Hydroponic resevoir -- do I make it cheap? Or do I buy an Ebb & Gro?

Hydroponic systems require reservoirs for the water / nutrient solution. A reservoir can be a bucket, a barrel, PVC tubing, or a fiberglass tank.

Buy a new tank for a reservoir? Or recycle a used tank?

Make a reservoir for a hydroponic garden? Or buy a manufactured reservoir?

One option: a used 55 gallon chemical barrel.

This video shows a problem with a HDPE 2 barrel.

Many years ago, I acquired a trashed barrel. I used the barrel as a reservoir for an outdoor hydroponic system.

HDPE 2 plastic goes brittle with time. When I relocated the system, the barrel got cracked. ( Any hit to the plastic will break the plastic. )

I tried to fix the crack with fiberglass. I did not know fiberglass will not bond to HDPE 2. Now I know.

( The video shows the fiberglass falling away from the HDPE plastic. After I made this video, I dropped the black barrel and broke the base. )

Using a HDPE 2 barrel presents problems.

If it is used, does it still hold water? A leak can lead to the burn-out of a $100 pump.

Has the plastic gone brittle?

How many modifications will be required? The hydroponic system will require PVC piping, the piping will require holes in the barrel -- and if there is an error in the drilling, the hole cannot be patched with fiberglass.

If the gardener can afford to buy a commercial system, an Ebb & Gro system offers an out-of-the-box solution. Buy it, use it the first day.

Otherwise, learn plastics, develop sources for materials and components, learn to improvise.

Ebb & Gro systems are available from hydrosuppliers.com in Sylmar, California 91342.

http://hydrosuppliers.com also offers fittings, tubing, timers, pumps, and all the nutrients and other chemicals required for a successful hydroponic system.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Hydroponic
• resevoir
• outdoor
• system
• cheap
• Ebb
• and
• Gro
• water
• nutrient
• solution
• bucket
• barrel
• PVC
• tubing
• fiberglass
• tank
• HDPE
• $100
• pump
• modifications
• pipe
• piping
• commercial
• learn
• plastics
• develop
• sources
• materials
• components
• to
• improvise
• hydrosuppliers.com
• Sylmar
• California
• 91342
• fittings
• timers
• nutrients
• chemicals

[ve3tru]

Only thing is I would paint it white not black, black absorbs the heat the temperature can get so high it will damage your plants. Black is fine for indoors but not out.

[plantlife102]

Great info! Thanks for sharing great tips. One of the things that I like about hydroponics is that aside from the idea that you're growing fresh crops, any grower can set up his own system at home by just using supplies that can be found inside the home which makes it less expensive and very innovative :)