True HP Aero For 2011
- Thread starter Trichy Bastard
- Start date
Trichy Bastard
Well-Known Member
That's cool. One thing- as it is always wet, it can actually grow stuff on it which affects the readings- I had some black gunk algea once. The instructions say to calirate daily- although I only do once per week. If you Don't calibrate regularly, you are better off not even testing as it gives you a false sense of security that your levels are good, when they are not. If you don't mind less precise readings, but just want a simple method- the ph strips are okay, but I like the meter as it is very precise when calibrated- and if you look at the ph range of availability it's very narrow, although chelated nutes should afford some slack there. I also have a Hanna- 91789 I believe (combo ph/ec/temp). What I do is use the little single use packs of calibration fluid, but dump them into shot glasses and have a "rinse" cup so they don;t get mixed. I cover them with saran wrap and the same glass seems to be fine to use for weeks. It's simple and cheap- and calibration takes less than 2 minutes, which makes it easy for me to not brush it off out of laziness.
konagirl420
Well-Known Member
always gotta keep it wet hehehehehe!!!!! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
syder
Well-Known Member
TB this is yours
- I'd also like to add that copper components, or even brass, as it contains copper are a no-no... Copper leaches out into the nutes and becomes toxic to the plants. it does seem that it will be hard to completely avoid, but I will try to source all components that are copper free. Stainless steel is fine, but components made of it tend to be pricey. Hopefully most of what we need here comes in plastic versions.
hammer21
Well-Known Member
Here is a link to some suction strainers these go between your res and pump http://www.vacmotion-filtration.com/ whole house filters sux
Trichy Bastard
Well-Known Member
What's mine?
Yes, you're correct about copper being toxic to plants in higher levels. Although, small amounts are actually required for plant health I believe. The good thing about drain to waste in HPA is that since it's only a single pass, and not constantly recirculating- we can actually get away with using a little copper/brass if necessary without ill effect. I certainly avoided copper when I could though. Bronze also contains small amounts of copper...
Trichy Bastard
Well-Known Member
Trichy Bastard
Well-Known Member
Silumin should be fine, as it's an aluminum alloy with silicon which is designed to resist corrosion- although it's rare and doubt you'll find anything made of it. Tin is bad because it is soft like lead and although it won't corrode in water, it will corrode in non-neutral pH (plus you won't find anything made of it for plumbing). Steel is a bad choice because of it's high iron content- it will rust in no time, but stainless has nickel added and for reasons I won't get into here is highly resistant to corrosion, althouh it is subject to pitting in presence of high salinity.
syder
Well-Known Member
so if I get stainles steel solenoids im good?
and pressure reg. cheap has silium, more expensive steel...not good? =]
cant find plastic around here
p.s. your thing is the one i copy pasted from page 1 (you wrote it) =] ... i dont have what it takes to become a tru member of RIU and learn the buttons...Mr. ganja
-stranger
and pressure reg. cheap has silium, more expensive steel...not good? =]
cant find plastic around here
p.s. your thing is the one i copy pasted from page 1 (you wrote it) =] ... i dont have what it takes to become a tru member of RIU and learn the buttons...Mr. ganja
-stranger
Trichy Bastard
Well-Known Member
MM okay- lol.. yes stainless is probably the best you can buy for most of the parts if you can afford it... I realized the experience rating here doesn't mean much. I've only been here 8 months or so I think. Atomizer has been around much longer and knows alot more than me, but he has a lower level. It doesn't mean squat man... Just some people rep the crap outta me- I don't complain- it's a nice way to compliment someone I suppose...
Trichy Bastard
Well-Known Member
No- not screwed, just stainless is probably the best choice. You can include some copper if you have to for reasons I mentioned earlier, it's just not ideal. Man, my regulator is Delrin, a type of plastic- under 30 USD, and my solenoids were stainless, very high quality, and about 35 USD.. Just shop around, there are deals to be had... The funny thing is the most expensive part is actually the John Guest fittings- mine added up to nearly 300 bucks- lol...
HPA isn't cheap, and the benefits may not outweigh the costs for some people, especially if your goal is to just grow as big of plants possible. HPA can yield great results under optimal conditions, but those are hard to obtain and require alot of tweaking. This style of growing is definitely for people who enjoy the process and build, and like the technical aspect. If you just wanna grow some nice plants, perhaps a waterfarm, aeroflow, or DWC is a better way to go. Not trying to discourage anyone, but just be honest upfront that just because you buy all this stuff and put together this apparatus, that you're not automatically going to grow the biggest and best plants easily with this system. There seems to be a learning curve everyone goes through, and if your goal is to get some results quickly, it may not be the best route. Also, if you don't pay close attention in following every detail in the proven way to get this to work, your results will likely be not impressive at all. On the other hand, once properly setup and dialed in, there are some nice benefits, and the system is very low maintenance, so there are definitely some nice things about it if you really understand the concept and your build reflects this.
konagirl420
Well-Known Member
HEHE love watching ya TB!!!!!!
The plastic 19 dollar STC sloenoids work just fine for what we do, I even had em up to 125 psi and they were operating fine. If you have the money def go with the SS solenoids, but if you wanna save some money or have a lot of valves the plastic ones can be used as well. I would avoid all aluminum and copper if possible as the chemical reactions can create a "toxic" environment for our plants, if the the overall exposure would be pretty limited (say just a PR valve for instance) then this isnt really an issue.