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DIY Auto-Watering & Drain to Waste System.


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I wouldn't expect a problem with the medium but where you may run in to trouble is with the use of organic nutrients that will clog up the lines and/or drippers. Do you know which nutrients you want to use?

Where do you get the 2 x 10 minute feeds idea from? Seems like a lot, unless you use a small pump. I've fed 16 x 11L's of coco (each with 3 drippers) to 20% run off in only 8 minutes, using a 2,000L/hr pump.

30L res seems small to me, whether in coco or compost I always tend to water 1/4-1/3 of the pot's volume (28-37L in your case).

So i got some stuff i needed and yeah your right, got a 70ltr res now, got some stuff,

Maxi 1000 Pump

Non Return Valve to stop the water going backwards in the pipe as no keeping run off etc drain flow method, don't want that.

Filter

Got the rest of the parts.

Only problem is which way does the Non return valve go after the filter is attached to the pump then pipe.

The Pump

http://www.hydrodaze.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=12029781

The Piping

http://www.growell.co.uk/iceline-piping.html

The Filter

http://www.hydroponics.co.uk/online-store/irrigation-fittings-and-pipe/barbed-inline-filter?limit=all

13mm Non Return Valve

http://www.growell.co.uk/13mm-non-return-valve.html

Pictures above in links so you know what i'm on about.

So maybe when lights come on i do a 5min feed then timer goes off and then comes back on around half way through the day for another 5mins, do this daily you reckon?

maybe feed for few days then just use plain water for the rest of the week? what you reckon? thanks for helping me out man,

I wanna set this up tonight see.

Plant Magic Bloom

and then near budding stage i'll be using the Plant Magic Bud Plus, think its called that.

SW

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I don't think ideally u wanna be dripping into soil. If your careful I'm sure u could get away with it. The timing is easy to work out. First make sure you drip them into a measuring jug. Then use a stopwatch to work out how long in mins, for the right amount of run off to about a 20 percent. Real easy to work it out. Then if u can measure the run off, as the plants grow they will drink more. Leaving u with less run off. You just add minutes to compensate till the run off equals 20 percent.

All dependant on what drippers you are using and how fast they flow. .

Zz

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Untitled


this is the automated system I am just finishing up on, got a maxijet mj 100 pumping water/nutes through 15 mm push fit and into 4ml dripper line to my pots, the water butt will have a helia 2 way 750l/hr air pump with 2 airstones in it to keep nutes fresh and oxygenated

I will be hand feeding seedlings and young plant by hand for a couple of weeks, then they will veg for 2 weeks in the driper system on daily feeds until flower when they are rooted out they will receive 2 x daily feeds until run off I have a digi timer that can be set at 1 minute incraments so I can see how long it takes to get me run off I think around 2-4 mins should surfice

I'm confident this will work well ive spared no expence on fittings and decent pipe etc....

any thoughts let me know :)

p.s it wont be up and running for months as I don't need to grow for a while


ATB GREEN
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Alright Greenfingers

Do you think you may have problems with difference in pressure from the first dripper to the last.

Seems to me that the way that would run wouldn't be equal.

The first in the chain you have made would get more pressure than the next 2 trays.

Different drip rates then, giving different run off.

I like the way the saint did it running the 4 mil lines of the same length from res to pot.

That way the pressure is equal to all drippers.

Plus seems to be lots of potential places for leaking with all the pipe joins.

Just thinking aloud buddy

zz

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@@greenfingers1987

It's not going to work, as @@zztopbudz says those closest the stop ends will get more than those further from them - and the fathest away from the pump will get less than those close and it'll cause you no end of headache.

drip

This is how I have mine, the circle means that it has to pressurize before pushing water down the drip lines - make sure they're all the same length. I've used lots of different dripper designs and always come back to this.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ok how about this one chaps.

I've attached 2 maxi 1000 to one 13mm hose Pipe with t piece in a 260ltr batterbutt

This then goes up roughly 1m its highest point.

In this part I've attached a tap and another t piece

So

It travels 2m into my groom

Then snakes, let's say another 8 meters back to the t piece will the hose act like @ golden Syrup circular piping or is it too big to gain adequate pressure forth attached 4mm piping.

I'll do a quick sketch tomorrow and take a pic to upload cause that's the best I can explain it right now.

Hydro.🍻

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  • 4 weeks later...

can anyone help me out please?

im wanting to go coco with growers ark, but i need help with a auto feeding system.

my system is clone, little pots till roots show, then 6 or 9 into a 60ltr tub with sack of coco in each tub, then veg for 4/5 weeks, then tub into flower.. X 3, so 3 x 60ltre tube in veg, then into flower..

i have been thinking of doing a gravity feed like the pics below, but there just isnt a ballance between the 3 lines, or 1 dripper might not drip, etc etc etc..

the controller opens & closes, but if i set it up like that style, im 100% sure the ballance between lines just wont ballance equal to each tub..

so im asking for help or advice...

20160221_160452_resized6f9ae.md.jpg
20160221_160638_resized6821b.md.jpg
20160221_160645_resized4d15b.md.jpg
20160221_160650_resized34244.md.jpg

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@@floppy

Water is escaping down the path of least resistance which is why you're experiencing some differences in flow between the emitters. If that thing is coming off of mains pressure, then just make a circle that joins to the tap in the middle and run your drip lines from the outer edge of the circle. The water will have to pressurize inside the circle before it can push down the drip lines meaning an equal flow. If it isn't on mains pressure then get a 1000ltr per hour pump or similar and run from a tank.

A square or whatever works well too, just make sure to join it in the middle so the water has to fill from the middle outwards.

Edited by Golden Syrup
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@@floppy

Water is escaping down the path of least resistance which is why you're experiencing some differences in flow between the emitters. If that thing is coming off of mains pressure, then just make a circle that joins to the tap in the middle and run your drip lines from the outer edge of the circle. The water will have to pressurize inside the circle before it can push down the drip lines meaning an equal flow. If it isn't on mains pressure then get a 1000ltr per hour pump or similar and run from a tank.

A square or whatever works well too, just make sure to join it in the middle so the water has to fill from the middle outwards.

i knocked up a 25ltr water tub, so its gravity feed downwards, at the end you see 3 lines, i was hoping to make them longer to go down the middle of each tub..

but i think i understand what you mean, if at the end there were 3 straight pieces with a T on the end, then a circle with the drippers linked in? then i fear the hozelock manifold will be the next bottle neck area.. unless i use a pump on a timer so the pressure is there..?

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@@floppy

@@greenfingers1987

It's not going to work, as @@zztopbudz says those closest the stop ends will get more than those further from them - and the fathest away from the pump will get less than those close and it'll cause you no end of headache.

drip

This is how I have mine, the circle means that it has to pressurize before pushing water down the drip lines - make sure they're all the same length. I've used lots of different dripper designs and always come back to this.

No, I mean like what I posted just a little bit above, make a smaller circle or whatever and have it horizontal almost 'floating' in mid air, then your water has to fill the circle before pushing down the drip lines to the emitters. Or alternatively like you say just use a pump and a timer, it's a lot better IMO.

Edited by Golden Syrup
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so if i get this correct, please excuse my stupidity.. lol

if i make a halo at the roof of my 240w tent, & on that halo smaller lines down to each pot?

in theory that will work?

hahahaha how amusing am i...

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And to save pHing headaches, I always flume, rather air bubble the rez. pH will probably swing all over the shop when you bubble. A lot quiter as well, if that's an issue.

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@@floppy

Yes - but I don't see why you'd want it on the roof on your tent, the floor is fine lol

What @@reds says is good advice too, don't use air pumps in a res for drain to waste as it'll just make the pH jump up. For aeration and mixing I use 1000ltr per hour pump per 100 ltrs of water :v:

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i have a maxijet 500 & a lumatek digital timer.

i was thinking to run the pump for 1 min 3 times a day? reason being i run a 12/12 9pm to 9am, i was thinking feeding

9pm for 1 min, 3am for 1 min, 9am for 1 min.

so they get a feed as lights come on, 6 hours later, & a feed as lights go out?

im unsure if a pump on for 1 min will be enough to feed 3 tubs with a sack of coco in each tub?

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