Enhancements to the Hydroponic Reservoir for the Ebb and Flow System

Hydroponic lettuce, peppers and tomatoes.

Half of the table is flowing great. There had been concerned about the amount of nutrient solution needed to fill both halves of the table. During testing, I continued to run the system until the reservoir was nearly empty, or fill from the top with enough water to fill to the fill line and overflow the reservoir when drained (probably about 80 gallons).

Once the plants and medium was introduced to the system, and I increased the size of the main section of the reservoir, the amount of nutrient solution needed significantly decreased. The table at capacity, now, needed about 35 gallons of nutrient solution.

The main reservoir and controls for pumping and draining.

The system was running strong and
work began on the second half of the ebb and flow table. We daisy chained another 45 gallon barrel to the 35 gallon main reservoir and the the second drain reservoir, improve the valve system, to regulate the use of each side and to be able to shut down the table and drain the nutrient solution for regular changing. We pulled the reservoir and used slightly longer tubing to connect the drain reservoirs to the main reservoir, to allow for better access to the pump.

Ed helping rig the enhanced daisy chain reservoir.

New basil, more lettuces and additional pepper seeds have been planted. They'll be ready to introduce to the table in about 10 days.

The next steps...
Fix the leaking drain/fill adapter in the second half of the table.
Increase Oxygen- new air system coming soon.
Raise the level of the plants - fix the problem with the 1/8 inch of solution that is not draining well.
Introduce a fan or two.