[johnnyrotten]

Res - I used a drain fitting, drilled a hole about and an inch from the bottom an d installed it using Teflon tape...

Control bucket - I installed a float valve that attaches to the res using a 1/2 hose... I installed it approx 3 inches from the bottom and adjusted it so it stopped the water from the res at 3"...
Then I drilled a hole and installed a tire valve at the same height as the tire valve in the ppk...

[bad gas]

Top bucket holds media and has media wick attached to bottom.

Media wick serves two functions: 1] maintains moisture profile in media bucket. 2] acts as a drain during pulse event.

Bottom bucket serves as a reservoir. Tire valve installed in lower side of lower bucket.

Tire valve attached to plastic tubing which is routed to another reservoir. This is the pulse reservoir. In it is a pump connected to a manifold connected to equal length tubing which leads to the top of the media bucket for the pulse feed.

We now have a circular flow setup for nutrients.

The pulse reservoir is supplied from another reservoir with a float valve in it. The float valve adjusts the air gap below the media bucket. Keeps perched water table out of the media bucket.

The float valve reservoir is supplied from a nutrient mixing tank or reservoir.

There are three things to adjust to "tune" your PPK.
1: Float valve. Establishes air gap to keep perched water table out of media bucket.
2: Pulse timing. Currently, they use about once per hour.
3: Pulse duration. Controls pulse volume.

Tire valves and clear plastic tubing are used to connect reservoirs together. Note: Tire valves are drilled out to enlarge i.d.

In the PPK thread we learned that turdface is that stage of inebriation just before shitface.

NAPA floor dry P/N 8822 mixed with rice hulls at a 3:1 ratio will work. You want a "fast" media so the pulse feed freely moves through the media. A topdress of marbles or small pebbles will reduce splashing during pulse.

If you have further questions, either PM me or ask them in the PPK thread. Delta9nxs or imaginaryfriend will answer.

The entire PPK thread should be required reading for us all. Awesome information. Links to scientific papers. It takes a while, but is well worth it.

There are links to PPK summaries in the first post in the PPK thread.

Hope this gets you started. It's really not complex. I call this design "elegant simplicity". If a pump quits, so what? The wick will keep them fed. Compare that concept to the guys whose crop dies within hours if a pump dies. You can sleep at night.

Good luck. bg

[bad gas]

Like jonnyrotten, my first PPK had no pump. I still use it if I have need.

The tailpiece/air gap keeps the perched water table out of the media bucket, so the roots don't rot. That was the problem with the no-air gap wick system. The roots stayed too moist and rotted.

I added this after reading the other posts. bg

[bloyd]

Originally Posted by workman

Bloyd thanks for the response unfortunately the picks are down in those threads and even if they weren't reading through 200 pages when I work fulltime/wife/kids/masturbation, etc, etc.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=241442

Every pic is there. Everything you need. Put in some work, workman.

Also zeke's index is invaluable.
Zeke99's PPK index
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.ph...postcount=2264

[workman]

Thanks for the detailed explanation BG I understand the concept of the system now from reading that I still have a few question but the gaps have def been filled.

[workman]

Originally Posted by bloyd

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=241442

Every pic is there. Everything you need. Put in some work, workman.

I know I'm the laziest DEA agent ever.

[bloyd]

Originally Posted by workman

I know I'm the laziest DEA agent ever.

Well then the ppk is for you. You just have to put in a little time to get it up and running. There is no shortage of help around here for those that put in a little effort.

[village green]

I am a computer idiot but if I give a couple of details maybe someone can identify what I'm talking about. In January of this year I downloaded a PPK pdf which has a pictorial how-to build. Dude's using buckets from Lowe's and a cat shows up in some pictures..its all happening on an oriental rug. If this is something that has been lost let me know and I'll post what I've got.
I started reading the PPK thread three years or so ago and had to use my imagination until July of this year because I had never registered. The pictures did help a lot but I can't stress how much you'll learn about the science of growing by reading that crazy thread a time or two.
Be sure and heap praise on D9 every time you post.He really craves that stuff.

[workman]

DO IT!!!

[village green]

Originally Posted by workman

DO IT!!!

I'd be happy to. Do you know how to take a downloaded document and post it on here?