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Watering System


Tom

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My hydro system consists of a small submersible pump with a 12mm (1/2�) outlet, a 50 litre (11 gal) plastic tub with a lid (similar to �Rubber Maid� in US) for a reservoir, a programmable plug-in timer, some 12mm (1/2�) plastic pipe, 3mm (1/8") flexible tube, connectors and drippers. The 12mm (1/2�) plastic pipe, 3mm (1/8") flexible tube, connectors and drippers are all standard watering system parts.

 

The end of the 12mm plastic pipe connects to the pump, that and the power cord for the pump pass though a slotted hole in the reservoir lid, The pipe travels around the wall of the grow room and the end of it then fits through another hole in the lid, it has a few short lengths of the 3mm tube hot glued in the end to create pressure in the pipe. This also stirs the reservoir around and stops the nutrients form �settling out� of the mixture. I use the connectors to fit the 3mm tube to the 12mm and fit one of the drippers in the other end after cutting it to the right length. The nutrients that are used on the plants run to waste so using those plastic saucer things or water-well plant pots is a good idea, it is cheaper and less work for me to drain any excess used nutrient solution into the garden than it is for me to buy all the gear required to test, correct and maintain a �closed loop� system. I have a 25 litre plastic drum of mixed nutrients on a shelf above the reservoir that lets me top it up easily.

 

I use a 60/40 perlite/vermiculite mixture for my grow media.

 

The other end of the system.

 

A look inside the reservoir.

 

Since taking the above photos I have added an air stone and the pump part of an old submersible aquarium filter, the air stone oxygenates the water and the filter pump, which comes on at watering time, ensures that the nutrients are well mixed.

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yeah hi tom just putting my 2 cents worth...if you changed your reflector to a supa nova 600 shade you would use your light betta..the shades you r useing we throw away to much wastege above the light  B)

Yeah, I know there are better shades than the standard bat wing that I use but they are more than adequate for my current grow room (4' x 5' x 7'h). I may have to look into better shades for my new grow room though, they are going to be attached to a light mover in there and they don't look all that suited to it.

 

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Hey tom, the young jedi here, just wondering if you've ever considered using h202 or oxyclean as it's also known. A couple of mL per 10l in your res not only keeps away the nasties but oxygenates the solution and cleans it too! I've only been using it for 3 weeks now and already I've seen a marked improvement in my reservoir and plants. The inner res which holds the nutes is a 40l clear plastic "rubbermaid" type container, which I simply painted with an acrylic paint about a year ago. this has since started to flake off, (obviously, it wasn't treated first!) but I solved it with a sheet of panda film to keep light out. Now, when I changed to an inner/outer reservoir system, I neglected to replace the panda film, as it was in the way with my present setup. So the flaking paint allowed light into the res... a sure fire way to get algae and all kinds of other things, right? Well, with the oxyclean, no problems at all! The plants are lusher and have whole piles of new shoots coming up! With an airpump and h202, you just end up with more oxygen than you ever dreamed, as well as a disinfectant/cleanser!

 

In My Humble Opinion of course.....

 

peace tom.....

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My reservoir is outside the grow room in an area that is normally dark so algae is not a problem, my nutrients are oxygenated with a 30cm long air stone that runs continuously, and the return pipe has smaller tubes glued in the end to squirt the water into the reservoir with some force.

 

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