PPK design help

Speed of green said:

So im at the point of making final revisions to my outdoor ppk design, i think its fairly simple, just wanted to run it by the crowd and get some final input.

All the plumbing will be schedule 40 pvc with grommets, i really wanted to go with the black goodyear hose but it just gets way too hot in the sun.

I want the redundancy and stability of a smaller ppk system but on a large scale.

The system starts with a 5000 gal reservoir that gets mixed with jacks and calnit & ph'd 5.5-5.8ish

from there it goes into one of six 300 Gal reservoirs, these reservoirs are separate from each other and are the beginning of independent ppk systems, these 300gal volumes will be ph adjusted to the specific needs of each system

after the 300 gal res there is a 27 gal control bucket that manages the air gap.

connected to each 27 gal tote are 15 plant buckets and 15 pump buckets.

The pumps are eco 66 MAG DRIVE pumps.

here is a little diagram i made depicting the layout.

My handwriting and art skills could use some work but i hope this helps for a visual reference. View Image View Image

This is a plant layout design, 45 plants per greenhouse, 2 greenhouses.

The greenhouses are 130'Lx20'Wx16'H

The circles in the picture are 7'6" in diameter, i will flower the plants before they get to that size to maintain walkways. View Image


Thanks for reading folks, i really appreciate any input!

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Speed of green said:

Thanks everyone for chiming in!

Ill try to clarify what my intentions are, i feel like i left too many open ended statements. Please let me know if any of this is confusing and i will try to explain it better.

My plan is to fill both greenhouses and flower at the same time, They are light dep greenhouses.

The Adjustment i am referring to is strictly PH, I dont plan to add any nutrients after jacks epsom and calcnit. I might add MKP in the last weeks but i will mix that in the 5000.

The 300 gal res has a ball valve just before the float valve, so my plan is to bring in solution from the 5000 to the 300 then close the ball valve and adjust the PH. Allowing that string of plants to use the Entire 300 gals, if i didnt have the ball valve there then the float would continue to add solution to the 300 changing the PH.

The 5000gal is basically just a large mixing tank so i dont have to mix individually at each 300.

I wanted to run separate ppk systems so that i can run different strains on each string, also the greenhouse is only perfectly level long ways, the short side has a slight grade, Also i like the redundancy.


I think multiple smaller units will give me better stability solution wise, Also it will give me a finer control over each string as opposed to an entire greenhouse.

I understand what you are saying about reducing the e.c with PH'd water, What is the roof E.C i should begin cutting The solution down?

Is it bad to PH the solution one time in the 5000 and then PH adjust it further in the 300?
Would it be better practice to just mix the solution in the 5000 and then PH it later in the 300's?

I had planned to get a smaller GPH pump from eco, its still mag drive, but because of the amperage, i would have to get multiple Blueprint timers to run the 45 pumps per greenhouse.

I dont have a problem buying multiple timers, i guess i should just stick to whats proven and buy the 185's and more timers.



MrMMJ

Thanks for the Tip on the fans, I have researched HAF horizontal air flow , i like your "racetrack" explanation better though!

The fans i have for the HAF are 20" they come off the shelf at a local agriculture shop, so i will definitely be adding more if the track isnt racing.



Thanks again everyone!!

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Nico Farmer said:

Hi bro
Great work, I take a seat....
I hope one day I will have a greenhouse like u!
Bless up

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MrMMJ said:

They're Almonds, only here in almond country we say it without the "L", like aaamonds, cuz they shake the " 'ell " out of 'em getting them of the trees at harvest
Great progress, wet walls look good !

It makes a huge difference in end to end sway to brace the end walls with a pole running from the baseboard at an angle up to it. I used a 10' pole attached to one of the bolts going thru the baseboard on the hoop that's 8' from the corner, other end is attached to the end-wall hoop about 6' up.

Here's something I learned after the fact: I started with the long end to end steel braces attached to the hoops like yours. Most of the time, and especially under negative pressure, the film contacts this pole. The inside condensation runs down the film from the top until it hits the pole, then drips straight down or runs to the lowest point on the brace and drips off. For me this was right where rows of plants are. I have a rafter pole on all hoops, so I relocated the long brace onto them about 6" in from the hoops, now the water can run all the way down without dripping off. Not sure what could be done without the rafters there to move the brace to....

I've got a short piece connecting the center of the rafter to the peak. With the rafters controlling side to side flex and the four corner end-wall braces holding down end to end flex, it's held strong thru 65+ mph winds and rains. During winter, when I know we're going to have a sustained high wind storm, regardless of outside temps, I'll run a constant exhaust fan to keep the film sucked down tight, as this also makes it stiffer. The house is well sealed, so it doesn't take much, or draw in much cold air.

Before all the extra bracing I could grab an end wall and shake the whole 100' house, now it barely moves in any direction. It would really depend on local weather as to how much is really needed though, they're pretty strong already without it. Good luck !

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