Hex,
If you used a deeper container (a rubber tote) for the plants, would you have to set the misters farther down from the top of the tote and/or space them farther apart?

Hi Grizz
Depends on the spray pattern and throw of the nozzles but generally you`d locate them towards the top of the chamber firing between and below the netpots. Aim to get an even coverage at the top and let gravity do the rest. .

My outdoor chamber takes 3 gallons of nutes a day running drain to waste. If the 20w solar charger packs up, i`ll have 29 days until the 12v 7AH battery runs flat..

This post was edited by hex2006 on Fri, Mar 22, 13 at 19:49

Can I get a few different opinions on drain to waste? What are the benefits? Do they really outweigh the cost of using more nutrients?

Drain to waste is only practical with a few hydro methods, HPA is one.
The main benefit is the control you gain over the nutes.
The plants always have the full range of elements in the correct balance. Deficiencies are unlikely to occur, unless something was already missing or out of balance when you mixed up the nutes.

DTW requires less maintenance, the EC and pH are more stable and in most cases its easier to control the nute temperature.
High nute temps can lead to root rot issues, if it gets into a recirculating res it can spread through the system .

Weighing up the pro`s and cons, the nute cost is minimal. I think Grizz uses agricultural hydro nutes, might be worth asking him for the suppliers phone number.

Some HPA setups use big pumps like a well pump; they move too much fluid to run drain to waste.

It would be neat to be able to run two different misting cycles if you had drain to waste. At night, you would need fewer cycles, and increasing the interval between them would save nutrients. I have never seen a cycle timer that would do that, though.

Aero is all about control.The hardware just provides the means.
.A well pump could work with an acccumulator and solenoid to provide the control. A small ro booster pump with an accumulator is more than capable plus Its cheaper,quieter and uses less power.

Its hard to find a versatile cycle timer at the right price. I`ve always made my own which are cheap and reliable but a bit limited on features..
So I devised a pc controlled hardware/software cycle timer. It can control 4 seperate systems and change the cycle timing upto 4 times a day based on what time it is.
i used it last year to run the outdoor chamber, a hp aero cloner and the pump on a flood and drain tray.

This post was edited by hex2006 on Sat, Mar 23, 13 at 22:02

Ethno & Hex;

Great ideas and great systems! After much thought, I believe I need a hybrid system for my needs that would require elements of both a HPA and a LPA system. I invite input from those who have experience with both HPA and low pressure misting solution. The plants i will grow under mist are terrarium varieties that I will apply fertilization to the mist. Both moisture and nutrients will be absorbed by leaves and roots growing on a solid substrate under a mini-greenhouse. Because the zone will be fairly large (3' x 24') I will have no choice but to recirculate misted water. That's why elements of the HPA setups appear more attractive. However, I do not think I need the ultra-fine spray.

What I plan to get:

a. DIG-5006 IP Timer
b. DRAMM STIX sprayers
c. MISTSOL Misting Solenoid Valve ( 2)
d. Ethno's RO Pump and a submersed pump.
e. A LARGE Accumulator
f. Pressure Gauge
g. Full-House RO Water Filter
h. Filter to pump.
i. Filter from Accumulator.

I like Ethno's 24 W pump and accumulator combination. Because my area is large, I will use low-pressure sprayers, Ethno's RO Pump and the largest accumulator that is realistic for me to use with the area I plan to cover.

In order to deal with the inevitable nutrient inconsistency that develops as plants grow, I will use a Conductivity and TDS Controller to control a small pump to pump 1/2 the reservoir out when the conductivity fluctuates outside acceptable levels. A float-valve will then refill the main reservoir from a separate pre-mixed nutrient reservoir. I need the system to be as low-maintenance as possible.

I am hoping with your practical experience, you guys may point out weakness in the system and suggest corrections.

~Thanks!

This post was edited by Boukmn on Mon, Apr 1, 13 at 7:46

Well pumps don't need accumulators. That's the point of using the well pump. They are big, loud power hogs, but they work great if you have a large area to mist.

Hex
Did you code the pc timer yourself or did you buy it / is it shareware?
In either case, what driver do you use to communicate to the solenoid. I assume you're sending a signal out a pc port to flip a relay to engage the solenoid, but how do you tell the computer to send a signal? It is something I've been digging around to try and do for some time now but have never found a working solution. If you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

Hi Grizz
I bought a commercial usb automation board which takes care of the comms via a DLL. The board has logic level outputs so i added a ULN chip (darlington transistor array) which can drive upto eight 12v relays directly.
I had to relearn how to code as the last time i did any was way back in the early 80`s on a zx spectrum. A professional programmer would have done a much better job in half the time but as long as it works i`m happy.
I have a lux meter with a logic level output i`d like to incorporate so the mist frequency is geared to the light intensity. It`ll have to wait until my programming skills improve but could be a good feature for my outdoor setup where passing clouds can block out the sun.

This post was edited by hex2006 on Mon, Apr 1, 13 at 22:30

Hi Boukmn
If you are misting above the plants it would be pretty easy to cover a 24ft x 3ft area. High pressure aero performs like low pressure aero if you increase the misting frequency. The main difference is you`ll get a more even coverage and use less water.

A well pump wont do much if you turn it on for one second ;) You could run a 24` x 3` chamber on an tiny aquatec 6800 with an accumulator. I wouldnt recommend it but it can be done.

Yeah, a well pump would take 3-5 seconds to get pressure. Something like 30 seconds on and 5 minutes off works fine.

30 seconds will completely soak the roots and the result will be no different to low pressure aero. If you run a bucketful of water to the roots at low or high pressure, its still a bucketful of water ;)

I stumbled across this thread conducting some research. I read through it and found there to be quite a bit of misinformation so I decided to create an account and clear some things up.

We are working with HPA and are developing an affordable commercial scale system. Our system can also be used with LPA and AAA.

First, HP pumps are not expensive to operate, noisy yes, expensive to operate, no. We logged only 0.02 Kwh per day with two of our 100 PSI on demand pumps. That's less than $1 a month to operate.

Also, you do not need a large accumulator. We use a 24oz accumulator to operate 22-23 (.18 Lit/Min @ Bar 6) nozzles. The purpose of an accumulator isn't to "store" liquid, but to provide smooth operation for the pump in order to increase life. Large accumulators are used for expansion in plumbing systems, so if you are using a large accumulator you are simply taking up space you don't need to.

HPA will outperform LPA all day long. In an HPA environment, plants grow multi-cell root hairs. These fine root hairs will never be established in LPA. Truth is, LPA is nothing more than a hybrid of NFT/Flood and Drain on a timer.

Plant roots that develop multi-cell root hairs can absorb more nutrient than roots that do not have them. Also, the root mass does not grow as large in HPA ans LPA.

The two main advantages to HPA are about 20% faster growth due to multi-cell roots and water usage. Our system uses 3.4 gallons, per plant site every 45 days. The typical recirculating LPA system will use 6 gallons or more. HPA can be operated drain to waste, LPA can not, at least not efficiently.

We currently run 3 seconds on, 3 minutes off. You can check out our video at:

Here is a link that might be useful: Root Hair Video

This post was edited by ccsykes on Tue, Apr 2, 13 at 20:17

Re: 30 seconds will completely soak the roots and the result will be no different to low pressure aero. If you run a bucketful of water to the roots at low or high pressure, its still a bucketful of water ;)

Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. At high pressure, the mist is atomized. The run time of the pump doesn't change that. Even if the pump never shut off, it would still outperform LPA. The only reason to shut the pump off at all when using a well pump is that it will heat the reservoir water if run continuously.

The quantity of water atomised by the well pump will be based on its flow. If it atomises a gallon of water every 30 seconds, thats the quantity you`ll deliver to the roots. With 1 second its 30x less. HPA isnt just about the mist quality, the quantity is equally important. If the roots are kept too wet, you wont get root hair growth.

"Large accumulators are used for expansion in plumbing systems, so if you are using a large accumulator you are simply taking up space you don't need to."

Your pump(s) could be running upto 80 times a day. A large accumulator will run a large setup for several days . As an example, the hpa chamber in the pic earlier in the thread has 32 sqft of planting area and a volume of 56 cubic feet.
The accumulator allows it to run at a constant 90psi for several days. Its completely offgrid and uses no mains electrical power.

Accumulators are immune to power outages once charged and there are no moving parts to break.

If the roots are kept too wet, you wont get root hair growth.
What no one realizes about HPA is that by the time you get an established plant, most of the root growth is from the NFT effect of the misted water running through the chamber back to the reservoir, rather than the actual mist itself. That's why HPA has such a big advantage for cuttings and seedlings - they don't have enough roots yet to take advantage of the flowing water. But for very big plants, aeroponics can even be a disadvantage, because the mist does not penetrate to the center of the root ball and it will start to rot inside.

I use a little over 3 teaspoons of nutes per misting in a 56 cubic foot chamber. The daily run off may be enough to fill a glass or two but its by no means an nft flow. I ran an 11ft outdoor nft bed with toms last year in a sunnier part of the garden. The hpa had faster growth rates in all stages and was much lower maintenance.

No nft for me this year but i may be running an AA aero setup outdoors just to see how it copes in full sun and how it compares with the hpa.

Do you have any pics of your hpa setup?

"Your pump(s) could be running up to 80 times a day. A large accumulator will run a large setup for several days . As an example, the hpa chamber in the pic earlier in the thread has 32 sqft of planting area and a volume of 56 cubic feet."

Volume and pressure are two different things. It doesn't matter how large an accumulator is, pressure will drop based on the volume expelled. So either my pump runs 80 times a day for 2-4 seconds each, or yours runs for 3-5 minutes to move the same volume. In either case, we both push the same volume to the pressure desired. In a diaphragm pump, it is the diaphragm itself that typical wears out. The motors will last a long time regardless of whether they are short cycled, or long cycled.

"The accumulator allows it to run at a constant 90psi for several days. Its completely offgrid and uses no mains electrical power. Accumulators are immune to power outages once charged and there are no moving parts to break. "

I'd be real interested to know how many nozzles and what flow rates you are using. We have determined at least 45- 60, 120 degree .18 Lit/Min @ Bar 7 nozzles are needed to effectively fog 32 cubic feet in short bursts. Even a large accumulator would begin to loose pressure relatively quickly with that much volume. We get about 102-112 plant sites per 32 s/f.

This post was edited by ccsykes on Wed, Apr 3, 13 at 21:26

Nice plants! How hot did it get outside during the day? And how did you like your tomatoes, quality-wise?

When I say 'nft effect' that is my own unusual phrasing. But think of each root, as the mist condenses and runs down it, the water will create a thin film over the root. Technically, at the root surface, that should be bad, because it is a lower oxygen percentage. But because the film of water is rapidly moving downward, it is turning over new surface area and stays highly aerated. If maintaining the highest possible oxygen/water percentage in the air of a root chamber was the most important goal, then ultrasonic foggers should show a big advantage over HPA, and I don't think they do at all.

"When I say 'nft effect' that is my own unusual phrasing. But think of each root, as the mist condenses and runs down it, the water will create a thin film over the root."

If the mist is atomized properly, there is no condensing. The water mist simply clings to the mutil-cell root hairs. What doesn't cling, floats down.

The problem, I read, with ultrasonic foggers is keeping the mist contained inside the system. Apparently if you don't keep them pretty much "air tight" you lose a lot of nutrient to evaporation/dissipation.
@ CC,
While I am inexperienced at HPA, 60 misters to cover an 8' x 4' area seems excessive. That is something like a 6" x 12" spacing.
I thought something more along the lines of 24" x 24" spacing was what was required. Where do you get your spacing calculations from?

Just wanna say this is an awesome discussion guys. Carry on!

I use 12 long throw, narrow cone nozzles mounted high in the chamber. The overlapping mist from the nozzles fills the top of the chamber and gravity does the rest.
If they were upward facing i`d have less coverage per nozzle and water dripping from the underside of the lid.
Thats not to say it wouldnt work for a chamber of a different size, shape or planting layout.

"I thought something more along the lines of 24" x 24" spacing was what was required. Where do you get your spacing calculations from?"

No calculations, simply from trial and error. For example, in the video below, we are using 45 nozzles. You will notice some of the outer plants are smaller than the plants close towards the middle. We determined that we need to add additional nozzles along the outer edge.

We've grown Basil and lettuce so far. As for the roots, they tend to grow out horizontal with upward nozzle placement. When we experimented with nozzles spraying down, the root mass tended to grow down and fill up the bottom of the tray.

Here is a link that might be useful: 22 Day lettuce test grow time lapse.

Nice video sykes. If you had put the days on the video (or on a placard on the table) it would have been easier to tell where in the grow cycle you were.
Was the 24/0 light cycle at the beginning or end of the grow?
Is the table in the video an 8'x4' table?
You don't have pictures of the inside do you?

Here's the inside.

I want to truly thank you ethnobotany for this fabulous post I was pondering down this path of true HPA and had just located the inline dc booster pumps but it was in boating same type of pump but using your post and finding everything I needed in an RO system and not only that all the support items tubing and great pictures. You have more than made my day . I have one question what is your schedule for charging the Accumulator for nutrients, do you flush at all or just recharge when needed.

When I made this thread it was partly to help compile my own parts list but also to help other people have a good reference to make their own HPA too, so I am very glad to help and it seems like my goal is slowly coming to fruition : )

Right now my accumulator charges whenever the psi drops to 60 psi, and the pump stops filling it when it reaches 80 psi. My accumulator currently refills every ~1.5 hours or so (2 gallon). So it recharges as needed I suppose. Its all automated.

Hi again: 1st of all I want to thank you for your fast response to my last post. I was going over your posts again getting last minute questions out of my system and I ran across your post about Drain to waste or not. I got some real good information from a guy named Pete Floria that I've been reading on. He's been at this HPA for few years now and like you he does a very good job relating out his experiences and gives some very good information this is a link to one of his posts and about 1/2 down is about Drain to waste or not https://www.icmag.com/modules/Journal/viewentry.php?journalid=328&goto=newcomment

This is an excerpt from that post:

Recycle vs Drain to Waste (D2W)

Recycling nutes back to the rez is a BAD IDEA!

Testing ppm/pH of my run-off/waste in mid-bloom, pH is 3-5 points higher (5.9 in my rez- 6.4 waste); and ppms are off the chart- 850 in the rez- 2000+ in the waste. That is toxic! Plus many of the nutes have been taken up by the plant, the left overs are out of balance. This is why DWC typically runs into nute deficiencies, and lock out caused by the imbalanced NPK ratios

One of the many benefits of TAG/HPA is how little nutes are needed. This allows you to D2W in good conscience. I dump the rest in my garden, lawn...

Now to my questions:
What value, trip pressure, and where did you get your accumulation tank pressure relief valve?
The 2 filter assemblies you use between res tank and mister where did you get them ?
At what PSI is your system running by your meter?
Do you use a pump to deliver from res tank to to the aquatic 6800 ? If yes what gph is it?
I noticed the bubble wrap around the accumulator tank is this for noise or temperature ?
What is the size of the tubing coming from the booster pump out to pressure switch?
Finally (I'm sorry) could you breake down the types of hardware from the accumulator tank out ie type of T, and connectors on both ends of T?

My pressure relief valve is spring-loaded and opens at 125 psi. I got the accumulator from either amazon or eBay for ~$40-50. You could probably get a similar one at Home Depot/Lowes, I saw some there for nearly the same price while browsing the other day.

I bought a few things on eBay before I realized that if I bought most of my items from the same place (T's, tubing, relief valve, filters, etc.) then I would save money on shipping costs. This brought me to:

https://www.freshwatersystems.com/

I bought my pressure relief valve, tubing, john guest T's, and 200 mesh filters through them. They have tons of adapters and other quick connect 1/4'' or 3/8'' pieces so you can customize your system pretty easily if you want.

The bubble wrap surrounding the accumulator is for noise and it helps keep the tank stationary.

My pump connectors are 3/8'' (they offer 1/4'', but I failed to notice that the one I ordered was 3/8'') so the tubing you see is initially 3/8'' and then after the pressure switch I used an adapter to switch over to 1/4''.

The accumulator tank has a 3/4'' threaded hole (either that or 1/2'', can't remember) at the bottom (male I believe) and so I used a 3/4'' PVC threaded tee (3 female) to connect to the tank and used plumbers tape to make water tight. Used plumbers tape on the relief valve and screwed that into the T. Then I used a 3/4'' to 1/4'' quick connect threaded male adapter. to connect 1/4'' tubing to the tank.

DtW is something I would consider if I had more room to collect the waste, and especially if I had a single chamber with only a few sprayheads as opposed to 16 sprayheads in 4 gullies. In other words, my 16 sprayheads produce more daily run-off than I would like so until I get some sort of under-bed tote or dish out the money for a EnF Tray with lid then I am going to continue to use a recirculating system.

Ethno;

I am finding it difficult to identify with certainty some of the parts you used for your system when I seek them out for purchase For example; you listed:

"PRESSURE GAUGE

SOLENOID VALVE W/ 1/4'' QUICK CONNECTORS

PRESSURE SWITCH
- this is factory set to turn the pump on when pressure falls below 40 psi, and to turn off when the pressure rises above 55 psi.
- it can be adjusted +/- 5 psi for both values

FOGGER MISTERS
- these have a 0.8 GPH rating
- 35 to 80 psi rating
- droplet size of 60 to 100 micron
- cleanable "

What exactly is the make and model of these items and can you please post links to where they can be purchased? I am now realizing as a newbie, it is very easy to make mistakes purchasing similar (read: wrong) items. _ thanks!

This post was edited by Boukmn on Sun, Apr 14, 13 at 15:10

Hi Boukmn: I am also building this system and and am a newbe at this also this is what I found out from Ethno and my trial and errors hope it helps.
Almost all items are available on e-bay search under RO systems and there is a aquatic 6800 pump kit that has all the parts pressure gauge, switch & pump in it for $108.00.

Search the perimeters of your misters at e-bay search and you"ll get the exact mister beware they have threaded and barbed 10 for $12.99.

Ethno also guided me to this company and I saved a lot on the John Guest connectors http://www.freshwatersystems.com this is also the only place I could find the 1/4" filters Ethno used.

One other thing I stumbled across in this process was the use of a regulator in this system to assure no drop of PSI @ misters between pumping' s / charging of the accumulator this will cause spurting of misters and droplet size "which is all critical" would vary. Search e-bay for Watts P60-m1-4 Pressure regulator it's adjustable from 0 to 125psi and is set up for 1/4" in outs $29.95.

The only other thing I had problems with was the system Ethno used at the input to the accumulator tank. He used a 3way threaded female 3/4" Tee and I could not find the John Guest reducer that he used to go from the 3/4" Tee to 1/4" tube. I ended up using a female Tee fipt x slip x slip and reduced the 3/4" slip to 1/2" male fipt then I could find a John guest connector to make the connection and hook up the 1/4" feed tube to the system.

Something else I found was to use a rubber stopper with 3/16" hole through it to mount your spry head to your system it allows you to feed your 1/4" tubing to your spray head through it and not only seals the hole that the spry head enters but you can adjust the spray head to what level you desire. This is a link I found to buy the stopper http://www.widgetco.com/2-rubber-stoppers-plugs-1-hole.

Hope this helps.

Its better to run larger bore lines between the tank and solenoid to keep pressure loss to a minimum. Its important if you plan to run a lot of nozzles and/or long runs of 1/4" tubing.
The more nozzles you have, the higher the flow and the higher the loss. The larger bore lines will add a little extra capacity to your accumulator.

Thanks hex2006: I was thinking about the larger line in that part of the system it's why I went for the regulator. I just love this site so much good info I noticed with Ethno's system that he used 3/8" line by error and was probably a good thing for when he ordered his pump kit he got the 3/8" system and reduced later on in his system to 1/4". I will be starting out with 6 misters on this system and plan to add another 6 for a total of 12 misters. It is a good thing I'm about 1 to 2 weeks from ordering all parts and can still make adjustments. Thanks again.

I've been using hydroponics and lp aero for several years now. After reading up on hpa I've realized this is the holy grail of the ponics. I'm planning on setting up a vertical hpa DTW system in my greenhouse this month. I've purchased several of the components already including:
Acuatec DDP 5800 for psi 80-120
Transformer
Solenoid Valve
Pressure Switch
There are a few more things to gather over the next couple of weeks including a cycle timer and accumulator tank.
I am looking turn (3) 50 gallon drums into vertical grow chambers with around 90 sites each. I will have the reservoir under the table where the 3 drums sit. I'm planning on using the cycle timer for 3 sec on/3 min off. The water will run from the reservoir into each chamber. The bottom of the chambers will each have a drain that will connect to the other chambers and then exit. My main question right now is:
Is it possible to run 3 50 gallon drums at 100 psi off the pump I have? I was originally looking for the acuatec 8800 but was told by a tech that this pump is meant to run at higher psi. Also, how many nozzles should each chamber have on the inside? I am making a DIY of the "Art Garden" btw. Thanks guys!

This post was edited by hpanube on Sun, Nov 9, 14 at 23:50

The roots would do best of you had something to support them inside the drum. Otherwise, they weigh themselves down and don't fill all the available space. The smaller crops like mini-lettuce would have the least problem. But bigger rootballs would like some support so they can fill all the space you want them to.

One of the things I've noticed is that as soon as your mister shuts off, and the solution runs back to the tank, for those few moments you actually have an nft system. The roots are feeding off the nutrient film that is running back to the tank. So I think the holy grail would be HPA coupled with the perfectly angled interior slope for the NFT effect to occur.

Thanks Cole_Robbie: What do you think would be a good way to support? I'm almost thinking of a SCROG for the roots.. Like a cylindrical screen that rests in the drum. I'll be growing mainly lettuce for the first trial run. I'm hoping to dial in the mist to the point where there's minimal runoff, like ccsykes.

This setup is dead on.almost exactly like what I'm trying to put together now.I realise how old this post is but I hope it's active.I need to get a list of places to buy this stuff.what I see now is way to high for me to afford.100$ for a timer,120$ for a pump,80$ for a pre pressurised acumilater tank,120$ for a solenoid, 10$ per nozzle with a 0.016'' oriface,list his on and its all adding up way to fast.can anybodyhelp?also,I'm hearing there are apps and pc programs to help moniter the system remotely. Any help here is also wanted.thanks.I have looked into the sources listed above and ro part stores seem to provide many parts I need.this timer is the big killer.I so wish there was a simple and cheap fix here.Android app or a pc program or something.in a way a pc program would help the most so if I want to expand by adding sencers and back up systems I could run it all off the laptop.this has been one idea I have been playing with.for now I just need to get started period.I dont recall the model but the only timer I found is very expensive.and I would like a back up.I thing I have most the disign down I just need to work out the kinks and I won't be able to do that till I have a functional modle in hand.

And to clarify my system I'm wanting is a two plant version of ethnos at the top of the page.with the exception of the nozzles her list of parts was the exact same as mine,right down to the brand names.I'm aiming for 100psi and 15-25 micron droplets with on cycles frome 1-5 seconds and off cycles from 1-5 minutes.I'm wanting to build this in a small greenhouse to gain more environmental control and I'm aiming to get roots at near 100% relitive humidity but never wet and never dry.I want sencors in the rez to indicate low levels and a way to moniter my pump and system pressure.I would also like to moniter root zone temp as well as see how the misters are meeting the roots.I plan to place duel redundant nozzels on each plant and I want redundant filtration as well.I'm still in the disign phase so all ideas on how to put this together in the best possible way is wanted.I'm wanting this system to be as advanced as I can afford.I want a back up system as a fail safe bu I'm not sure how to add this in.some help here?

I guess one last question,is there a particular arrangement of pump,accumulator,pressure switch,regulator,solenoid, and pressure gauge that works best or is there really only one way to hook them up?I will get the most help from a clear diagram.sorry its just how I process info the best.diagrams are my best tool.I guess I'm hung up on how the ro boost pump gets fed before pumping up the acumilater. I assume a rez tank is on the input side.also I'm wondering if a single solenoid is best or to have one on each nozzle?surely a single solenoid is cheaper and I'm all for that lol,but if I decide to expand this to a full greenhouse to grow my food for the year on my homestead,I'm going to have a lot of nozzles and I fear pressure loss is eminent. If I'm asking to many things I apologise but I hate messing up on a project that costs this much.and I can't find much info on this.also if I put a mesh filter before each nozzle how much will this reduce cloging?its overkill I'm sure but I'm not opposed to overkill lol.and has anyone grown potatoes like this?, I want to try but I'm trying to figure out how to support the roots and potatoes as this will be a major problem.

This is a very impressive discussion on high-pressure aeroponics. I read through these comments and notice a common question. How do I get started? It's too expensive.

ethnobotany, started with a great list of parts. However, it's incomplete.

Let me say that HPA is the most technical system in growing plants. But it pays. You will grow bigger, faster, and more efficient than any other method.

I worked on mine for over 6 years and built my high-pressure aeroponics system for about $450.

I'm giving a free course on how to build your own aeroponics system which will include my schematics, parts list, and assembly diagram with videos of me building it. Signup for the free video here: http://aeroponicsdiy.com

I'm also looking suggestions if you know how I could improve it for a low cost.

I plan to take indoor farming into the future.

Here are some actual pictures of the plants/ roots in my system.

It's crazy how fast the growth is.

Great HPA DIY thread here, thanks to all, filled in a lot of gaps for me!

Any updates from posters above regarding sourcing parts & building systems? I'm doing one last quick review of the latest good/bad/ugly
experiences and lists re what/where acquiring components before I go shopping. Especially whatever is
applicable to DIY 'Art Garden' style multiple barrel set ups.

Also, are there
any other forums hosting as good of a DIY HPA discussion as this thread
here that's also worth checking out, too?

Thanks for any updates and suggestions!

Great thread. Although I am late, if anybody can advise on the preparation or availability of Nutes? Any advise on The program controllers, and any new updates anybody would like to share.

Preparation of nutrients for HPA is much the same as for hydro except you need to use much lower EC. Drain to waste is an option for HPA which simplifies nutrient management. I guess Program Controller may mean Cycle Timer? if so, then anything thats reliable that can be adjusted in 1 second increments will do the job ;)

The root picture that Everythingpies posted above is not what aeroponic roots should look like.

I am asking about automation. connecting the system with computer/laptop...any software / hardware integration and software.

Anyone know how to pressurize the tank . I know it sounds silly but I don't want to blow up... my tanks is a 3 gallon r/o tank with a max pressure of 100psi and im trying to run it at a steady 80 psi. I havent found a video that shows how to pressurize a tank for aero everything's on r/o systems... it would be appreciated if you could help me out really would love to not burn out a pump when I could be using the tank. Thanks

Disconnect the tank so there is no pressure acting on the bladder/diaphram, Pump air into the car tyre valve with a foot pump or air compressor until you have 78psi in there..I recommend using a decent digital pressure gauge to check the pressure after charging. Set your pumps pressure switch to fire up the pump (cut in) at 80psi. This will prevent the tank from running completely dry before the pump fires up. For constant output pressure you will need to use a pressure reducer set to 80psi, Without the reducer you will have whatever pressure is in the tank at that time, for example 100psi when freshly charged and 80psi when its almost empty, giving you a 20psi output pressure variation.

If your tank has a max working pressure of 100psi i would run a max of 90psi, set the air precharge to 68psi and pressure switch cut in to 70psi, assuming your pressure switch can handle a 20psi differential.