Grommets are Amazing! & Building a NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) Hydroponics System Part 2

Emma and I finally got the NFT system completed and set up.  Using a $5 tote from Lowes and a $20 water pump from Mr. Growitall we prepared to fire up the system for the first time.

We slid the system under the light bank and plugged it in.....the pump kicked on, the sprayers sprayed, the water flowed....and leaked all over the place!  The silicone I used to secure the end caps did not hold. 

The main problem was with my first try at the system, where I used silicone to secure things instead of grommets.  But in my defense, I had no idea about grommets!  GROMMETS ARE YOUR FRIENDS!  A grommet is just an awesome little rubber seal with a hole in the middle to slide stuff through.

Also, I made my drain holes to close to the end of the square unit, so the end cap did not seat properly, so even with the silicone, it still wouldn't seal.

Then, to add insult to injury, I leaned on the $5 tote I was trying to use as a reservoir and cracked it all to pieces.  :( Major bummer.  So, I went back to Lowes and purchased a $14 tough box rated for 500lbs.  Even with my winter weight, I'm not that heavy...

To solve my problems I had to redesign a bit.  I cut the end right off the square tube and started over.  I placed my drain hole a good few inches back from where the end cap would seat and used a rubber grommet and a piece of PVC to complete the drain assembly.

Instead of running the intake line through the bottom, I am shunting the intake line right through the end cap using another grommet.  This will also hold my water line in place within the square tube.

Using a combination of threaded reducers I found at a hardware store, I created a system that will allow me to remove the water tubing from the PVC water line without having to wrench on it, to make cleaning and moving easier.  The key piece of this assembly is a piece with a 3/8ths nipple on one end and a garden hose type female coupler on the other end.

And that's it!  

Now, I'm making small DWC systems (Deep Water Culture or Bubble Buckets) out of the plastic Folgers coffee containers I've been collecting.

Using the Dremel I cut a 3" diameter hole in the top, then smoothed the sides out with the polishing bit.  The Dremel is a worthwhile investment for anyone who doesn't have one.

That's all for this post, but I feel like I'm making some progress at last...

~Jason