Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 2Materials
Once again, this is not the only way to build this. Your materials will vary as you design your unit. These materials are simply the ones I needed for this version.
1. Two mini submersible pumps - about $6 ea. from Harbor Freight
(you'll only need one if this is for home (non experimental use)
Four evaporative cooler drains - $2 each - lets nutrients out of trough, back into tank
Four half inch female internal slip - 1/2" MPT - screws into drain
Four sets of plastic rain gutter caps.
A coil of 1/4" Poly micro tubing (the stuff used for drip irrigation/sprinkler systems
2. Two 10" sections of plastic rain gutter to form the 4 troughs (shown cut on the saw)
3. Two low profile plastic containers to be used as nutrient tanks - roughly 3 gallons should do it.
(you'll only need one if this is for home (non experimental use)
4. Two T12 fluorescent light fixtures - These are the least expensive ones - about $8 at Home Depot
Four 40W flourescent light bulbs.
We are using 2 plant lights (about $6 from Walmart and up to $30 elsewhere!)
and 2 regular cool white bulbs.
5. Wire nuts, short pieces of Romex wire for ground pigtails.
6. Standard lamp timer (used to turn lamps on for 18 hours (growth phase)
or 12 hours (flowering phase)
Lamp timer with 15 minute increments (used to turn pumps on for 15 minutes every 6 hour)
Three outlet grounded Right Angle Adapter - To plug in both nutrient pumps
(you'll only need one if this is for home (non experimental use)
Three outlet non-grounded Right Angle Adapter - To plug in both lights
(The standard lamp timer did not have the third ground prong)
7. Face plates for the outlets.
One 15A GFCI receptacle.
One 15A receptacle.
Two Exterior 3 hole (1/2") single gang boxes
Three 1/2" liquid tight strain relief
One 14ga, 15 amp cord (This one is 9')
8. Close up of the liquid tight strain relief
9. Sheet metal for mounting the electrical boxes.
10. A good supply of angle iron - this is 1 x 1 angle with an .093 wall.
11. Grommets to fit the Poly tube
12. Some 1/4" and 1/2" tubing to form adapters from the pump to the tubing
13. PVC cement.
14. Paint (Yep! BLUE!)
15. Screw eyes and 5/16 hardware.
16. Square drive self drilling screws - for attaching things to metal things.
17. Teflon tape
18. Aquarium air pump, tubing, fittings, air stones, and timers that will not kick off the GFCI outlet. (Air tubing fittings are only necessary for the experimental model)
During the testing I found that the mechanical timer used was tripping the GFCI outlet; so we tried electronic ones. The electronic timers were only $8 at Home Depot. Also the mechanical timer purchased for the lighting was not grounded, and the fixtures were (who'd a thought?)
19. Plastic rain gutter hangers - as many as needed to solve the inward bowing of the rain gutters.
20. 10' of 1/2" PVC pipe
1. Two mini submersible pumps - about $6 ea. from Harbor Freight
(you'll only need one if this is for home (non experimental use)
Four evaporative cooler drains - $2 each - lets nutrients out of trough, back into tank
Four half inch female internal slip - 1/2" MPT - screws into drain
Four sets of plastic rain gutter caps.
A coil of 1/4" Poly micro tubing (the stuff used for drip irrigation/sprinkler systems
2. Two 10" sections of plastic rain gutter to form the 4 troughs (shown cut on the saw)
3. Two low profile plastic containers to be used as nutrient tanks - roughly 3 gallons should do it.
(you'll only need one if this is for home (non experimental use)
4. Two T12 fluorescent light fixtures - These are the least expensive ones - about $8 at Home Depot
Four 40W flourescent light bulbs.
We are using 2 plant lights (about $6 from Walmart and up to $30 elsewhere!)
and 2 regular cool white bulbs.
5. Wire nuts, short pieces of Romex wire for ground pigtails.
6. Standard lamp timer (used to turn lamps on for 18 hours (growth phase)
or 12 hours (flowering phase)
Lamp timer with 15 minute increments (used to turn pumps on for 15 minutes every 6 hour)
Three outlet grounded Right Angle Adapter - To plug in both nutrient pumps
(you'll only need one if this is for home (non experimental use)
Three outlet non-grounded Right Angle Adapter - To plug in both lights
(The standard lamp timer did not have the third ground prong)
7. Face plates for the outlets.
One 15A GFCI receptacle.
One 15A receptacle.
Two Exterior 3 hole (1/2") single gang boxes
Three 1/2" liquid tight strain relief
One 14ga, 15 amp cord (This one is 9')
8. Close up of the liquid tight strain relief
9. Sheet metal for mounting the electrical boxes.
10. A good supply of angle iron - this is 1 x 1 angle with an .093 wall.
11. Grommets to fit the Poly tube
12. Some 1/4" and 1/2" tubing to form adapters from the pump to the tubing
13. PVC cement.
14. Paint (Yep! BLUE!)
15. Screw eyes and 5/16 hardware.
16. Square drive self drilling screws - for attaching things to metal things.
17. Teflon tape
18. Aquarium air pump, tubing, fittings, air stones, and timers that will not kick off the GFCI outlet. (Air tubing fittings are only necessary for the experimental model)
During the testing I found that the mechanical timer used was tripping the GFCI outlet; so we tried electronic ones. The electronic timers were only $8 at Home Depot. Also the mechanical timer purchased for the lighting was not grounded, and the fixtures were (who'd a thought?)
19. Plastic rain gutter hangers - as many as needed to solve the inward bowing of the rain gutters.
20. 10' of 1/2" PVC pipe
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
