This week, some supplies were brought in, including two 6’ long 4” diameter PVC pipes, two 4’ long 4” diameter PVC pipes, four connectors (T-joints) and two endcaps for the pipes, and two 5-gallon buckets. The T-joints and the endcaps were tried on the PVC pipes, and they fit perfectly. It is measured that 2” of the pipe will go into the T-joints or the endcaps, so 2” at the ends should be avoided when calculating the hole-cuttings.
Since the biggest parts for the structure are accessible, an on-scale view is present when making construction plan, such as the plan for water supply in the hydroponic system. The design will be having the tubing run up one side of the planter and veer off to the middle and top rungs. The two buckets will serve as the reservoirs on each side, and the side with tubing going up has the pump. The water from that bucket will be pumped up and flow on the roots through the horizontal pipes, and then drip down in the opposite pipe to water its lettuce and will be collected in the other bucket. The water on the pump side will also go up to the top, hit the endcap, then drip down from the wall to water its lettuce. The two buckets will be connected with a tube so the water can cycle back to the pump. Funnels may be used in the pipes to guide the water to flow along the wall. A schematic of the design is shown in Figure 6. The green parts are the PVC pipes, the blue parts are the joints, the purple triangles are the funnels, the cyan lines are the tubing, and the red arrows are directions of the water flow.
| Figure 6. Schematics for the hydroponic system |
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