Third system

[GpsFrontier]

I finally got the third system up and running, I was waiting for the seeds to sprout and get big enough. This is a simple flood and drain design using 4 inch ADS tubing, similar to P.V.C. but it's designed for irrigation. You should be able to find it in the same isle as the P.V.C. tubing at Home Depot and Lowe's hardware stores. The ADS tubing looks much the same but is made of 3 different layers. The inside layer is black (and lightproof), the second provides structural support, the last is the white outer layer. This stuff is real easy to cut and is inexpensive at about $8 for a 10 foot tube. The end caps were $1.97.

I cut holes in the end caps to insert the through holes, then flooded the system to mark where I was going to glue the end caps in place. I just used regular P.V.C. glue that I already had. I also already had the threaded elbow connectors for the P.V.C., and the pieces of 1/2 in P.V.C tubing used for the overflow tube. You will notice on the overflow tube there is a "T" connector with a piece of tubing extending up, then some holes drilled in the end cap of that tube. This is to insure there are no air bubbles that can get trapped in the overflow that might cause it to not function properly. Also the long black piece of P.V.C. that runs the span of the tube is just one I already had from long ago. It had been in the garage so long that it was bent so I just zip tied it to a long piece of wood to kind of striation it out.

The nutrient reservoir is one that I am reusing from my pepper plants last summer. I painted the top black (to lightproof it) then white (to reflect light). The bottom part is actually two containers, one inside the other with spray insulation foam between them. So the insulation provides the light proofing. The stands were just made from 2x4's then painted white. I used a 4 inch tube coupler that I cut in half, then screwed them to the stands for the tube to rest in. I used a buggy cord over the top of the tube (to hold it in place).

I have 3 diffrent plants in this system peas, sugar peas and green beans. I will be building a trellis (similar to the one I have for my tomato's in the background) for these to climb on. I will also be adding summer squash to this system. Though the squash will actually be a drip system running from the same pump. So I will have both drip, and a flood and drain systems running from the same pump. I have a one way flow valve that I got for $8 that will be inline with the drip system. This will allow the nutrient to flow to the drip system but when the pump shuts off it will close. This wont allow any back flow from the drip side of the system that would allow air bubbles, and then stop the siphoning back to the reservoir from the flood and drain side of the system.

ADS tube $8
end caps $1.97 x 2, $4
pump $44
through holes $1.97 x 2, $4
tube coupler $2

[lfc-montana]

Thanks for those pictures. I'm planning something very similar (along with the corn system from the other thread). I have 3 20' sections of deck railing, and I'm thinking about running this along the top of the railings....probably starting with one 20' section and adding others end-to-end when I see how it works. Your plumbing layout looks like it would work perfectly for me. Not sure yet what to plant....have to figure out compatible plants for that large a system.

[GpsFrontier]

Originally Posted by lfc-montana

Thanks for those pictures. I'm planning something very similar (along with the corn system from the other thread). I have 3 20' sections of deck railing, and I'm thinking about running this along the top of the railings....probably starting with one 20' section and adding others end-to-end when I see how it works. Your plumbing layout looks like it would work perfectly for me. Not sure yet what to plant....have to figure out compatible plants for that large a system.

Sounds great, I would love to see pictures of both systems when you get them going. Is the weather in Montana going to be a problem for you this time of year?

[lfc-montana]

Originally Posted by GpsFrontier

Sounds great, I would love to see pictures of both systems when you get them going. Is the weather in Montana going to be a problem for you this time of year?

No way that I will be setting up either system until mid-spring. I don't think I could find a pump to push 0 degree F nutrient thru the pipes!! I expect to be starting seeds towards the end of April, and have them ready as the weather warms.

Currently I have 2 systems set up in my work room....an 8 bucket Dutch drip system (currently ending a cycle with just one broccoli and some chard left) and a 2x4 flood/drain system that I'm now starting seeds for.

[GpsFrontier]

I don't think I could find a pump to push 0 degree F nutrient thru the pipes!!

No I wouldn't expect so, and nutrient that cold wouldn't be good for the plants either. Though there are ways to keep the nutrients warm like insulating the nutrient tank, using fish tank warmers, heated blankets and such. For the pipes a layer or two of pipe insulation along with pumping the warm nutrient through it regularly would probably be enough to keep the pipes and roots from freezing (though I have not dealt with growing in weather that cold). I think you were going to be growing the plants on your deck so I wasn't sure if the deck was enclosed to keep most of the heat out and/or if you were planing to use heaters to keep the plants warm. Do you have any pictures of the setups in your work room?

[lfc-montana]

I don't have any pics yet, but I will charge up the batteries and take some today. By the way, it's snowing a little bit this morning......

[lfc-montana]

Here are some shots of my various setups;
** Aerogarden with extra lites with cherry tomatoes
** Couple shots of my seedling process
** The flood system, ready to go, just waiting for seedlings
** The Dutch drip system, mostly finished, just waiting for the last broccoli to get big enough.

[GpsFrontier]

Here are some shots of my various setups;
** Aerogarden with extra lites with cherry tomatoes
** Couple shots of my seedling process
** The flood system, ready to go, just waiting for seedlings
** The Dutch drip system, mostly finished, just waiting for the last broccoli to get big enough.

That's quite a few plants. I don't have anywhere indoors that I can grow except for the garage, and that gets much hotter than outside during the summer. Also I don't have the money for lights, nor can I justify buying them to grow inside just 4 months a year. Especially when we get over 300 days of sun a year, but I hope to have a claimant controlled greenhouse in a year or two.

[OChydro]

I found your pic GpsFrontier. I see the electrical sealed against the end cap, this is the limiter so it doesn't overflow correct? Is the pipe below it the return and then the fill line is at the other end? Thanks.

[GpsFrontier]

Originally Posted by OChydro

I found your pic GpsFrontier. I see the electrical sealed against the end cap, this is the limiter so it doesn't overflow correct? Is the pipe below it the return and then the fill line is at the other end? Thanks.

Actually it's the other way around,

I have the through holes that I get in the electrical department on both ends of the tube, but they don't limit anything (except the size of the hole). The one that has the white P.V.C. tubing that runs up and down and directly into the reservoir is the overflow. I simply stuck a piece of clear 5/8 inch vinyl tubing in the P.V.C. "T" and then stuck it onto the through hole. The key is the placement of the hole in the end cap, so the water level does not rise above where the hole is located. I tested the system and marked it before I glued the end caps in in place. This system is a flood and drain type system. When the pump shuts off the nutrient solution simply drains back into the reservoir through the inlet.

The one on the other side that runs horizontal is the water inlet. Again the through hole does not limit anything it just lets the water pass through it and provides a watertight seal. The pump itself has an adjustment that is set at low because it's a powerful pump. The corner is made using just a few small pieces of different sized vinyl tubing and a couple of P.V.C. connectors to connect the vinyl tubing to the P.V.C.. The black is just paint that covers regular 1/2 in P.V.C. tubing to light proof it. I could have just used a long piece of vinyl tubing instead of the 1/2 inch P.V.C. tubing, but it's cheaper and I already had it anyway.