DIY 24 Site Top-Fed Modules

Hello all you ICmag DIY'ers. I wanted to share with you a cheap, effective, and flexible hydroponic setup. I built this one as a top-fed system but it can easily convert to E/F, DWC/SWC, and aero. I use it to veg my clones.



Let us begin.

First you need a plastic tub with a top. I used a 16 gallon under the bed type for this build.




Here are the tools you will need. The hole saw is 1 1/4" and you will also need a 1/4" drill bit.



Now drill a hole into the bottom for your drain. ( ignore black object )




I recommend painting the tub before installing the 1/2" drain. I painted the outside of the tub with a black spray paint designed for plastic. I do not advise painting the inside of the tub.



A 1/2" straight barbed connector is placed through a hole in the side of the tub. This is where you will hook up the feed line from the pump.



A length of 1/2" hose is cut and attached to the other side of the barbed connector.



The end of the hose is folded and secured to itself. Holes are punched for the 1/4" straght barbs which will connect to the feed lines for each row.



1/4" feed lines are attached and drawn up through holes in the cover



Now, to make the cover...
I used 3.75" net pots for this setup.



Pots are placed underneath the cover to facilitate tracing the inside of the pots and to support the cover.




Make sure you trace the INSIDE of the pots otherwise they will fall through.



Next, the holes are cut out. I use a spiral saw but hole saw's would work just as well.



After cutting be sure to remove excess plastic and smooth down the holes.



Then its paint time.



1/4" holes are drilled for the feed lines. ( only required for top feed setups )



The cover is placed on the tub and the 1/4" feed lines are drawn through the cover.



The feed lines come out of the cover and I use T's to make 3 feed sites and cap the last site with an emiter.



Not every site is needed now so feed rows can be modified with ease.



Rows that arent need at all can be "looped"



The feed line from the pump goes in the side and the drain comes out the bottom and back to the rez.



And finally, she is complete.



Please do not hesitate to ask any questions at all. I hope that you will find this build clear, concise, and enjoyable. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Is this a DIY tent too? Looks very good! K+

Helis thanks for taking a look. Na, no home grown on the tent. It's just a Sun Hut 2x4 with a big 3 level shelf in it. Mom's on the bottom, veg in the middle, and clones on top. Thanks for the karma

Right on thanks for the tutorial that really helps out a lot! I'm a really low-skilled handyman/DIY'er but I'm trying to hone my skills for this very purpose. This guide can help even the most novice of both growers and DIY'ers to help build their own top-fed module.

Covertcrops... Hi, im thinking about doing the same kinda 3-shelf jobbie, can i ask what lights your running for the mother and clones?
cheers

Awesome dude

This should be a sticky in the DIY

EstimatedProph - Thank you. I am very glad to know the instructions are easy to follow for fledgling DIY'ers.

ChronicGrower - I am just using 2 4' T8 shop lights for the moms (160watts). 2 4' T8's for the veg + 150w hps when I need faster growth(160watts or 310watts). I clone under 1 4' T8 (80 watts). I can fit 4 seedling trays with 7" humidomes on the top shelf. The multi- level mom/veg tent has worked great for me, I feed 2k worth of flowering rooms with that one 2x4 tent.

Dr. Dog - Thank you. Time will tell if the design makes it to the DIY link-o-rama or a sticky. Thanks again.

Covertcrops .... great cheers for the info, just what i was after, are the t8 tubes avalible in a shorter length?

Chronicgrower - Yes. T8's are available in many size's and shapes even. A 3' would fit perfectly over the modules. Glad to help.

Very nice, thank you.

Cheers buddie for the info, think i need to shop about for right length lights

Performance Update

Performance Update

I have had clones in the "mods" for 8 days now, here is what the modules can do.

Rooted clone going into the module



3 days in...



6 days in...



8 days in the module and she is ready to be flowered.



Thanks for lookin. Happy growing.

What size pump do you use to feed the drip lines?

I've been doing ebb n Flo buckets for a couple of years now, but I've been thinking of switching over to a drip system. Seems it would require less water.

They look great. My friend does the waterfarms, basically the same just more expensive, an he loves it also. what nutes u put on the clones those 8 days while ur vegging? good luck and keep us posted. Also how can i flag or mark these forums or pages i want to come back to? or flag the people to keep up with what their doing? thx again.

Tokinafaty - I am using a 500 gph pump because I had it laying around. I think anything over 250 gph would be fine. Drip systems definitely use less water.

greenerdreams - I use Pure blend pro grow and Canna rhizotonic in the res. Ph 5.8 and EC 1.5 . You can subscribe to a thread by clicking on "thread tools" which is right above the first post on the right hand side of the screen.

tagged nice, thanks

This really is a great tutorial. Thanks.

Nice work.

What is the advantage of the top feed / dripper lines?

Seems like you could very easily simplify and remove all of that...just running it as a small shallow water culture setup w/ a couple 12" stones. The bursting bubbles would wet your stones and naturally draw out the roots when 1st going into the system.