Friday, April 17, 2009

Setting Up the System and Wind Power

I'm setting up the hydroponics system. The six inch pipes are suspended from the ceiling in a cascading manner. Note the tie downs wrap around the pipe. Shortly I will be drilling a hole in the pipes at each end and connecting the hooks to the eye bolts. Right now I'm just getting height adjusted so that plants will not shade each other. This is easily adjusted during the growing process with the strap system that we are using. Each pipe will have its own drain and fill line so that there is more flexiblity in the vertical spacing. I will show more detail as we progress.
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My son, Simeon is adjusting the straps here.
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The white end caps are sealed with silicone around the edge for easy removal so I can clean the pipes as needed. We're hoping for lots of happy roots. Remember, we are going organic in our nutrients.
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We decided to install a wind generator. The motor is made from a garbage disposal unit. Hank is really into alternate energy sources. Remember, we are trying to make this a sustainable system. We will be putting solar panels on the roof in the future. All the little pumps and airstones require electricity. We would like this greenhouse to be off the grid. My Dad and Hank are tying down the guy lines attached to the wind genny.
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We are attaching clamps to hold the shaft to the building.
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Here is the unit installed. Note the hydroponic system that you can see through the window. I am installing a drip system and resevoirs presently and will show you the water pumps, air pumps, airstones, aquarium heaters and the ppm and ph meters in the next post.
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