problems getting used to 55g ebb n grow 24 pot system

[DHF]

Bigger the rez the better Skrud........Takes more nutes and ph buffering to set it up at first , but once stabilized it`s set it and forget it......

Had my dehuey`s on drainlines runnin back to my R/O tanks that were tied to my bigass rez`s with float valves for auto topoff`s , and toyed with the idea of peridosers to add back ph adjusters and nutes as needed , but settled for flushing and swappin rez`s out with new juice every couple weeks once ppm`s had dwindled down for insurance and safety purposes since I only went to each location once a week.......

You still runnin those tables ?........Bout the most bulletproof setup there is for yield and production with increased plant numbers , but yas need a clone factory ta keep shit rollin.....

Take care and good luck.......DHF.......

 

[szachtb2]

Here is a link to a DIY kit. Hope this helps
http://www.aquahub.com/store/product39.html

 

[Mc__Nugget]

I had a 24 bucket system and I ran it with a 100 gallon res. Consider getting another 55 gallon barrel and linking it up to the other with a couple of 3/4" bulkheads (the threaded kind). The larger res will help to buffer the nutrient solution and will also keep your nutes at a more steady level. Every time the buckets fill and drain, the solution that was in the buckets feeding the plants will come back into the reservoir and get "recharged" with the nutrient solution that did not get pumped into the pots. With your current setup, there will be very little solution left in the reservoir to recharge the nutrient solution coming back from the pots.

Also, check out how long it takes your buckets to fill up. Ideally you want the buckets to COMPLETELY flood and drain within 30 minutes. If you have your timer set to 30 minutes, roots at the bottom will be submerged for over 30 minutes, which means that some will die every flood and drain cycle. With stock pumps this is pretty hard. I would recommend getting higher flow pumps (maybe 300 gph?) they aren't that expensive and are definitely worth it.

 

[Blaze215]

No schematics on my setups as they were kinda big with large pickup truck sized 325 gal "exterminator" rez`s that fed 2 separate flip rooms runnin 36-5 gal buckets in each room at each location Skrud.........

DHF,
You were feeding two separate rooms from the sames res? Since I know you harvested every month like clockwork... did you just always give your girls the same nutrient strength solution from beginning of flower to the end?

Had my dehuey`s on drainlines runnin back to my R/O tanks that were tied to my bigass rez`s with float valves for auto topoff`s , and toyed with the idea of peridosers to add back ph adjusters and nutes as needed , but settled for flushing and swappin rez`s out with new juice every couple weeks once ppm`s had dwindled down for insurance and safety purposes since I only went to each location once a week.......

So let's say you started your nutrient strength at 1.2 ec. For the rest of that one week you just added back in water thereby maintaining a constant liquid volume of 325 gallons?

If this is true then what ec were you running your girls at?

"Industrial float switches" are easily available online from sites like Grainger.com , and other similar ones.........

Out of these float switches:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ww...&Ntt=industrial+float+switches&N=0&sst=subset


Which would you have used?

 

[DHF]

None of those switches are applicable Blaze for ebb and flow buckets as a failsafe device......

What they are is lever type " thru-hull fittings " like watertight bulkhead fittings and set at absolute top flood level so there`s no way flooding occurs cuz it klls power to the feed pump ......

I never ran more than 750 ppms thru end of cycle and did start out round 600 with fully rooted pre-vegged cuts that went into the flip rooms on rotations......now......

Rez`s kept topped off with R/O very mild nutes thru the week so as to adjust total tank ppms while buffering ph.....but...my rooms were 4-5 weeks apart in age for perpetual harvey every 4-5 weeks strain dependent........and then........

As plants eat their nutes ppms drop as ph rises gradually so I usually set my big tanks with 5.5 ph and 6-750 ppms depending on plants goin into the flip rooms versus the ones in the older flip room , and by the time I came round for checkups the ph had risen to around 6-6.2 , and ppms had dropped maybe 100 points before rez change.....so....

Stable is as stable does ......Bigger rez`s ftw.....and.....

GH 3 part was what my old ass rocked for yrs and yrs with plenty success......Shit never seperates and lasts for yrs.....I ran 4 yr old 6 gal jugs of the shit unbeknownst till I threw the empty jugs out and noticed the date , but never saw a difference from new across the board as a happy medium to growing all strains/varieties/hybrids....believe this.....less is more with ppms/ec IME.........

As the ph rises over that period between swapouts , different macro`s and micro`s are more easily absorbed at different ph levels for max plant health and explosive growth.....

Good luck.....DHF..........

 

[wantaknow]

you always want to keep 2 sets of relays on hand at all times ,power spike / surges /outages will make the contacts stick ,must use a usp power surge protector on the controller ,this will save money /and crop ,week nuts do best and more feedi ng ,try to keep your ph at 5.8 rockwool flock works better than rocks /clay in my opinion ,a chiller is a must if room runs high temps ,gh 3 part works for me well ,do not use hygozyme in this system,you will develop brown slime if not on the first run you will on the second ,trust me on this one ,clean your system afer every run ,its a pain ,but its worth it ,use peroxide in your rez with the nutes ,good luck with you grow

 

[Blaze215]

None of those switches are applicable Blaze for ebb and flow buckets as a failsafe device......

What they are is lever type " thru-hull fittings " like watertight bulkhead fittings and set at absolute top flood level so there`s no way flooding occurs cuz it klls power to the feed pump ......

Can you provide a photo of one? I have been scouring the net and can't seem to find one that does what you state.

Those were the only ones over on Grainger as well....

Rez`s kept topped off with R/O very mild nutes thru the week so as to adjust total tank ppms while buffering ph.....

How did you automate the top offs? In a traditional set up with the water being pumped out of the main res your back up res would then allow nutrient in to fill it back up again.

This wouldn't be good since when the flood cycle is over the nutes would be pumped back into the main res thereby causing a flood.

Now obviously you had a system where you worked out that kink.

How did you do it?

As the ph rises over that period between swapouts , different macro`s and micro`s are more easily absorbed at different ph levels for max plant health and explosive growth.....

Didn't really think about this one... very cool insight. Thanks for all the knowledge partner.

 

[max_well]

Here's a pumpstopper kit-- not the "industrial float" style, but give an extra layer of protection nonetheless:
http://www.aquahub.com/store/product67.html
Aquahub also have a DIY flood and drain controller which comes with good quality relays, horizontal float switches, and what seems to be a better quality timer than the cap system. They have a DIY version where you wire the relays and switches and a pre-wired deluxe version that lets you mount the timer/outlet box away from the controller container (they have some youtube videos if you want a more detailed look) For both kits you supply the controller container, and customize the outlets and switch heights to meet your needs. I used a container like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-391...-21-5-Inch/dp/B000189CSC/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_b
found one at home depot for like $10. This is bigger in area than the stock container, which is nice especially if your upgrading your drain-pump size, and has a hinged lid. Another upgrade to think about is having 2 pumps for both flood and drain -- in case of failure of either one. Maybe the little stock pumps, and up-sized pumps too depending on your system size.
Another upgrade to think about for the future: http://www.hydroponics.net/i/135800
This buckets have a little recess pocket in the bottom where the fitting connects and drain completely and have a 3/4" grommet, which increases flow and prevents a root-clogs significantly. Don't need to elevate your buckets with these. The hose they provide is nice too (it's different than standard polytube, and has less of the chemical odor-- I know that off-gassing has been an issue with NGW supplied tube, there's a big thread about it somewhere) . I read they are making 4 gallon buckets with the same features that will be available soon too.
Anywho, lots of upgrades can be made to the CAP system to make it a little more rugged...
best of luck

Can you provide a photo of one? I have been scouring the net and can't seem to find one that does what you state.

Those were the only ones over on Grainger as well....


How did you automate the top offs? In a traditional set up with the water being pumped out of the main res your back up res would then allow nutrient in to fill it back up again.

This wouldn't be good since when the flood cycle is over the nutes would be pumped back into the main res thereby causing a flood.

Now obviously you had a system where you worked out that kink.

How did you do it?

Didn't really think about this one... very cool insight. Thanks for all the knowledge partner.

 

[max_well]

Good advice... I don't think the stock CAP system employs relays that prevent against such a contact stick due to a spike. Here's some detail:
http://www.aquahub.com/store/curingspik.html

you always want to keep 2 sets of relays on hand at all times ,power spike / surges /outages will make the contacts stick ,must use a usp power surge protector on the controller ,this will save money /and crop ,week nuts do best and more feedi ng ,try to keep your ph at 5.8 rockwool flock works better than rocks /clay in my opinion ,a chiller is a must if room runs high temps ,gh 3 part works for me well ,do not use hygozyme in this system,you will develop brown slime if not on the first run you will on the second ,trust me on this one ,clean your system afer every run ,its a pain ,but its worth it ,use peroxide in your rez with the nutes ,good luck with you grow

 

[h^2 O]

idk man that shit sounds sketchy...would suck being out on the town or something and have your downstairs neighbors complaining about water coming through the ceiling...landlord would be like I'll go check it out...oh look what we have here...police waiting for me when I get home. Fuck that.

 

[DHF]

Topoff rez`s are/were always elevated above main rez`s with simple gravity flow set at full rez level so whatever came back from feed was leveled out with the difference in the float valve........

Hth...DHF...........

 

[highonmt]

How bout this one fred, sounds like the float switch your talkin about, sorta like the float valves but with a bulkhead insert and then wired to a relay to kill the feed pump...

And here is the link to Ray of Lights ebb and flow run..https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=70764.Too bad about him getting banned for a pissing match in the chat room...I was going to pick up one of them floating keep alive aerators but after reading this thread and rays problems with the floaters it's going to be all thru hull. Killer thread tho thanks for the link bro. I am talking to my electrical engineer friend and see if he can whip up a controller like ray's that is some kind of cool setup. Ray was flooding 14 minutes every 4 hrs what was your flood schedule DHF...This is a great thread by way thanks to all who are helpin out.

 

[wantaknow]

here is a often missed trick ,put a anti siphen hole on the line that feeds the controler bucket from the rez make shure the hole is above the top of the water line in the rez when its full ,very important,there is a thread called tips and tricks for ebb and grow ,give a run or two you will really like it its just a new concept and run the same nutes set up as you did in the trays dont take on so much at one time ,good luck

 

[wantaknow]

there is a kill switch that goes on the floor used in homes that when it gets wet creats a contact point and shuts off the water supply

 

[DHF]

HOM......haven`t been around much Bro.....but.....that sounds like what I used or thereabouts kinda sorta as a float switch....

Mine looked like regular float valves but had the inline relays and only hadta be wired to the feed pumps and then set in the extra bucket in each room at absolute top flood level.....and.....

I triedta tell Ray many times ta get the thru hull units cuz those floaters were strictly aerators made for fishing buckets and live wells not constant rez control , but he was young and wouldn`t listen...but....

My boy KILLED it his first fukin run by doing exactly to the T what I told him , so proof`s in da puddin....and HOM...

A simple A/C adapter wired to those thru-hull units cuz they`re 12 volt , and then maybe plugged into a timer to prolong the life of the aerator , will give yas GO-ZILLIONS of microscopic bubbles suspended in solution FTW long long time...........guaranteed.....

Almost forgot......My feeds weren`t like regular ebb and flow timer cycles of 15 mins on and then drain cuz of the DIY setup with 2 separate pumps on their own timers as well as the float switch that would kill feed if timer hadn`t killed feed.......

My pumps were big .....I blasted feed in and sucked it right back out as fast as possible 3 times a 12 hr cycle , and sometimes 4 times a day if I had some heavy drinkers that needed more juice ta keep from droopin.......all about dialage.....but......

I had 35-5 gal bucket in buckets full of lavarock plus the extra so-called controller bucket/failsafe device for flood prevention , so it took a lil bit ta filood the containers , but it was fast......gotta remember I was runnin 325 gal low boy tanks and floodin each room with at least 100 gals per cycle and then suckin out as much as possible till next time.......

System uses some juice......get ready once girls are dialed and suckin down mega gals per day.....The lava rock displaced about 35% cuz it`s so light , irregular shaped and porous for strong rootzone formation , and anchors the plants well.......

Not around much but I`m around.......Holler.....

Peace.......DHF............