DIY Auto-Watering & Drain to Waste System.

[Auxin]

@@TheSaint @@Golden Syrup Just wanted to say thanks to both of you personally and to everyone else that has contributed to this thread. Its a fantastic source!

[nigelpotter]

@Goldensyrup

hey there,

I was looking the drip ring you created and had some questions about it as am looking to do something similar myself.

1) what are the 2xdrip connectors at each section (think there are three on each side with 2 drip outlets a total of 12 if i checked your picture correctly) I have googled various names but have not come up with anything

2) did you create the size of the ring (i.e. the diameter or width of the cross section) for a specific reason relating to pressure or did you just go with it as it seemed the right size. Again looking at the picture i would be able to guesstimate sizes based on t-joint sizes just would not want to make anything to big.

3) What pump or GPH/LPH were/are you using for the ring? I was looking to get 18 lines so maybe 2 seperate drip rings , 9 each, with a maxi jet 1000 for each ring, I dont think I could get away with one maxi jet 1000 for 18 lines.

apols for so many questions, thanks in advance

[WeedSurfer]

@Goldensyrup

hey there,

I was looking the drip ring you created and had some questions about it as am looking to do something similar myself.

1) what are the 2xdrip connectors at each section (think there are three on each side with 2 drip outlets a total of 12 if i checked your picture correctly) I have googled various names but have not come up with anything

2) did you create the size of the ring (i.e. the diameter or width of the cross section) for a specific reason relating to pressure or did you just go with it as it seemed the right size. Again looking at the picture i would be able to guesstimate sizes based on t-joint sizes just would not want to make anything to big.

3) What pump or GPH/LPH were/are you using for the ring? I was looking to get 18 lines so maybe 2 seperate drip rings , 9 each, with a maxi jet 1000 for each ring, I dont think I could get away with one maxi jet 1000 for 18 lines.

apols for so many questions, thanks in advance

Q1. Search for 'Cross connector 13mm 4mm'

[nigelpotter]

Q1. Search for 'Cross connector 13mm 4mm'

thanks for that, have found them

[davelister]

I've made system similar to this one bodged out of old aquarium and pond bits. I have a pump connected to a manifold made of a blocked off hose pipe and a series of 3 t-pieces which split again and feed 12 pots. It works fine up until the pump turns off. When the pump turns off, the water carries on flowing. Any suggestions as to how to prevent that?

 

It was supposed to make watering easier, so far it's just flooding my room! 

[jimmyriddle]

ive been looking to move from autopots (valves playing up,suspect south hard water may be problem ,used drip clean )  , are there any recomendations

 

,links etc for drip system or is the saints system still the best tried an tested.  thanks.

Edited May 5, 2017 by jimmyriddle

[Jimmyarm]

5 hours ago, davelister said:

I've made system similar to this one bodged out of old aquarium and pond bits. I have a pump connected to a manifold made of a blocked off hose pipe and a series of 3 t-pieces which split again and feed 12 pots. It works fine up until the pump turns off. When the pump turns off, the water carries on flowing. Any suggestions as 8to how to prevent that?

 

It was supposed to make watering easier, so far it's just flooding my room! 

 

I take it the resevoir water level is higher than the drip rings on the pots ?

 

Either have the resevoir lower than the drip rings or install a anti syphon valve  (I believe that is what the little 4" piece of tubing @Golden Syrup has at the top of his manifold, taped to the side of the resevoir is for)

Edited May 5, 2017 by Jimmyarm

[davelister]

 

Cheers. The reservoir is a water butt about as tall as me but the pump is at the bottom, the feed lines come out of the top of the butt and back down to the pots. The pump is definitely below the pots as it is attached to the bottom of the butt at floor level. The manifold however may sit higher in there, I can try secure it down. I also have a piece of tubing on mine, it doesn't attach to the inside of the reservoir but basically loops back on itself with a cable tie if that makes sense. It's like having a 7th outlet but it doesn't really go anywhere, effectively like an overflow, it's all underwater though.

 

E2a: I just read the reply again. It's the water level I need to lower not the pump itself. That's a bugger! I'll look in to the valve 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Owderb
Quote removed. Please use the @function

[Jimmyarm]

@davelister

 

Just extend that seventh outlet so it is above the water line and sprays into the tank.

 

When the pump shuts off, air is sucked down it which should break the syphon.

[davelister]

I've put the '7th outlet' above the water line but it seems to be still carrying on way after water off. I used the timer for the first time on for 1 minute every 3 hours during lights off, so 4 waters between 8pm and 8am. Went out at 7 this evening, came back just after 11 and 90l of water has come out of the tank in to the tent. It is still carrying on after the shut off. Any suggestions? Cheers

[Realdocholliday]

Thanks for doing this thread and all the info , I'm doing something similar and you have put all my fears and doubts to rest , great post thanks again 

[Magicmunchietree]

A friend helped me make this setup pretty much like for like barring one or two differentials. We couldnt get a stop end that day so ended up bending the end of the hose over and using a jubilee clip to squeeze it off. 

Also, the lines were made towards the end of the hose near where it was capped, I see your lines are at the very start near your pump, my lines worked fine for a while, but now one is blocked to the point I cannot unblock it, usually a quick blow down the pipes had always done it. 

But I love the sound of the filter, I was contemplating going back to hand feeding but the filter might just keep me on the drips. I am scared to run a timer being up in a loft incase anything goes wrong my house will get piss wet through. So I just turn it on manually when I feed and wait 5 mins for run off, do you think twice a day is overkill if using small 8L fibre pots in coco?

Once a day would save me a lot of water, I go through 70 litres every 2-3 days. But I recylce.

[dingo bingo]

Watering once a day works pretty well for me, I just wait until the lights have been on for a couple hours. But you need to be in the right sized pots - ie under a 600W 4x6L pots would need watering twice wheras 4 x 11L pots are fine with one watering each day (in my experience anyway - I tried going down to 6L's to save on coco but it didn't work out). What light/s you running? And how many 8L pots under each light?

 

The rule of thumb is to water until you get 10-20% run off - how long depends on a few things but IME none more so than the type of dripper. You could use a fast flow blue dripper which will take much less time but I prefer to drip feed slowly, it seems the coco ends up much more evenly moist that way. I would recommend investing in the Top Spin drippers, it costs a few pennies but is pressure regulated so all 12 drippers feed evenly and comes ready to use - just plug it in to some 13mm flexi pipe. With the Top Spin drippers I'm fortunate to get desirable run off with 15 mins of the pump being on which allows me to easily use a mechanical timer to automatically feed.

 

I was worried about leaving the automatic system alone too until I manually turned it on for months - all that time of it being flawless gave me the confidence to leave it alone. However, if it's not inconvenient for you to do it then it is a 100% guarantee there won't be any disaster.

 

Filter is a must IMO - especially as they're pretty cheap and will definitely help.

 

E2A: How do you recycle? My understanding of coco is that RTW (run to waste) works best? Though I could be wrong, some more knowledgeable people will clarify that.

Edited January 24, 2018 by dingo bingo

[Magicmunchietree]

1 hour ago, dingo bingo said:

 What light/s you running? And how many 8L pots under each light?

 

I would recommend investing in the Top Spin drippers, it costs a few pennies but is pressure regulated so all 12 drippers feed evenly and comes ready to use - just plug it in to some 13mm flexi pipe. With the Top Spin drippers I'm fortunate to get desirable run off with 15 mins of the pump being on which allows me to easily use a mechanical timer to automatically feed.

 

I was worried about leaving the automatic system alone too until I manually turned it on for months

 

 

E2A: How do you recycle? My understanding of coco is that RTW (run to waste) works best? 

I have attached a picture of the room (taken 2 weeks ago), I run 2 x 600w air cooled lights and I have 6 X 8litre fabric pots evenly spaced with a scrogg but the canopy is full wall to wall. I wanted more but things sometimes don't go as planned. I have one garland 80x80cm deep tray, and two 60x60cm trays that I have made bamboo cane grids for that sit on top of the trays, that allows run off to drain into so the pots arent sat in it. It could be better I know. Im harvesting tomorrow, I have 9 babies lined up for next time so I plan to make an amendment or two. I trialled the fabric pots and my stems were amazing, thicker than a brush stail so I put that down to air/water ratio from the pots. 

 

Are you in a loft, just out of curiosity? I know nothing has leaked since I have been doing it manually, which leads me to believe it would be ok on an automated system. However if a dripper fell off and the timer broke whilst on im getting water everywhere, and water always travels down lol....

 

I recycle once my 70litre res is empty, then I just use the same pump with a another length of hose I cut specially for, to pump it back from the 3 trays to the main tank, only if the run off EC is the same as what went in however. I could send 140L through the plants into the trays without overspill like. And it takes me 4-5 mins to get run off with the black drippers, and I think thats because Im doing it twice per day and the coco is still fairly moist. But my pump does really kick it out fast.

 

See what you think, thanks for the detailed response.!

[OddNut]

@dingo bingo I’ll second the top spin 12s pretty good bits of kit I have 4 of them at the moment. I’ll also second that dripping slowly is better for saturation. I once pulled the flow regulators out of the topspin because they get clogged now and again and in turn this upped the flow rate. using 60 40 mix the nutrient literally flowed straight through my pots without saturating anything. I had underwaterd plants but massive run off  took a while to figure