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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS
#18387093 - 06/08/13 09:48 AM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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EDIT:

I got it up and running yesterday. Filled about 30 bags. Got it dialed in to dispense a half gallon on the nose. Each bag gets a half gallon of pellets and 48oz boiling water. Ends up around 6-6.5lbs per bag. Bags will be used for blue oyster sawdust spawn for straw logs. Reishi and beech are the next target. I've got a few feet of tubing left so when I start processing supplemented sawdust I'm going to try and modify it by adding a long tube.
Details: 45 gallon tote, with two peanut dispensers attached. The top plastic one came from ebay and is screwed into the hopper, also siliconed to keep it from leaking sawdust. The bottom one was new from uline. In the middle is a few inches of 6" clear tubing they use for peanut dispensers. The boiler is a regular 55 gal food grade drum with a 5500 watt heating element in it. Siliconed out the ass, as it has had several different hoses coming out of it in previous iterations. If you can't tell, I open the top plastic valve, shut it, then bottom metal one. I can manage all of this while the water pail is filling, about 11 seconds. It takes longer to fill and fold the bag itself.
I still need to time myself on a bulk run, and see how much variation there is among bag weights. I'm thinking not much.
Cheers.
------------------------------------------------------------- Soo I'm close to starting construction on my grow space (10x20x10). I cant afford to hire anyone besides my girlfriend, so I'm hoping a little extra equipment can speed things up. I know, I should get an intern, but I want to build an automatic substrate bag filler. I've seen pictures of hopper/conveyer belt type things but they look way expensive.
I reckon I'm gonna have to build one myself but I was seeing if anyone has tackled this problem, DIY style.
The way I see it there's a few different choices; a hopper filled with dry or wet ingredients, and have it free pouring (and the bag on a scale), or have it dispense a pre-determined volume.
I'm thinking something like a cafeteria style cereal dispenser as model. I'll post any progress I make...
Edited by drake89 (07/18/13 09:58 AM)
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trout
Flyfisherman



Registered: 12/11/07
Posts: 536
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: drake89]
#18392100 - 06/09/13 11:49 AM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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What type of substrate are you using and how will you be processing it?
-------------------- I need tropical cultures, ABM, V.v....!!!! Well things don't always look as they are and things can be misread and mistaken for what they realy are so don't read too much into what I say since I might be mistaken myself. And remember I rarely ever give a definate answer.
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GTI337
omnomnomnom



Registered: 01/14/13
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Loc: idk there are trees and m...
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: trout]
#18392139 - 06/09/13 11:56 AM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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I would try using a hopper feeding into an auger that would work better for control being that subs don't flow freely
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 i am not good with the electric toys.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: GTI337]
#18392210 - 06/09/13 12:14 PM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
trout said: What type of substrate are you using and how will you be processing it?
Supplemented sawdust, wood pellets + wheat bran at the moment. I'll probably switch to local sawdust soon. And I do straight wood pellets + boiling water for reishi.
Quote:
GTI337 said: I would try using a hopper feeding into an auger that would work better for control being that subs don't flow freely
That's an interesting idea. I've considered it for straw logs, but I don't do many at a time. I'm planing on doing larger (100's-1000) sawdust block runs. I may just make a 'funnel' out of an a/c duct outlet and find a proper scoop that will hold 5-6lbs. That should help speed things up.
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clueless
justnew




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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: drake89]
#18392343 - 06/09/13 01:00 PM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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Over at mycelia.be they sell industrial size equipment for that. You might be able to engineer something based on their design.
-------------------- I'm a rhinestone tiger in a leisure suit.
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Aleon
The Power of Our Origins



Registered: 05/26/11
Posts: 1,127
Loc: Everywhere
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: drake89]
#18392355 - 06/09/13 01:04 PM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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Im interested in what you come up with; what sterilizer/lab setup do you have to make 1000's of bags?
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Bad Kitty
fruiting


Registered: 05/24/12
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: Aleon]
#18392972 - 06/09/13 03:47 PM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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I'm in the same situation as you. I just bought a used fertilizer spreader- tow behind style, for my hopper =$30. Thinking of cutting a hole in the bottom and running some sort of tube (pvc) down from there... Uline has a "packing peanut dispenser" it's spring loaded and would allow you to control the flow. dispenser is the most expensive part, but if you are doing a few hundred bags per run I figure you can afford it. If you mounted it in a way that would allow you to shake or bounce it, you could skip the auger. My two cents.
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DeadPhan


Registered: 05/05/04
Posts: 5,260
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: Aleon]
#18392979 - 06/09/13 03:50 PM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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this guy i met last year. was gonna end up working with him but didnt end up working out as i ended up catching a dwi right before i was supposed to start. granted its a 2 manner. i think so long as you took time to stuff yourself, then proceed to throw more in, stuff, throw in, etc it can certainly be a single person job
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Big Gulps! Alright! Well, See ya later! And if i claim to be a wise man, well, it surely means that i dont know!
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: Aleon]
#18393000 - 06/09/13 03:56 PM (10 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Aleon said: Im interested in what you come up with; what sterilizer/lab setup do you have to make 1000's of bags?
All I'm working with right now is a 55gal drum and a 24" flow hood. I have about 450sq ft for incubation and fruiting and another 200 sq ft for lab/storage. This is rented in an otherwise empty warehouse. So I'm looking to get my grow space set up this week with a buddy's help, and I'm still trying to find a contractor to finish out the lab space (10x12).
Needless to say I have some work ahead of me, especially getting a sterilizer going.
@ bad kitty, thanks! I'd be willing to shell out a couple hundred to avoid engineering that device myself.
Edit: I don't think a canvas hopper would hold up but I probably will order this valve: http://www.ebay.com/itm/120944755310
@dead phan, cool ill check out the vid when I'm not on my phone (thanks apple!)
Edited by drake89 (06/09/13 04:24 PM)
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: drake89]
#18575303 - 07/18/13 09:59 AM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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Edit: see OP for update with pics etc.
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Bad Kitty
fruiting


Registered: 05/24/12
Posts: 62
Last seen: 9 years, 9 months
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: drake89]
#18575871 - 07/18/13 12:27 PM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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Fuck yea! Good idea using it with dry pellets. I knew the peanut dispenser would work! Do you think it might work with wet mixed bulk substrate? Nice job!
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine? [Re: Bad Kitty]
#18575930 - 07/18/13 12:39 PM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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thank you for pointing me to those peanut dispensers! I dunno if it will work for premixed sub as it is. I think it would if you had a 12" HVAC collar in the hopper coupled to a 6" collar somehow. I'll give it a shot when I get my sterilzer. Works great on the pellets fo sho!
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hopliteltd123
Stranger
Registered: 07/25/14
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS [Re: drake89]
#20324843 - 07/25/14 01:02 AM (9 years, 6 months ago) |
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Thanks for sharing these pics with us.
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mcchieftan
Part man, part mushroom



Registered: 09/08/05
Posts: 525
Loc: Norway
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS [Re: hopliteltd123]
#21359112 - 03/04/15 12:43 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
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Hey Drake, apologies for resurrection. Am I correctly assuming that you are adding preheated water to your sub to reduce sterilisation time? I am currently building a similar setup (with the advantage of a loft where I can mix dry sub and then drop it down a funnel to the ground floor) and I'm wondering if its worth heating the water or just using fresh....
Thanks
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Metacanna
Stranger

Registered: 01/22/17
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS [Re: mcchieftan]
#24914504 - 01/14/18 07:46 PM (6 years, 14 days ago) |
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Hey Drake, I know this topic is old but I have seen you around here so you might see this. How did the peanut dispenser worked for you? Have you ever tested it with wet sub?
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS [Re: Metacanna]
#24914611 - 01/14/18 09:06 PM (6 years, 14 days ago) |
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Works well with pelletized substrate, you could probably do better with pneumatic actuators if you're handy though
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Metacanna
Stranger

Registered: 01/22/17
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS [Re: drake89]
#24915237 - 01/15/18 08:36 AM (6 years, 14 days ago) |
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I wonder how the principle would work on a 55g drum, with a concrete funnel shaped bottom and another funnel shaped concrete weight on top of the wet substrate. The weight might force the sub to go into the dispenser. I suggest concrete because it's easy to work, heavy and adaptable to any shape.
How practical it is to work with scissor valves? Do you need both hands to close the spring?
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Metacanna
Stranger

Registered: 01/22/17
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Re: Auto substrate Bag filling machine SOLVED: W/PICS [Re: Metacanna]
#24915696 - 01/15/18 12:44 PM (6 years, 14 days ago) |
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In the meanwhile I thought it could be useful to add this info here:
For 30$ a solenoid valve with the controller can be installed to control water flow. Example: One could program 1.5L and press run, only that amount of water would come out of the hose or whatever.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-Water-Flow-Control-LCD-Display-Meter-Solenoid-Valve-Flow-Sensor-New-US-/112376085116?rmvSB=true
Maybe all of you know this by now but I think it's worth sharing.
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