Mini PPK Full Build Tutorial with Pics

Mini PPK

Mini PPK

Nice tutorial Rocketman64 and you have some nice looking ladies. i really like your setup.

great thread. a couple of questions:

i have a situation where i cannot ever have any water leaks so these self contained mini PPKs interest me a lot. I also live in argentina, so have to be creative about sourcing stuff

i plan on building out 2 1M square tents, 4 mini PPKs per tent

i plan on using these plastic tubs. these tubs are great because they one can hold up to 30 kilos in weight can be nested ten high, so nesting two high will be perfect for a PPK. the top and bottom tubs will both be 40cm long and 30 cm wide. my tents open from fronts and sides so managing these should be a snap.

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar...anasto-contenedor-cajon-plastico-apilable-_JM

for each mini, the top containers will be 400x300x170mm or 20400 cu mm which is 5.29 gallons filled to the very top. filled with media to two inches from the top it will still be 3.8 gallons of media

for each reservoir i will its the 400x300x320. that is about 10 gallons filled to the top, and filled to three inches from the top is still 7.73 gallons. they can handle 30 kg, so 7.73 gallons weighs about that

i believe you posted that your bottom reservoir were 10 gallon totes, so your reservoir water volume myst have been about 8 gallons

does this make sense?

i know i should be doing a centralized reservoir, but this will be easier then hauling 8 hempy buckets to the kitchen every day to feed. when they get big, its difficult, so in these hempy buckets i keep the plants pretty small. this is a problem since i like to travel so only grow two crops a year. i need bigger plants

this way i can let them get big, and only manage the 8 reservoirs. since you aren't changing the reservoirs, i think this will be a LOT easier than managing these hempy buckets

i am going to use perlite/coco 80/20 which i read Delta saying thats what he is using lately. I have lots of coco and decent perlite is available here.

i think delta isn't using the finer grained coco (IE compressed cocotek) ... i would welcome thoughts on what brand of coco to use. i think his is fibrous and chunkier than the com[ressed cocotek, which is what i have. apparently the finer coco will migrate to the bottom of the pot and cause problems.

also I believe the chunky perlite drain faster, so plan to get the chunkier kind if i can find it

i am using JAcks 15-12-26 now so will definitely go with that

your thoughts on
my plan
these tubs?
which coco?

oops. i think these won't work

if the tailpiece ever clogs, the overflow from the flood won't flow into the reservoir, but onto the floor

back to the drawing board, i cant even use the reservoirs... they don't have lids. i can find totes like you are using, but i have yet to find the medium containers, but i will find something, i am sure. have to find a farm supply store, I'm sure they have something like what you are using.

ravenboy.. impossible to run a grow without a water accident sooner or later. overflow, leaky fittings and the most common for me: "I forgot to turn it off". keep a waterproof containing floor under the plants.

Snook said:

ravenboy.. impossible to run a grow without a water accident sooner or later. overflow, leaky fittings and the most common for me: "I forgot to turn it off". keep a waterproof containing floor under the plants.

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clearly.

however, this system HAS no fittings that would leak anywhere but back into the reservoir so most like water problem is a plugged tailpiece.

i want water from a plugged tailpiece to run into the reservoir too

even if my cheesy tent liner CAN hold the water, i don't want to have to ever mop out a tent

decided to go with 3 gallon media containers, 3" tailpieces, sitting on a 10 gallon tote, and use perlite/coco 80/20

4 3 gallon PPK plants should fit in a meter square, if not vegged for too long, i would think

and they would probably out perform 4 3 gallon Hempy buckets in the same space, thats what i am using now

Ravenboy said:

clearly.

however, this system HAS no fittings that would leak anywhere but back into the reservoir so most like water problem is a plugged tailpiece.

i want water from a plugged tailpiece to run into the reservoir too

even if my cheesy tent liner CAN hold the water, i don't want to have to ever mop out a tent

Click to expand...

little 2 gallon wet/dry shop vac or a mop choose your weapon. clearly.

good thread, better than reading the bible.

I am thinking it will work very well on mother plants

Ravenboy said:

decided to go with 3 gallon media containers, 3" tailpieces, sitting on a 10 gallon tote, and use perlite/coco 80/20

4 3 gallon PPK plants should fit in a meter square, if not vegged for too long, i would think

and they would probably out perform 4 3 gallon Hempy buckets in the same space, thats what i am using now

Click to expand...

whats your logic, ravenboy, about the 10 gallon tote? that's a big tote, unless youre putting the float valve in the 'rez' you will have to keep ??? about 40 gallons of ferts moving in the 4 PPK system and that does not include the volume rez.. and 10 gallon tote takes away headroom... IMO, a 5 gallon tote would work just as well, maybe even a 3 gallon tote... unless I missed something you typed about your grow style previously.

Snook said:

whats your logic, ravenboy, about the 10 gallon tote? that's a big tote, unless youre putting the float valve in the 'rez' you will have to keep ??? about 40 gallons of ferts moving in the 4 PPK system and that does not include the volume rez.. and 10 gallon tote takes away headroom... IMO, a 5 gallon tote would work just as well, maybe even a 3 gallon tote... unless I missed something you typed about your grow style previously.

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OP's totes are ten gallon. seemed reasonable. remember these are mini PPks, no central res.

however, current plan is to go with 7 gallons per site, in a somewhat smaller tote than the OPs.

this is just the thread i have been looking for. thanks for the nice descriptions and good pictures.

SamsonsRiddle said:

this is just the thread i have been looking for. thanks for the nice descriptions and good pictures.

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He will disagree but Snook is a wealth of information and has a lot more experience than most of us. I'd pay very close attention to his advice (I did, actually).