hey im helping my buddy run an aeroponics setup which is as follows: On the floor is a 30 gallon rectangular plastic container (tote) with a fitted lid. Inside the container is a high pressure pump which is sealed to the bottom via suction cups. The pump is connected to a pvc pipe configuration resulting in three separate pipes protruding upwards. The pipes come through the containers lid via holes we cut. The pipes are then connected to three sprayers/nozzles(long flexible plastic tubes with holes so water sprays out) Surrounding the tubes are three vinyl fence posts which lay across the 30 gallon container and basically touch the three pvc pipes, covering the entirety of each sprayer. The fence posts, angled downwards slightly, have several holes cut in the top to place plastic cups which will hold the plants. The idea is for the roots to grow through those cups and then grow down into the container via one hole cut in the bottom of the fence posts and lid very near the three pipes. I have left out several minor details. Obviously the nutrients and what not are added to the container where from the water is sprayed through the tubes hydrating the roots. You probably have heard of this before; my questions are as follows: Obviously you need to keep the ph in check with a meter and ph up/down, but what about nutrients? Hes been running it for several days with still small plants and from what i can tell, the rate of evaporation with atleast his setup is high, so wont nutrient concentrations build up quickly and burn the plants if the roots are in the tub? How can you easily keep track of how much nutrients are present when the water level is constantly changing and there's no easy way to measure the water volume? Im not sure if im asking the right questions but if you can kind of understand what im getting at maybe i can elaborate when i get some responses, im personally new to soilless mediums let alone aeroponics.
As water evaporates, the nutrient solution does become more concentrated. If you have a really small reservoir, then obviously it will be much more drastic. You are supposed to top off as frequently as possible with water to the original volume and also change your entire nutrient solution every week to three weeks. A "TDS Meter", also called an "EC Meter" (check that out on eBay) will help you monitor the strength of your nutrient solution. They cost about 25 bucks on eBay, new. good luck!
That setup will absolutely use more water. I run a very similar setup but everything is inside the container and the plants sites are the only thing you see when the lid is closed. Look at SH Hydroponics, Inc. I made mine from a visit to Petsmart and BigLots, it's super easy.