Top-Drip Aeroponic Bucket System - Genius or Bad Idea?

So I had too much time on my hands and cobbled this 2 bucket aeroponic top drip system together from spare parts I had lying around.

The big idea: an affordable, self-contained, easy-to-maintain, seedling-to-harvest setup. Just have to change up the nutrients along the way and move from veg to flower chamber.

The system is contained in a smaller 2.5 gallon bucket inside a big 5 gallon bucket.

In the big bucket sits a submersible pump. The smaller bucket has a hole cut in the center of its bottom which allows an emitter connected to the pump to pass through it.

The emitter consists of 5” of PVC, capped off. In the cap are two holes, one with a micro nozzle that sprays the roots and a tube with drip nozzle that is threaded though the mesh cup, through the hydroton so that it drips down from above.

The nutrient solution fills 3/4 of the bucket.

Pros:

Aside from the pump, its under $25

Top drip system will keep seedling healthy during the early days before the roots reach the nutrient solution.

Two buckets will keep the root mass in the top away from the pump intake and provide an aerated reservoir for direct access by the roots.

Easy to maintain.


Cons:

Roots may clog nozzle.



I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on whether this is a moment of genius or a big waste of time.

If you put the nutrient water in a separate bucket so after misting the roots, just a small amount of water remained in the bucket. The rest returned to the main rez via gravity, I think you'd like it better. The reason being is like all deep water culture systems, heat becomes an issue. Causing your water to take on less oxygen to suspend in the nutrient water and a likely hood for bacteria to grow.

It looks professionally put together though. Give it a try and if you have issue's with the water getting to warm (whether it b from the pump size or heat from being under lights) I'm sure you can modify it. You seam to b good at building stuff so I'm sure you'll pull it off.

Thanks MYWhat. I think heat will be a problem. Might need to use a reservoir. My current problem I'm solving for is leaking from the top due to the spray.

I would pipe in a tube in the bottom with threaded pvc pipe rubber grommets and a nut. T out with a valve; and pipe up with possibly a clear pvc pipe for fill and visual measurement of water level.

Plus you will need to change water often; and maintain ph often to keep optimal growth with such a small res.

Don't forget airstones! Another piece of the puzzle to get wrapped up in roots.

Dankhoe417 - I'm thinking I can skip the air stone because I have the spray emitter adding O2

It may be oxygenating the sprayed area, but if the roots are sitting in water, that water will need to be aerated.

oxygenating is done by breaking the surface tension of the water.not many air pumps in the oceans lakes or rivers.so if the water is dripping into the res. then the tension will be broken,till the roots clog the holes.
not sure why you would want to make a double system by hay its a you thing i understand.what is the goal of the system,im just not seeing the value.unless its some kind if safety for when the dripper or sprayer clogs.redundancy can be a wonderful thing.but you do have more parts that can go wrong,i always use the kiss philosophy keep it simple stupid.don`t let me discourage you,like my granddaddy always said "where would we be if columbus didn`t take a chance".

run the sprayer pointing down instead of up, you'll have to put a couple 90's on it to get it to point down. That will help with the leaking out of the lid.

SeexHo: I'm definitely over engineering this. I'm digging it though.

Yak: good idea!