Help with plumbing?

[barney_b]

Howdy from the glorious and legal state of VA!

Wanted to see if you good folks could help me put together a parts list as I assemble a semi-automatic watering system. I'm setting up an automatic passive hydro system. Think 'jumbo shrimp'.



Here's the idea. Simple really. I'm going to have the pump on a switch so I can simply turn on and off the nutrient solution with the press of a button.

I'll have another small pump recirculating the water at all times.

I guess the real questions are as follows:

1. How many GPH am I going to need. Only about 1 foot rise and 6-8 feet of tubing in total.
2. Do I need a backflow preventer for something like this?
3. What size plumbing am I going to want here? 1/2 inch seems like overkill... or would this depend on the pump?
4. Are those halo watering jobbies all pretty much interchangeable or is there a brand/design I should be looking for?
5. How's your ma?

Thanks for any help you can provide. I've some time but I've also an itch to get it setup and tested.

Cheers all,
B

[Jingo]

I'm not sure what you're going to do on the hydro end in the tent, but that looks like the way I used to do Coco drain to waste.

I simply made a drain table out of some white PVC roofing and it had on a slight incline to one side where I had a gutter to collect the water and send it down under the table into a masons tub. And automatic sump pump would pump it out into my drain tile outside.

Then I had a 30 gallon Rubbermaid tote that I dropped a thousand liter per minute pump in and pumped out to Halo rings with half inch lines.

So all I really needed was a manifold or a splitter and a ball valve on each line to each plant to fine tune the amount of water it would get.

You can let the same pump that pumps water to your plants recirculate the water in your res by putting a simple ball valve and directing the water to stay in the rez. Then when you want to water you just reach into the res and switch that ball valve over.



J

Forum Rules

[barney_b]

I'm not sure what you're going to do on the hydro end in the tent, but that looks like the way I used to do Coco drain to waste.

I simply made a drain table out of some white PVC roofing and it had on a slight incline to one side where I had a gutter to collect the water and send it down under the table into a masons tub. And automatic sump pump would pump it out into my drain tile outside.

Then I had a 30 gallon Rubbermaid tote that I dropped a thousand liter per minute pump in and pumped out to Halo rings with half inch lines.

So all I really needed was a manifold or a splitter and a ball valve on each line to each plant to fine tune the amount of water it would get.

You can let the same pump that pumps water to your plants recirculate the water in your res by putting a simple ball valve and directing the water to stay in the rez. Then when you want to water you just reach into the res and switch that ball valve over.



J

Forum Rules

Yup. That'll do. Hadn't thought to include a ball valve but that's absolutely an improved design.

Half inch seemed pretty aggressive until I saw 1000gph! I imagine you didn't have to run the pump for more than 15 seconds to get to run off... depending on pot size I reckon.

Looking around for halos. I've only found 2 online. Both are in dreadfully short supply. Anyone have a hydro store that ships that I need to check out?

Thanks J

Cheers
B

[Jingo]

Yup. That'll do. Hadn't thought to include a ball valve but that's absolutely an improved design.

Half inch seemed pretty aggressive until I saw 1000gph! I imagine you didn't have to run the pump for more than 15 seconds to get to run off... depending on pot size I reckon.

Looking around for halos. I've only found 2 online. Both are in dreadfully short supply. Anyone have a hydro store that ships that I need to check out?

Thanks J

Cheers
B

You could definitely go with a smaller pump, I just had the big one that I used as a transfer pump. I use an interval timer that lets me set 8 cycles in a 24 hour period and your correct about 15 seconds for a 3 gallon pot.


J

[Jingo]

PS: We get cheap halos in the states and they don't clog as easy like drippers used in the UK and Europe.


J

[Mac]

Hydro aint my thing but a handy tip I picked up with my blumat setup, where you have the T-Piece join in the tent if you swap that for a four way you can run a short 6-12" pipe with a tap on the end. Great for bleeding air from the system

[barney_b]

All good info. Thanks guys. One more question. I'm using 3 gallon fabric pots. I'd imagine the 6 inch size would be a better fit than the 9. Kind of in between the trunk and pot edge.

Will the coco laterally disperse the water well enough? Worried about total coverage but maybe it's not really a concern.

Thanks

[DomoArigato]

Hey there Barney,

I am doing the same, and have everything mostly set up and ready to go. Floraflex makes the little square shaped water dispursers that fit right on top of your 3-gal smart pots. You can get them in town, on sheppard street, across from 7-11. Pretty cheap too. In regards to siphoning, a small hole in your nute line at top of reservoir will keep it from siphoning after the pump turns off. Hope this helps.

-Domo

[barney_b]

Hey there Barney,

I am doing the same, and have everything mostly set up and ready to go. Floraflex makes the little square shaped water dispursers that fit right on top of your 3-gal smart pots. You can get them in town, on sheppard street, across from 7-11. Pretty cheap too. In regards to siphoning, a small hole in your nute line at top of reservoir will keep it from siphoning after the pump turns off. Hope this helps.

-Domo

I've been meaning to drive down there. Every time I think to go, I remember I have Amazon on my phone, bud in my stash, and sweatpants in droves!

You see there is a new one across from Lowe's by the old CHHS? I did stop in there since it's close by. I wish him well but worry that they'll do poorly since they ONLY cater to the living soil crowd. I went in to check it out and his whole pitch was why I should stop growing MY way immediately and adopt his overpriced super soil method. He was also showing off his blurple lights...

Not sure I understand where the hole should go. I'm also half in a meeting, and 3/4 pterodactyl tits so that might be the issue.

Cheers Domo. And don't think we're not going to fight some rosin here soon.

B

[British green]

Make your own halo . Using small gauge irrigation pipe and put 1.5mm holes roughly every half inch make the halo ring by using a t-peace
Using a hot pin will probably make the right size hole


Sent from a green and pleasant land