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PPK vert 4 plant 5 light grow show and DIY, 3400w, CO2
- Thread starter Desert Hydro
- Start date
here's where im at..... i ran out of hose with one site left so im gonna have to buy another hose for 10 foot lol. suck. my res is all set up minus the one hose. float valve is installed, just need to hook up my secondary top off res. im gonna be using a 17 gal drum that already has a blumat hose and valve installed so i can simply run that to my float valve.
oh and my FAIL of the day was not noticing that the DIY called for 1/2" CPVC and not 1/2" PVC. apparently there is a difference haha. the cpvc is thinner and will fit inside of a garden hose. 1/2" pvc is the same exact diameter as garden hose. there is no way im gonna fit it in there(thats what she said)
i realized all this exactly 10 minutes after lowes closed. oh well. i shall finish tomorrow.
i have turned off the CO2 for now. gonna leave it off while im out of town. IME shit happens a lot faster with co2, the good and the bad so if something is out of parameters they will go downhill quick and the patient that will be watching them is slightly less than capable to fix or diagnose any sort of problem........ im a little worried haha
the left two rows of plants are mine and they are going under a 1k in a 5x5 tent. theres 4 blue dream, 3 ak and one tsi fly. right side is some stuff im growing out for another patient and there's ak and c99 and soon to be a few pot of gold
oh and my FAIL of the day was not noticing that the DIY called for 1/2" CPVC and not 1/2" PVC. apparently there is a difference haha. the cpvc is thinner and will fit inside of a garden hose. 1/2" pvc is the same exact diameter as garden hose. there is no way im gonna fit it in there(thats what she said)
i realized all this exactly 10 minutes after lowes closed. oh well. i shall finish tomorrow.
i have turned off the CO2 for now. gonna leave it off while im out of town. IME shit happens a lot faster with co2, the good and the bad so if something is out of parameters they will go downhill quick and the patient that will be watching them is slightly less than capable to fix or diagnose any sort of problem........ im a little worried haha
the left two rows of plants are mine and they are going under a 1k in a 5x5 tent. theres 4 blue dream, 3 ak and one tsi fly. right side is some stuff im growing out for another patient and there's ak and c99 and soon to be a few pot of gold
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SecondAttempt
Active member
Clean so far... I'm into it.
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thanks for the clarification. i have to get more hose so i should have plenty to spare. if i need to extend anything i will get some barbs and attach two pieces together.
thanks big john.
so ive run into another issue. i think my return lines are too flat and the return bulkheads are too high on the res. the system powers on and runs for a bit and then the buckets begin to over flow. i tried raising them up about 3" but its still doing it. im thinking about building a 2x6 and mdf platform under my tent to raise it up higher than the res so it drains downward. i cut the side of my tent so the hoses would lie flat instead of having the hump to get out of the tent. still no good. i tried turning down the flow to the buckets to a very slow flow and still does it.
i need to sort this out ASAP. i guess if i cant get it figure out before i leave for a few days i will just put em in small pots of the floor dry and set up a small pump to water them on a timer until i get back and fix it all.
i have tomorrow off so im gonna work on it all day.
oh and i forgot to mention i did the test run with no media in the containers. i dont know if filling the containers would slow the water down enough to make it work. im gonna go test it out and report back.
so ive run into another issue. i think my return lines are too flat and the return bulkheads are too high on the res. the system powers on and runs for a bit and then the buckets begin to over flow. i tried raising them up about 3" but its still doing it. im thinking about building a 2x6 and mdf platform under my tent to raise it up higher than the res so it drains downward. i cut the side of my tent so the hoses would lie flat instead of having the hump to get out of the tent. still no good. i tried turning down the flow to the buckets to a very slow flow and still does it.
i need to sort this out ASAP. i guess if i cant get it figure out before i leave for a few days i will just put em in small pots of the floor dry and set up a small pump to water them on a timer until i get back and fix it all.
i have tomorrow off so im gonna work on it all day.
oh and i forgot to mention i did the test run with no media in the containers. i dont know if filling the containers would slow the water down enough to make it work. im gonna go test it out and report back.
i just priced everything to raise the tent and its not pretty lol. i think i am just gonna put 2x6 box under each one and lose the 6" of head room unfortunately.
im still undecided but since this is a test run of the system i might go with the cheaper way for right now and see if that works. worst case scenario would be that i have to do both or i could remake the reservoir and put the hoses as low as possible. that would only put me out about $20 and an hour or two of work.
im still undecided but since this is a test run of the system i might go with the cheaper way for right now and see if that works. worst case scenario would be that i have to do both or i could remake the reservoir and put the hoses as low as possible. that would only put me out about $20 and an hour or two of work.
so i got it all worked out. it was just overflowing because there was no media in there and it was draining faster than it could return to the res.
ive made a lot of ppk rookie mistakes so far but i think i learned a lot in just one day. i learned not to put plain water in the res and try and add nutrients and ph. makes it real hard to balance it because it has to flow through the entire system.
on the to do list is build the small risers for the buckets and seal the cpvc joints. i had hoped they would be fine since there isnt really any pressure built up, it just flows through freely. not entirely the case. had a couple tiny leaks but when i pressed them together they stopped. gonna seal them anyway just in case. dont want any leaks while im gone.
the babies go in tomorrow. they better be big as shit when i get back in six days lol.
ive made a lot of ppk rookie mistakes so far but i think i learned a lot in just one day. i learned not to put plain water in the res and try and add nutrients and ph. makes it real hard to balance it because it has to flow through the entire system.
on the to do list is build the small risers for the buckets and seal the cpvc joints. i had hoped they would be fine since there isnt really any pressure built up, it just flows through freely. not entirely the case. had a couple tiny leaks but when i pressed them together they stopped. gonna seal them anyway just in case. dont want any leaks while im gone.
the babies go in tomorrow. they better be big as shit when i get back in six days lol.
Big dice roll to leave your girls for six days right off the bat.
I have had float valves fail, clog, stick.
Pumps die
all sorts of stuff gone wrong. lol
Hope the best for ya but thats a bold move for any system when its brand new. xplant and peace..
All that said if you set it up correctly it will be completely fine.
Guess im placing my bets on you DH
I have had float valves fail, clog, stick.
Pumps die
all sorts of stuff gone wrong. lol
Hope the best for ya but thats a bold move for any system when its brand new. xplant and peace..
All that said if you set it up correctly it will be completely fine.
Guess im placing my bets on you DH
I would spray paint or cover the bottom buckets to prevent algae growth...its gonna be bright in that tent...
You could tape something overthem, idk .... stoned just trying to help a brotha.
Good luck.
You could tape something overthem, idk .... stoned just trying to help a brotha.
Good luck.
SecondAttempt
Active member
Big dice roll to leave your girls for six days right off the bat.
I have had float valves fail, clog, stick.
Pumps die
all sorts of stuff gone wrong. lol
Hope the best for ya but thats a bold move for any system when its brand new. xplant and peace..
All that said if you set it up correctly it will be completely fine.
Guess im placing my bets on you DH
Only problem(s) I could foresee are a leak draining the system out, or a float valve stuck open draining the bulk res, flooding the system and drowning the plants... As far as pumps failing who cares its a PPK.
I agree with HL though, bold move, however PPKs are the safest way to leave town IMO.
SRGB
Member
Desert Hydro:
on the to do list
Hi, Desert Hydro.
It might be advantageous to consider possible anchorage and support methodologies at the current preliminary stage.
What is the total height, width and length of the tent?
What is the distance between the center of each container to the adjacent container center?
An anchorage and initial support option might be to place six to twelve 4 foot stakes around the center of the top containers (pre-filled with media), and perhaps another six 6 foot stakes around the perimeter of the top containers, then fill in the remainer of the media.
Or, build a wooden frame around each site, approximately 4 feet by 4 feet, with a horizontal 2x4 atop to hang wire from to wrap around the terminal flowers that might eventually reach the ceiling. Also, stakes could be affixed vertically and diagonally to the frame similar to grating, so the gardener could reach through the grating to access limbs and simultaneously tie those limbs to the stakes. The 4 feet by 4 feet support frame might also give an indication of when to initiate fruiting and flowering, if the gardener were to vegetate until the specimen reached the perimeter of the frame.
We are only sharing some possible support options, though other methods might also work well. It might be slightly more difficult to configure anchorage and supports after the specimen have began growing rapidly in the containers, especially if the gardener might be seeking to fill the entire garden with foliage.
Ideally, the gardener might only be able to crawl into that area - before flowering commenced. Or, at best turn sideways to gentle ease through aisles between sites where foliage had grown laterally to contact each other. It might be possible to `max-out` the area, so that at mid-fruiting, if the gardener were at the same viewpoint as that of illustrations from #22, they would not be able to view either the floor, aisleways between the specimen, or walls behind the specimen.
In any event, nice canvas to work with and nice progress configuring it.
Best,
/SRGB/
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yesterday was such a mission! i was at my spot for over 7 hours working out the kinks. got it all figured out i think.
HL, i had planned on covering the buckets yesterday but i was fried after 7 hours.......actually i was on a roll and was down to pull an all nighter, but the wife wasnt having it lol.
SRGB, i have some wire cages from my vert scrog grow last round. i am gonna hang them from the ceiling over the plants and train the branches out through the cage to open them up and get good penetration. they are only about 3 pounds each so its no strain on the supports. its a lot less weight than a bunch of reflectors like i used to hang in that tent.
i have 5 days to fix any leaks. today i am gonna silicone the cpvc and place cardboard under EVERYTHING to check for leaks the next couple days. i think i am gonna be fine. fingers crossed!
my plan is to only leave about 4 gal in the res while im gone. the plants going in are only rooted clones and will not drink anything while im gone i dont think. evaporation will be an issue and thats the only reason im setting up the res while im gone.
all the shit on the floor is rockwool. it was all i had to soak up the water lol. worked great though
HL, i had planned on covering the buckets yesterday but i was fried after 7 hours.......actually i was on a roll and was down to pull an all nighter, but the wife wasnt having it lol.
SRGB, i have some wire cages from my vert scrog grow last round. i am gonna hang them from the ceiling over the plants and train the branches out through the cage to open them up and get good penetration. they are only about 3 pounds each so its no strain on the supports. its a lot less weight than a bunch of reflectors like i used to hang in that tent.
i have 5 days to fix any leaks. today i am gonna silicone the cpvc and place cardboard under EVERYTHING to check for leaks the next couple days. i think i am gonna be fine. fingers crossed!
my plan is to only leave about 4 gal in the res while im gone. the plants going in are only rooted clones and will not drink anything while im gone i dont think. evaporation will be an issue and thats the only reason im setting up the res while im gone.
all the shit on the floor is rockwool. it was all i had to soak up the water lol. worked great though
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if im still having issues in a couple days i will merely put them in plastic grow bags and build a small dripper system with a tiny pump to get them going while im out of town. that would probably be safest but we'll see how i feel in a couple days.
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thanks you sir. im so glad it all went smooth today! i was there forever but had no issues at all. ph was dead on still. got my babies in there and under their own 600 until i get back from san francisco then i will put them under a 1k and possibly vert.
i put my 4 blue dream inder their own 1k with a hortilux bulb and that bastard is BRIGHT. these are my first 1k's and the guy gave me 2 new hortilux with them. hell yeah. gonna veg out my 3 ak and 1 tsi fly and put those 4 under their own 1k as well. still undecided if im gonna run them vert or not. i may wait and see how they stretch and if they look good for vert i will train them around a cage.
my analog timer will be in tomorrow. i watered them 3 times while i was there and the media seems to stay moist enough so they will be fine for a while. ive got a good feeling about this new system.
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got some new toys to wire up! now i can run all 1ks i will just need to buy a few more lol. i love shopping for new equipment until i see what ive spent haha.
this is a sentinel lighting controller. the picture is of a 4 outlet type but mine has 8. just have to hook it up to a 50 amp breaker and i can run up to 8 1ks off it. im trying to decide if i wanna run a 25 ft section of conduit towards my tent so i dont have to buy a bunch of lamp cord extensions lol.
this is a sentinel lighting controller. the picture is of a 4 outlet type but mine has 8. just have to hook it up to a 50 amp breaker and i can run up to 8 1ks off it. im trying to decide if i wanna run a 25 ft section of conduit towards my tent so i dont have to buy a bunch of lamp cord extensions lol.
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SecondAttempt
Active member
I was just looking at that in a catalog earlier today... funny.
