Hydroponics DIY: Build A Flood And Drain / Ebb and Flow Hydroponic System

Hydroponics - How to build an ebb and flow (flood and drain) hydroponic system. I accidentally left out the footage about needing a 24 hour timer. You can view "The Lost Timer" video for more details.
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[@sethclark6422]

This is an excellent way to start, I fully recommend using the pots like he did. It makes it easier to remove and add new plants to the tub without stressing the others.

[@cheesew1re]

2 things. 1: i liked this video a lot. it reminded me to not overthink building a new setup. very straight forward. 2: after he got done drilling the second hole in the black tray, when the drill would not come out and he just set it down like, eh, fuggit. @ 5:53

[@MarioHemsley]

Excellent job!

[@sharimoore100]

very good video was thinking of doing one of these in the next couple runs for my peppers

[@bearclaw665]

An Excellent Build.. Thank You....

[@ericrachal6133]

Great system I build the same one 30 years ago. Only one thing was an issue was the changing of the water... I ended up building an screw on hose and would hook it up to the same pump and pump out the old water.

[@joeferguson2606]

thanks rcmagoo! very informative

[@jc3777]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@jonathancrawford6624]

Great video! You should just skip buying the pots and use the extra money on more hydroton (expanded clay rocks) and fill the entire tray up with hydroton instead of using the pots..the roots don't need to be kept separate from each other, and this will give them 3x the space to grow in

[@icomba]

Very nice set up an vid i wanted to see it run tho anyway i think ima do one of these for shure as i have the items to set up jus need the concrete tray an fill an drain kit thats it. Thanks for the info.

[@StephenMaris]

Very nice and simple set up. The large bin you are using for your reservoir should be a high quality plastic (Rubbermaid) and not one of the cheaper off-brands. I find they are too brittle and wear out too quickly, especially when exposed to UV from the sun or grow lights. The nutrient mixture needs to be changed about every week, so having the plants directly on top is a bit of an inconvenience. If you could elevate and support the mixing tray, then use hoses to connect the two. That way you can slide out the water when it's changing time. Hell, you could even get a moving dolly to make it easier (Harbor Freight has them cheap). If you look on craigslist, you can often find a cheap Bontanicare or other grow tray for about $30, which has steeper walls and channeling in the bottom, so that all the water fully drains out.

[@richardowens9061]

Thanks, for the video! You could also just fill the tub with hydroton, rather than using the individual pots. That would, of course, use more hydroton, but it would also give you greater growing space and allow you to plant an herb garden, for example, where you have several different things growing all at once.

[@marciaz31]

Good video ....Where did you buy the fill and drain kit ?

[@diyblindguy]

I picked up the drain kit from a hydro store. You can also find them on ebay.

[@trubushdrTHATSRIGHT-DR]

ever do a follow up of it running? how often do u flood and drain? I've got a little system but don't no how often I should flood n drain.

[@avitasvul]

that's beautiful. i wish he would have run it through the flood and drain cycle just to see it work

[@MrWorm-mp6vw]

Do you put the net pots inside the regular pots?

[@XxdjforrestxX]

I wouldn't have the tray directly laterally parallel to the reservoir because once your plants are in the tray, you would have to disassemble the whole top in order to change out the reservoir. Off setting the top tray so that they are perpendicular would be better but ultimately I would not have the table on the reservoir at all

[@diyblindguy]

This is a cheap setup. After someone decides they like an ebb and flow system then money can be spent on getting the table off the reservoir. I need to do some videos showing upgrades that make the system more user friendly.

[@michaelc6096]

Should use half inch to pump in and 3/4 out. Put drain in high part of tray

[@DashTheory9]

@rcmagoo I built this setup and use a 264GPH pump. Upon test run, it took almost 45 min. to fill and 1.75 hours to drain... That is WAY too long to promote healthy growth. Do you have any info on why that would happen? Thanks!

[@soma7940]

How does the water drain completely? The water fills nicely, but only seems to drain down to below the blue netting on the drain tube, and then it just sits there. Any suggestions as to why that may be and how to fix it? Aside from drilling another hole and putting in a slow drain cap? Thanks for the plans. It's a very nice set up and you explained it perfectly so even someone like me, who gets lost and can't find their way around in a Home Depot can build it effortlessly.

[@diyblindguy]

You should have installed 2 fittings. The pump should be connected to one of the fittings. The fitting with the pump connected has no risers and only the blue netting connector. The drain tube has the risers and a blue connector. Hope that helps.

[@7700Purplexity]

The water drains back through the pump when it is turned off.

[@StephenMaris]

The higher fitting is for overflow. in my set up I do a test with the pump and see how long it takes to completely flood the tray WITHOUT overflowing. Then I set my timer for this number of minutes (about 6 with my pump). The overflow would be if for some reason the pump doesn't shut off or you aren't using a timing and forget to turn it off. Like the noted below, the return flow is through the pump when it is turned off.

[@radiums9413]

What kind of yield would one expect from 6 pots?

[@MrWorm-mp6vw]

Can i use any other water pump?

[@pernellkatchp66]

All of my best eco tools I made with inplix.

[@Herb_culture_420]

My drian tube has a small exit hole amd my fill has The large hole...idk why that is?

[@Shockwave_App]

6:34 Did you accidentally say the drain and fill wrong? I thought the low on was the drain.

[@Jazzybreaks]

no the fill is the low one... the tall one is the drain, it allows the water to actually build up and stay in the tub but its still short enough to allow water to drain through it and not over flow from the sides of the tub.

[@kansasgardener5844]

Poon Snarfy The tall one is an overflow. The short one is the fill and also the drain. The water drains from it when the pump shuts off. It actually drains through the pump.

[@TheBlaqdevil]

No air pump?

[@1ka0tik]

what about the air pump? The water fed by the water pump needs to be oxygenated by an air pump in order to prevent algae and molding. It also keeps things circulating. Great job on everything else though

[@rayluka100]

Hydroton. pronounced Hydro ton. Not hydrotin

[@diyblindguy]

This type of setup doesn't need an air pump. The plants get their air when there is no water in the tray.

[@nunnuka69]

Well...i was looking for the song..

[@TwistedTornsTirade]

He used a black tub algae doesnt form as quick on black as to white, in some cases algae isnt bad if you grow organic but you never want to let algae build up.

[@diyblindguy]

In my experience the pump can fill it faster then it can drain. The pump may be bad. The most likely cause is that the hose is kinked. Test the pump without the hose connected.

[@mleet3125]

Today is my first day looking into doing one of these. In some other how-to video's I've watched, they claim that you shouldn't expose the water to sunlight so that algae doesn't grow. This method doesn't follow that advice. Why is it ok here and not in other methods?

[@margaretj.raftery2087]

The issue with hydroponics is you must shop for "plant food" or nutrients and supplements that are costly.

[@margaretj.raftery2087]

Aquaponics combines the best aspects of Hydroponics And Aquaculture which means reduce pricing and also enhance work productivity. You'll find one of the best aquaponics plan here: help1.info/best-aquaponics-plan

[@Danny-vk3xb]

"how to burn prodiict before it's heated to burnt"....

[@titsmenold]

HI-DROE_TAWN NOT HI_DRAW_TON

[@lambomater8654]

The downside of hydroponics is you have to shop for "plant food" or nutrition and supplements that are expensive.

[@lambomater8654]

Aquaponics combines the most beneficial elements of Hydroponics And Aquaculture therefore lower cost and boost efficiency. You may get the most effective aquaponics system here: help1.info/best-aquaponics-plan

[@joebuzzell7506]

Lambo Mater Don't fall for it that is just a guy who collected diy builds trying to make a quick buck. If you want information try gardenpool.com. They actually teach you having hands on classes & community team building. This add is targeted toward new people. To scam them before they know about the community and its resources. This site posts on almost every diy build ;(

[@diyblindguy]

For a beginner or someone who doesn't want to learn chemistry, nutrients can be expensive. Some people like pre mixed nutrients. Some will custom mix the salts to get exactly what they want. I'm personally in the middle. I use a 3 part formula. I don't buy nutrients from hydroponics stores either. So the more you learn about nutrients the cheaper they get.

[@joebuzzell7506]

rcmagoo The idea of having a net box to the side with duckweed in it along with a bucket as backup. Free food for the fish then the waste pumped up into the bed. The only thing that gets me stuck is getting Bell Siphons drilled and setup.. That is why I like this build. I've mixed this build with theselfsufficientliving.com/wp-ontent/uploads/2014/05/Indoor-plan-for-aquaponics.jpg. Though switching from pvc in/ out to flexi tubes & the drain kit. I hope its a way around having to make a Bell Siphon.

[@Quagmire113]

Get a friend to hold/manipulate the camera so you can use both hands in your next video!! This was painful to watch..........