Help for a friend F & D

[PetFlora]

It's his first grow

He is F/Ding 2 @ 4 X 8 tables by hand, no less. He is 30 days vegging clones. They are 16" tall, and he said there is some green algae in the tray. He says he has a good angle to drain. Seems odd to me, but maybe he has a light leak, or maaybe the tray is unsupported underneath and has a little belly.

The drain has no shut off. He says the dia is about 1 1/2"s. Seems like the soup is draining almost as fast as he is flooding.

Am I wrong to think the nutes need a bit of contact time before draining. Should he install a shut off valve for when he fills... and how long should he let the roots soak before opening the valve to drain?

Thanks

FYI I am using a high pressure/fog TAG system using Advanced Mist System from Reptile Basics. Feel free to check out my Journal

 

[superultramega]

green algae isn't a big deal for E&F.

Tell your friend to get a pump.

 

[Scrogerman]

Green Algae is caused by light, use vented covers on ya rockwool/net pot/tables, whatever, & whereever you dont want algae. F&D Cycle time varies, theres plenty of good threads on the subject. try a search. But yeah you need to FLOOD N DRAIN not just drain LOL.
Good luck with it. It could be done with a plastic bag(as long as you there) but yea plug up the drain, let soak for a period-including ya flood time (say 5 mins for example) then Drain. it would be so many times daily depending.!
Good luck...............Scroger.'

 

[EvilTwin]

Hi PetFlora,
I'm assuming this is a diy table? Perhaps he has limited understanding of how the usual trays actually work. It's fairly easy but not obvious.

Once he gets a pump, it must be attached through the bottom at the lowest point. The tray will then drain back through the pump...once the timer shuts the pump off.

The drain hole is actually part of the fill control. There should be a standpipe there which is as tall as the height of the floods.

So with the pump on a timer set for however long (another discussion)...the tray fills up and once it gets near the top, then it will start flowing back into the res through the standpipe. Things will stay just like that as long as the pump is running.

Then when the pump shuts off, the tray will drain back to the res through the pump (they're designed to do that).

Once it's all set up properly, it's almost effort free and very reliable. You can buy a standard set of Ebb&Flow fittings which come in a set. They are designed for standard 1/2" vinyl tubing and shouldn't be too hard to adapt to his tray.

That's what I'd do...

And on the fill times, that depends on what media and how large the pots are.

Hope that was useful and comprehensible...
ET

 

[Scrogerman]

Listen to ET buddy!

 

[FreezerBoy]

There should be a standpipe there which is as tall as the height of the floods.

You beat me to it. Standpipe huh? I never knew the official name, I called it the overflow tube.

 

[EvilTwin]

You beat me to it. Standpipe huh? I never knew the official name, I called it the overflow tube.

Yo FB (with crisp salute),
Actually your term is more descriptive. Sometimes names or phrases just pop into my head while I'm writing...I'm totally undisciplined that way. I have to call on Mistress to whip me into shape now and then.

Standpipe is a more generic term and is used used to describe vertical pipe installations that sometimes control fluid levels and sometimes pressures. So whatever works...

Bedtime where I'm at...'nite all.
ET

 

[PetFlora]

Thanks for the help!