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DIY Aeroponic System

Hey all!  A few weeks ago and I was in the local hydro shop picking up some nutrients and something really caught my eye.  They had a few AeroFlo II systems on the floor and I couldn't help but look at them.  The cheapest unit was $400+ and that really turned me away from them.  The engineer in me decided I could build one just like it for half of the cost...and so the fun began.
 
I ended up building two systems, however only survived and I'll explain why in a minute.  Here's the finished product.  It's a 2 rail / 10 site system that uses high volume / low pressure sprayers to deliver the nutrient solution to the plants.  It's a recirculating system and takes less than 10 gallons of solution to work. 
 
TPG_Aeroponic.png

 
TPG_Aeroponic_2.png

 
Those are 3 inch netcups built into 5 inch rails.  The rails have 3/4 inch ebb and flow drain valves on the end which keeps used water flowing back to the pump.  I used a 27 gallon reservoir just so I would have plenty of room for expansion.  It works great and I've yet to have any problems with root rot or clogged sprayers...which brings me to system #2 and its demise.
 
System 1 is not a "true" aeroponic system, just like the AeroFlo II is not.  I was greatly intrigued by true aeroponics so I built another system just the one above only I used a high pressure / low volume misting pump and aeroponic misters.  The pump was self-priming but gravity fed, which led to design changes but nothing major.  After only 4 days of use I started having misters clog and fail.  I could easily clean them if I was at home, but I work a 9 to 5 during the day and my wife is always errands.  It stinks that I had to scrap it, but system #1 works so well that it made things easier.
 
Let me know if you have any questions.  I tried to take pictures of the sprayers but they just wouldn't come out right.  We're currently using the system to grow some pepper plants until they go into the bato buckets outside.  
 
 
 
Awesome man..I like how you set it up...just something about being able to make it yourself isn't there?.... What kind of peppers you plan on growing? Only concern and it's not really a concern but would be the root mass in those rails cause 5 healthy pepper plants will have some serious root balls that look like would fill those rails up?....how big are the rail dimension wise?


..I just started a diy DWC system thread as well in grow tech...just like you I looked at the GH water farm system and was like I am not spending $400 on a hydro system..so I got everything to build one for just over $200... I have pretty much everything to get it going so I will be updating it with more pics and more details really soon, so check it out of your interested...
 
sp33d said:
Awesome man..I like how you set it up...just something about being able to make it yourself isn't there?.... What kind of peppers you plan on growing? Only concern and it's not really a concern but would be the root mass in those rails cause 5 healthy pepper plants will have some serious root balls that look like would fill those rails up?....how big are the rail dimension wise?
 
This system won't house full grown pepper plants.  I'm using it to start plants that will go into my bato (dutch) bucket system outside.  I took pictures outside but the entire system is inside my grow room.  A system like this allows me to start my plants indoors, grow them to a good size, and then move them outside into a system built for growing larger plants like peppers and tomatoes.  I have an ebb and flow system inside as well, but the aeroponic system is much better for this task.
 
The rails are 5x5, so with a 3 inch netcup it gives the roots about 2 inches to grow vertically.  We grew Spinach in it for a test run and it works perfect for that.  I built it for Kale and Spinach so I could use the Ebb & Flow for larger plants like cauliflower and broccoli, but it hasn't happened yet as I'm using the aeroponic for more pepper plants :)
 
Thanks!
 
What nutrient setup were you using when the misters clogged up? Curiousity, I know some products will gunk up reservoirs ie. Rapid Root and it may have been such a factor?
 
I tried multiple combinations.  I tried GH Flora with Calimagic / F-Plus, PBP, and a few others in brief testing.  Anything that has the smallest particulate matter in it would clog the misters.  I didn't see a difference in growth so I dumped the system.    
 
Sprayers on the other hand are perfectly fine and have not clogged.
 
It uses a 1056 GPH submersible pump. It needs something with decent pressure and good flow to make the sprayers really function, so the standard 396 GPH pump won't work. I could've gone with a slightly smaller pump but I wanted room to grow.

The system was built for herbs and leafy greens, so it does vet well with them. I grew Kale from seed to harvest in 28 days with this system and it tasted great.

Thanks!
Stephen
 
Nice system I built 2 just about the same.... Same parts too.
An inline filter helps a lot with the clogging of the jets. I used the same as on the Current Culture set ups.
Dripworks sells them for about $9 each
Josh
 
Where did you get the rubber grommets that have the black lines run into the channel?  Do you have any issues with them leaking?  Thanks
 
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