DIY Reservoir for AeroGarden and Hydroponics - Automatic Refilling Tank (AeroVoir Alternative)

Рет қаралды 6,261

Күн бұрын

This is a simple and effective two-piece DIY reservoir that will keep your AeroGarden, hydroponic tank or aquarium continuously topped-off at a controlled level via gravity. It performs the same function as an AeroVoir reservoir, but allows you to choose your own materials, reservoir capacity, ergonomics...and have the fun of building the reservoir yourself!
As water is slowly consumed in the main tank (e.g. AeroGarden), the reservoir's sump will continuously refill the tank to a controlled height via an active siphon, and the upper tank will refill the sump via gravity. This design allows for a high capacity refilling tank (e.g. 1 gallon or greater) that can potentially keep your garden topped off automatically for weeks. More details and design considerations are provided in the video.
The reservoir shown in this example is constructed of a glass pickle jar + lid (refillable water container), strong plastic container with open top (sump), 3/16" ID black aquarium air tubing for auto-siphoning water over time (kit is linked below), barbed air valve for connecting the air tubing to the sump (same kit, linked below), and some hot glue to seal the air valve - sump interface.
If you want to avoid the need to occasionally remove unsightly algae from the sump container, you can select for an opaque material or spray paint the exterior of the container. Though transparent for demonstration purposes in this video, the sump was painted black afterwards to avoid algae.
Photo of painted sump: drive.google.com/file/d/10qsn...
00:00 1. Design Intro
06:03 2. Siphon Startup
07:43 3. Bottle Drainage Test
09:38 4. System Diagram & Design Considerations
13:44 5. Materials
15:29 6. Drilling Hole in Sump
17:52 7. Hot Glue for Sump Connector
20:32 8. Sizing Drainage Hole in Refillable Water Container
22:19 9. Watertight Seal Test
22:47 10. Tubing Installation & Siphon Startup
24:26 11. Bottle Drainage Test
MATERIALS SHOWN IN THIS VIDEO
Glass pickle jar w/ lid
OXO Good Grips POP container base
Gorilla Glue Hot Glue Gun
~18" length of black 3/16" aquarium air tubing (black tubing to avoid algae growth)
Barbed air valve for 3/16" aquarium air tubing (make sure valve is open to allow water flow)
Both aquarium air tubing components available in this kit:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

Пікірлер: 28

@timalig1831 Жыл бұрын

An additional consideration for the sump (base) container is long-term algae growth. If you want the sump to be clear/transparent, you can occasionally hand wash the interior surfaces to remove algae. If you don't mind an opaque sump that eliminates the unsightly algae issue, you can select for an opaque material or spray paint the exterior surface.

@bbowen8802 3 ай бұрын

That has to be one of the most thorough instructional videos I’ve ever seen! Good job!

@chrisw9445 5 күн бұрын

Thanks for this perfect explanation, I appreciate knowing how it works entirely. It’s good to learn the principal so you can do your own thing and still have success

@timalig1831 5 күн бұрын

Thanks kindly Chris, and I very much agree!

@KENDAandhisORB Жыл бұрын

Wonderful! No more red signal light for low water. :) Thanks!

@timalig1831 Жыл бұрын

You're welcome, Ken! Thanks for the note.

@someguy85507 10 ай бұрын

This video helped alot but there were a few things I wish I did differently. I wish I didn't drill the hole in the oxo container. The container is very nice and even with the glue water leaked all over my floor. I did it again with the tubing running out the top of the container and as long as I have water siphoned through the tubing it worked just as well. The set also comes with a suction cup that holds the tuning to the bottom of the container. Now I can still use it for other stuff, and I don't have to worry about a leak.

@timalig1831 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback! In my example, the OXO container was very old an not being used for anything else, and also offered a strong base material for the hefty glass jar above it. The point of that example is to use some container you're comfortable repurposing and makes a sturdy sump container. As far as the overhanging siphon tube goes, that can work for initial siphoning, but be careful with the suction cup, as they often un-stick over time as biofilm starts to grow on the internal surfaces. I've seen plenty of horrific examples of this in the aquarium trade. I would not want to risk the entire contents of the Aerogarden backflowing onto your counter or floor. For long term installations I like to either use a barb or other permanent fitting to secure tubing. All that being said, do what works for you! Enjoy!

@latriciacagle4873 11 ай бұрын

Great idea! There are two things I will do differently. I would paint the pickle jar as well. You can put a vertical strip of tape on the bottle before painting. After painting, remove the tape and you have a view window to monitor the water level. I did this on the 1/2 gallon mason jars that I used in my Kratky system. Since I have drip irrigation supplies, I will use the 1/4” tubing and T connectors instead of the aquarium kit.

@timalig1831 11 ай бұрын

Great stuff, Latricia. Customize to what works/looks best for you. Over the last year I've gotten into a pattern of rotating between two pickle jars every 4-6 weeks, or once algae becomes noticeable towards the bottom. A trip through the dishwasher has them like new for the next rotation.

@projectamor 11 ай бұрын

I just made my own system based on this video! Thank you for the detailed information. I used a check valve in my sump bc that's what came with my kit and I like the extra backflow protection. It does make it a bit of a pain to prime the system, though. Overall very pleased and enjoying the tinkering and learning.

@MeganIrvine 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for posting this! It was an easy project that I could do myself and it seems to work just fine.

@frenettes.3758 Жыл бұрын

Merci votre système est fantastique. J'ai utilisé une bouteille d'eau de 3 litres acheté à l'epicerie, j'ai retirer le bouchon completement (au lieu du petit trou qui a été percé dans le bouchon et qui n'a pas fonctionné) et je l'ai deposé sur un contenant de la bonne taille.

@ZenBerryz Жыл бұрын

wish the aerogardens still look like this. new units don't look as good

@maggybotros2043 10 күн бұрын

Thanks for this helpful video! It seems like the siphon works before the pickle jar is even added. If I have a single container with enough volume, would it work to just set up the tubing with the one open container (ie your oxo) alone without the additional reservoir? Thanks!

@timalig1831 10 күн бұрын

Thanks, Maggy! The "sump only" configuration you mentioned can work to a certain extent, but there are a few reasons I would recommend adding on the top container. Used alone, the sump will require a large footprint, quickly result in the water level dropping from target/starting water level and exposing the roots, and be a bit hard to monitor if the sump is opaque. This sump only configuration was what I started with before I made this video, but realized how much easier and space efficient the sump + top container configuration is. It adds a lot more refilling capacity in a small footprint. The top container is also necessary for keeping the Aerogarden right at the target water level via automatic refilling. The sump-only configuration requires constant manual refills to maintain the target Aerogarden level.

@tmariect 6 ай бұрын

Wonderful idea, thank you! Tell me, please. How do you refill the top jar?

@timalig1831 6 ай бұрын

Thank you, and you are welcome. I discuss this briefly around the 21:30 mark. You can refill by picking the top jar up and immediately covering the drain hole in the lid with your finger. Flip the jar over so that the drain hole is on top. Then remove the lid, clean the jar (if needed), refill with water, and screw the lid back on. Bring the jar back over to the sump and cover the drain hole with your finger. Once the jar is directly above the sump, flip the jar so that the drain hole is on the bottom, and you can release your finger from the drain hole. Place the jar back on the rim of the sump and you are done. Enjoy!

@joycegoldman7093 10 күн бұрын

Won't the container crack when drilling hole for tubing?

@timalig1831 10 күн бұрын

Hi Joyce, most common container plastics (HDPE, LDPE, polypropylene, polycarbonate, etc.) are easy to drill through without cracking. Take your time and don't use a bunch of added force behind the drill bit - let it work its way through the plastic.

@jscottstockton Ай бұрын

I will be gine two weeks and the top container will run out after about 5 days.... Once the top is empty what will happen to the water in the bottom container... Will ut stop or will it continuously run ober in the Aero garden

@timalig1831 Ай бұрын

Hi Scott, good question. If the top bottle becomes empty, the siphon tube will continue to keep an active siphon between the sump (bottom container) and Aerogarden, which allows them to keep equal water levels. This will continue until the water level drops below the open end of the siphon tube in the Aerogarden. Once the water level gets that low, it will allow air to get into the tube and interrupt the siphon. This is why you will want to put the tip of the siphon tube at least a couple inches below the target water level in the Aerogarden. This will buy you many days of insurance time to refill your empty water bottle before the siphon stops. Should you happen to interrupt the siphon, it is very easy to restart it - just follow the siphon starting procedure in this video.

@MichelleHotchkissArt Жыл бұрын

I may try this but I wonder if the lid will rust.

@timalig1831 Жыл бұрын

Hi Michelle, thanks for your comment and I’m happy to say that the rust is very minor with metal lids like the one shown here, limited to that very small area where the lid’s coating is disrupted by the cutting tool. A tiny amount of rust will form in that small ~2 millimeter rim around the hole and stop there because the rest of the lid’s coating is still intact. As you’ll want to occasionally remove algae from the lid, you can easily remove this rust with a bottle brush every month or so, or use alternative lid materials where rust is not a factor.

@theresarodrigue9923 Жыл бұрын

I set up this system on 3 different aerogardens. I'm having problems with two which run fine for a couple of days and then stop. All air is removed from the line so I'm not sure what may be the issue. The valve is open and the testing worked fine. Any ideas on the cause?

@timalig1831 Жыл бұрын

Hi Theresa, thanks for the note. I haven't had this issue pop up but happy to theorize. Assuming the bottle continues to drain fine and this is just an issue with the plumbing somewhere - this is either a pinch, plug or air issue. Two things you could try right off the bat: (1) move the end of the tubing to another location in the Aerogarden, using an appropriate length of tubing to do so (2) assuming the air valve is oriented in the same manner as mine (within the sump), remove the knob from the valve, as it is not necessary for this device, and removing it will maximize flow rate and minimize the risk of any long-term fouling obstruction from biofilm, should you happen to have any in the sump. Please let me know if you find a working solution. Hope it is an easy fix!

@_Lightning_Dog_ 7 ай бұрын

Is there any reason why we couldn’t feed two units by connecting each unit with a siphon tube? So there’s the tubing that goes from the sump into the first unit. Let’s call it unit one. What if put a second siphon tube from unit one into unit two?

@timalig1831 7 ай бұрын

You could certainly do series configuration like that, but it might be easier to have a second tube going directly from the sump to unit two. That way, you can prime the siphon for both units simultaneously, simply by lifting the sump and purging the air in each tube. Priming a siphon between units one and two could be a bit more work, so if were me, I'd set up parallel tubes that feed each of the two units directly from the sump.