stopthemadness
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Here is an overview of a homemade vertical aeroponic system. This system is vertical and uses no medium at all. I will have to do a more detailed how-to with step-by-step photos, but I have attempted to document the materials and the basic construction for now.
Materials
Aeroponic System
2 20 foott pieces of 8-inch PVC DRAIN pipe (Inside is black). $40
8 8-inch PVC end caps $50
16 60lb or better rated threaded eyelet bolts $20
16 galvanized or stainless washers for eyelet bolts $3
16 galvanized or stainless nuts for eyelet bolts $3
16 lock washers for eyelet bolts $4
56 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" schedule 40 male adapter (Model # C436-169) $30
56 2-inch neoprene inserts $25
1 50' roll of 1/2 or 5/8-inch poly tubing $12
1 25' roll of 1/4-inch poly tubing $8
10 1/2 or 5/8-inch endcaps $18
8 1/2 or 5/8-inch T's $14
2 2000gph or larger submersible pumps $200
2 inline 100 micron filters $15
100 Toro 1gph fogger emitters $50
1 100gal 4'x4' square reservoir $150
4 sets of hose quick connects $20
PVC cement $4
24 12-inch or longer zip ties $10
2 7' RV hoses $12
100 rubber one-hole stoppers $30
100 double-ended 1/4" barbed connectors for poly $15
Air-cooled Lighting System
3 Cool Tube Value air-cooled fixtures or 3 homemade pyrex cool tubes $140
3 8-inch metal strips for vertical conversion of cool tubes $6
6 eyelet bolts and nuts for hanging cool tubes $6
chain or cable for hanging cool tubes $20
4 self-threading eyelet bolts for hanging cool tubes from ceiling $2
3 600W or 750W digital ballasts $630
20' of 6-inch flexible ducting $15
400cfm 6" or 8" exhaust fan $200
3 mil or thicker light-proof poly $20
Construction
1) Cut the 8-inch PVC drain pipe into 8 5-foot sections. Use a 1 1/4" hole saw to cut holes along the top of each section of pipe for the plant sites. Use a piece of 1 1/4" threaded metal pipe to thread each hole. Once threaded, put some PVC cement on the threaded end of each male adapter and thread one into each hole in the PVC. Place a neoprene collar inside each male adapter - They should fit perfectly. These will hold the plants in place.
2) Drill a hole large enough to thread an eyelet bolt through in the center of each PVC end cap. Thread a bolt and washer onto the eyelet bolt, push the bolt through the hole in the PVC endcap and place a compression washer and nut on the opposite side and tighten. These will hold the PVC pipes from chain once we glue them to the PVC pipes.
3) Glue the PVC end caps to one end of each 5-foot section of PVC and let dry (using PVC cement). Once dry, measure out where each pipe will hang in your grow room. Drill holes in the ceiling where the eyelet bolts to hang the pipes from will be located (These should form a circle with roughly a 40" radius around the cool tubes in the center. Thread a nut and then a washer onto each eyelet bolt, pust through hole in ceiling, and secure with a compression washer and nut from the top of the ceiling. Put a chain on each eyelet bolt and hang each PVC pipe from the chains.
4) Assemble the cool tubes into a vertical column connected by 6-inch flexible ducting and cable or chain between each tube (forming kind of a sealed light ladder. Drill a 6-inch hole in the ceiling at the center of the circle of hanging PVC pipes for exhaust and another one low on a wall where outside air will be drawn in to cool the lights. Securely mount four eylet bolts to the ceiling around the exhaust hole and hang the light ladder using lengths of chain or cable. Cut and attach pieces of flexible ducting from the top of the light ladder to the exhaust and from the bottom to the intake. Mount an exhaust fan outside the room just above the exhaust hole to draw air through. This gives you a separate intake / exhaust system for the lights which lets you CO2 enrich the air in the room if desired.
5) Put the pumps in the res and place the res under the pipes so that each will drain into the res. Run 1/2" or 5/8" poly tubing along each PVC pipe and secure with zip ties. Put an end cap on the bottom of each length of poly tubing (at bottom of PVC pipes). Put a T at the top of each length of poly tubing and cut lengths of poly tubing to connect the T's into a circle at the top of the PVC pipes.
6) Punch hole in poly above each plant site. Drill a hole in PVC on each side above plant site. Hole should be big enough for fogger to fit through easily and small enough that rubber stopper will plug it. Cut lengths of 1/4" poly to run between each hole in the 1/2" poly and the associate hole in the PVC pipe where fogger will go. Slide a rubber stopper and a fogger onto each length of 1/4" poly tubing and attach the tubing to the 1/2" poly feed line with a double-ended barbed connector. There should now be two spray sites above each plant site for ample irrigation.
7) On one piece of poly running up the PVC pipe, unscrew the endcap at the bottom and thread a hose quick connector onto it. Connect hose to pump and other end of hose to the mating quick connector and connect to poly. This will pump water up the poly and through the foggers. Optionally put an inline filter between each pump and poly tubing to filter out things that may clog the foggers. You may have to divide the system in half using two pumps and isolate two loops of 4 PVC pipes each (unless your pump is super powerful).
8) Connect the pump to a short cycle timer so you can precisely control irrigation cycles. I recommend 6-8 minutes on / 12-20 minutes off to prevent overwatering and root rot in this system. Connect the lights to a timer. Put a piece of poly over the res and cut holes to allow the PVC pipes to drain into the res.
That's about it. The plants are held in place by the neoprene inserts. Their roots dangle into the PVC pipe and are sprayed with nutrient solution that is pumped up the poly to the foggers. The runoff travels down the length of PVC and returns to the reservoir for recirculation. The action of water falling down the pipes to return to the res naturally aerates the water, but you can throw a couple airstones into the res as well. The inline filters keep the fogers from getting clogged. As the plants get larger, it is easy to double up on the neprene inserts for additional stem support. The whole system fits in a 5x5 area and allows up to 56 sites. I will try to post some pics below.
Materials
Aeroponic System
2 20 foott pieces of 8-inch PVC DRAIN pipe (Inside is black). $40
8 8-inch PVC end caps $50
16 60lb or better rated threaded eyelet bolts $20
16 galvanized or stainless washers for eyelet bolts $3
16 galvanized or stainless nuts for eyelet bolts $3
16 lock washers for eyelet bolts $4
56 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" schedule 40 male adapter (Model # C436-169) $30
56 2-inch neoprene inserts $25
1 50' roll of 1/2 or 5/8-inch poly tubing $12
1 25' roll of 1/4-inch poly tubing $8
10 1/2 or 5/8-inch endcaps $18
8 1/2 or 5/8-inch T's $14
2 2000gph or larger submersible pumps $200
2 inline 100 micron filters $15
100 Toro 1gph fogger emitters $50
1 100gal 4'x4' square reservoir $150
4 sets of hose quick connects $20
PVC cement $4
24 12-inch or longer zip ties $10
2 7' RV hoses $12
100 rubber one-hole stoppers $30
100 double-ended 1/4" barbed connectors for poly $15
Air-cooled Lighting System
3 Cool Tube Value air-cooled fixtures or 3 homemade pyrex cool tubes $140
3 8-inch metal strips for vertical conversion of cool tubes $6
6 eyelet bolts and nuts for hanging cool tubes $6
chain or cable for hanging cool tubes $20
4 self-threading eyelet bolts for hanging cool tubes from ceiling $2
3 600W or 750W digital ballasts $630
20' of 6-inch flexible ducting $15
400cfm 6" or 8" exhaust fan $200
3 mil or thicker light-proof poly $20
Construction
1) Cut the 8-inch PVC drain pipe into 8 5-foot sections. Use a 1 1/4" hole saw to cut holes along the top of each section of pipe for the plant sites. Use a piece of 1 1/4" threaded metal pipe to thread each hole. Once threaded, put some PVC cement on the threaded end of each male adapter and thread one into each hole in the PVC. Place a neoprene collar inside each male adapter - They should fit perfectly. These will hold the plants in place.
2) Drill a hole large enough to thread an eyelet bolt through in the center of each PVC end cap. Thread a bolt and washer onto the eyelet bolt, push the bolt through the hole in the PVC endcap and place a compression washer and nut on the opposite side and tighten. These will hold the PVC pipes from chain once we glue them to the PVC pipes.
3) Glue the PVC end caps to one end of each 5-foot section of PVC and let dry (using PVC cement). Once dry, measure out where each pipe will hang in your grow room. Drill holes in the ceiling where the eyelet bolts to hang the pipes from will be located (These should form a circle with roughly a 40" radius around the cool tubes in the center. Thread a nut and then a washer onto each eyelet bolt, pust through hole in ceiling, and secure with a compression washer and nut from the top of the ceiling. Put a chain on each eyelet bolt and hang each PVC pipe from the chains.
4) Assemble the cool tubes into a vertical column connected by 6-inch flexible ducting and cable or chain between each tube (forming kind of a sealed light ladder. Drill a 6-inch hole in the ceiling at the center of the circle of hanging PVC pipes for exhaust and another one low on a wall where outside air will be drawn in to cool the lights. Securely mount four eylet bolts to the ceiling around the exhaust hole and hang the light ladder using lengths of chain or cable. Cut and attach pieces of flexible ducting from the top of the light ladder to the exhaust and from the bottom to the intake. Mount an exhaust fan outside the room just above the exhaust hole to draw air through. This gives you a separate intake / exhaust system for the lights which lets you CO2 enrich the air in the room if desired.
5) Put the pumps in the res and place the res under the pipes so that each will drain into the res. Run 1/2" or 5/8" poly tubing along each PVC pipe and secure with zip ties. Put an end cap on the bottom of each length of poly tubing (at bottom of PVC pipes). Put a T at the top of each length of poly tubing and cut lengths of poly tubing to connect the T's into a circle at the top of the PVC pipes.
6) Punch hole in poly above each plant site. Drill a hole in PVC on each side above plant site. Hole should be big enough for fogger to fit through easily and small enough that rubber stopper will plug it. Cut lengths of 1/4" poly to run between each hole in the 1/2" poly and the associate hole in the PVC pipe where fogger will go. Slide a rubber stopper and a fogger onto each length of 1/4" poly tubing and attach the tubing to the 1/2" poly feed line with a double-ended barbed connector. There should now be two spray sites above each plant site for ample irrigation.
7) On one piece of poly running up the PVC pipe, unscrew the endcap at the bottom and thread a hose quick connector onto it. Connect hose to pump and other end of hose to the mating quick connector and connect to poly. This will pump water up the poly and through the foggers. Optionally put an inline filter between each pump and poly tubing to filter out things that may clog the foggers. You may have to divide the system in half using two pumps and isolate two loops of 4 PVC pipes each (unless your pump is super powerful).
8) Connect the pump to a short cycle timer so you can precisely control irrigation cycles. I recommend 6-8 minutes on / 12-20 minutes off to prevent overwatering and root rot in this system. Connect the lights to a timer. Put a piece of poly over the res and cut holes to allow the PVC pipes to drain into the res.
That's about it. The plants are held in place by the neoprene inserts. Their roots dangle into the PVC pipe and are sprayed with nutrient solution that is pumped up the poly to the foggers. The runoff travels down the length of PVC and returns to the reservoir for recirculation. The action of water falling down the pipes to return to the res naturally aerates the water, but you can throw a couple airstones into the res as well. The inline filters keep the fogers from getting clogged. As the plants get larger, it is easy to double up on the neprene inserts for additional stem support. The whole system fits in a 5x5 area and allows up to 56 sites. I will try to post some pics below.
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