Ok to use poly film as tray/reservoir?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

King Bud

Free Spirit
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
974
Reaction score
625
I'm considering making a wood framed hydro system..

is it ok to use white/black poly film as tray/reservoir liner?

:icon_smile:
 
I personally do not believe that it is strong enough to be a tray liner.
 
I agree with Goddess. Water is very heavy and will push any liner down against any little thing that could puncture a thin liner. Plus if you have to do any maintenanceon the system, you risk tears which could be disasterous. That is why I like using the totes as they are good and sturdy, and you can set them up pretty much any way you want.
 
I dont think it would work either the rubbermaid totes work great there cheap tough there a great option i even use the shallow ones as trays.
 
And even totes need to have some strength to them. I have seen totes that the sides bow out when filled with water. Water weights 8.34 lbs per gal and 62.42 per cubic foot--it is heavy.
 
Thanks everyone :)

The ABS hydroponic trays I see are advertised as "food grade". I am mostly concerned about plastics/toxins leaching from rubbermaid/polyfilm into the water; probably not a concern right? :confused:

My rubbermaids bow unless I stack two together. They're also too tall for the SOG/SCrOG system I'm planning. The commercial hydroponic trays are an option, even though they're pretty expensive; I'm worried about being able to disguise them during transportation as they're quite bulky, and I already have a lot of large unmarked boxes.

I am considering building the tray out 1/2 inch plywood supported by vertically positioned 1x1/8 ribs, with 2x1 wood stands. Table will incline slightly toward front left drain, with input at rear right. Water height will be 3 - 4".

Thanks again :eek: :farm:
 
I have a built in ebb + flow system running, that i made a custom tray outa 3/4 ply with a pond liner which is some really rigid stuff, very inexpensive and easy to clean and fix if you do get an unfortunite hole" drop your drill while putting up your screen" been there done that. some pics of it in my grow journal. As for contamination from plastics or rubbermaid i would not worry about as long as the items are disinfected well with alcohol and rinsed well before use, but that goes for most anything. using wood might be a bigger concern if it is getting wet and not able to dry out, that can definitely cause some mold issues. I used 3/4 ply that i sealed with polyurethane before i covered it with the liner and used plastic sym board everywhere else. good luck and happy growin
 
I used to run a very similar setup, except I made mine on a mobile table that was as low as I could get it and still have wheels under it so that I could move the table to get around it. I bought some heavy mil plastic and double lined it in the bottom of my table(over the 1/2" plywood bottom) and then folded it over(and stapled to) the top of the lip edge that was formed by 2"x6" boards turned up lengthwise. it worked very well for sog but was a bit difficult to clean and maintain. I used it for 3 grows then went to the totes. I built a platform that is just high enough for my 12gal resevoirs to slide beneath, and have the totes sitting on top. it makes handling much easier for me and my partner. If you want to see how they work, look at the link to my grow journal. I have them shown on the first few pics. :) I know shameless plug of my grow journal right :hubba:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top