Hydroponic NFT Table - COMPLETE BUILD

How to step by step build a hydroponic table that can be used outdoors e.g. on your terrace as well as indoor (then you might need some grow lights). The table is perfect to grow your own fresh vegetables like e.g. lettuce or herbs :-)
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:24 - Building the table
05:36 - Pipes for drain water
10:36 - Gluing channel end pieces
11:44 - Installing irrigation pipe
13:05 - Installing lock nut fittings
16:59 - Installing 5mm flex tubing
19:22 - Connect the water pump
Here is a list of the products used in this video (Norwegian store, but we can ship them internationally. Email us at [e-mail] for a price quote.):
- NFT Channels: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- BOYU Water pump 1000L/H: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- PP pipe Transition 40-32mm: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/rorin...
- PP pipe 40mm: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/rorin...
- PP pipe 32mm: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/rorin...
- PP 40 mm T-connector with sleeve: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/rorin...
- Elbow 40mm with rubber seal: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/rorin...
- Elbow 32mm with rubber seal: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/rorin...
- Pipe clamp 18mm: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/innfe...
- Pipe holder 40mm: www.biltema.no/bygg/vvs/innfe...
- 16mm nut lock elbow: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- 16 mm nut lock T-connection: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
-16mm PE pipe: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- 16mm to 6mm(x4) nut lock coupling: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- 16mm nut lock coupling end stop: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- Flexible hose 6 mm: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- Storage Box STRONGBOX 55L: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- Lid for STRONGBOX 55L: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- Net pots 2inch: www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- Grodan rockwool plugs (large 36x36x40 mm): www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- Underframe wood Adjusted lath/row pine 36x073 kl.1 Cu-imp: www.maxbo.no/justert-lekt-rek...
- Screws
Some stuff we forgot to mention in the video:
- We put a piece of wood under one side of the table, as you can see on the start picture. This creates a slope so that the water runs down into the reservoar.
- The way the table is built now, you wont have to worry about there being enough oxygen in the water. The water is very shallow and the roots will only be partially covered with water. Also the water will be oxygenated when it splashes into the reservoar and makes bubbles. Because of this we keep the pump running all the time. We have a similar indoor system and have very good experience doing it this way.
- If you want more water in the channels you can adjust the slope. You can also use 2x5 mm tubes for each channel (drill another hole in the end piece), but then you have to use these fittings with more exits:
www.innehagen.no/product-page...
- If you have more water in the channels you might need to add an air pump with air stone to the reservoar so that the roots gets enough oxygen, or turn the pump off for a while each day. You will then get a hybrid NFT-DWC system.....which will also work :)

[@scottingersoll5674]

Nice build. In my veg room, I used a sheet of corrugated roofing in place of the square pvc troughs, this made the whole surface usable instead of being restricted to hole positions. I used clumps of rockwool and just moved them up and down on the incline keeping the taller plants closer to the reservoir. One issue is the rockwool and roots grew green algae on them, but it did not seem to effect the harvest. Good luck and thanks for making the videos.

[@barbarastefani254]

Great job

[@barbarastefani254]

Thank you for this video

[@dennisshoemaker2789]

Excellent build! Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@innehagen4248]

Thank you so much! We are glad you found it useful.😀👍

[@jstar1000]

Why not one supply at far end and one return at the close end and let the flow go through all the rails, less plumbing true?

[@innehagen4248]

Yes, this would also have worked, but for this build we wanted to build a true NFT system where the water just runs past the roots and forms a thin layer in the bottom of the channels. The table is tilted so that the water runs down each channel without having water that stands still. Besides plumbing is fun :D We have also made a vertical NFT system where the channels are connected in series as you describe. You can check this out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZi3kHupo8mIjck

[@barbarastefani254]

I like how this is pretty easy to put together think I could do this

[@innehagen4248]

Yes! We think that everyone who is willing to spend some time learning and trying will be able to build this, and even have fun while doing it :) Im glad you found the video helpful and inspiring! Good luck :)

[@HeritageFarmsTexas]

Nice build. Very impressive.

[@innehagen4248]

Thank you very much :-)

[@barbarastefani254]

I have an 8 foot bench I want to do this with in the greenhouse

[@sidinterior9661]

Super idea good

[@innehagen4248]

Thank you :-)

[@smittysfarms5914]

By gluing caps on the ends of the pipes, it will make cleaning more difficult. Running a trough across the end of the grow tubes would allow gravity to exit the water to the reservoir and would make it much easier to dissassemble and clean the grow tubes periodically. Increasing the slope of the grow tubes would eliminate the need for a cap at the feed end, as well as the exit end and probably improve performance. Would save a bunch of money, also. Otherwise, nice build.

[@innehagen4248]

Yes, this would also be a good solution. There are many ways to build this, with its pros and cons :) With no end caps and a open channel/gutter across at the end, there could be some splashing and the nutrient solution could be more exposed to sunlight which can encourage algea growth, but it would also be easier to clean and also cheaper as you say. If we were going to make a large system, we would probably do it the way you describe.

[@DM-sc4zy]

No caps in where i live would mean algae issues and even slugs will find their way in from the ends and very hard to remove.

[@thefutureofgardening5912]

Great build! The only thing I would do differently is just have a pipe coming up out of the reservoir that goes into a 4-way manifold, slightly above the NFT channels, and have each port on the manifold gravity-drip down into each of the NFT channels. Your method is certainly nice and neat though. I love it!

[@innehagen4248]

Thank you very much :-) Yes, we could have used a 4-way manifold also. I guess what makes hydroponics so interesting is that there are many ways to build a system, and you can experiment with different solutions :) And they will all have their pros and cons. One advantage with the way we built it, might be the ease of expanding to more channels without using several long tubes.

[@thefutureofgardening5912]

@@innehagen4248 Absolutely fair points. You're right. It's one of the most rewarding parts of hydroponics - being able to design and have multiple models all perform the same function. I hope to see more from you going forward!!

[@innehagen4248]

We have plans for building a vertical system indoor using the same channels, but we are out of channels, so we are trying to get new ones :-)

[@thefutureofgardening5912]

@@innehagen4248 I'm excited to see what you come up with! I think that will do great. :)

[@albertcaba8844]

Nice video , really enjoyed it! :) I see that you also build a drip system too, do you see a lot of yield difference between the drip system and this one? Do you keep the water pump on at all times for the NFT system? I have experimented this year with Kratky with good results, and for next spring I am thinking about testing some new method , and after some research I am between NFT and drip. Any recommendation? Thanks!

[@innehagen4248]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it:) In the NFT system we keep the water pump on at all times. The outlet in the channels are low and the channels are a bit tilted so it will never be more than a film of water in the bottom (no risk of the plants "drowning"). We have very good experience with the yield from both NFT and drip. See the yield from a similar NFT system: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZi3kHupo8mIjck and the drip system: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX-tnZqKZbeZh8k We also have good experience with larger plants in the drip system like tomatoes and cucumbers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opS4gHmGrt-np9E Generally we use NFT for Lettuce and herbs, and drip for larger plants :)

[@DM-sc4zy]

Great build, I'd use bigger inlet tubing to minimise clogging.

[@innehagen4248]

Hi, and thank you :) Yes, you are right that this could be improved. We considered 4 different options: 1. Use 16mm all the way with 16mm Tees. The downside with this is that we would need 4 valves to get the same flow rate to all 4 channels. 2. It would be an improvement to use a inline filter like we use in this build: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5OqpodoZtWBprc at 16min10sec. Unfortunately we didnt have one at the time. 3. We could use 2 of the small tubes for each channel instead of one. This would improve the flow rate (which is a bit on the weak side) and also eliminate the risk of clogging (if you remember to check for clogging once in a while). But it would complicate the build, having to drill extra holes in the channels and connect 4 more tubes. 4. Lastly, as you mentioned, we could use a slightly larger tube (9mm) but all we had was 5 and a larger tube wouldnt fit in the pre drilled holes. ...having said that, if we were to build this system again we would probably go for option 3. Maybe if it gets clogged in the future we can make a movie about improving the system ;) Thanks for your feed back! If you ever build an improved version, we would love to hear from you :)

[@DM-sc4zy]

@@innehagen4248 I personally would go for #1, inline filters only work well if you check/clean up often which can sometimes be a bit challenging for home growers. you can get away without using valves if you place the inlet tee in the middle. I'd use valves anyways (still cheaper than using nut locks) and would be handy if I need to shut off 1-2 channels for maintenance.

[@barbarastefani254]

Where do you get the gutters

[@innehagen4248]

Hi Barbra! We sell the gutters in our store. There should be a link in the description. Unfortunately we only ship to Norway. These gutters can be imported from China so you might find them on Amazon or somewhere similar in your country. Try searching for NFT channels on Amazon. Update: We can now ship them internationally. Email us at [e-mail] for a price quote.

[@MrHennesy87]

Kanskje snakke litt ,eller legge på noe musikk.

[@innehagen4248]

Takk for innspill. Dette er jo litt smak og behag. Vi har andre videoer med musikk og/eller snakking, men denne instruksjonsvideoen er uten.