How to Make a Modular 3D Printed Hydroponic System

Hoocho teaches you how to 3D print a Modular Vertical Hydroponic System
#hoocho #3dprinting #hydroponics
0:00 - Intro
0:12 - Things You'll Need
1:37 - Filament to Use in Hydroponics
2:07 - Where to Get the STI 3D Print Files
2:40 - Discussion about 3D Print Files
4:03 - How to Slice 3D files for Printing
6:18 - Printing the Files
7:48 - Time Lapse Print
8:46 - Resulting Print & System Design Discussion
9:54 - Mounting System on Base Reserviour
11:34 - Connecting Pump & Running System
All files are also available on my patreon for ease of access to my patreons as well as in the links below at the time of publication:
Thingiverse link to Modular Hydroponic System:
The one I built:
www.thingiverse.com/thing:240...
The more advanced remix:
www.thingiverse.com/thing:340...
Channels for 3D Printing: / themakersmuse
(Suggest more in the comments)
Hoochos explores the worlds of Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Fermentation, Technology Vanlife and DIY Builds to look at the world through a larger lens that can incorporate the best of everything into a rich and rewarding lifestyle.
Through self sufficiency we can reduce consumption and increase our hyperlocal household production.
Merch:
A way to support the channel and get some cool stuff too.
There are two stores because dependant on where you live in the world one will be cheaper than the other (shipping) and it gives a range of design flexibility.
Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/people/mjtch/
Teespring: teespring.com/stores/hoochos
Patreon: / hoocho
Facebook Group: / 734980197112269
Reddit Community: / hoocho
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Business Enquiries: [e-mail]
If you have personal queries about hydroponics or other matters please join me on Patreon for limited individual support or post in the Hoocho Reddit community or on the Hoocho’s facebook group and there are a lot of friendly helpful likeminded people that may have answers for you.
Happy Hydroponicing!

[@jameskelly143]

Got my 3d printer yesterday. Can't wait to set it up. Tweek it. Practice printing. This is first on my list to do when i feel like I've learned enough to print this correct.

[@derekgore1268]

Hoocho, great introductory explanation regarding 3D printers. Keep the informative vids coming.

[@munchingmogul]

Why does this not have more views. Loved this video , every detailed and entertaining and the cat ! Lol

[@cynthiaerskine4882]

That looks awesome, be interested to see how it goes when the plants are getting towards full size and a bit weighty. Fun stuff!

[@barricuba7599]

Great video! This was my next plan for the summer. Was thinking of another design from KZbin but i like this one better. I will unpack my ender today and set it all up! Looking forward to more videos around this. Try making a bigger tower next! =)

[@RageKroc888]

Oy cheers for this Hoocho, stay well man.

[@alfred2467]

I was looking for this exact video. Greating from Canada, well done mate.

[@SuperGreenLab]

Awesome video man! Keep up the great work, got the notification bell on 💚

[@DanCounihan]

Oh man! So trippy. I was just looking at this print thinking of downloading it.

[@stevef.m.2188]

Very cool Hoocho,Thanks for the great video

[@Jamingthepeanut]

I trully do not understand why this channel is not like top one best

[@aaronroseberry7425]

Watched as a project idea at double speed and had to stop, rewind, and replay at normal speed to make sure I was hearing what I though I was hearing. Sub added for the King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard background music!

[@ASCENSiON1989]

Excellent video, thank you for featuring the original version and the remix made by me!

[@oceanhart]

Thanks for your remixed version! I've been using it for 2 weeks and it's going great. I may have some mods and/or additions in the coming weeks.

[@Trishandcliff]

The remix link does not work anymore.

[@Norantio]

Thanks! I love this, you've got another subscriber!

[@scotto5548]

Love It, I'll be watchin out for the progress of this :)

[@fredtorres1703]

fantastic. great build and congrats

[@cheynespc]

Best vids ever lol every time I here the intro 😆

[@rubensspneto]

Very cool project!!! Can't wait to see how it went...

[@johnazzam2179]

Mate! That’s awesome, I’ve got everything I need to do so. Thanks! Also you should be sponsored by Bunnings! The pumps from there also

[@johnrichards3235]

Love this brother. Thank you for sharing

[@JJuansthat3Dguy]

GREAT VIDEO !Im about to design my own! I will also be making a video and this video helped thanks Hoocho!

[@terionr]

super interessant ,pret pour voir le futur timelaps.good

[@paulbrodie6929]

Great video and great idea, thanks for the ideas

[@innocentbystander2673]

Great video. My son just bought one very similar, same design with a different name on front. First thing he made was the octopus...man, that thing still blows my mind how the tentacles were made. Then he made a spool retainer lock thing...looks like he's making a strawberry tower now...chuckles sneakily.

[@Hoocho]

Hahah had a good chuckle at this. "Dad, where's all my filament gone?"

[@innocentbystander2673]

No idea. Strawberry? ahahahahaha

[@Hoocho]

Hahaha 🍓

[@UrbanGardenbyRithy]

I've made one and I'm still amaze by it.

[@jasmorris1286]

Mitch you are a genius!

[@ryano3282]

3D printer slicing software has a setting to change how many layers are printed on the perimeter. This determines outer wall thickness. By default 2 layers is typical. This is fine for the strength needed, but will allow a lot of light through. I suggest increasing the perimeter layers to 4. This cuts out heaps of the light. Do a trial on a couple of parts and hold a torch behind it and you will see what I mean.

[@nicholaiivan491]

black filament might help too

[@jaduyare]

Great video! I will make two sets of towers but for fogponics; 1) a smaller diameter tower for smaller root systems (spinach, spices...) and 2) a bigger diameter tower for bigger root systems (bok choy, asparagus, bell peppers...). The one you link to has an inner diameter of 107 mm. I was thinking I could go with 65 mm and 130 mm respectively but haven't found any good info on diameter vs. root size.

[@SusumoKakinotane]

Amazing, thanks for the video :)

[@worldgraceproject360]

Good stuff as always. ❤️

[@BrowMoSai]

GOSH DAMN! I live in Japan with very limited space! This is what have been searching for for ages! I dont have a 3D printer...

[@davidmichael3137]

YES, thank you, I have been wanting to build one of these, but all STL files I found were to big for the printer. Thanks for making this video.

[@Hoocho]

You can increase the bed size slightly in the settings. Google “ender 3 pro bed size” and increase it by 5 mm within Cura. The size that is preloaded is conservative.

[@Bung-Jay]

@@Hoocho do you know if the Voxelab Aquila can extend the print bed (sounds like its a ender copy). searched but cant find the answer. If it can its killer value

[@CandidProle]

Thumbs up for the great video and King Gizzard!

[@Retrosen]

This is amazing dude

[@MattGarver]

Excellent how to video!

[@michellel822]

Really cool video!

[@johnduong2710]

Man... i love it.

[@tonysid3563]

Functional, artistic and delicious!

[@oceanhart]

Perfect timing. I was looking for 3d-printable hydroponics the day you released this video.

[@dingdongdaddy589]

Reliable and Creality Ender in the same sentence. AMAZING!!

[@93MatiasS]

Really cool video and I like your character haha I have a question how long into the central tube do the planters go? They looked really short and I was wondering if the cascade of water even touches them!

[@Jnvd3b]

This is a great design

[@jamieweston4495]

I like the colour change. Start with black filament and comes out grey. Magic. LOL😁😁

[@SLU2MOVIES]

I Caded my self a Hydroponics system :D for a 3d printer, after looking for more information about hydroponics a came across your video :), The desings are really similar, so I wasn't far off :) But I'll stick to my stuff ;) THANKS !! for the video My E5+ is getting ready for a big print

[@Hoocho]

Care to share? Would love to have a crack at printing [e-mail] Let me know if you’d like me to keep it private or you’re willing to share the design.

[@cynch1962]

Awesome video! 5 ⭐ New subscriber here, watching from the Philippines 😊.

[@MzEpiqBeatz]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan listen 😂 I don’t know anything about 3D printing, but I’m definitely gonna be buying this!!!

[@jkfeatherranch]

Lol, gotta love the cat interrupting your video. We have a cat that often interrupts our videos as well 😆. It gets left in the bloopers every time.

[@odedraz7685]

Great Video !!!, keep up the great work, what cura settings did you used ?

[@primalgraphx5747]

Wow that would be awesome!!!

[@RetroToonsOfficial]

Your Content Are Awesome i Mean I like It

[@alex28913]

Great video!!! Awesome

[@VigilanteSystems]

Thanks mate, best regards from germany..😁👍

[@ArtemisiaAbsintum]

I have a part that was printed of PLA 8 years ago and this part is outside 24/7 under the influence of sun, wind, frost and it is completely fine

[@sogden2111]

Awesome! 👍🏽

[@corzerlowe3107]

Bloody hell that’s Awesome making your own planter system is go I’m looking into it now looking get 3d printer, not sure which printer tho.

[@yousufrickett7801]

Loved the video, I'll definitely try out the designs. Was wondering what the song was for the time lapse? It's super funky!

[@cristianmendoza5774]

Thanks for the patience

[@anthonymessage6073]

3d print the world

[@jamieweston4495]

Printing this now. See ya in a 100 hours. Mine is Fluro Green.

[@UnitBeerMonsta]

What filament is preferred for hydro set-ups?

[@T1KouKI]

@@UnitBeerMonsta anything fda approved/foodsafe "PETG or ABS would be the better choice. Generally PETG is food safe already, but to be sure you would need to get one that has been certified by the FDA. At least if you trust the US certification."

[@dimitrilasscher1442]

Love what you are doing man just starting with Hydroponics and am looking for a seed tray to print maybe you have a suggestion

[@ryanmiller5473]

Omg I just did this, obviously you did it first, but my design is very similar but very compact (meant for propagation of Venus fly traps, bonsai, and the wife’s house plants) My segments are 60mm tall with 6, 30mm slots,for cuttings. The column is about 53mm diameter. I freaking love 3-D printing and by mistake spent the last five years or so using or struggling rather with sketchup in the last month or so I discovered fusion 360 and OMG it’s friggin awesome lol!

[@qupation7296]

LOL Fusion was a revelation for me too.

[@simon-2962]

You could also use rock wool as a substrate for your plants

[@TheChromePoet]

thank you.

[@MikiCab1]

I have had this for several years. Original design is on Thingiverse with lots of mods. It is ok for small plants like lettuce, Batchoy, etc. does have some issue with algae growing at the top and clogging the holes. water splashing out of the holes where the plant goes, Net pots falling out when the plant gets bigger (I glued a retainer on the sides to help clip in the pot. ). Because light goes right through the plastic Algae can grow in the entire structure. Good idea but needs a bit more refinement IMO . I made mine with PETG so they will last for years . PLA will probably last a few years.

[@CaptainClapTrap]

Do you think paint would help with the light penetration?

[@MikiCab1]

@@CaptainClapTrap funny you said that. I painted them the last year I used them. It seemed to help a little bit but still has issue’s

[@samilkvrak]

I like you, man. nice video

[@ElloraWilson]

Can’t believe you posted this within 2 days of my beau and I getting our first 3D printer (we got ender 3 V2, same/same really). Where do you like getting your filament from so far? I hear aurarum is made in melb, and my X3D orders came from Perth but not sure where it’s made

[@TheDavidRickeychan]

Do you know what printer he has in the video and the printer you mentioned that you bought does it also work the same I really want to get into it.

[@bongskisalva5365]

Nice! That’s awesome! Are you making and selling those parts? Their neat!

[@SeamusHarper1234]

Quick tip, you can print very rough and fast and paint some epoxy over it to make it watertight =)

[@bassambooya5606]

thanks for this great video, my question is howmuch filament do we need to print one part / whole tower ? thanks .

[@shoaibahmad6928]

Such an awesome project. Can you please share what's the weight of your system. Which is 3d printed. I need to calculate the cost.

[@dustinmeier9753]

FYI, to print full size, set the bed area to 230 mm x 230 mm. The default 220 x 220 settings that leave a buffer won't allow the 3 way component to slice.

[@Ibuse123]

Thank you!

[@TheSmuey]

Awesome stuff! I do have a two concerns though: PLA might be called 'food safe', but the pigments in most brands certainly are not. Also, keep in mind that PLA (basically a compound made from lactic acid) will leech some of the lasctic acid into the system over time. The second concern I have is with the technique of 3D printing itself. All things printed with an FDM printer have layer lines, small grooves, in the final product. This would be a perfect place for bacteria to grow over time, making things less than desirable. PETG would be a good medium to counter the first problem (as it's besically the same material plastic bottles for soda are made from) but the second issue remains. I would opt for a treatment in a food safe coating to smooth everything out and properly seal everything before putting it to long-term use.

[@glennwatson8826]

Michael, since it is modular couldn't you simply disassemble and clean it between growing cycles to eliminate the bacteria problem? I am thinking of making this and I appreciate your concerns, and I agree PETG is the way to go for material. So wouldn't a regular washing (throw it in the dishwasher every 3 months or so) alleviate this issue?

[@TheSmuey]

@@glennwatson8826 yeah, for cleaning you could do that, just clean it regularly (that goes for PETG as weel, by the way). But that doesn't solve the issue of unwanted chemicals leeching from PLA. PETG would be a lot better choice.

[@LordKorKor]

Even PETG isn't foof safe because of all the microgaps that can harbor bacteria, 3D printed parts are impossible to sterilize. But I was thinking why not just inoculate the 3d printed parts in the hydroponic system with beneficial bacteria? Realistically they should take up all the room that might be used by harmful bacteria plus you get the benefits of helpful bacteria.

[@mjmtaiwan]

@@LordKorKor Can one sand or coat the finished product to fill in any micro gaps?

[@sunnesonne]

@@mjmtaiwan yes

[@juliuslu]

Hey Hoocho, why don't you use tower gardens at all in your setup? Or did I miss your growing timelapse video? Thumbs up. Great channel.

[@JRchannel207]

Very good....

[@thebestclassicalmusic]

Hey Hoocho, you have inspired me to make a outdoor system like your. I searched your videos and can’t seem to find a pump you recommend. What pump would you suggest with 10ft length of pipe? Thank you!!

[@Preneur3D]

The pump is a marine one.. 12volt.... you would get them from the likes of BCF in Australia or any Marine sales shops

[@amosl6842]

Great video. Can you tell me where you bought your net cups from? The 2" net cups which I bought from ebay were to small. Any link you can share for Australian buyers? Thanks

[@prometheus7504]

I would say the main reason to use PETG is PLA does not do well in the sun nice video =)

[@popsfoodboat4941]

Hoocho you always have great video's. I just got into 3D printing and I was wondering if you might still have your Fusion 360 step file for your very first Grow Tower? I am trying to make one with a 6 sided center cylinder and can not figure out how to add the angled grow tube to it. Been searching for weeks. Do you have or know anyone who has a Fusion 360 tutorial video on how to design the main module? Keep up the good videos I have learned a lot from them.

[@michaelb1498]

Looking to hybrid the system a tad.... Adding a water level sight tube as well as an air pump. A hybrid areoponic and hydroponic system. Everything I've read says O2 helps root systems absorb nutrients faster and more effectively.

[@GooseTheFlick]

So freakin cool

[@timothyanadon9993]

I'm printing one now. It's color changing green to yellow except the last bit i had to swap filament so it's also color change from orange to yellow.

[@dalekubichek5710]

An item missing in all your Vids is what grow lamps are the best for inside/basement systems? What is your light illumination ratio over 24hrs? Do you run the water pump 24/7?

[@janedoefrommo]

Hi there. Just now found your video. Loved it and was exactly what we were looking for. Do you happen to have a good link for the 3d files, the one you have is not working . Thanks!

[@matthewfarrell317]

Interesting, I nearly think I can fit all the pieces on my build plate all at once lol. I am keen to see how the grow goes when it does have plants, I have one similar using PVC pipe, but it uses an irrigation sprayer so the plants don't get anywhere near that water level.

[@Hoocho]

You must have one impressive print bed..! What printer are you using?

[@matthewfarrell317]

@@Hoocho Aurarum Wombot, it's a locally made one, I think it was either 400x400 or a 500x500 bed lol. Really must start using it again

[@DanCounihan]

@@Hoocho look up Ender Extender kits.

[@COR3YBOREALIS]

What 3d print did you use and would you recommend or is there another better?

[@piperpilot1975]

Would love to buy one of those from you!

[@db19812009]

Great video. Is there a way to make this much smaller. I’d need one just for houseplant clippings. So I’d like one small enough that looks nice on a desk or maybe bookshelf

[@Hoocho]

You can scale the system in the slicer to whatever size you like.

[@AlfredTanious]

Thanks for sharing all of these details Are you planning to have the water 24/7? I did this out of PVCs y connections 4 years ago but wasn't very successful and played lazy after

[@Hoocho]

I’ll put it on a timer, I’m thinking a few minutes every half hour.

[@Jamingthepeanut]

Question: What parts do you use exactly from the link you provide? There are a lot of files, and I'm trying to narrow it down

[@TheStrafendestroy]

For some reason I used the same file through the link you provided and same 3d printer the ender 3 pro and it wouldn't slice. The dimensions I have for the same 3 holder are 199.6x181.7x136.5 which is 'm assuming it wouldn't slice because it maxed out the bed size. Any idea why my dimensions for the same 3 way planting module are different?

[@MrGHOHLS]

So glad I have a prusa mk3s when he said bed leveling I already had nightmares from my previous printer lol

[@RBSimmons]

Thanks for this awesome video and all of your awesome videos. They have opened me up to hyponic planting. I printed the different parts but had issues printing the net cups. I would like to purchase netcups to use. Quick question what size net cups are you using? 2 inch?

[@Hoocho]

2 inch mate

[@RBSimmons]

@@Hoocho Awesome Thanks!!

[@ManuelHefti]

PLA might he biodegradable, but in the wild, it will take still about 80 years to degrade. More of a problem could be the instability to heat thou. When heated over 50°C, PLA tends to weaken and your hydroponic system might simply melt away in the hot summer sun. But in a normal home environment, not exposed to direct sunlight (like directly at the window) PLA just might be fine as well. PETG is a bit ore difficult to print but not much. Just ensure that the filament is dry and you are printing in a low humidity environment, in order to avoid stringing, that's all. Cool cat btw! Doesn't mind the drilling noise at all :)

[@chaospatriot]

Hello! So I've currently got the first part of the modular hydroponic system printed out and have come across a concern. The lid has been printed out with 3 layers for the walls but it seems as if water is seeping in between the layers. Will this cause a problem during the overall use of the system or should I line it with something like epoxy resin?

[@danroden830]

is it necessary to run the pump constantly? could you cycle it on every 5 minutes for 30 seconds? or some combination of ebb and flow? nevermind you answered it ^_^

[@Tunzbig]

Love the cats

[@ronmoore8834]

What settings are you using for ender 3 pro? I picked one up and am trying to print. I must have done something wrong as it’s taking 2 days to print each component.

[@chrisz.9974]

wish they had this for 1 inch net cups. I have an Aerogarden so I'd utilize it to start seeds then transfer to the tower once they have sufficient roots.

[@alejandrotaudil3689]

awesome man! let us know the outcome

[@RBSimmons]

I have printed the 3 way planter and purchased the 2 different 2 inch net cups. weirdly they are both are too small. Did I print this to large? can i adjust it? thanks!