Pictures Of My Grow Rooms Built Inside Garage With Questions for Suggestions

[420ish]

i use the 27 gallon hdx.the sides are bowed a little.what size is your bottom container going to be?that will affect how much the volume res will be filled.your air gap decides how much you can fill the volume res.i am using 5 gallon buckets for my bottom container so i have more height in my volume res.when i used the 3 gallon rough neck totes for top and bottom ,my 27 gallon hdx tote was not filled very high at all.that is why you see in d9 pics that he has more totes linked together.if your floor is not level,you will need to adjust the container height to get your air gap right on some plant sites.i have used pieces of plywood underneath the plant sites to get my levels close.
no problem painting the vent black now.
if you were meaning the bulk res for 27 gallons,i would go bigger.i am using a 40 gallon barrel for 4 plants in flower and if all 4 plants are big it will be empty after 6 or 7 days.i am using a 40 gallon barrel in veg for 8 sites but i never have more then 4 bigger plants and the others smaller.that will barely make it a week also.

 

[newguy41410]

i use the 27 gallon hdx.the sides are bowed a little.what size is your bottom container going to be?that will affect how much the volume res will be filled.your air gap decides how much you can fill the volume res.i am using 5 gallon buckets for my bottom container so i have more height in my volume res.when i used the 3 gallon rough neck totes for top and bottom ,my 27 gallon hdx tote was not filled very high at all.that is why you see in d9 pics that he has more totes linked together.if your floor is not level,you will need to adjust the container height to get your air gap right on some plant sites.i have used pieces of plywood underneath the plant sites to get my levels close.
no problem painting the vent black now.

I'm using 2 gallon buckets as my bottom container. Does it really matter with the volume reservoir? Can't I just fill the volume Reservoir all the way to the top without it affecting the bottom container water level? It will be elevated and be going to the control reservoirs. THAT'S what controls the water level in the bottom container, correct?? The 10 gallon totes i plan to use as CONTROL reservoirs will control the bottom containers water level, not the volume reservoir, correct?? I can just fill the volume reservoir as much as I want without affecting the rest of the system, can't I?

 

[420ish]

the elevated bulk res yes.what you are calling the volume res ,i call the bulk res.
what you are calling the control res ,i call the volume res.
that is what holds the volume of the system so it doesnt go to low during the feed cycle
if your control res is a ten gallon and it is not a low tote it wont hold much volume .

 

[420ish]

look at d9's diagram.
the water level in your control res can not be higher then the level you need in the bottom container under the plant container.
the water equalizes to the same height(if your floors are level)
a 2 gallon bottom container with a 4 inch air gap is not much height.
when i used the three gallon roughnecks top and bottom,changing my air gap was impossible.
i had a 2 to 3 inch air gap and could not go lower since i could not lower the amount in my control res.that was a 27 gallon hdx tote
i designed my grow with the double 3 gallon rough necks so i would have more head room for the plants but it made working around the low level of the water alot harder.

 

[newguy41410]

the elevated bulk res yes.what you are calling the volume res ,i call the bulk res.
what you are calling the control res ,i call the volume res.
that is what holds the volume of the system so it doesnt go to low during the feed cycle
if your control res is a ten gallon and it is not a low tote it wont hold much volume .

ohh okay. making much more sense now thought i was trippen for a minute
ok so my ten gallon is the rubbmermaid storage tote like this one.

I am wondering if one of those ten gallons is fine or if i should definitely use 2 in series? (for control reservoir aka what you call volume res)

And would you suggest i get a 27 gallon or 55 gallon for bulk res? i think im gonna put the bulk res on my washing machine for elevation since its right next to my grow room.

I'm planning on running 4 PPK sites BTW

 

[420ish]

those ten gallon are only a little over 8 inches high and the lid is recessed so you dont get 8 inches of depth.2 gal containers are probably pretty shallow.if you use the ten gal as your bottom you still can only fill half way or a little less for a 4 inch gap.thats why in my newest version i have more depth on bottom container so i can adjust my air gap.when i did the short version i couldnt.

 

[newguy41410]

those ten gallon are only a little over 8 inches high and the lid is recessed so you dont get 8 inches of depth.2 gal containers are probably pretty shallow.if you use the ten gal as your bottom you still can only fill half way or a little less for a 4 inch gap.thats why in my newest version i have more depth on bottom container so i can adjust my air gap.when i did the short version i couldnt.

my bottom container is a 2 gallon bucket. so has more depth than a 10 gallon tote i believe? and im using my 10 gallon tote as the control bucket (float valve) to control the level of the rest of the system.

 

[delta9nxs]

dammmmitt!!! uaifjadfhfkhkfjkdhkadfhdfhfdhfdhfdshhdsfhfdf sorry just a little frustrated at the moment lol. i gotta drive 45 minutes and beg this old man to let me exchange this Tropicote bag for the Calcinit bag cause my dumbass threw the receipt away YESTERDAY MORNING hahah. If he doesnt let me exchange i guess im shelling out another 20-something bucks.... So this tropicote stuff is useless to me then eh?

ok thanks so much once again! glad i asked before going through with building. So here's what i think i just learned:

-i want a volume res to make sure the control reservoir is never starved which will make sure my pump buckets will never starve which will make sure my pumps will never starve?
-volume res will be where the mixing is controlled at, not control buckets

So here's my PPK plans:
Water supply > RO filter > Elevated Volume Res > Inline Tee for one line to go to Veg Room Float Control Res and one line for Flower Room Float control res > Pump Buckets inside respective grow rooms > Turface > Wick> Circulate back to Control

QUESTIONS: for ANYONE to answer please (d9 doesn't have to answer every thing although his word is gold to me )

1) Basically the bigger the volume tank the better right? Because I wouldn't have to mix the jacks and calcinit as often?

2) VOLUME RES: Can I fill a 55 gallon rubbermaid storage tote up with water without any problems? (the tote won't flex and break or burst on me will it?)

3) Is 55 gallons overkill for my system? Should I just get 27 gallon HDX tote for half the price of a 55 gallon?

4) I have a 10-gallon storage tote to use as a Float Control Reservoir. Should I use two of them in series to add more volume to the system? Or save my money and use one?

-unrelated question: Can I paint my white vent, black with spray paint right now? it is refracting a little bit of light from the veg room. I wont have plants in the room for at least two weeks so is it safe to spray paint this vent black?

You cannot plumb your ro filter to any of the containers you see in the drawings. You will need a container to accumulate the ro water in. When the bulk res is completely drained and only then you fill the bulk res with the ro water and add nutrients.

 

[420ish]

my bottom container is a 2 gallon bucket. so has more depth than a 10 gallon tote i believe? and im using my 10 gallon tote as the control bucket (float valve) to control the level of the rest of the system.

if you have everything already measure the 2 gallon bucket depth.
when you have the lid on it and the top bucket with tailpiece on top going into it you need about 4 inches of space from the bottom of the top bucket to the water level.that will be the level your entire system can be filled (some less some more if your floor is not level)the lid of the bucket usually sags after filling the top container with your medium and a plant so you lose a little height there also.
i tried to go low to get more head room but would have had an easier time with less headroom and more adjustability on the height of the air gap.if the plants are too wet ,you have to make air gap bigger.when using such small containers ,it is hard to do.
just trying to give good advice from my expierence.
here is a pic when i was running ppk in a 4foot by 4 foot 6 foot high cabinet with 1200 watts inside.look at the containers i used.i had extra height since mt control res was on floor outside the cab and the cab was on 4 by 4 boards .i still had minimal water levels in the control res

 

[420ish]

You cannot plumb your ro filter to any of the containers you see in the drawings. You will need a container to accumulate the ro water in. When the bulk res is completely drained and only then you fill the bulk res with the ro water and add nutrients.

i fill a barrel and mix my jacks in it then add a 5 gallon bucket at a time to my bulk res.i have not had a problem doing it that way.
d9 are you saying thats no good?

 

[newguy41410]

You cannot plumb your ro filter to any of the containers you see in the drawings. You will need a container to accumulate the ro water in. When the bulk res is completely drained and only then you fill the bulk res with the ro water and add nutrients.

Ohh okay that's how you make sure you introduce a balanced solution to the system. I was wondering how often I would have to add nutes if I had ro water plumbed directly to bulk reservoir lol. It would have diluted the mix and I probably would've had a hell of a time trying to correct it. Thanks for catching that d. Going to buy a drum or another tote.

 

[delta9nxs]

i fill a barrel and mix my jacks in it then add a 5 gallon bucket at a time to my bulk res.i have not had a problem doing it that way.
d9 are you saying thats no good?

no that's ok. newguy was talking about plumbing the ro filter line to the bulk res and letting it constantly feed fresh water into the bulk res.

this would have diluted the bulk res as it fed the plants. no stability.

 

[newguy41410]

Good afternoon guys! I'm officially done installing my lighting and am now focusing solely on the PPK build! I could use some help here! I sketched up what i thought is a typical PPK plumbing diagram for my room to give myself an idea on how i will approach this, and could use some help. Here is what I am hoping will work for my plumbing:

Keep in mind I didn't draw the 1/2" tubing that will go from the Pump Bucket to the Turface Container.

Questions:

1. Do you guys foresee any bottlenecks, problems, or setbacks with my plumbing diagram design? I'm using 6 Barbed Tees and 6 Barbed Elbows for each room.
2. Do you guys suggest I add valves for any reason?
3. Should I add drain(s) somewhere specific to check "runoff"? Or not needed?
4. Would the system be "more stable," or homogenized, if the "last PPK site" was essentially plumbed back to the "first PPK site?" Kind of like a loop

 

[delta9nxs]

that will work fine in general as far as plumbing goes but you show the supply buckets smaller than the 2 gal bucket the plant will be on. it should be the same size so use a 2 gal bucket there also.

the ten gal tub will be fine. the 2 gal buckets are 9.6" high so as you will be running a water depth of 5.5". this will give you a 4" air gap to start with. center the float valve hole at 7.5".

 

[delta9nxs]

"Would the system be "more stable," or homogenized, if the "last PPK site" was essentially plumbed back to the "first PPK site?" Kind of like a loop"

no, it would be less stable as it allows a portion of the solution to by-pass the reservoir.

you don't need valves except for maybe a drain installed somewhere in the hose for solution changeouts. but really with a system this size you could pump it out in a minute or two.

 

[newguy41410]

you show the supply buckets smaller than the 2 gal bucket the plant will be on. it should be the same size so use a 2 gal bucket there also.

Forgive my elementary drawing skills please They will all be 2-gallon buckets, I just drew it smaller to make it easier to tell which ones were the the supply buckets.

the ten gal tub will be fine. the 2 gal buckets are 9.6" high so as you will be running a water depth of 5.5". this will give you a 4" air gap to start with. center the float valve hole at 7.5".

ok, so assuming im on a level surface, having the float valve installed, on center, at a height of 7.5", in the TEN gallon tote, should give me a 4" air gap?? Awesome! thanks for giving me the heads up.

Ok, one last thing!: Here's a picture of how and where i want my 27 gallon Bulk Res, and 10-gallon Control Reservoirs:

This location is right between the Veg and Flower room doors. This location makes placement of the plumbing the easiest for me, by far; because it's central to both rooms; It saves space and also gives me less clutter.. Only problem is I need to figure out how to elevate the Bulk Res over the Control Reservoirs without crushing the smaller ten-gallon totes. I'm thinking about putting cinder blocks that are about 2 inches taller than the 10-gallon totes between the two 10-gallon totes. This would elevate the Bulk Res so that it wont be putting weight on the Control Reservoirs. I would think that 20 gallons or so of water in the bulk res it would make it heavy enough to prevent it from acting like a teeter tot and falling over. What do you guys think? Sound like a good idea??

 

[Speed of green]

good thread, great info spelled out simply for ppk learning. Things are looking very clean and professional, good job NEWGUY.

One of those 27 gal totes full of water is very heavy and stable on flat ground. cinder blocks could work, depends on how you do it.

do you need two control reservoirs? you could build a pvc frame for the 27gal tote and have the 10's underneath. or a card table, its nice to have a raised surface to mix nutrients on instead of hunched over a bucket on the floor.

 

[newguy41410]

good thread, great info spelled out simply for ppk learning. Things are looking very clean and professional, good job NEWGUY.

One of those 27 gal totes full of water is very heavy and stable on flat ground. cinder blocks could work, depends on how you do it.

do you need two control reservoirs? you could build a pvc frame for the 27gal tote and have the 10's underneath. or a card table, its nice to have a raised surface to mix nutrients on instead of hunched over a bucket on the floor.

thanks man, i poured out double my planned budget on this thing so far. One thing lead to another and i didn't want to cut corners and tried to keep it as clean as possible. My lighting wiring is kinda clutter-y gonna have to re-do that in the future when i dont feel so broke and have time to.

How much weight would you say a PVC frame or one those cheap card tables ccould support?


As far as my control reservoirs go, i am doing one for each room. One for Veg room and one for flower room. In fact, your question just reminded me that D9 suggested i have separate elevated reservoirs for each room. So I need another elevated reservoir for my veg room. Hmm, I think Im going to return the 27 gallon tote and use two separate 17 gallon totes instead... Back to the drawing board!

 

[delta9nxs]

Forgive my elementary drawing skills please They will all be 2-gallon buckets, I just drew it smaller to make it easier to tell which ones were the the supply buckets.


ok, so assuming im on a level surface, having the float valve installed, on center, at a height of 7.5", in the TEN gallon tote, should give me a 4" air gap?? Awesome! thanks for giving me the heads up.

Ok, one last thing!: Here's a picture of how and where i want my 27 gallon Bulk Res, and 10-gallon Control Reservoirs:

View Image

This location is right between the Veg and Flower room doors. This location makes placement of the plumbing the easiest for me, by far; because it's central to both rooms; It saves space and also gives me less clutter.. Only problem is I need to figure out how to elevate the Bulk Res over the Control Reservoirs without crushing the smaller ten-gallon totes. I'm thinking about putting cinder blocks that are about 2 inches taller than the 10-gallon totes between the two 10-gallon totes. This would elevate the Bulk Res so that it wont be putting weight on the Control Reservoirs. I would think that 20 gallons or so of water in the bulk res it would make it heavy enough to prevent it from acting like a teeter tot and falling over. What do you guys think? Sound like a good idea??

that 27 gal tote full of water will weigh 213 lbs! i would use four blocks to support it. two blocks under each end of the tote making it 16" high. it will have enough head to flow well then.

you are not going to be able to get the 10 gal rubbermaids under the tote unless you build a support stand out of 2 x 12's or something so that you have a shelf on top for the 27 gal tote and still space underneath for the rubbermaids.

i see i told you to drill the float valve hole at 7.5". that would be impossible in those containers so install the float as high up under the rim as you can.

 

[delta9nxs]

well, the more i think about it i think i made a mistake telling you to buy the 10 gal tubs because of depth. sorry about that. but keep them and i'll show you how to make cloners out of them.

you could solve the whole space problem by taking 2 black 5 gal buckets, putting them side by side in that space and then set the 27 gal tote on top of them. with the lids on the buckets they will handle the load. i stand on one all the time with my portly ass so 2 should be ok.

install the floats at 7.5" as before.

the only problem is that you will have to move the tote to adjust the float valves in the buckets.

not too bad with that size tote if you time the adjustment with the refill.