Super-waterfarm for cheap....

[alley17cat]

Ok this is what I'm making.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17228&stc=1&d=1169252086

The extras I'll need, 3/8 inch tubing and 1/4 inch tubing, some 1/2 tubing for water level marking, 3/8 inch 90 degree elbow, 3/8 inch T, 1/2 inch groument, some masking tape, 4 inch long screws, and some quick ties. Also 1 inch uptake tubing from a pet store.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17229&stc=1&d=1169252086


Tools needed, scissors, sawzall, drill with 1 inch, 13/16th inch, 1/4 inch and 7/64ths inch bits. And screw driver head.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17230&stc=1&d=1169252086


I'm using 2 of the oversized kitty litter pails that come around here now. I measure down 5 inches all the way around on one of 2 pails.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17231&stc=1&d=1169252086


Sawzall works best starting at the corner first, make it as even as possible.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17232&stc=1&d=1169252086


You can see how it will eventually sit about an inch lower than a normal waterfarm, holds 3 more cups of grow rocks, and 3 gallons of water now instead of 2.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17233&stc=1&d=1169252086


The bottom that was cut off the one bucket is then placed inside the top and moved to the bottom to be even, then 1 inch screws in each side. I should use galvanized, but don't have them around.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17234&stc=1&d=1169252086


So now we have the bucket part ready to be finished.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17235&stc=1&d=1169252086

Flip over the top bucket part, and in the middle top, drill a 1 inch hole. This will be for the uptake tubes to keep them away from the grow rocks to be able to clean during their growing.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17236&stc=1&d=1169252086

Then drill a bunch of 1/4 inch holes for the nutrients to drain to the resevoir. Drill from the bottom up, to help with the roots coming thru these hole to easily, they will anyways, but just backup if a salt builup or something you didn't notice.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17237&stc=1&d=1169252086


Now to the un-touched bucket, I drilled a 13/16ths inch hole on the skilly side in the middle.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17238&stc=1&d=1169252086

Here's the parts I'm using. 14 inches 1/2 inch blue tubing, 90 degree elbow, and groment, all 1/2 inch.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17239&stc=1&d=1169252086


The groment, you have to work in with a spinning motion, hand inside and outside of the bucket, but make sure it's seated properly or it will leak.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17240&stc=1&d=1169252086

Then take the elbow and holding the groment on the inside, work it into place facing straight up.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17241&stc=1&d=1169252086

Connect the 14 inch piece of blue 1/2 tubing, drill 1/4 inch hole to put the tie thru, but don't snug it up, you want to have it be able to come out for changing. Then mark 5 inches down, and that's your level mark.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17242&stc=1&d=1169252086

I want a 14 inch piece of uptake tubing, I wrap in masking tape to help with splintering and then sawzall it.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17243&stc=1&d=1169252086

I'm holding the dark normal waterfarm uptake tube, and you can see how I've cut the bottom to allow for water to enter it easily.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17244&stc=1&d=1169252086

I cut the end of a piece of airline tubing 14 plus inches also.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17245&stc=1&d=1169252086

This is what I'm making with 3/8 inch tubing and 1/4 inch tubing, this is a waterfarms uptake tube.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17246&stc=1&d=1169252086

And what I do, drill 1/4 inch hole for air line tubing to go into, cut the bottom of 3/8 inch tubing at an angle also.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17247&stc=1&d=1169252086

The 3/8 inch tub should be 13 inches long, the one end cut at an angle with the airline, the other end is the top and put the 3/8 inch t into it well.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17248&stc=1&d=1169252086


I use 21 inches of the 3/8 inch tubing for the drip ring, I've modified this too to also have a cross member, but for a basic one 21 inches works well, then drill holes every 3 or so inches around it, the small drill bit.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17249&stc=1&d=1169252086

I also cut off 1/2 inch from my waterfarms airline, and use this piece in my new waterfarm so that 1/4 inch airline hose will hook up the the 1/4 inch line I used on it.

http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17250&stc=1&d=1169252086

Well hope this works, took forever and I'm sure I'll be correcting something, but gives you the main idea for one.

alley

[billopuffalot]

nice
im unfamiliar with the waterfarm
is it similar to deep water culture?
do they get fed continuosly?? or are they timed feeds
thanks for ya help
and thanks for a fine tute
bil

[alley17cat]

billopuffalot--They run off of just a regular air pump. The air goes down the 1/4 tubing, about an inch or so from the bottom, enters the bigger 3/8 tubing, and becomes bubbles, between the bubbles, the water also rises to the top drip ring, which usually circles your plant and drips constantly around the top of the growrocks. Hope that helps. Just regular aquarium pumps work if you've ever seen one of those.

alley

[GriM]

hey ally very nice thread i been saving up all my kitty litter tubs just for this reason trying to get a 4 site system up with res but only seen the waterfarms online never in person so kinda hard to figure out just how they work (i have never used the drip rings b4) so anyways i think i will pick up the parts to make a couple this week and give em a try .... btw do you mind if i copy your pics and repost your step by step here with the pics showing in order i just find it easier to figure out if i dont have to click away to see the pic ;)

[TxRooster97]

Nicely done AlleyCat. Thanks for all the pics!

[PharmaPharmer]

Water farms are killer. i saw explosive growth of a mother I grew in one. The stem looked like that of a medium sized outdoor plant. I also noticed that it ran best with synthetic nutes and you could literally blow off nutes for like a month as long as the water level was kept topped off. I abused the heck out of it and it still kicked out many many clones. i flowered it out just for the heck of it and got some tasty nugs.

[dangdonkey]

btw do you mind if i copy your pics and repost your step by step here with the pics showing in order i just find it easier to figure out if i dont have to click away to see the pic ;)


I think that was his intention, but couldn't figure out how to post the pics within the thread.

[Bathroy]

Now I gotta keep the cat around for a few more months sos I can get some Litter tubs:(

[alley17cat]

Yeah go ahead, like was said, if it would of done it for me, I would of done it.

Posting doesn't work the same here as with the other sites I post on. They should be in order at the bottom. This site also won't let me correct things after a very, very short time, took me longer than that to verify it, so takes even longer with a preview, and been having router problems that have been kicking me offline.

I'll go look for the thread on how to post good pictures before my next posting then to help you out also.

Sorry

alley

[GriM]

Yeah go ahead, like was said, if it would of done it for me, I would of done it.

Posting doesn't work the same here as with the other sites I post on. They should be in order at the bottom. This site also won't let me correct things after a very, very short time, took me longer than that to verify it, so takes even longer with a preview, and been having router problems that have been kicking me offline.

I'll go look for the thread on how to post good pictures before my next posting then to help you out also.

Sorry

alleyi havnt had time(dont have much extra with the baby ..lol) to get around to building this yet so was surfing ebay and noticed that you can get the kits (http://cgi.ebay.com/Waterfarm-Farm-Kit-by-General-Hydroponics_W0QQitemZ7762632791QQihZ018QQcategoryZ 43555QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=it em7762632791) for 18 bucks just add buckets and pump for those that are a lil afraid of making everypart i still plan on making one from scratch like shown here but just ordered up a kit so i have a refance point as i have never used one of these b4 and helping a friend set up a new grow :)...

[Dig]

Thanks alleycat, that was very informative. I'm assuming that you fill the entire top bucket with grow rocks?