to fully drain).

 

[flat9]

Upon reading this, the hole size seems to be the problem. You need a 3.5" hole saw, not 3 and 3/8".

 

[TerpeneTom]

Yeah, flat9. I ultimately purchased 3" Clean Out Adapters, for the entire unit is void of ridges and required minimal work beyond the use of a hole saw (3-1/8 I believe, previous post was wrong measurement) to achieve a perfect flush, snug fit within the tub.

I just finished meticulously screening the Turface MVP, required 2-1/3 bags to fill four 5 gallon buckets (I ran my hands over each individual scoop to assure ideal drainage). That was a damn strain on the back, although I certainly could have used a bit of ingenuity to create an efficient means of doing so, but...

I just ran 8 gallons of tap water through each individual site (4) and will allow them to dry overnight so I can run an equal amount of water (distilled + R/0) through tomorrow; also will be measuring, cutting, and clamping hose for the final part of assembly so I can being testing of the climate, drainage, pulse... and ultimately sowing.

I just received my ECSD S1 seeds from Dr.Greenthumb; service was professional, and delivery haste.

 

[flat9]

Go with the Napa Floor Dry (#8822). 7 dollars a bag, doesn't need to be screened. Does (at least in my experience) need a very good wash, however.

 

[flat9]

Btw, why use RO water? What is the EC of your tap?

 

[TerpeneTom]

Tap is ~100 PPM according to the cheap HM meter... What is your opinion on R/O? Seems to be somewhat debatable subject, although the numbers don't lie, and lower initial ppm seems to be beneficial for absolute nutrient control.

 

[TerpeneTom]

How much water do you run through the medium prior to planting? Do you amend the media?

After transferring seedling from heat mat + rockwool to the turface sites, what should the PPM be? should it be 600 from start to finish (I am using Jacks)

Thanks

 

[DHF]

Tap is ~100 PPM according to the cheap HM meter... What is your opinion on R/O? Seems to be somewhat debatable subject, although the numbers don't lie, and lower initial ppm seems to be beneficial for absolute nutrient control.

The ONLY way to determine what`s actually the makeup of those 100 ppms TT is to send a sample to your county agent for a full analysis...also , where does your source come from as in a large reservoir or certified aquifer underground...

100 ppms is low and 1 could hope it`s only calcium as the residual mineral deposit , but again there`s only 1 way to know....My tap was from a certified deep "limestone" aquifer and still in the mid 200`s , but I got a water analysis before I felt comfortable using 1/2 tap with 1/2 r/o in my DTW coco setups.....

You can use hardwater nutes designed for tapwater , or risk it and just add the 100 ppms to what you mix for the end result and possibly do fine , I just never left anything to chance when growin dope...Good luck and....

Peace....DHF.........

 

[farmari]

Yea a water analysis is a good idea. My tap is under 100ppm yet it's very alkaline... (don't know why, never tested) and needs a huge amount of acid to keep the PH below 6.5

 

[TerpeneTom]

Thanks for commenting, DHF; much respect. I live near a great lake.

I will be using solely R/O and Distilled for absolute control of nutrient profile. From what I read it seems d9 only completely changed reservoir once? So add backs will be possible with my residential R/O unit, and I will likely purchase Distilled for complete changes (or fill 5 gallon buckets over time with R/O)

 

[farmari]

55 gallon drums could make things a lot more automated if you have the space. Tap can be cold so it's good to get the replacement solution ready the day before a res change to give it time to warm up. With 55 gallon drums you could fill them with RO, let them warm up, then mix nutes, and have the drum connected to the float valve in your res.

Also even when not doing a full res change, I like periodically draining the res into some extra totes then refilling it with the same solution. Just to remix all the solution evenly. This is more important when using small wave pulse feeds instead of the larger volume flood pulse feeds though.

 

[Snook]

55 gallon drums could make things a lot more automated if you have the space. Tap can be cold so it's good to get the replacement solution ready the day before a res change to give it time to warm up. With 55 gallon drums you could fill them with RO, let them warm up, then mix nutes, and have the drum connected to the float valve in your res.

Also even when not doing a full res change, I like periodically draining the res into some extra totes then refilling it with the same solution. Just to remix all the solution evenly. This is more important when using small wave pulse feeds instead of the larger volume flood pulse feeds though.

res change? when? where? not PPK.

 

[TerpeneTom]

Farmari, why not not then use a water pump/air pump, opposed to manually doing so?