Just wanted to add his systems are excellent. Ordered and built one and had excellent success but just ended taking it all down for a cleaning and need to seal up the garage its in as well as adjust the wire rack shelves to give the plants more space. It was nice being able to grab lettuce and stuff as needed instead of watching it rot away in the fridge.
Just finished my 4 rail system few weeks ago. Had a few hiccups as i used mylar to seal light in, but did it so well i was suffocating the plants and they started dieing. Got that fixed and now im on week 2 with my first seeds.
Hello Caleb & Rachael, Thank you for the wonderful free guide. I found your method of building an affordable hydroponic system the easiest way which produce a very useful product for growing greens at home. Thank you, very much.
Hey, get a deburring knife. I built your round 3 rail system and my machinist deburring knife took all sharp edges and flakes off without sanding microplastics everywhere
I changed a few of the measurements from your old build. Got rid of the spacers between rails so they are closer. Also made the holes tighter, so i can fit 8 plants per rail. My light was expensive and electricity here is over 30 cents. So, I thought i could improve efficiency by fitting more. Fingers crossed it doesnt bite me later. Haha
I used the pvc cement you recommended in your previous videos. I thought it may not be necessary in combination with the silicon, but since you recommended it, that's what I did. Now you aren't using the cement. I think this is great, and I hope that you are sure that the cement isn't necessary because you can clean inside easily with the end caps being removable. But i don't want to come home and find water all over the floor and my tank empty. The cement gives added security, but if it isn't necessary, I would try it. I also think that it's great that as you learn new ideas, you update your videos. Thank you.
Yes, I've considered the same. I've calculated the total force of water on the end caps to be less than 1 lb, so I think the silicone should have no trouble as long as it's applied correctly.
@SimpleGreensHydroponics This is great. Using physics makes me feel a lot better about trying this. I knew that using just silicon on pvc pipe end caps works, but I wasn't sure about the surface area fence post caps and the fact that they're not as snug as the pipe end caps. Thanks
@@Civilsitis With hydroponics root size doesn't matter because they get enough oxygen flow as is, the roots can be cramped. Like in tomato tower systems the roots are all drapped against each other, but most of the root is exposed to oxygen at all times so they don't suffocate themselves.
Amazing videos! Thank you so much for your help and time into this. Inspired me to build one for my family! Wondering why the in/output holes sit lower than the connecting holes with the riser? Thanks again~
The connection hole height determines the water level in the first rail, so that the seedlings can stay moist until they develop roots. The second rail has plants with developed root systems, and so does not need as high of a water level.
is there a specific reason that the inlet tube is smaller than the connector/outlet tube? I'm in the process of sourcing parts to build this but found it will be cheaper for me to have all the tubes be 1/2" ID.... do you think there will be any issues with this? Thanks for putting together this guide, it's awesome!
Great videos. I'm making a 3 tier system with 2 rails on each tier. I want continuous flow from the top level down through the other tires. Should i use a 1" or 1/2" exit hole from the top tiers to connect to the lower tiers?
I've bought all material and getting ready to build a 4 rail system. Can I run one pump and run the water through all 4 rails? Using the metal wire shelving, so two rails per shelf, stacked above/below.
@@SimpleGreensHydroponicsThat's great. Thank you. So, then should I install a 1/2 exit (not 1") from the top rail system to the 1/2 inlet to on the bottom rails? If so, do I make any change to the measurement for hole location of the 1/2 exit on top? Not sure if the smaller hole might mess up the water level on the top rails.
At least a week. If you changed nutrients right before you left then at least 2 weeks, though you would have a ton of lettuce to eat when you got home 😆
Extra lettuce can be blended up into lettuce soup. Sounds a little nasty but it actually tastes like any normal cream of vegetable soup. If freeze dry the soup if I don't eat it all. Alternatively you could compost it for in dirt plants.
We throw it in everything! Lots of salads, taco bowls, sandwiches, pulled pork bowls, burgers! And when we have a surplus we give it away to friends or family!
I've built one of his systems, I run 24/7, however because it is not nft, and the channels store nutrient solution, you could run on a schedule. I like this setup because if the power goes out you don't lose your plants
@@TheDLCIncluded same, except I have my pump on a timer. 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off. I like this setup because in the winter time we frequently see power outages that range from a few hours to a full day.
Just wanted to add his systems are excellent. Ordered and built one and had excellent success but just ended taking it all down for a cleaning and need to seal up the garage its in as well as adjust the wire rack shelves to give the plants more space. It was nice being able to grab lettuce and stuff as needed instead of watching it rot away in the fridge.
Just finished my 4 rail system few weeks ago.
Had a few hiccups as i used mylar to seal light in, but did it so well i was suffocating the plants and they started dieing.
Got that fixed and now im on week 2 with my first seeds.
Hello Caleb & Rachael, Thank you for the wonderful free guide. I found your method of building an affordable hydroponic system the easiest way which produce a very useful product for growing greens at home. Thank you, very much.
Way to grow 🥬 Nice hydroponic gardening system,TFS!
Ni e simple setup. I have my posts. I'm ordering the rest of the parts this week to make this setup. Thanks for the easy to follow tutorials.
It's beautiful. Brought a tear to my eye. Appreciate the content.
Hey, get a deburring knife. I built your round 3 rail system and my machinist deburring knife took all sharp edges and flakes off without sanding microplastics everywhere
I was just about to post this until I saw your comment. Huge time saver and makes nice, chamfered edges.
I changed a few of the measurements from your old build. Got rid of the spacers between rails so they are closer.
Also made the holes tighter, so i can fit 8 plants per rail.
My light was expensive and electricity here is over 30 cents. So, I thought i could improve efficiency by fitting more.
Fingers crossed it doesnt bite me later. Haha
I used the pvc cement you recommended in your previous videos. I thought it may not be necessary in combination with the silicon, but since you recommended it, that's what I did.
Now you aren't using the cement. I think this is great, and I hope that you are sure that the cement isn't necessary because you can clean inside easily with the end caps being removable. But i don't want to come home and find water all over the floor and my tank empty. The cement gives added security, but if it isn't necessary, I would try it.
I also think that it's great that as you learn new ideas, you update your videos. Thank you.
Yes, I've considered the same. I've calculated the total force of water on the end caps to be less than 1 lb, so I think the silicone should have no trouble as long as it's applied correctly.
@SimpleGreensHydroponics This is great. Using physics makes me feel a lot better about trying this. I knew that using just silicon on pvc pipe end caps works, but I wasn't sure about the surface area fence post caps and the fact that they're not as snug as the pipe end caps.
Thanks
I'd love to see a system like this for larger crops like regular sized tomatos. Thanks!
tomatoes need more space, bigger roots , so its better something with buckets
@@Civilsitis With hydroponics root size doesn't matter because they get enough oxygen flow as is, the roots can be cramped. Like in tomato tower systems the roots are all drapped against each other, but most of the root is exposed to oxygen at all times so they don't suffocate themselves.
Dutch bucket system
Amazing videos! Thank you so much for your help and time into this. Inspired me to build one for my family! Wondering why the in/output holes sit lower than the connecting holes with the riser? Thanks again~
The connection hole height determines the water level in the first rail, so that the seedlings can stay moist until they develop roots. The second rail has plants with developed root systems, and so does not need as high of a water level.
is there a specific reason that the inlet tube is smaller than the connector/outlet tube? I'm in the process of sourcing parts to build this but found it will be cheaper for me to have all the tubes be 1/2" ID.... do you think there will be any issues with this? Thanks for putting together this guide, it's awesome!
Yes, the outlet needs to be larger since it is only powered by gravity and needs to keep up with the pump. The inlet has pressure from the pump.
The rubber gasket of the bulkheads should be on the inside, not the outside to prevent leaks.
The bulkhead fittings I used in this build have two gaskets, so one on each side.
Great videos. I'm making a 3 tier system with 2 rails on each tier. I want continuous flow from the top level down through the other tires. Should i use a 1" or 1/2" exit hole from the top tiers to connect to the lower tiers?
1 inch all the way!
I've bought all material and getting ready to build a 4 rail system. Can I run one pump and run the water through all 4 rails? Using the metal wire shelving, so two rails per shelf, stacked above/below.
Yes you can 👍
@@SimpleGreensHydroponicsThank you Sir!!!!
@@SimpleGreensHydroponicsThat's great. Thank you. So, then should I install a 1/2 exit (not 1") from the top rail system to the 1/2 inlet to on the bottom rails? If so, do I make any change to the measurement for hole location of the 1/2 exit on top? Not sure if the smaller hole might mess up the water level on the top rails.
How long can you be away from the home (such as vacation)?
At least a week. If you changed nutrients right before you left then at least 2 weeks, though you would have a ton of lettuce to eat when you got home 😆
Great build. How do you eat all of that lettuce?
Extra lettuce can be blended up into lettuce soup. Sounds a little nasty but it actually tastes like any normal cream of vegetable soup. If freeze dry the soup if I don't eat it all. Alternatively you could compost it for in dirt plants.
We throw it in everything! Lots of salads, taco bowls, sandwiches, pulled pork bowls, burgers! And when we have a surplus we give it away to friends or family!
Do you keep your pump on 24x7 or do you have it on a schedule?
I've built one of his systems, I run 24/7, however because it is not nft, and the channels store nutrient solution, you could run on a schedule. I like this setup because if the power goes out you don't lose your plants
@@TheDLCIncluded same, except I have my pump on a timer. 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off. I like this setup because in the winter time we frequently see power outages that range from a few hours to a full day.
@TheDLCIncluded exactly! I usually run 24/7, but both methods work well.
Best source for trouble free system!!!