a ppk for a 6 plant limit

[av8or]

Here's a sneak peak on the progress of another 6 plant room I'm putting up. It has a day of work left before I can start loading it with plants, but I'm almost there!

10'x15' room inside a garage

6 plants (even though you can only see 4 in the picture)

5600 watts vertical lighting, 600's in cool tubes between the plants with 2 x 1000's hanging without cool tubes.

Blueprint controllers....amazing so far. The Blueprint BMDT-1 (blueprint master digital timer) is my light timer that triggers my lighting control box, and it controls the intake and exhaust fans for the cool tubes. Furthermore, it controls my nute pump at whatever time on and off I want. ALSO it will control an additional night time device but I don't have a need for that receptacle as of now.

I apologize for the wire disaster in the pic. I like to get everything working before I clean up my space and tie wrap everything up.

One thing I will say about these builds, if you are not an electrician or have serious experience and are COMPLETELY confident you know what you're doing, please do NOT attempt to build subpanels and wire up your own room. I hate working in hot panels but I've been doing electrical work between deployments for years so I'm pretty solid with easy stuff like this. But it occurred to me as I was sweating bullets while working in that hot panel (old split bus, couldn't shut it off anywhere) that most people probably aren't that familiar with electricity...and boy will it eat your lunch if you're not careful. I got blown off a 15' ladder as an electrician's apprentice about ten years ago while working in a 277v Jbox...not fun. Please be careful out there!!!

Anyhow, I'll hopefully have this room finished and loaded by the weekend.

Man I love this job.

 

[av8or]

Waiting on those pics av8or

There's your pictures, Lorax...now get over here and wash all this turface!

 

[TheLorax503]

There's your pictures, Lorax...now get over here and wash all this turface!

LOL thanks av8or. The system and room look great. At some point I'll have to post some pictures.

 

[Miraculous Meds]

There's your pictures, Lorax...now get over here and wash all this turface!

I see u have found ur minion!

nice work bro. the rooms are looking really professional! Bet u will never forget electrical safety now huh?

 

[rover747]

7. Wrap 27 gallon tote in reflictix

8. Wrap 6.5 gallon tub in reflectix

9. Make a super slick halo like we did

10. Cut a hole in the reflectix where you put the wick through the lid (directly in the middle, in case there is some confusion here)

11. Put all pieces together so that it looks like the room below and the super sweet outdoor experiment does.

Thanks a lot !!!
What pump you using ? 950 or higher ? And can you please post photo from reservoir with floater ?
Thank you in advance !

 

[Dr.RedWhite]

Well I gotta do it, how deep are you going to run your medium? Or how many gallons of media are you going to put in the tubs? And I am going to build my next four with the new wick caps in my 3" PVC. Seems too easy though. I may even take the clamp and screens off the two newest I have built and run the new bottom cap!

 

[mufinman]

Oooook, so I've finally gotten around to the picture tutorial for building the "newest" (whatever that means) iteration of this device. I can't post all million pics at once so bear with me through the next couple posts.


Parts list:

6.5 little giant tub (coastal farm and ranch)

27 gallon tuff tub from lowes or home depot (with yellow lid!)

3" pvc, cut into 8-10" lengths

Tom Cap, 3", http://www.homedepot.com/p/RectorSe...V-Inside-Fit-Cleanout-Adapter-97482/100141128

Snap in drain, 3", http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Chief-3-in-Snap-in-Drain-845-3PPK/202313209

27 gallon tub, http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-27-Gal-Storage-Tote-in-Black-5-Pack-HDX27GONLINE-5/206126311

Reflectix, as much as needed, http://www.homedepot.com/p/Reflectix-24-in-x-100-ft-Double-Reflective-Insulation-BP24100/202851855

Reflective tape for ducting



Tools:

Drill motor

Unibit / step bit

1/8" drill bit

3" hole saw

3 1/2 or 4" hole saw (I used a 6", don't tell anyone)

Phillips head #2 bit

Some small stainless steel machine screws about an inch long




Process:

Step One....you gotta get you a box

Step Two...cut a hole in that booooooox

Step Three...put your.........wait a minute, wrong instructions. Let me try that again.



1. Drill a hole in the middle of the bottom of the top bucket.

2. Put Tom Cap in the hole, remove the plug from it and throw it away or use as a pain-free ninja star.

3. Cut a small piece of vent screen out and put it either in the floor drain or use the floor drain to press the screen into the 3" diameter pvc wick that is cut to 8" in length.

talk about 'giving back'.. good job av8or.. links and all. thank you.

 

[funnymath]

av8or, I have a couple questions since I'm going to be using a few of those 27 gallon totes (granted not for big trees like you).

First, you use the reflectix because the top will degrade with uv light, but will the bottom as well? I know I'm being irrationably cheap but I'd rather only have to cover the tops. I was thinking I could use the duct wrap that home depot has (about 10 cents a sq ft compared to reflectix being like 40), but I don't know if the foam will absorb water. I could see it being a little moist and if it's holding water it could start growing mold or something.

Second, I didn't see the extra holes in your pictures that d9 referred to in the second post. Do you just not bother with them?

 

[av8or]

I see u have found ur minion!

nice work bro. the rooms are looking really professional! Bet u will never forget electrical safety now huh?

Absolutely! Every new Jedi needs an apprentice!

 

[av8or]

Thanks a lot !!!
What pump you using ? 950 or higher ? And can you please post photo from reservoir with floater ?
Thank you in advance !

I'm building that on Sunday so I'll get back to you on this.

 

[av8or]

Well I gotta do it, how deep are you going to run your medium? Or how many gallons of media are you going to put in the tubs? And I am going to build my next four with the new wick caps in my 3" PVC. Seems too easy though. I may even take the clamp and screens off the two newest I have built and run the new bottom cap!

It is too easy! Thank D9 for the Tom Kap finding. I was using the floor drains for both before, but I was cutting the webbing out with a dremel. The D9 pointed out I could stop doing that and use it as a screen holder just for the bottom cap. It's so simple and brilliant.

Media depth is 7". I haven't measured volume yet but I'll let you know Sunday when I fill the six plant room. D9 might chime in with an answer as he's sure to pay attention to those numbers.

 

[av8or]

talk about 'giving back'.. good job av8or.. links and all. thank you.

Thanks, Mufinman. I read these forums for a year before I touched a plant or built anything. If my adventures can, in any way, help others enjoy this experience as much as I am, then I'm all about it. You all have helped me way more than I, you.

 

[TheLorax503]

I see u have found ur minion!

nice work bro. the rooms are looking really professional! Bet u will never forget electrical safety now huh?

MM,

I'm more of a henchman than a minion.

 

[delta9nxs]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

When I get there today, I plan to check for root aphids. If I do in fact have them, is there anything I can do at 35 days into flower?

I will also check drainage. The plants are huge so it's hard to left them but I will make it happen.

As far as removing roots growing into the bottom bucket, should I remove them at this stage in flower (35 days)? Will it cause any adverse affects?

I did notice some potential drainage problems last week but it wasn't talking any more than 2-3 minutes.

I will also change the nuts.

I hope I can take care of this and still get a decent harvest.

i usually yank the roots off going into flower. some will regrow during stretch but not enough to worry about. by the end of stretch root growth is over with.

pulling the roots is not all that critical but the idea is to minimize the interaction between the plant and the solution.

any roots hanging in the solution are putting an o2 demand on the solution. the o2 level is basically being maintained by simple partial pressure from the atmosphere.

if there are no roots there cannot be a demand so the solution never becomes anoxic even with a bunch of huge plants.

i would drill 4 3/16" holes in the top tub about an inch out from the tailpiece to speed up the gravity driven portion of the drain. this accomplishes several things. it helps to break the surface tension in the tub below because even though the holes in the top tub may form a larger radius than the 4" hole in the bottom container it will all still run into the bottom tub. as it does so it will break the surface tension and prevent any surface precipitates from forming.

but also i strongly believe that the faster the drain event is accomplished the less the roots tend to grow down the drain.

the 4 holes will greatly speed up the drain down to about 1.5" in turface, which is where the perched water table will normally form. the tailpiece then takes over and finishes the drain via capillary siphon.

the medium, no matter how well you wash it, will have a lot of fine silt still coming out of the particles. some of this silt is diverted past the tailpiece through the 4 holes. i believe this lessens the possibility of this silt helping, in conjunction with the roots, to clog the tailpiece.

ram, instead of watching the drain from the bottom i meant digging down into the medium from the top and visually observing the drain. you don't have to go all the way down but maybe 4" or so and you can easily tell whether it is draining fast or slow.

one thing that can be done if it is slow is to take a screwdriver with a long shank and shove it at an angle from the top starting outside the main part of the woody root ball aiming towards the top of the tailpiece. this can relieve it somewhat.

another thing suggested by av8or is to change the tailpiece out as you go to flower. but this could be tricky as you might end up breaking the hydraulic connection by causing a separation of the medium inside the tube.

but i think that if we screen the medium to the right air filled porosity, about 35%, wash it thoroughly, and drill the 4 holes there won't be any issues with draining.

i can't help with the root aphids as i personally have never had to deal with them.

 

[delta9nxs]

7. Wrap 27 gallon tote in reflictix

8. Wrap 6.5 gallon tub in reflectix

9. Make a super slick halo like we did

10. Cut a hole in the reflectix where you put the wick through the lid (directly in the middle, in case there is some confusion here)

11. Put all pieces together so that it looks like the room below and the super sweet outdoor experiment does.

great tutorial! it really helps new people to have the visual aid. we have almost created a new set of terminology around this thing and it can be confusing without the pics.

the only thing i would suggest here in this photo set is to cut out the reflectix around the entire perimeter of the top tub instead of just where the tailpiece goes through.

this will put the tubs in full contact with each other and make it easier for the solution from the 4 3/16" accessory drains to run into the bottom tub.

also during veg i like to turn the top tubs and this makes it easier to do so.

 

[delta9nxs]

av8or, I have a couple questions since I'm going to be using a few of those 27 gallon totes (granted not for big trees like you).

First, you use the reflectix because the top will degrade with uv light, but will the bottom as well? I know I'm being irrationably cheap but I'd rather only have to cover the tops. I was thinking I could use the duct wrap that home depot has (about 10 cents a sq ft compared to reflectix being like 40), but I don't know if the foam will absorb water. I could see it being a little moist and if it's holding water it could start growing mold or something."


just light proof the yellow top as a minimum. foil tape works good. not only does the yellow plastic degrade but it allows algal growth as well.

 

[theplaya]

i think that maybe when we have a long drain event instead of a short duration drain event there may be some kind of hormonal response increasing the volume of root material that grows down the pipe.

this is one of the unexplained things about the ppk.

i think the 4" drain is also too large for an indoor container unless you are using a long vegetation period. perhaps 10 weeks or more.

we all need to observe and work on this.

we have seen the plant grow two types of roots in this device. one type is obviously long, ladder type hydro root adapted for deriving o2 from water and the other is a feathery root more adapted for deriving o2 from air.

possibly something about the drain events is influencing the preponderance of one type of root over the other.

i believe the hydro type roots are mostly implicated in the clogging events.

long immersion periods probably influence the development of those types.

when we get everybody thinking about this as they grow and observe we will resolve this.

Hey delta so I went to check on the girls again this morning and I have 2 more clogged tubs. Water left standing in full tubs. I had to poke a few holes to let it slowly drain. If I was to be gone for 2 days those girls would have been dead. Any suggestions on how to remedy the situation? Maybe pull it up and remove the whole pipe to clean out? Because poking holes all the time would become a pita.

 

[theplaya]

After this run all the sites will be switched over to pulse fed instead of floods now. Hopefully it solves the clogging issue. Growth wise I have 4 test sites and it seems to grow at the same rate as the floods

 

[av8or]

Hey delta so I went to check on the girls again this morning and I have 2 more clogged tubs. Water left standing in full tubs. I had to poke a few holes to let it slowly drain. If I was to be gone for 2 days those girls would have been dead. Any suggestions on how to remedy the situation? Maybe pull it up and remove the whole pipe to clean out? Because poking holes all the time would become a pita.

Replace the wicks, prop the top bucket up on sawhorses carefully as to expose as much of the bottom of the bucket as possible, then drill out 4 x 3/16" holes in the bottom of the top bucket. Did you screen your media, by chance? Also, the new wick you could drill out holes in it, too.

 

[theplaya]

Yes it was screened. And there is 4 small holes drilled already. I did take out the entire pipe. Wish I took a pic but man oh man there was more roots in there than medium. But at least now it drains so fast. My big ass pump barely flood it. I only did 2 so far. Another thing I noticed is I couldn't pack the new pipe will turface. The way it connected to the top piece of the Tom kap. I'm worried it would not fully connect with the top tub and takes away the whole wick process. Also it would not pull the wt down. There's 4 more that I need to do. No wick and pwt not being drawn down I guess is better than coming home to a full tub of water (possibly overflowing throughout the day) than to come home to dead girls