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Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
http://byap.backyardmagazines.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14698		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Fishbits [ Dec 20th, '12, 07:45 ]
Post subject:  Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Didn't want to make an obvious plug in the title so I avoided naming the brand. Had to take some time away from my set up for actual money generating things.... go figure.. But before I did I realized that the liner in my custom shape plywood grow bed had failed under the 1200 +/- lbs of pea stone. So after hand balling the stone out of the basement, pulling the liner and drying the bed out, I decide to order a gal. of Rubberizeit UG. In a nutshell, it appears to be excellent stuff.

Not sure how familiar the board is with it but 3 coats were easy enough to apply with 24 hrs dry time in between. I had enough extra so I even did a 4th coat. Giving it the week to completely cure before doing a test run sans stone but the bed now looks fairly bulletproof with it's new rubber coat.

Based on it's application and current appearance I'd highly recommend it. That may change once it's got half a ton of rock and water sitting on it but the manufacturer said that the stone wouldn't be a problem with the correct application and curing. We'll start testing that statement this weekend.
Author:  arbe [ Dec 20th, '12, 09:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Pics?
Author:  Fishbits [ Dec 30th, '12, 03:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Soon as I can figure out how to re-size pics and/or video Arbe :) Just got done handballing 1200 +/- lbs. of pea stone into the bed after letting the bed sit for 3 days with 6" of water in it as a test. Bone dry. Zero leaks. I've since flushed the system 4x in order to get any "new" dirt out as I had to store the stone on the ground w/o the benefit of a tarp underneath. GB is in a small 6'x6' room and is a 53"x59"x32" L-shape that's 12" deep driven by a 150g former salt water acrylic tank. Just enough room for me to step in and close the door behind me. Heated by a home radiator pipe and an old radiant heat panel I had lying around. W/o the benefit of heated FT water flowing through, the room rides between 58* and 72* on any given day. I figure I'll get a decent bump on those numbers once the tank heaters are in.

Still probably a "bag" short on stone. Have to locate the piggyback float switch in the sump, wait for two 500W tank heaters to be delivered and I can start cycling. Probably plenty of bacteria in there already after being stored outside for a few weeks so it shouldn't take TOO long to get up to speed. Have to check in with my fish source and see where they're at in their breeding cycle too.

I'm also in the process of sourcing heat sinks to build my own LED lights. If I'm going to spend the money anyway, may as well spend it right the first time whenever possible. For now I'm over-driving a two bulb T8 Walmart special. Actually cheaper to buy 2 complete fixtures and pirate a ballast as opposed to simply buying an extra ballast. Go figure.
Author:  tcshad [ Dec 31st, '12, 14:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
I've always been very interested in rubber paint... I don't know why it's not something that's readily available.... or is it?

Where did you buy it, how much was it, etc etc.
Author:  arbe [ Dec 31st, '12, 15:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Here is a thread on how to re-size pics.
Author:  Dufflight [ Dec 31st, '12, 16:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
I haven't used it for AP but I 've used it to seal different jobs over the years. Not sure how it goes under water but it will crack exposed to the air after a few years. Still does not leak tho.
Author:  Fishbits [ Jan 2nd, '13, 02:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
http://youtu.be/y930uu-Z9qY

OK...Here you go ArBe. Decided not to screw around anymore and just go with video.... ;)
This one should be the GB with it's new RubberizeIt UG coating.

And this http://youtu.be/NOkcKBL4xfg should be the bed with pea stone in it after cutting the bed down 6".

TC I used RubberizeIt UG http://rubberizeit.com for this project. $75/gallon Had enough to do 4 coats on the entire bed. They recommend a minimum of 3 thick coats to reach a 60mm thickness. 24 hr cure time between coats. I let the finished project sit for about a week to cure before filling it with water for a test run.
Author:  jet [ Jan 7th, '13, 09:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Cant be 60mm?, might be 60mil?

Spray on membranes are common and plentiful, rarely used where leaks are critical problem as they are very thin and even tiny imperfections can result in leak
EPDM is more common where standing water lining is required.
Check its Fish/food safe?
Author:  Fishbits [ Jan 9th, '13, 03:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Good catch Jet. Sorry about that... 60 mils thickness....

Advertised as a "non-toxic zero VOC" rubberized membrane and people are making plywood aquariums and coating the interiors with it https://www.rubberizeit.com/video/diy-p ... rubber-ug/, pond liners https://www.rubberizeit.com/liquid-rubb ... -features/ etc.

I asked if it would hold up at all with half a ton of stone on top of it. They didn't flinch at all in answering and so far it's performing exactly as advertised. Granted, since I had enough I actually added a 4th coat just for good measure...
Author:  jet [ Jan 9th, '13, 13:12 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Should be OK then,
Low VOC means more environmentally friendly or water based. Mostly relates to vapours etc during application. A big deal in construction industry these days.
I work in industrial linings and these liquid coatings have their place but only as secondary damp proofing. Also often highly expensive but this seems OK.
Author:  Fishbits [ Jan 10th, '13, 12:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Understandable re: VOC vapors. Product actually wasn't bad to deal with at all. Significant rubber smell to it but that was it. It was applied in a 6'x6' room with zero ventilation and I don't think I sacrificed any brain cells...

Now I just have to figure out my siphon issue and I'm good to go. Think I'm going to have to go with an Affnan as I just can not get the damn thing to break completely. Also have to drill a lower hole in my tank as I apparently didn't leave enough room for the increased flow from my sump. Or maybe my pump is overpowering things... Or....Or... <sigh>
Author:  bikefast [ Jan 18th, '13, 06:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
How did you apply it? spray, roller, brush?

I wanna do something simalure. How big is your grow bed?

Thanks
Author:  Fishbits [ Jan 19th, '13, 07:06 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
They recommend spraying for large area applications - large being roofs, shipping containers, etc...

My GB is just a little 5'x5'x3' "L" shape so I brushed the corners and rolled the bottom and sides. They also recommend reinforcing corners with what I can only assume is equivalent to fiberglass cloth but I'm thinking that, if you feel it necessary, something like the mesh drywall tape would work as well. Youtube has a couple of fish tank applications so maybe someone there with more experience could shed more light.

So far, things are still water tight....
Author:  Fishbits [ Sep 1st, '13, 22:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Well, unfortunately, I have to call the liquid rubber membrane a failure. It appears that, over time, the weight and settling action of pea stone is simply too much for the membrane to withstand. One small leak had developed several months ago and had been repaired and everything worked well until this week. Simply too many leaks have sprouted, all along seam lines, to call this anything but a failure.

Now I just have to psyche myself up to removing half a ton of pea stone by hand. Then determine if there is any way that it's possible to simply fiberglass over the rubber membrane or if it has to be completely removed first. I'd try to find someone with Duraskrim remnants big enough for my small application but I just don't have faith that that's strong enough to handle the weight of stone pressing down over time. Hydroton would be a different story as the weight isn't there and the edges are far more rounded thereby decreasing the possibility of puncture significantly. Oh well. It was worth a shot...
Author:  bikefast [ Sep 2nd, '13, 01:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: Custom grow beds and liquid rubber
Hey,
Sorry to hear that.
On the note of the duraskrim i used pea stones and it held up quite well, that stuff is strong! I would recommend it.
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