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My System


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  #1  
Old 07-13-2011, 10:46 PM
Stan Stan is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2011
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Default My System

I built this outdoor aeroponic system using some ideas from a Youtube video. I'm using an 8ft 5X5 fencing post with 11 large 3 inch net pots. I'm growing 10 tomato plants along with 1 watermelon plant. Each plant is separated 8 1/2 inches. Inside I have a 1/2 inch PVC piping with360 degree micro sprayers. I have the sprayers set on a timer 15 on 15 off.

For the reservoir I'm using a cooler which holds 15 gallons of water and nutrients. The tomato plants are around 15 inches tall. I have to add around 1 - 2 gallons of water/nutrients per day depending on the heat. Soon I will have to buy a 150qt cooler when the tomato plants start to get bigger, live and learn right! So far the cooler has worked pretty well with keeping the water temps at a cool level. It has been in the mid 90's for the last 3 days so I add 4 bottles of frozen water around 10 AM and again around 8 PM and it keeps the water temps between 65 - 70 degrees. The plants are doing fine so far.

I will keep everyone up to date to see how this system works or fails.

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  #2  
Old 07-14-2011, 02:30 PM
crad crad is offline
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I like the cooler and I was actually thinking of it how does it work? amazing it looks just like the one we were thinking off from menards.
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  #3  
Old 07-14-2011, 10:51 PM
Stan Stan is offline
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Crad, I'll take some pics over the weekend of how I set up the cooler as a reservoir. It does keep the water cooler for a much longer period of time during those steaming hot days as long as you put in 4 frozen water bottles early and late in the day.
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  #4  
Old 07-16-2011, 05:13 PM
Stan Stan is offline
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Did a reservoir change today and took some pictures.

In picture 1 I disconnect the water return(left) and the water pump(right) line from the top of the cooler. They remove very easily.


In picture 2 you are looking at the underside of the cooler top. The drain(left) and the water pump feed(right). I bought the grey connection from the electrical department at Lowes. They screw together making them a tight fit.


In picture 3 looking inside the reservoir you can see how the water pump connects to the lid of the cooler and the air line.


In picture 4 I carved out 2 sections so the water pump and air line fits flush and the lid closes snug.

When I buy a 150qt cooler I will set up everything the same.

I also hook up screens to the water pump lines along with the return lines. I clean them out when I do a reservoir change.

Will take more pictures as the tomato plants continue to grow.
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Last edited by Stan; 07-17-2011 at 02:20 PM. Reason: uploaded photos
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  #5  
Old 07-16-2011, 06:59 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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The ice chest as a reservoir is a good idea, however unless you find some used ones at a garage sale or something, they aren't cheep. Especially the bigger they are. Because of the summer heat we have here, I came up with a design to build what I call a cooling box. Witch is really nothing more than a big custom made ice chest. My original concept was for it to house two 32 gallon trash cans as reservoirs (inside the cooling box). But the idea is easily customized to anything you want. You can use it with the water directly in it, with or without the bottom drain, and even make it any size you want. I even have plans to use the design as a large walk in refrigerator for harvested produce storage, and a small window AC unit for the cooling source. I also have plans to make some smaller ones for transporting produce to the farmers market. Cooling them either with dry ice, or a thermoelectric heat sinks, like they use in the coolers that plug into your cars cigarette lighter.

Anyhow I posted pictures of the cooling box I had in mind. The one in the drawings was designed to easily hold two 32 gallon trash cans, and cost of materials I estimated to be around $80. OSB board generally runs about $8 a sheet (4x8), and the 2 inch thick Styrofoam runs a little under $20 a sheet here (4x8). The side support 1x2's run about $0.94 for a 8 foot piece. You can even use 2x3's that run $1.84 here. I have the whole design and building instructions in a PDF file, but I cant post PDF's in this forum. My design also calls for using foamboard adhesive to glue the Styrofoam to the OSB, and water proofing the seams using foamboard adhesive and silicone. Water proofing the flat inside surface can be done using many different materials, but I like rolled vinyl sheeting the best so far (price wise) anyway.
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Last edited by GpsFrontier; 07-17-2011 at 05:38 PM.
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  #6  
Old 07-17-2011, 02:44 PM
Stan Stan is offline
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GpsFrontier, that is just an amazing idea. I might have to check out the local Lowes and see if they have all the materials needed if I can't find a used cooler or 1 that someone has thrown out in the next week or 2. I now have to add between 2 -3 gallons of water to my reservoir per day as the plants are really starting to take off. At this rate I will have to refill the reservoir daily in another month so it's either build or find.
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