Figured that I would post a few pics of my new setup as the bits start coming together. The whole thing won't be up and running for a few more weeks, but this way at least I can get some comments and feedback and hopefully not screw up to badly in the process.

I've done DWC and Flood & Drain rigs before, but this is going to be my first real Aeroponics setup so I would welcome any comments or feedback...


330 GPH Harbor Freight jet pump with some customization... The small line is just for the test setup... Parts for something very special are coming next week

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Few more pics of the new power box for the pump.

I'm still working on this part, but it should be finished up today. I wanted to have a switch and pilot light mounted on the pump so that when tubes start popping off I'm not reaching for the extension cord You know; sometimes that warm fuzzy feeling is a bad thing

So the box is kind of large... There is a starting cap feeding the pump and it was just a bit to large for the smaller enclosure I had. This should also give me some space to mount a SSR for remote switching...

I guess this would be a good time to mention that I'm planning on running this whole rig with an Atmel Megga 128 micro running some custom code. This will let me fine tune everything on an ongoing basis and save a bit of coin on overpriced grow specific electronics... The plan is to eventually make an open-source grow controller that anyone can download plans for and make themselves.

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So it's the end of another day stuffing more stuff in a small box with bolts the size of my pinkey nail

It's done though... So I fired up the pump and hooked up a few nozzles so ya'll could see the nice spray they put out.

And damn if I can't make one hell of a mess... But at least the project looks nice and clean!

I'm excited, solinoids should be delivered tomorrow... Pressure sensors the following day... And the big fatty from McMaster Carr should start arriving the day after that... It's going to be a busy week as I start putting all the buckets together and leek-testing everything...

And I even took a short break to go down to the SPCA with my lovely and patient girlfriend to adopt a new piggy... Cuz' you really can't have just one

Now on with the pics!

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My crazy runs wide, and it runs deep...

Laser beams bishes!

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My crazy runs wide, and it runs deep...

Just a word on Harbor Freight stuff: Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. I had a business that required using painting pressure pots (I was reproducing folks sculptures, and the pressure crushed bubbles in the molds)....anyway, one of the damn things exploded. Imagine a 5lb, stainless steel frisbee flying around your basement!
So you might want a back-up pump, or use the H.F. as a back-up. Even if they replace your pump, they won't compensate you for your crop. (not even if you document the value, haha).

Good advice man, thanks! In all honesty I was just hoping to get one good grow out of it while I researched something a but more robust. Hoping to pick up something surplus from the food industry but I just can't quite stomach the price right now

And they are right down the street should anything go wrong that doesn't take my head off

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My crazy runs wide, and it runs deep...

It's been a busy morning here. Big parts order came in from LA yesterday evening so I took some shots and laid down some pipe

Sprayer testing went better than I could have hoped... The last few shots show the amount of mist that accumulated in approximately 30 seconds while I was taking snap-shots. I'm sorry they are rather blurry, the mist really fucks with the cameras ability to focus.

The plan here (ultimately) is to run everything through the manifold which will have 4 solenoid valves -- one on each sub-rail -- with the control system running them one after the other with a little bit of overlap. Timing like this is pretty trivial to implement with the micro-controller and should let me run a virtually unlimited number of sprayers off the same pump. Since the on/off ratio only needs to be like 1:5 (very preliminary numbers here... I'm thinking I can actually get away with a much larger spread).




Ahh lovely bits...




Ready! Aim... (Wait is that a live extension cord???




FIRE!!!




The relief valve is about 1/3 open... The system will go to 75 PSI no problem.




This is the distribution manifold... Half populated. I'm just checking fit here, solenoids still need to go inline with each sub-manifold.




This busty looking valve was $178... Needless to say, it's going back tomorrow... Damn thing looks like it came across the border stuffed in someones arse! "So, where should we pack this really expensive valve sir?"

"Oh I don't know... Why don't you put it in a zip lock bag on the bottom of a heavy ass box of stainless steel pipe fittings... And while your at it, see how many you can get in the box from across the room!"

Morons....




What can I say? I just really like the way this is all coming together. It's starting to look like the engine bay in a race car.

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My crazy runs wide, and it runs deep...

looks like your on your way to a nice aero setup, what size droplets are those nozzels putting out? who makes them? The only potential problem i can see is that with the misters in the bottom of the bucket facing up the roots will quickly engulf them . (Think of an eagles claw going around a fish) are you going to grow small plants cause the roots really go crazy. i always used 20 gallon containers for trees and they pretty well filled up. just something to think about might save you some agravation later. also with a bigger container that nice mist you have going on would be more effective in dispersing the mist thru the root mass, especially when they get bigger. also when your ready to do a run wrap some insulation around the containers. cheap and helps alot to keep the root zone temps down.

I take it the pump will run constantly and the selenoids just firing in rotation. you might want another line off the manifold with a control valve running to the res if thats the case. reason being any excess pressure and flow could just be diverted to the res giving better control over the pump load.

looks good, SS great choice. i may have also put the pressure gauge on the other side of the filter if your using the gauge to check the pump pressure as there usually is a drop of pressure thru the filter. if your using it to monitor the pressure going to the misters than its ok where its at. good luck. ill check in and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the good advice man!

The misters are from McMaster Carr

www.mcmaster.com Item #: 3178K47
They are 10GPH @ 40 PSI, 22-66 micron droplet size.

I really did want to go with something bigger... I looked and looked though and just couldn't seem to find anything that had a decent price and build quality... I just cringe when I price commercial hydro reservoirs... $300 for a 4x4 vacuformed container??? But ultimately I know I gotta go with something better. Or make my own vacuforming rig

I'm still not totally sure where I'm going to put the nozzles... I was thinking in from one side, about half way down would work well... Keep them out of the way... Though the idea of using a SS mesh cone that you guys were talking about seemed pretty good... That would let me have even coverage of the whole root mass from underneath and seems to have very few disadvantages...

The little buggers just spray so much though even when they are firing top down right against the edge of the bucket I only see about 1/3rd less spray out the top so I'm hoping it won't matter to much.

I currently have a Tee on the pump outlet, one side goes so it ends up going:

Res <- Relief Valve <- Pump Out -> Filter -> Pressure Gauge -> Testing Valve -> Sprayers

Still playing with the configuration there... I've got a couple of nice digital pressure gauges that will probably go one on the end of each sub-manifold. But I think your right about having a return off the top of the main manifold... Most logical place and it centralized all the control functions in one area.

I am planning on running the pump constantly... Though with the volume I'm seeing it seems like I might need another solenoid before the main manifold... a 3-Way to divert the flow back.

I'm getting pretty excited to see how this is all going to work out... Should have the manifold done later this evening and I'll post a few more pics.

T.M.H.

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My crazy runs wide, and it runs deep...

Im not sure when you talk about commercial res prices. I was refering to the 5 gal pail your putting the nozzels in. i have used all kinds of containers to house the LP nozzels over the years and it all depends on what your going to use as a cover and how many plant sites per container.
ive used 5 gal pails before with 10 inch net pots that just drop right in, no cover needed. I vegged with them and they worked very well but i never took anything to full maturity in the 5 gal pail. judging from what i saw just veging 3 weeks in the 5 gal pail id say if your doing one plant per container dont let them get over 8 inches before flipping them or theyll probbably cause some blockage by the time you finish them up. of coarse this depends on the lighting youll be using and the strains. I almost always used sat dominent strains with vertical light though and these sat dom. are a little different than the indies.

Youll be having some good run off with those nozzels so id advise at least 3/4 inch drains to help ensure when the roots matup on the bottom they wont slow down the draining process and cvause an excess of water to back up in your drain lines. I acutually use to use 1 inch but looking back i think 3/4 would of been fine.

i know you probably cant get to this on this run but something i learned that worked very well was to take a piece of simi rigid poly used for irrigation 1" and form a circle with it the size of the inside of the 5 gallon pail(if thats what your going to use) use a barb fittinfg to connect the ends so you have a circle that fits inside the 5 gallon pail. then take and put some plastic mesh over the poly circle you made and finally cover the plastic screen with some silk screen. Now you can put this in the bottom of the 5 gallon pail and it will keep the roots out of the runoff and keep them from plugging your drains. If you cut some short pieces of PVc and use them as legs you can lift the screen circle any hieght off the floor of the pail you want. It works very well to keep them roots that will matt up in the bottom from being waterlogged all the time cause the 5 gallon pails wont drain completly.This can cause problems at least it did me. not always but once it happens youll wish you would have lifted the roots off the container floor. Most people dont know this but roots wont grow thru fine silk screen yet water will pass right thru. ive used it for years and never had roots go thru. Ive got it over the drains in my new system and thier just growing over the top of the silk screen like it was the container bottom.

If you have alot of flow it doesnt matter if the roots are laying on the bottom but it sounds like youll be cycling the mist. im not sure how much runoff youll have with those nozzels either . All the nozzels i used were less than the 10gph.

I dont know if you caught it in my thread but i used utility sinks (approx 20 gallons)for the root chambers on my new system cause it eliminates the problems of water at the bottom of the container since sinks drain completly. they were on sale for like 20 bucks.of coarse then you have to make a cover. just something to think about for the future if you deciede to change containers.

i think you definatly want some sort of valve to release any excess flow that the nozzels arent using back to the res. Because if the flow is to low for the pump with the number of nozzels your currently using then the load on the pump will be excessive and might cause premature fauilure or might heat up the solution more than normal. Ive used those types of pumps and there good for quite a few nozzels but im just not sure if its going to heat up your solution to much running all the time. When i ran those pumps i used them in conjuction with accumulator tanks. they never heated up the solution then but they only ran for maybe 5 minutes every hour.I guess it depends on where the res is and if the return lines are insulated etc. The nice thing is once you do a run if you want to add an accumulaor tank it wont cost nothing but the tank price (around $100)cause youll already have everything else.

Have fun thats whats important