It's been a long time waiting, but I'm pleased to announce that the new Do-It-Yourself system is ready for the world. For a long time now, I've been building hydroponic systems for my own use. This design is intended to be inexpensive, reusable, and easy to build. Beleive it or not, it was inspired by an eggplant. That's right. Eggplant.
We had an eggplant that grew much larger than expected. It was living in a 14-site aeroponic unit, and it became a bad neighbor to the other plants surrounding it. Its canopy grew so large that it eventually ruined all the surrounding plants. This caused me to have an interesting thought...
I wondered if anyone manufactured a single-site aeroponic unit. I wanted a unit designed for one big plant. I discovered that all of the commercially manufactured units are multi-site. I couldn't find any that were designed for just one plant. It was time to build.
I spent a long time looking for the right materials to build my new aero. I wanted it to be as simple and inexpensive as possible. Additionally, I wanted it to be as easy as possible to maintain. In many ways, this unit is a much improved version of the previous do-it-yourself project. The real key to this project was a discovery made by my wife Jessawick. She found the all-important container that makes it all work.
The container in question is an Ikea Sortera (Part #600.763.65). It has a unique shape (and unique lid) that makes it ideal for a reservoir or aeroponic system. It's also much less expensive than the reservoir used in the previous project. The lid is both flat and hinged, which makes it ideal for holding the net pots. More on that later. Here's a photo of an unmodified Sortera:
We will be making some modifications to the Sortera, but the overall look will not change all that much. Here's a quick look at what we'll be building:
Let's start with our lists of requirements for building it. The items required for the build are all pretty inexpensive, especially if you've priced hydroponic equipment.
Materials Required:
- (1) Ikea Sortera, Part #600.763.65, Approximate Price $13
- (1) ActiveAqua PU250 Pump, Approximate Price $15
- (1) General Hydroponics 6" Net Pot, Part #96016 (Get this from a hydroponics shop)
- (1) 1" OD Rubber Electrical Grommet
- (2) Micro Jet Sprayers (Get these from a hydroponics shop)
- (1) 1/2" PVC Tee
- (2) 1/2" PVC Elbows
- (2) 1/2" PVC Caps
- (4) 1/2" PVC Couplings (for joining 1/2" PVC pipe)
- (1) 1/2" PVC Male Thread Adapter (adapts 1/2" PVC to 1/2" male pipe thread)
- (1) 1/2" PVC Cross (4-way)
- (4) 3" Long Pieces of 1/2" PVC
- (5) 4" Long Pieces of 1/2" PVC
- (2) Electrical Ties
Here is an overview of all the PVC parts that you will need. All of these parts are listed above. This photo is just to help you identify them when shopping at the hardware store:
Tools Needed:
- Drill / Drill Bits (specifically: 5/32", 1/4", and 1" spade or 1" holesaw)
- Either 4 3/4" Hole Saw or Jig Saw (for cutting large hole for net pot). I'd recommend the jig saw, as I doubt you'll ever use the expensive 4 3/4" Hole Saw for anything else, ever, in your entire life. If you want to work on the cheap, you can use a manual Coping Saw, but it will take longer.
- A Compass, for drawing circles
- Tape Measure
- 10-32 Tap (for threading holes)
- PVC Cleaner / PVC Glue
- Teflon Thread Tape
- Sand Paper (a small sanding drum for your drill is even better)
Step-By-Step Directions:
- Start with the lid of your Sortera. Use your compass to draw a circle starting in the center of the lid (you can use the molding mark as your center). Draw a circle that is 4 3/4" inch in diameter. The final finished size that you will want will be 4 7/8", but you'll want to make sure your hole is true and clean as you approach your final diameter. You need to carefully cut out the hole, most likely using your jig saw. Once you have cut out the circle, carefully sand the hole smooth using your sand paper or drum sander. Repeatedly fit your pot into the hole. The fit should be tight, so no water can sneak past. Take your time. This is the only tedious cut in the entire project.
- Once you've completed the large hole that will hold the net pot, you'll want to make a smaller hole that will eventually allow the pump's cord to exit the reservoir. If you have a 1" hole saw, feel free to use it. If you're need to buy something just for this project, buy a 1" spade bit; as it will be less expensive. This hole needs to be 1" diameter, so that the pump's plug can pass through it.
- Although you don't need to do it just yet, you'll be using an electrical grommet on the 1" hole in the lid. This will provide a slightly better seal, and will make your project look more clean and finished. Here's how the 1" hole will look with the grommet in place:
I would strongly recommend cutting the grommet. It will allow you to pass the cord "into" the grommet much more easily. Additionally, it will make it much easier to fit into the 1" hole. - Put the lid aside for the moment. Turn your attention to your ActiveAqua PU250 pump.
You will note that the package contains several adapters for different sizes of tubing. You won't need any of them. Personally, I save them, but I'll admit that I have yet to find a situation where they would be helpful.
- You will notice that the PU250 has a base on it, which contains four suction cups. Remove the base from the PU250 (you'll need to take off the filter first). Remove the four suction cups from the base. We'll need these. It's very kind of ActiveAqua to provide them for us. You'll see why this is important in the upcoming steps.
- Take your four 1/2" PVC couplings. Drill a 1/4" hole in each one at approximately 1/4" from the end of the fitting. You will be inserting the suction cups into the holes that you drill. The following photo shows where to drill the hole, and how the parts will look with the suction cup inserted. I used a small screwdriver to push the suction cup into place.
- Take your 1/2" PVC cross, three of your 4" sections of PVC, and one 3" section of PVC. Make yourself an X (with one side that's shorter than the others). This short side will become important later. Place your "suction cup unions" on the ends of your X. Your new part should look like this:
This piece doesn't need to be glued. It's not going to ever hold pressure, so it can stay as a slip fit permanently. - Flip your newly constructed X over. Take the base plate that you removed from the pump. Place the base plate on top of the X. Position it so that the "long" edge of the base runs in the same direction as the two "long" sides of the X. The "long" edge of teh base should be "facing" the "short" side of the X (see the picture if this is confusing). Use your two electrical ties to lightly secure the base to the X. Do not tighten the electrical ties yet.
- Slip the pump back on to it's base. You'll want to remove the "filter guard", as it exposes the track that you'll need. The "rear" of the pump should be on the "short" side of the PVC. The "front" of the pump (the end with the filter) should be on the "long" piece of PVC (opposite end of the "short" side). The picture below is somewhat deceiving, as the pump is much longer in the "front" than the "back". The "front" of the pump is a 4" section. The "back " of the pump is the 3" section.
Congratulations. You've just made a super-stable base for your pump. The suction cups give it lots of stability when it's inside the aeroponic unit. In case you're wondering, the "rear" side needs to be shorter in order to position the pump in the bottom of the reservoir correctly. This will cause the pump to "line up" with the net pot more favorably. Set your pump and base aside for the moment. - Take your two 1/2" PVC caps. You'll want to drill a 5/32" hole through the middle of each cap. Thread each hole using a 10-32 tap. Just for reference, a "tap" is a tool used for cutting machine threads into a hole. 10-32 is a defined "thread size". It really means "a #10 sized hole, with 32 turns per inch". We're threading the hole to this size because the commercially produced sprayers use this size. This will allow you to assemble (and disassemble) your system for cleaning without damage. The following photo shows a blank cap, a drilled and threaded cap, and finally, a drilled and threaded cap with a sprayer installed:
- Ok. Time to dry-fit your sprayer setup. First, take hold of your 1/2" PVC thread adapter. Insert one of your remaining 3" sections of PVC into it. Place your 1/2" PVC Tee on the other end. Place your two remaining 3" lengths into the two "sides" of the Tee. Place your two 1/2" PVC elbows on each end, pointing upward. Take your final pieces of PVC (which should both be 4" in length). Insert one into each elbow. Finally, cap off both using your new sprayer-caps.
I realize that was a lot to follow. However, it's not as bad as it sounds. Take a look at the following photo:
Notes: This part is made from (3) 3" pieces of PVC and (2) 4" pieces of PVC. Both 4" pieces connect to the caps. The Tee is connected to 3" pieces on all sides. - Take hold of your completed sprayer assembly. Screw it into the threads in your PU250 pump. Your project should now look like this:
- Good news! You're ready to test. I'd recommend trying out the system before making the commitment to glue all the pieces together. Place your completed pump into the bottom of the reservoir. Pass the electrical cord through the lid. Fit the grommet into the 1" hole for a nice fit. Your project should now look like this:
- Add some water and give it a try. Just for fun, I snapped a photo of my system running. Do not attempt to take this picture yourself. Your camera will get wet. My camera is allowed to get wet, yours likely is not.
You may want to adjust the direction of your sprayers. Direction makes a big difference in the spray pattern. When you're happy with the results, tear down your system. Get it good and dry. Clean your PVC and glue the parts together.
Final Thoughts:
I like this project for several reasons. The Sortera really makes it work nicely, due to the unique design of the lid. The hinged portion of the lid will give you easy access to your water without a lot of trouble. It's quite easy to maintain, as you don't need to disturb your plant to perform water testing / water changing. Also, since the Sortera is a solid piece (with the only holes in the lid), the odds of leakage are very low. This project costs almost half as much as my previous design, with less effort involved in construction. I was very pleased to keep the PVC cutting simple. In fact, only two lengths of PVC are required for the entire project (3" and 4" lengths).
This design could be easily modified to be a multi-site aeroponic unit without much effort. You could probably fit five of the 3" net pots. Perhaps even more. I haven't tried it. From my experiments, a PU250 is sufficient to power three jets. If you increase the number of jets, you may need to use a larger pump. Conveniently, all the ActiveAqua pumps are quite reasonably priced.
I haven't had any problems with leakage, but in the case your Sortera isn't quite as perfect as mine, you may want to consider weather-stripping around the lid. If you have water "sneaking out" of the lid, you could use weather-stripping as a quick way to stop it. I haven't done it, but it's on the table, should you need it.
Best of luck in your construction. Make sure to write if you have any questions or improvements to the design.