<![CDATA[The Garden's Cure - Do It Yourself Projects]]>

<![CDATA[The Garden's Cure - Do It Yourself Projects]]> http://www.gardenscure.com/420 (DIY projects) en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:59:33 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.gardenscure.com/420/images/blue-green/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[The Garden's Cure - Do It Yourself Projects]]> http://www.gardenscure.com/420 <![CDATA[DIY: I'll try to change the main title tomorrow when I get the ebay camera working]]> http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132629-diy-ill-try-change-main-title.html Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:53:41 GMT Hi All,

I got this idea from many threads on many forums, for all types of growers.

Co2 is very expensive, yet proven to help plant growth. As little as going from normal concentration at about 300PPM, or parts per million, to 1500PPM, can significantly boost plant growth. 1500 PPM is considered optimal for MJ.

You can use dry ice, and replace it everyday. You can buy Co2 Canisters, plus a regulator and a Co2 PPM meter, automatic valves, and all the rest- not to mention sealed lights.

Or, you could give some yeast some food, and let them give you Co2 gas in return. They also give off alcohol, but it stays in the main bottle as a liquid. Eventually the yeast will die, and you will have to replace them every 10-14 days, possibly every week with Baker's yeast. They need an oxygen-free environment to work, hence the reason for the smaller bottle, as you'll see in a minute.

Here's how to build your own Co2 Generator, for about $10.00

Parts list

(1) Empty 2-liter bottle, pop bottles work best. You want it to be able to hold some pressure.

(1) Empty smaller size bottle or cup, anything water-tight will work. I'm using a 24-oz. pop bottle. You could even use a solo cup.

(1) pouch Brewer's Yeast, you can use the "highly Active" bread yeast, Beer or Champagne yeast is better. Champagne yeast is tough, but harder to find. I found it online for $0.40 for 5 grams, about the same price as the Baker's Yeast at my local grocery. Might be fun, though, to test each kind.

(1) bag sugar- just use regular refined sugar, the yeast doesn't care.

(1) length of airline tubing, 3/8ths works fine. Just get the airstone tubing in your local pet/big box store.

(1) tube of silicone sealant, I used a freebie packet, but you can get tubes for $2.00

(1) Razor knife, or a drill, or some way to make a hole for the airline tubing in the bottle caps. Doesn't need to be perfect, you just don't want to pinch the tube.

So, we have -

Empty bottles, free by-product.
Yeast- about $2.00 for 3 small pouches. You'll need more but this will get you started.
Sugar- 5 pounds for $2.50
Airline tubing- 8 feet for $1.50
Silicone sealant- $2.00
Razor Knife- $1.00 Total = $10.00 with tax.

Each "run" needs about 2 cups of sugar dissolved in 2 cups water, 2 Teaspoons of yeast dissolved in about a 1/4 cup of WARM water. Think Infant bath warm, not hot or you'll cook the yeast. You want it about 95* F. to 100*F.

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]]> Do It Yourself Projects Futuregrower http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132629-diy-ill-try-change-main-title.html Electrical DIY: How-to install fan dimmer and Inter-matic timer http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132565-electrical-diy-how-install-fan-dimmer.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:53:16 GMT Fan Dimmer and Inter-matic Timer installation How-to DIY
by: Indiegurl

Electricity is dangerous. All electrical installations and modifications should be done by a certified electrician, but should you be unable or unwilling to hire someone, this how-to might help. Read through and decide if this project is within your capabilities. Take this work seriously and treat it with the same care and pride you would pruning one of your girls.

Objective:
Rewire a single 15amp receptacle into a fan dimmer and Inter-matic light timer

Supplies used:
1) Inter-Matic Single Pole, Single Throw 15amp Timer
2) Steel utility box, Steel utility box with back cut-out
3) Electrical conduit (small piece with locknuts and bushings)
4) Dial dimmer switch
5) BX steel box connectors
6) 14/2 (BX - Armored Cable)
7) 14/2 NMD90 Romex house wire
8) Anti-shorts (red devils)
9) 15amp receptacle

Tools Used:
Standard flat screwdriver, Robertson screwdrivers #2, #1, wire strippers, side angle wire cutters, needle-nose pliers, lineman's pliers, utility knife, volt meter

Step one:
Analyze your existing electrical equipment. This is residential wiring in Canada. Different places will have different equipment and general setups but the principal is the same. Notice that my current setup is a cheap plastic timer with a power bar supplying the exhaust and oscillating fans. It is a good idea to eliminate such connections. Notice also that I will be working backwards from what I am installing, towards the power-source. When I need to work on the live equipment, I will cut the power to what I am working on, shown later. I am using 15 amp plugs, wire, timer, and fuses, because it is what is there and available to me. If you are starting from scratch and getting all new materials, I suggest using 20amp receptacles, 20amp 12/2 AWG wire and 15 amp fuses or breakers (for one 1000 watt light setup)

Step two:
Remove the timer mechanism inside from the outer steel box and mount the steel box on the wall in a good location. In this case the 15amp receptacle is about 4 feet high so I mounted the timer box to the right about the same height.

Step three:
Using the conduit, connect the full steel box to the timer box. BX Armored cable can be used instead; this is just what I had lying around. Refer to later steps for connecting armored cable. The 1/2 inch knockout holes in the boxes can be opened up with a screwdriver or a pair of needle nose pliers (personal preference) or any other tool. Bend the steel circle knock-out and remove before installing the 1/2 steel box connector.

Step four:
Using a utility knife gently score the outer jacket of some NMD90 14/2, Being careful not to slice too deep into the copper inside, and peel it away from the white, black and bare copper ground. This is common residential wire. Many substitutions can be made if the wire is 14 AWG. Don't use extension cords. If you slice through the white or black insulation around the copper, use another piece. Score in the middle groove of the wire and you will only graze the bare ground wire which is ok.

Slide these three wires from one box to another through the electrical conduit, or connect a piece of 14/2 BX wire as later shown.

Step five:
Strip about 1/2 inch of insulation off of the white and black copper wires. Make a "u" or "c" shaped bend in the 3 copper wires inside the steel utility box. Make the bends neat with no excessive exposed copper on the white and black, and no sharp 90° bends or other crimping/damaging.

Hook the wires onto the 15 amp duplex outlet. Start with the ground, white then black. Ground is usually green, white on the same side as the ground is usually silver, and the black terminal is on the opposite side, usually brass or gold colored, but do not go by color alone. ALWAYS put wires around screws in the CLOCKWISE direction. You want to tighten the wire in the same direction you are turning the screw. Tighten very snugly but do not over-tighten to the point of stripping the screw. Note that you can simply stick the stripped, straight exposed parts of copper into holes in the backs of most outlets, but a much better and re-usable connection on the screw terminal is what I prefer.

Step Six:
The black wire from the plug is connected to the LOAD of the timer. The white wire goes to the terminal marked neutral. The ground wire should be connected to the ground from the incomming power sorce (yet to be inserted), and an additional piece of ground wire should goe from this connection to the green ground screw on the timer (Later models; this is an old salvaged timer that actually did not work in the end... more on this later)

Step Seven:
Working with BX armored cable. Here I have 14/3 BX wire that I am using. The third wire (red) is not needed in this installation, but I never simply cut it short in my boxes. I put a wire cap/nut/connector/marette on it so that If I decide to make any changes to this set-up, I can easily use the red wire for other purposes.

To expose the wire inside the steel jacket, gently bend the steel jacket until it snaps, but the wires inside are not crimped into a 90° angle. Twist the steel jacket in your hands to loosen up the coiled steel so that you can cut the steel and not the copper. Finish it off by removing any sharp edges and placing two anti-shorts in the opening, between the wire and the steel.

Insert the wire into the timer box through the proper steel box connector and tighten the clamp snug; do not over tighten and crush the wires creating hot spots. You should see the tips of the red anti-shorts from inside.

Step Eight:
Cap the red, connect the ground from the line to the ground from the load, and a pigtail ground from that connection to the timer itself. The white goes on the neutral terminal, the black goes on the LINE terminal.

Step Nine:
Replacing the existing electrical outlet with a steel box extender. Measure how much of the BX wire you need and cut accordingly. Snap and expose as shown previously and connect it to the steel box with the back missing (via proper box connector with anti-shorts). In hind sight I realized that the knock-outs I used made it difficult to get the dimmer switch in later. I recommend using top and bottom or a duel steel box connector and go through the top or bottom. If you use the top or bottom the dimmer switch screws will be too long and need to be cut down or shorter screws used instead.

If you are using the fan dimmer switch in this location, add another wire to the steel extender box. If you would rather an outlet with constant power, do not add an additional wire.

Step Ten:
Time to kill the headlights and put 'er in neutral. Go to the main panel or disconnect switch for this outlet. If you know the breaker or fuse, flip it to off or remove the fuse from its holder. Remove completely if it is a fuse. If you do not know what breaker or fuse it is, go through them until you find the one that kills the power to that receptacle. You can check by plugging a device in or using an electrical meter or tester. Be careful using a device of sorts like a lamp or a radio as these devices can fail and/or mislead you.

The meter that I am using has three lights that light up to indicate power; two red and an orange. The meter also vibrates and beeps, and the volt bar drops to 120v. Bells and whistles to let you know there is power there. No bells and whistles, no power. Meters are all different. Know how to properly use the testing device you have, and check it on a known live circuit.

Step Eleven:
Remove the cover plate and then the outlet itself. In this case, the previous "electrician" has not left me much wire to work with here. I do not cut the wires from the old plug, I unscrew them and straighten the curled ends with pliers. What I have in this steel box is the incoming power feed on one set of white and black wires, and the outgoing power feed to another outlet or light, in this case my light switch box. There is no need to know which set is which. The whites get connected together, the blacks get connected together. When connecting wires with a marret wire connector (wire nut??) use pliers to gently twist the copper ends together clockwise, the same direction you then twist the marret on. Twist it on hard and tug on the wires you just connected, seeing if either will pull out of the wire nut. If they do, make it right. You want good connections always. Sloppiness here can lead to a loose connection or a short, both of which equal FIRE HAZARD.

Step Twelve:
Screw the box extender onto the existing steel box inside the wall. Use the screws from the outlet you removed.

Step Thirteen:
Connect the wires as follows:
Connect all grounds together, including the wire from the dimmer switch. At least one of the wires in the original steel box should be on a ground screw at the back. Cap the reds and tuck them away, as well as the ground wire connection. The neutral from the timer and that to the fan go to the neutral of incoming and outgoing power feed. The Black of the timer goes to the black of the incoming and outgoing power feeds. The black of the fan goes to one side of the dimmer switch. The other black wire coming from the dimmer switch goes to the black of the incoming and outgoing power feeds.

Note: I found that when I put the dimmer switch into the box, the back of the dimmer switch interfered with the wires coming into the steel box extender. I did not like the way the dimmer pressed against them when i screwed it into place. To compensate, I made bushings/washers like coil springs out of cut off 14 AWG wire. Using your needle nose, clamp the end of the wire and twirl it around the needle nose. Release and cut. Place between the dimmer switch and the steel box with the mounting screw going through the coil.

]]> Do It Yourself Projects Indiegurl http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132565-electrical-diy-how-install-fan-dimmer.html Links to DIY Guides Elsewhere in the Forum http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132488-links-diy-guides-elsewhere-forum.html Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:10:31 GMT DIY Ballast by *hydrolized* http://www.gardenscure.com/420/lighting/132420-kind-kats-ballast-setup-pics.html DIY Ballast by hydrolized

http://www.gardenscure.com/420/light...etup-pics.html ]]> Do It Yourself Projects SmokingForLife http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132488-links-diy-guides-elsewhere-forum.html bubblers vs. ebb-and-flow http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132356-bubblers-vs-ebb-flow.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:18:34 GMT Against Bubblers

Bubblers are a very interesting way to grow. The ability to see the roots thriving under water causes a change in how we think about plants needs for water and oxygen.

However, bubblers can become increasingly complex when there is more than one to maintain in a grow.

Each separate bubbler reservoir changes in nutrient EC independent of the others, and adjusting multiple reservoirs, especially with roots growing in them, can be quite a chore.

To solve the independent changes in EC of separate bubblers, some systems interlink all the bubblers with plumbing, thereby mixing all the bubblers nutrients to a homogeneous EC.

but adding plumbing to bubblers leads to complexity.

In addition, bubblers are prone to problems if the nutrient temperature goes above 70F. It is possible to cool a bubbler by blowing air accross the nutrients, but this also adds complexity.

Now consider Ebb/Flow

There is no problem maintaining multiple reservoirs, since there is only one, and there is no problem mixing nutes in the res, since the roots are not in there.

And, with ebb flow, it does not matter if the water gets warm, even 80F nute temps wont harm an ebb flow grow.

It would seem therefore, that Ebb/Flow technology is actually less complex than a bubbler system, from the standpoint of res maintenance.

Another advantage of Ebb/Flow over bubblers is that in ebb flow the roots dont get tangled together, so unlike a bubbler, in ebb/flow it is possible to move plants around.

The ability to spread plants apart in Ebb/Flow is a serious advantage over having to prune and train bubbler plants to have equal access to the light.

Now about yield.

imvho, there is no nutrient that you can use that will increase yield, nor is there an additive you can use that will increase yield.

yield comes from light, so a system that maximises light penetration, will yield better than one that has over or underfilled canopy area. This means that any grow with higher plant numbers is likely to yield better than a similar grow with lower plant numbers.

imho, the single most significant factor on yield is plant numbers, not nutrients, or growing style.

for example, thirty plants under 1k will yield more than 10 plants under 1k, even if the 10 plants are pruned, trained, vegged, scrogged, or in any other way controlled to capture light efficiently.

after years of examining grow reports, it is quite rare to find a gram a watt yield from 10 plants per 1k, but it is somewhat common to find that gram a watt yielders tend to fall into the 30+ plants per 1k category.

as an extreme example of the impact of plant numbers, consider DDoc's 3lb per 1k yields from 100 plants per 1k...

bottom line, ebb flow with high plant numbers is a more practical way to reach a gram a watt than 10 plants per 1k in a bubbler.

I would be interested in grow reports from folks hitting a gram a watt. the main thing Im looking for is plant numbers per 1k of light.

in conclusion
At this stage of my learning, for people looking for the simplest way to grow, I think Ebb/Flow is superior to bubblers.
]]> Do It Yourself Projects medical http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132356-bubblers-vs-ebb-flow.html <![CDATA[DIY Aerocloner In 10 Easy Steps ['EZCLONE' replica]]]> http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132355-diy-aerocloner-10-easy-steps-ezclone.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:16:16 GMT this is a replica of the (expensive) EZCLONE aerocloner for a fractionof the price.
the EZCLONE is a very popular unit that offers fast, reliable rooting for bulk clones.

all credit for this goes to KingRalph. Im just reposting it here.

. . . .

Parts List:

350GPH Danner Supreme Mag-Drive Utility Pump Model 3 (Model 5 500GPH for larger units)

35x 2inch Neoprene Insert Collars (only 50cents a pop in the 35x bag

12x Aeroponic Misters (EZ-Cloner replacement sprayers, Mister 320 etc)

1x Rubbermaid Roughneck 31gal Tub or equivalent

Schedule 40 PVC
1x 1/2" Pipe in length
1x 1/2" Female Connector
4x 1/2" Elbows
3x 1/2" Tees
3890PVCpartsSetup.jpg

TOOLS

Drill
2" Holesaw
11/32 Drill Bit (or 10/32 tap)
Glue Gun + Glue (or 2" netpots)
Composite Hacksaw (something to cut PVC)

Have you pulled these things out of your back pocket yet? Vundeba, let's begin constructing...

1. Screw the 1/2" Female PVC onto the pump output...
3890PVCsetupTub.jpg

2. Cut PVC pipe for a length that ends up at least 6" below the top of the tub. Remember, you can always cut more off later, so don't cut too short. Clean all ends of plastic, and stick the pipe in the pump's fitting.
3890PVCsetup1.jpg

3. Stick 1/2" Tee on the pipe...
3890PVCsetup2.jpg

4. Cut 2 equal lengths to go the long distance of the tub...
3890PVCsetup3.jpg

5. Put the 2 last Tees on the ends...
3890PVCsetup4.jpg

6. Cut 4 equal length short pieces and stick in Tees after cleaned...
3890PVCsetup5.jpg

7. Attach the 4 elbows...
3890PVCsetup6.jpg

8. Measure and Cut 2 more equal length pieces to fit your rectangle, clean, and check to see how your barebones fits together...
3890PVCsetup7.jpg

9. Now take apart the PVC and with an 11/32 drill bit (or 10/32 tap) drill holes for the sprayers in the pipes, and screw in the misters. sealing these isn't really necessary, also your pvc should fit together tightly enough not to need sealing either.
3890Aero-mister.jpg

3890PVCsetup8done1.jpg
As you can see that 18gal tub was a bit small, so i got the 31gal with plenty of space. Longer PVC, more misters, and a bigger pump and tub will allow you a bigger cloner, simple as that, design remains the same...

10. The Lid... drill the 2" holes you need. Clean the stray plastic off the holes without enlarging them, do no cut the plastic further yknow. Here you can either drop in 2" netpots, or what i had to do on some is to hot glue around the outside of the hole so the neoprene collars stuck in nicely, no netpot to fall in or for roots to get tangled in, or to buy note: experience has shown users to cut the bottom half of netpots off so roots are not damaged on removal...
3890AeroStems.jpg

Voila!

3890AeroFullofNL.jpg

keep an eye on temps, they should be 68-75, 75F optimal. the pump keeps my temps perfect, but i suppose if it gets cold an aquarium heater would just be needed... but this...
3890AeroTemp.jpg
means this...
3890AeroRoots1.jpg
you can see net pot or not makes no difference... and really temps are not a worry like in bubblecloning ugh... just ease here... warmer temps at the start n cooler temps after roots show is optimal, but any in the range will get ya success, and the pump should put the temp in a perfect spot!
3890AeroRoots3.jpg

i truly hope this saves folks the money that ez-cloners would steal from them, or makes roots possible, or both, just know that you can always do it yourself. peace n green thumbs all.
]]> Do It Yourself Projects medical http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132355-diy-aerocloner-10-easy-steps-ezclone.html ~ Super Cheap Mass Cloner ~ http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132354-super-cheap-mass-cloner.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:13:44 GMT ~ Super Cheap Mass Cloner ~
thanks grat3fulh3ad

quote--

Hey Guys, just thought I'd post up my mass cloning method, and equipment. I have been cloning this way for a couple of years now, and due to the ease, low maintanance, effectiveness, and cost effective material, have decided to upgrade myself to my new deluxe version. I have used a pair of smaller units, which will hold about 30 cuttings each, for a long time, and will take this upgrade as an opportunity to share with you guys. The new cloner should do 50 - 60 depending on cutting size.

68100_1681_Medium_.JPG
My wife found these containers at the dollar store. The black ones are lightproof, and they nest with about 3/4" between container bottoms. They are 12qt dishpans, and are about 12" x 16" x 7" roughly. They were $1.00 each.

68100_1682_Medium_.JPG
I bought 2 packages of tiki torch wicks for about $1.50 each. I cut each of the four wicks in half, drilled 7 equally spaced 1/2" holes in the bottom of one black container and inserted the wicks. Also, to increase the depth of the resivoir, I cut the top ring from the white dishpan to use as a lift, giving an 1 1/2" deep res.

68100_1683_Medium_.JPG
This is how it nests together. I adjusted the wicks to touch the bottom of the unit.

68100_1687_Medium_.JPG 68100_1685_Medium_.JPG 68100_1686_Medium_.JPG
Next I filled the bottom res 2"deep with water, re-nested the unit and filled with pearlite to the tops of the wicks. I waited for the water to all wick into the pearlite ( an hour or two) and refill the res to 1 1/2". I am now ready to poke holes with a small dowell and insert cuttings. I use plain tapwater, the chlorine keeps bacteria down. Top off the res to 1 1/2" every 5 - 7 days, change or clean pearlite between batches, and she will be fairly 'hands free'. I gently tug the cuttings every couple of days after the first 5 and if they have rooted, I work it out gently using the point of a shis-ka-bob skewer. Then I have cuttings ready for soil or hydro.

68100_1688_Medium_.JPG
The white tub can be inverted and inserted snugly as a humidity dome and light diffuser.

This has long worked well for me, with about 98% of the hundreds of cuttings I have made rooting within 14 days.
The tubs were $3.00
The wicks $3.00
The pearlite $3.00

The 50 site wick cloner for under $10.00

There are 25 in it now... I'll put more in tomorrow...
68100_1689_Medium_.JPG
:attentionwhore: ]]> Do It Yourself Projects medical http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132354-super-cheap-mass-cloner.html Octogon by CAP http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132353-octogon-cap.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:07:25 GMT this was a repost from CAP
Guide [hydroponics]
compact vertical octagon diy parts list and how to guide by 'El Blastido'

Quote:
For my second hopefully entertaining tech write up, I will share and outline my journey in building a vertical octagon hydro system for the do it yourselfer .

Here is a complete parts list , tools needed and instruction on how El Blastido built a vertical octagon hydroponic system, using simple readily available parts from any lumber or hardware supply.

First let me say that I in no way claim to have dreampt up this idea and there are several other write ups about this system.
Where I hope to help is by refining the design to be as simple as possible, we as humans tend to over complicate and over engineer.

I had been using for a very longtime a horizontal semi aeroponic system that I built nearly 21 years ago. After seeing the coli and the diy octagon I decided I wanted to get the satisfaction of building, re engineering, simplifying, and bullet proofing this practical design..

Why vertical? Efficiency! To provide light deeper into the canopy via side lighting to lower bud sites
To gain yield.
To provide the whole canopy with equal lumens
To cut in half the wattage it would take to grow the same amount of plant sites horizontally
To shrink the floor space needed
There are many reasons and those are just a few.

Now comes the consideration of what type of pipe to build the system from
I chose 3” black abs waste and drain pipe for cost and opacity.
3” pipe offered the best compromise of air space drainage and final layout for size and the availability of 3” net cups.

My choices were
3” white pvc
3” black abs
And 3” light duty styrene

Of the three styrene was the least expensive but was too thin and allowed light through which can cause algae to grow and compete for oxygen , white pvc would have been my first choice until I saw the price per fitting was double that of abs .
My only concern using abs was the fact that black will soak heat from the light source and that could be bad for heating the nute solution .to unacceptable levels .
So I purchased 1 abs black y fitting and placed it the distance it would be in the octagon to measure how much 12 hours of light would increase the temp of the fitting on the surface and the air inside.
After 12 hours under hps light the rise in temp was nothing to worry over, beside within two weeks the canopy should have the black plastic covered.

Tools needed are simple hand tools including a drill with a 13/16” flat spade wood bit
A hacksaw or what I found to work best was a bahco prizecut300 saw made for cutting pvc pipe , it has a wide blade compared to a hacksaw so it is easier to keep the cut going straight.
A deburring tool or some 80 grit sand paper.

This parts list is for a 56 site system but you can start smaller or go bigger that’s up to you.
The total cost was right around $400 without the pump and reservoir .
I found the prices of abs and pvc fittings varied a ton from different suppliers so shop around .

56- 3” abs wyie or Y
8- short 3” abs 45
14- short 3” abs waste T
14- 3” rubber quick cap
13-½” combo T
1- ½” combo elbow
14- ½” threaded coupler
14- Rainbird or equivalent 15 foot radius shrub sprinkler
1- 20’ roll 5/8” vinyl tubing
1- 4” no hub connector
21’ abs pipe cut into 91- 2 ¾” pieces
3- 8 oz can black abs cement
56- 3” net cups
1- tube of food grade grease
1-15-30 gallon reservoir
1- 500 gph pump
2- 3" 90 elbows
Here we go

First you will take the 20 foot piece of pipe and cut it into 91 pieces each measuring 2 ¾”
These will be used for couplings to join all the elbow ,Y and 45 fittings together to form the octagon.

Next you will saw the female collar off the Y . use the line of the collar as a guide to cut straight through
This is where the 3” net cup will be sitting so try to cut it straight
Now that you cant lift your arm from making a couple hundred cuts go smoke a bong rip and pat yourself on the back because the hard part is done .

6692Picture_098.jpg

Next you will lay out the system to get a feel of what goes where before we just start gluing .
I started on the upright columns first
build 14 columns each with 4 Y’s and couplers at both ends , make sure you aim all the Y’s the same direction .
Also when using abs cement make sure to do it outside in a well ventilated area
To assemble the parts using abs cement make sure you put a nice even coat inside the female joint and on the coupler . You don’t need to use a lot just make sure it fully coated so you don’t have leaks .

Now that the columns are built you will lay out and build the base using the short waste T’s and 45 degree elbows in an octagon fashion . The overall dimensions are 58”w X 58” d X 48” h .
So if you were to glue it all together you will not be able to fit it through doorways .
So I built it as 2 halves to facilitate take down and removal without destroying the system
join the two halves using a piece of coupler without glue using the no hub connector to seal the joint .

6692Picture_092.jpg

6692Picture_097.jpg

once the base of the octagon is built it's time to glue the columns into the base . you should now have all the gluing done and time to move onto the water delivery system .
you will start by drilling the 14 rubber quick cap's with the 13/16 flat spade wood bit in the center like the picture shows

6692Picture_085.jpg

i also removed the steel hose clamp that came with the quick cap for easier access to the tops of the columns , also in the above picture shows the 1/2" combo T , 1/2" threaded coupler and shrub sprinkler .
once the caps are drilled assemble the cap , combo T , threaded coupler and shrub sprinkler like such this will go on top of the columns .
this was the absolute simplest water delivery system available . i also tried using the smaller style 360 1/4" drip line type sprayers but felt it was not delivering enough water over the roots . i like to have the roots soaked within 30sec-1 min on time with about a 5 min off time .
put all cap assemblies on top of the columns with T's facing one another and start cutting and fitting the 5/8" vinyl hose all the way around .
i found that these grey 1/2 "combo T's are to big to slip standard 1/2 vinyl tubing onto , so 5/8" turned out to fit perfect . run the hose from your pump to the first T and all the way around to an the combo elbow at the last column .
that's it ! a very reliable and extremly simple nutrient delivery system .

6692Picture_087.jpg

6692Picture_096.jpg

the drain on this system is very simple at the end of each half turn down with a 90 elbow back into the reservoir , this is a fool proof drain that wont clog

6692Picture_094.jpg

here is another shot from the back side . i mounted the room controller on the system as close to the canopy as possible for more acurate control of the canopy enviroment.

6692Picture_055.jpg

this systems maiden voyage will use 2 600 hps , full line up of advance nutes
half purple urckle half ecsd so stay tuned for the break in run ..
btw if your interested in how i set up the air cooled vert tube [then check out the thread to be posted in 'topia's grassroots forum...]

hope i made enough sense for this to be of use lol
peace yall
El Blastido
just an FYI...a system such as this, not the same, a lil larger in scale, costs nearly 5 thousand dollars before trucking fees to buy pre-fab. ]]> Do It Yourself Projects medical http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132353-octogon-cap.html <![CDATA[Inexpensive homemade 2'x3' hydro trays]]> http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132231-inexpensive-homemade-2x3-hydro-trays.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:29:30 GMT http://www.gardenscure.com/420/hydroponics/131216-2-x-3-tray-anyone.html http://www.gardenscure.com/420/hydro...ay-anyone.html ]]> Do It Yourself Projects Healer http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132231-inexpensive-homemade-2x3-hydro-trays.html posting guidelines http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132188-posting-guidelines.html Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:48:51 GMT guidelines will be written later. guidelines will be written later. ]]> Do It Yourself Projects bobbooty http://www.gardenscure.com/420/do-yourself-projects/132188-posting-guidelines.html