ebb n flow trays.. can you buy them anywhere?

[whatapothead]

just wondering if i'm going to have to order these trays if i wanted to make one of these?

any common hardware stores carry trays that would work for this?

 

[gvega187]

you can make them out of wood from a store

or you can go to the hydro store and buy a 3x3 tray for about $70-100.

You would do yourself a great favor to just buy a real tray.

buy a $15 rubbermaid container at walmart for the resevoir

$5 black spray paint for the light penetration

$50 pump from the same hardware store above

A timer.

let us know if u need specifics about the building a tray.

 

[whatapothead]

yeah i'm thinking i'd have to build one since i don't want to ship one in. but this is for the future i just know i will eventually want to try ebb n flow so just wanted to be ready.

building one with wood is that the one that you then cover with 2-3 layers of poly sheeting? seems like there would be leaks and things if thats the only way to build them, but yes i'd like the details.

 

[bikeskill]

you could use a shower liner but not sure the price on that. or you could do it with a couple 5 gal buckets

 

[gvega187]

shower liner will rip. Go to hardware store and get pond liner or other thick rubber/plastic layering.

Make a table (do a search for victor viscous and his DIY flood tables.)

The only expensive parts will be the liner if you get a lot and a decent pump. Does not NEED to be mag drive because in Ebb & flo you will only use the pump for about 5 minutes every 4 hours max.

 

[gvega187]

5 gal.s are also great for ebb and flo although I have never seen good DIY plans for one.

 

[OChack]

I've recently converted to an ebb&flo using 6" square pots & Hydroton. I also made my flood table from 1/2" melamine coated plywood from Home Depot. Works great ! Make sure to caulk all seems twice for a good seal

Trick -- Make sure your sides are tall enough to flood at least 50% of your pots. Also do a little math and figure out the total volume of water needed to fill your new table.

Remember the larger the reservoir the less maintenance it will need ! Large Rubbermaid containers work GREAT !

 

[whatapothead]

Ochack do you have any pictures of your setup? this is exactly what i have is the 6" white hydroton pots i got 40 of them that i'd like to setup in a table. please hook me up with more details and maybe a pic!!

 

[OChack]

These are photos of my first attempt at building an ebb&flo table. Nothing fancy.

It's essentially a box made out of 1/2" melamine coated plywood. Nailed together and caulked to seal all the seems. So far it's worked like a charm.

I don't where or what to elaborate on. You don't see in the picture the over flow. Make sure you add an over flow at the proper height !

Let me know if you have any questions or comments on future upgrades.

 

[mrduke]

Ochack---- How long have you been using that table? I would think the water would seep thru the melamine and ruin it pretty quickly.

 

[OChack]

Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology, but it's essentially an epoxy coated plywood. You see it used a lot in cabinetry. It adds an extra 1/8" and some weight to the board.

This is a new table I just recently made, that's why it looks soo clean. I had a problem sealing the overflow on my previous attempt, but so far with both tables the epoxy and plywood have been water tight !

I've only had two minor problems that I would like to resolve in future builds.

a. My drain is sealed with an o-ring seal and doesn't sit flush with the bottom of the table. Even though the table is on a slight incline, a little bit of water builds up around the drain and eventually algae builds up. I either need to work on recessing future drains or adding pumice to the bottom to soak up extra water....

b. I forgot what 'B' was. I'll post later....



Suggestions welcome.

 

[highpsi]

Mr. Duke, Melamine resin is a type of plastic, and in fact was once used to make cooking utensils and dishes. So, providing OChack made a good seal with the silicon caulk, it should stay leak proof!

 

[hairyplopper]

I make my trays from wood and waterproof them with garden armor liners. you want something that you can take off and easily replace cuz even pond liners will rip, and those are expensive. Garden armor liners are recyclable just replace them ever so often and you won't need the expensive botanicare equipment.
http://www.gardenarmor.com

 

[mrduke]

hairy what do you do with those liners in regards to the drain and overflow holes

 

[gvega187]

yeah that looks sketchy. Pond liner really is not that expensive. Guarantee you wont rip it. Additionally you will not leech unknown paint or chemcials into your hydro. Additionally, your tray will not have the chance of being penetrated by water, swelling up and falling apart like a graham cracker.

I <3 u

 

[ROC1977]

just wondering if i'm going to have to order these trays if i wanted to make one of these?

any common hardware stores carry trays that would work for this?

Check out my journal below. I built my own ebb and flood system. Works perfectly. Two different size plastic totes. One for the RES one for the tray, and garden hose fittings and a pond pump.

 

[dbizzo]

i'm a first time hydro grower and did a lot of reading prior to start. i found you can use either masonry mixing pans(found at any home center for $5-10 and have about 6in. walls) or palstic storage containers that are sold for under-bed storage. they too are about6 inches tall and are made as big as 2.5 by 4 ft. Just a little bit of plumbing required