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#2
06-06-2011, 01:23 AM
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Looks great, crad! The rubber end caps with hose clamps is a great idea for non-permanent connections and should make cleaning pretty simple.
What's the purpose of the valves in each nutrient inlet? Are they for tuning flow, or primarily for turning off/on an entire tube? Also, what size reservoir and pump are you using for this? I'll be anxious to see how well it all works for you! 
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#3
06-06-2011, 05:04 PM
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The rubber ends are for cleaning purposes. the caps remove as well and I have a dust mop with an extending handle for cleaning the pipes.
The pump is a 600gph mag drive in a 18 gallon container which is almost to small. the pipes hold 36 pepper plants 4 cherry bomb tomatoes and 2 ever-bearing strawberries. Yes the valves are for regulating and isolation. I am installing valves on each tube drain for regulation of solution height. I am finding it hard to even the flow out on the pipes. I started buy using rubber grommets on the drain end and using a pipe to regulated height of solution in pipe. Then the solution sat dormant in pipe and I could see long term problems with that. So with the valves on the exhaust I can regulate height and still dump the pipes completely between cycles. exhaust = Drain The lights are t-8 fixtures with 8000 kelvin bulbs in them I adjust the height to adjust the intensity of the light. I am going more for spectrum color then I am intensity. I want some intensity but am unsure as to how much yet. I will take some pics in the afternoon and some after dark so the effects of the light can be seen. they are now in color and day and night shots Last edited by crad; 06-06-2011 at 10:49 PM. Reason: to add pics
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#5
06-24-2011, 02:03 PM
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Awesome! Great job!
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#6
06-24-2011, 07:32 PM
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Hello crad,
I like your setup. But now that I can see what some of those plants are, I would say that the tomato's will get way to tall for that lighting. Also I'm not sure but some of the other ones look like peppers, and that will get to tall for the lighting (as it is) also. You may also have problems with fruiting of any plants with the low amount (intensity) of florescent lighting.
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#7
07-11-2011, 09:28 AM
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Quote:
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#8
07-11-2011, 10:56 AM
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GPS that is what this experiment is about what is going on right now. I have been negligent in last 2 weeks to my experiment since I have been putting in 80 hours a week at work hopefully they will get 2 new technicians soon we are little short handed.
So I can see the light issue with the tomatoes and am deciding the best way to deal with it. I will post you some pics on it this week when I fix it. the tomatoes are growing about 6 inches a day since I changed the water source. If I have to use HID then growing the veggies in the winter are not going to happen the electrical costs are to absorbent for the amount of cost realized off the fruit. my peppers are the ones with the pests on them and I have both the pest and the predators and am going to introduce lady bugs to the system next. I had bumble bees in there last week when I had the door open so I let them do there thing and I hope it works. this whole experiment is about going them indoor at 40 below zero at a cost effective rate. so far cost effective is not realized but will see when we are done. it is taking more space then I had originally expected as well. So the experiment goes on and any ideas are considered even the HID lighting is being considered. Last edited by crad; 07-11-2011 at 11:21 AM.
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#9
07-11-2011, 11:13 AM
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Quote:
It is 4 in thin wall drain pipe and I thought the weight was going to be an issue but it is not and if you are worried add another brace. they are 3 3/4 in net pots and I used a 3 1/2 in hole saw and even in a drill press it was hard trying to keep them centered. if you want any more questions answered feel free everyone here including myself will be glad to help you out.
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#10
07-13-2011, 01:27 AM
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crad
Hopefully you will get some relief from the 80 hour work weeks soon. I'm sure the extra money is nice, but it dosen't give you much time to have a life. Half of the fun of growing hydroponically is experimenting, though having success makes it even more fun for me. Then (as in your situation) figuring out how to do it more economically is the next goal. For me using natural light is generally the most economical (unless I want to grow lettuce during summer). But I know in your area you get snow that makes growing outside imposable during winter without a equipped greenhouse. Thus the need for experimenting with artificial lighting. Although you do need to weigh the cost of the system, vs the produce you get from the plants, it cost much more to build a hydroponic system than it does to stick a plant in the ground or pot. So start-up cost will naturally be more in the beginning, and thus cost to grow it wont usually be able to compare with prices for the produce in the stores in the beginning. But after a few crops it begins to pay for itself. Some biggest considerations for comparing cost to grow vs cost to buy is the time of year, as well as crop grown. Especially in cold snowy areas where all the produce needs to be shipped in. That significantly raises prices, or may even make it almost imposable to get during that time of year. Being able to grow year round is one of the biggest benefits to growing hydroponically to me. Then there's the consideration of how much to grow. (what you'll realistically eat). You don't want to spend the money to grow it, just to give it away later (if cost to grow is a concern). If you know how much wattage the florescent lighting is using, you can compare the cost to run the florescent lights (as well as needing more of the current florescent lights), with using stronger HID lighting. Even cost to run pumps, fans etc.. As an example: for me I pay 9.29 cents per kilowatt hour (found on the electric bill), and to run one 400 watt HID light for 18 hours a day, for 30 days would cost me about $0.67 a day (about $20.10 a month). A 600 watt HID light would cost me about $1.00 a day (about $30 a month). Electricity Cost Calculator so the question becomes can I get $20 worth of produce (that I like to eat) out of a 400 watt light, or $30 worth out of a 600 watt light. I don't use artificial lighting at this point, but it's my understanding that a 400 watt light is sufficient to cover a 4x4 foot space, and a 600 watt light should cover about a 6x6 foot space. Using the HID lighting would be more productive, and cost effective for taller fruiting plants like tomato's, peppers etc. (as well as higher value crops). But not necessarily so for for smaller (low light requirement plants) like lettuce. For shorter fruit bearing plants like strawberry's, or short bush variety peppers. Spacing smaller wattage HID light (like 200 watt lights) closer to the plants (they can because their cooler), and spaced apart could increase overall square foot coverage, as well as may fit the square footage (floor plan) of grow space better without increasing wattage used. As you mentioned it's about experimenting. But at least with the energy calculator you can compare the cost to run theatrical setups and designs, and before you spend the money on them. Last edited by GpsFrontier; 07-13-2011 at 02:15 AM.
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