# Building a 6 inch PVC aeroponics tube system



## mogie (Jul 2, 2007)

*Building a 6 inch PVC aeroponics tube system*

Contributed by: *Lothar* 
Submitted: May 19th, 2004 
Images archived 2004 
​  This is a larger variation on the Irish / Webby tube system found elsewhere in the FAQ. 6 inch tubes allow for more root space and larger plants. 

Basically, I am showing how to build the root chambers, rez, and feeder lines for your system. Depending on what is available in your area, pick your own misters and pump to match. No one builds them all exactly the same. 


Every system will vary to suit your own needs and space but here are the basic materials for this particular one: 

6 inch PVC pipe (With this five-tube system, you also use 4 lengths of 1 inch PVC as feeder / pressure lines) 
6 inch couplings, and 1 inch" couplings, along with elbows and endcaps as needed. 
Large reservoir - the larger the better for stability and maintenance. 
Pump - output and size to be determined by what misters you choose. 
Support for tubes (I used sawhorses) 
The usual array of handy tools, but youll need a hole saw to match the neptots you choose. 

*Main 6 inch pvc pipes* 

I am using schedule 40 6 inch diameter PVC pipe. You can get this at large plumbing suppliers. Just ask around at Home Depot type places, if they dont have it, they will know who does. As for cost, it varies. In Canada it was anywhere from $5 to $9 per foot. Schedule 80 is too thick and expensive. 

I am also using 3.5 inch netpots, spaced 6 inches apart, therefore you will need a 3.5 inch holesaw. 3 inch or 3.5 inch pots are ideal. The mass of your roots will be in the tubes, so dont worry about the pots being too small (They are just anchors really). 

   

Your 6 inch tubes will be joined by rubber couplers with hose clamps. You can find these where you buy your PVC along with rubber end fittings to close the tubes off. *See last pic 

 At the end of one of your tubes (or set or tubes) you will need a drain of some kind. I just made a 1 inch hole and inserted a pvc plug. This will drain into the rez. (Here is looking down) 










 You also see a hole in between the netpots. This is for your sprayline. I use one sprayer in between each two pots, this seems to work just fine as they put out a 360 degree spray. 

The sprayline is held in place by grommets or rubber corks with holes drilled through them. You can find something that will work in the plumbing section, or stores that sell beer/wine brewing equipment (a huge selection of rubber corks and stoppers) Choose your sprayline, misters and plugs before you begin drilling holes! 

 The tubes will eventually be supported on sawhorses with the drainage end ultimately sitting right on the resevoir. Be sure that the far end of the system is higher than the rez end so that your liquid will drain back to the rez easily. There is a 2 inch height difference in this system. You dont need much. These stands are easy enough to make, you will notice also that there are cutouts for both the 6 inch tubes, and the 4, 1 inch PVC tubes that run along between them to feed the spraylines. 


Since each of my tube sections is 15 feet (3, 5 foot sections joined) I needed the same amount in 1 inch PVC. 


*1 inch Feeder tubes* 

 I used PVC couplings to join them on two sections and then got fancy and used a valve to join the last section. This way I can shut off water to the last section if I am not using it (like when vegging out mother plants or doing a smaller crop, you can also conveniently shut off a section if something needs repairing). 





 At the end (not the rez end) the feeder tubes are capped. Oh, and USE TEFLON TAPE, PEOPLE!! Or some kind of sealant - you dont want to get it all together and find out that you have leaks! 






 Along the 1 inch PVC feeder tube, I have drilled (and tapped to match the threads of my sprayer assembly) holes to mount the spray lines. One hole per sprayer (Youll know what size holes to drill once you decide on the type of sprayer you wish to use). 






 Here is the big funky rez. A 300 litre / 80 gallon monster. This rez is actually a dock float - they are built to withstand great pressures and will not fail on you. 

It has 5 holes drilled in it that fit the drain spigots of the tubes. You will need to drill an access hole for nutrient access and the intake line of your pump. 

You can also see the business end of the feeder tubes, they are all joined together in one common pipe that leads to the output of the pump, which will soon be sitting on the floor beside the rez. 


 A pressure gauge helps you figure out what youre running at and lets you know if there is some kind of problem. 








 Here is the drain spigot on the tube I was talking about - it just fits into the rez. It is just a 3 inch bit of 1 inch PVC - some kind of connector I found. Use whats at hand. 







 The rez end, with the 1 inch pvc joined together with various elbows and fittings. The pump is ready to be installed. 









 Here is the inline filter that sits between the pump and the rest of the feeder lines. Filters are essential to prevent mister clogs. 








 Here is a long view so that you can see how the big tubes and the feeder lines lie beside each other and how the spray lines are hooked up. 







 Look inside! - You can see the sprayer coming in between the netpot holes. 











 Here is another full shot of the whole thing. Notice that the ends of the 6 inch tubes are capped and they are joined by those black couplers and hose clamps. You can buy those wherever you get your PVC. 






 Next step: fill it with netpots, rocks, water in the rez and then clones. 

Happy aeroponica


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## rgraves89 (Aug 18, 2008)

props man that is a sick setup, good work. I'm going to be wanting one of these.


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## brokentusk (Aug 19, 2008)

now is this system work from baby clones all the way to flowering or do you transplant them into a bigger growing enviroment?


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## sdriding (Sep 15, 2008)

nice setup! i want to build one also but i was wondering if the pvc really caused plant problems unless treated like Tier Aeroponics? im guessing not or you would have mentioned it


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## floridacity2004 (Nov 8, 2008)

working on me one


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## Larooby (Jun 30, 2009)

Thanks for putting this out there. I have built a 4" system using black ABS tube with 2-1/4" holes at 6" centers. I irrigate with a 1/4" drip tube that travels inside the tube from end to end.
I'm curious about the limits of height. How high can a plant grow given a 6" tube depth? Do the roots spread horizontally?
What is the growing medium you use / recommend? 
Do you have an idea about how much water you are using and how often?
Thanks, I hope you reply...


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## disposition84 (Jun 30, 2009)

LOL @ op posting at 4:20 am = )


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## wlfdgcrkz (Jul 22, 2009)

I'm trying to find 10 or 12 5ft sections of 6" in Los Angeles. Anyone know of a spot?


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## NewHiddenGrower (Jul 22, 2009)

Holy shit nice set up, i have a question.

How much will each PVC pipe yield?


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## morphus657 (Aug 18, 2009)

whast the yeild?


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## medicatedman (Jun 6, 2010)

brokentusk said:


> now is this system work from baby clones all the way to flowering or do you transplant them into a bigger growing enviroment?


 can a baby clone grow to adult in this system


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## B2GROW (Jul 1, 2010)

also curious on the yield of this per foot in 6" PVC. How far apart are the plants spaced? around 6"? sorry if this was mentioned earlier.


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## alexonfire (Aug 10, 2010)

1-2 ounces per plant. I know this is an old thread, just trying to solve it


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## Jaspur (Apr 17, 2011)

I know this is an old post but I've always been told that the spacing should be atleast a foot between plants.. Does the 6" spacing affect the growth or no? If not I could add a few more plants to my grow


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## highque (Sep 22, 2012)

Doing a SOG it is recomended to do 4 plants per sq foot


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## DerpDerp (Feb 1, 2013)

Has anoyone tried this setup? Anything good or bad to say about it and using the PVC pipes?


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## powerslide (Feb 1, 2013)

Search stink bud he does something like this but w/ square tubes


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## DerpDerp (Feb 1, 2013)

powerslide said:


> Search stink bud he does something like this but w/ square tubes


Ya, I've seen it thank you. I wanted to see how this was working, I wanna do smaller plants with ScrOG.


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## Nizza (Feb 1, 2013)

http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/09/01/Aeroponic-Supersonic https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/21837-aeroponic-setup.html i bought some sprayers and have a 550gph pump. how many nozzles / plants u think i could do with this? damn im curious, originally gonna just make a cloner outta em


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## Nizza (Feb 1, 2013)

after thinking about this, wouldn't it make more sense to run a smaller size pvc w/ misters through say, 3 gallon buckets that all drain back down? It would make it so the roots dont intertwine, come to think of it i'm pretty sure i read a thread on it


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## DerpDerp (Feb 1, 2013)

I think the roots will intertwine in this system. However, I've seen them intertwine in other posts and there haven't been any issues, except if you try to move a plant. Stinkbud has them in 5x5" rails im pretty sure. You'd be putting each plant in a 3 gallon bucket?

I'm trying to find out what would be better a rail/PVC system or a setup as seen in the see more buds videos.


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## mr4tune (Feb 1, 2013)

Currently running this setup, growth is unbelievable...

Roots get big and matty, unable to move plants after first week of flower for us...

Ensure drains for each rail are large enough or you will be pulling roots outta the drains everyday...

6 rails and a 1100 GPh pump per system, could use more pressure just watch for leaks off supply lines....

Use the top feed system, not the pvc supply line that peepz put into the rail itself, you need to be able to access the sprayers daily if you dont have a filter inline...

Bigger the pipe the better, would prefer 4 rails of 8" PVC. Growth is so fast that numbers can be kept low, and large plants grown without much lost time.

Research costs for the endcaps, mine cost me $300 x12 due to location and shipping...

Any questions with building this system or running issues shoot me a PM.

4tune...


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## Sativied (Feb 2, 2013)

mr4tune said:


> Any questions with building this system or running issues shoot me a PM.


I'm working on a similar setup. Take a look at my thread here please: https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/611163-tight-space-hydroponics-setup.html


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