Low Pressure Aero build...it has begun!

OldGrower said:
I would only shoot up. Water will run down roots and drip. Roots will lay in water once they hit the bottom. I tried top feed and went back to bottom feed.
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What was main reason for switching from top back to bottom? any real issues between the 2? I had always planned on spraying from the top down.... based on a few other growers aero builds.
 
The way I did top spray with 1/4 inch tubing off a 1/2 inch feed line did not work well, and clogged. Probably if I had put sprayers into 1/2" PVC and mounted into top of tube it would have performed better.
 
Axion42 said:
Pics diggs! Let's see the construction
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Haha man im awful, i hadnt even realized , no pics taken or posted yet lol.

Ill snap a few later tonight or tomorrow morning and post them.

Not much done yet really, holes drilled up top for manifold. Pvc has all been dry fitted( still waiting on 4 ball valves and 2 more unions before i can glue it all up. I basically took my room apart last week, pulled lights down, took tables apart, i left all my fans and drivers and controllers in place, but everything else is getting a face lift of some sort. Its never ending but i love it :)
 
diggs99 said:
Haha man im awful, i hadnt even realized , no pics taken or posted yet lol.

Ill snap a few later tonight or tomorrow morning and post them.

Not much done yet really, holes drilled up top for manifold. Pvc has all been dry fitted( still waiting on 4 ball valves and 2 more unions before i can glue it all up. I basically took my room apart last week, pulled lights down, took tables apart, i left all my fans and drivers and controllers in place, but everything else is getting a face lift of some sort. Its never ending but i love it :)
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I just went to flower on the 15th,I cant wait to finish so I can do the same.Re design my whole room.Its too dam small!
 
myke said:
I just went to flower on the 15th,I cant wait to finish so I can do the same.Re design my whole room.Its too dam small!
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Yep , i hear ya

I only just built this room 2 crops ago, but like anything else in life it takes time and usually trial and error to figure out what works and how one likes things. Im just upgrading a few things and changing a few other things that i didnt like.
 
couple of questions if any of you fine gents wanna offer some advice

What would be best to use for drains at the bottom of the totes? will normal drains from flood tables be fine? or have you guys come up with a better solution?

Also, should i be installing any types of filters or clean outs on the system?


Finally found the pool shock, thanks @myke and @Axion42 , Canadian tire had it in storage but managed to find it.
 
diggs99 said:
couple of questions if any of you fine gents wanna offer some advice

What would be best to use for drains at the bottom of the totes? will normal drains from flood tables be fine? or have you guys come up with a better solution?

Also, should i be installing any types of filters or clean outs on the system?


Finally found the pool shock, thanks @myke and @Axion42 , Canadian tire had it in storage but managed to find it.
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I like the flood and drain fittings, it's what I used when I did HPA and what I use now for my flood setup.
 
Could you post some pictures of the equipment/parts ?
Maybe even a simple drawing.

Only thing I can say is roots can and will find their way into the drains if allowed to grow and grow, so watch how big they are and if they are blocking drain(s) and add from there if and where needed,
In my setup the water, pumps and everything sits in the tote and recycles (changed weekly and topped up every day or two), but I had to add a small pump, along with the sprayer pump, that causes a circular water flow and now the roots kind of grow in circles and away from the pump, but they used to try growing into the pump every dam time...lol
The pump also helps keep the water moving and keeps things mixed very well and its a 12VDC so pretty much no heat is added...runs 24/7...240 LPH (60GPH).
 
Mak'er Grow said:
Could you post some pictures of the equipment/parts ?
Maybe even a simple drawing.

Only thing I can say is roots can and will find their way into the drains if allowed to grow and grow, so watch how big they are and if they are blocking drain(s) and add from there if and where needed,
In my setup the water, pumps and everything sits in the tote and recycles (changed weekly and topped up every day or two), but I had to add a small pump, along with the sprayer pump, that causes a circular water flow and now the roots kind of grow in circles and away from the pump, but they used to try growing into the pump every dam time...lol
The pump also helps keep the water moving and keeps things mixed very well and its a 12VDC so pretty much no heat is added...runs 24/7...240 LPH (60GPH).
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Hey, thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience. I have been slacking hard with this project so far, i basically only got holes drilled in totes and pvc 90% dry fitted( still waiting for a few parts)

Ill do my best to remember to grab some pics later this evening. I can give you a short rundown of the build tho.

4 x 27g hdx totes for plants
1x 50g reservoir
800gph pump
the cheapo red misters
3/4" pvc for all plumbing until i reach the totes, then i reduce to 1/2" pvc for manifold inside totes with sprayers.
Ball valves to every tote to they can be isolated when finished or having issues.
3" net cups
neoprene collars


Still undecided on runoff, i might take @dstroy advice and not worry about it too much, just let it drain to waste , rather than recirculate and have to worry about the issues that come with it( auto dosing ph etc)

This was never really about recirculation, i truly dont care about wasting a bit of nutes, this is about making this LPA aero work on the first try lol....i can start adding on to the system or making it more advanced once i know i can make it work with the basics.
 
Just try it by building one site before you commit to see how much water it will use. That’ll tell you if it’s feasible or not.
 
diggs99 said:
Yes, you can run the pump 24/7 if you want with LPA, i still havent decided my pump schedule.
1/5
1/10
24/7
seem to be what ive seen most use. Not a ton of info out there on LPA tho, compared to DWC or RDWC or ebb and flo ect..
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ive used lpa for 20+ yrs. misting time: 35 seconds on, 15 minutes off. Roots want to feel a bit thirsty not drowning. plus, infusing outdoor air w/ air pumps helps to keep them healthy. Healthy white robust roots= Robust flowers. Keep main Rez cool w/ cooling coil and air stones for bubbling effect. Now you’re golden, eh?!
 
dstroy said:
Just try it by building one site before you commit to see how much water it will use. That’ll tell you if it’s feasible or not.
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I prefer the eco jet Leader pumps. .5 hp for smaller areas to 1hp for larger areas. Even 2 @ 1 hp’s in a larger Rez for larger areas.
 
Axion42 said:
I like the flood and drain fittings, it's what I used when I did HPA and what I use now for my flood setup.
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Do you have a pic of your drain setup? which actual fittings you used? our hydro store has a bunch of different fittings but i really wasnt sure which to buy, and that dude dont have a fkn clue at all, he was more useless than i was lol
 
Axion42 said:
Dont have any pics on hand but I just built a small system using the concrete mixing tubs from Lowes and a 17gal res that the tub sits on. I use these fittings from Amazon.
Hydrofarm AAKEF2 Active Aqua Fill/Drain Combo Kit, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P218CAM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UsyaEbMC14RDJ
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Ya i seen similar today, might just use a threaded bulkhead or grommet with barbed fitting and hose( thanks @Renfro), i have all that stuff on hand lol

Xmas got me swamped, gonna really try and get at this tomorrow. WITH PICS LOL
 
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Well still no progress or pics, xmas and family visting makes it hard to get anything done, i did however order 2.5 gallons of hydroguard.

They are Fkn gouging us on amazon.ca man, its crazy....1gallon on .ca was $159.99 + $72 for shipping. cdn prices.

I just ordered 2.5 gallons on .com for $207.54 cdn shipped to my door....extra 1.5 gallons and still $25 cheaper than the 1g on .ca
 
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