Blumat auto watering

[sunnydog]

Updates from BluMat Central...

Updates from BluMat Central...

Hello.
Just a few "things"

AFOM , despite proper loop design and repeated purgings, began experiencing air lockout failures. Only change was adding 1200w to his gro.
I suggested wrapping exposed feeder line in tinfoil... BINGO!-problem gone!(old hot-rod trick to combat vapor lock)

So...probably a good idea to cover any line exposed to intense light.
Also,If possible, use the WHITE 8mm dist. hose.Can't hurt.
However, I think wrapping with foil is prob. best, as it will insulate as well as reflect.

Also, when I get off my lazy ass,LOL, will be running +- 200 of these with the PRESSURE REGULATOR ,and a bunch of slave drippers( I know I have expressed my distrust of these, but, I may have to make them work).

SD

 

[OneTokeOver]

Dialing in blumats in coco is a little different than what the manual says. If you hand water to runoff before setting up the blumat (which you should) you will have a very wet and heavy pot. If you put your blumat in the coco at that point and tighten 2.5 arrows from the stop of dripping, your coco will completely dry out before the blumat triggers. I assume this has something to do with coco's wicking ability that keeps the moisture evenly distributed in the pot but I haven't given it that much thought. I just know that I always end up loosening and tweaking the blumats a lot more if the coco dries out completely.

What works for me is letting the saturated coco go for a day before I try to dial in the blumats to let some of the excess moisture get out of the pot. And then at most I only tighten one arrow from the stop of the drip. I use Smart Pots and I am typically only installing blumats in pots with freshly transplanted and/or young plants - the same scenario might not work out with mature plants or hard pots. My goal is for the blumats to maintain the moisture level about halfway between completely saturated and dried out. If it dries out completely it is almost eaiser to hand water to runoff again and start the process over again, only not tightening so much the next time around.

I know nobody asked for advice on the subject, but I don't recall ever seeing anything in this thread about the nuances of dialing in blumats in coco so I hope this helps anyone thinking about making the switch.

Thank you! That is what I found works as well. I soak the pots in the morning, at night I dial to stop drip +1. They work well enough that I just ordered 36 more.

 

[StealthDragon]

thanks so much to everyone who contributes to this thread! I recently hooked up a deck and patio kit and I'm loving...If I hadn't read the entire thread before setting them up I'm sure I would have had a few problems.

I built a "floating" rez to keep line pressure at ~4 gallons:

18 gal. rubbermaid at the bottom with a ~350 ghp pump running on a timer to keep the top bucket constantly topped of. overflow line at 4 gal. that drains back to the bottom.....not my idea stole it from the thread ....this is "WasntMe" 's idea!

here's some shots of a deck and patio kit...didn't see a pic of this in the thread;


...just so everyone knows what they're getting in the box

and also here's a shot of the surgical tube pinched, fresh outta the box:


after getting your blumats pull a little of the surgical tubing through the sensor to reveal the pinches...I'd say about half had them...they pop right open when you squeeze them...it's no big deal..just make sure to check them first.

I rigged all mine up without buying the 3mm tubing....it was a pain and I plan on switching over to it directly after this harvest.

THANKS again to everyone who contributed to this thread

 

[LeeROI]

Thanks for posting, Stealth. Hadn't thought of a continuous pump arrangement--no float switch overflow worries and maybe a mini waterfall for some aeration.

 

[inreplyavalon]

Loved using these last round, i am doing it again. Thanks to SunnyD and the rest of ya'll for sharing your experiences and making the transition smooth and silky.

 

[sunnydog]

 

[dunkydunk]

I know these things are popular, and I've been running +/- 35 of these things for a few months now, but I don't know, I'm still not sold.

I'm running 1 gal Smartpots with coco, I have an elevated rez with auto topoff, I use drip clean and Canna nutes, but I still get inconsistent moisture levels and salt build up. Not to mention the blumats seem to always get slower, I'm continually opening them up a notch to keep the pots evenly moist. The salt build up is a pain because all the plants then need to be flushed by hand. I never had these problems with my old DTW system.

I really wanted the Blumats to work, I love everything about them in theory, but in reality, they sure are fickle.

 

[Lapides]

I really wanted the Blumats to work, I love everything about them in theory, but in reality, they sure are fickle.

Man that is unfortunate.

They have made my reality much more enjoyable.

 

[McSnappler]

I know these things are popular, and I've been running +/- 35 of these things for a few months now, but I don't know, I'm still not sold.

I'm running 1 gal Smartpots with coco

I really wanted the Blumats to work, I love everything about them in theory, but in reality, they sure are fickle.

Having run them in both organic, peat-based mixes, and most recently in pure coco with canna nutes, I can see why you would think this. Really dialling them in using coco is much more involved, there is a much much finer line between too wet and too dry. My experience with coco and the blumats would probably have been better if I was set up for run-to-waste.. I was constantly fighting to find the limit, when really they could've worked well if set constantly "over-wet".

 

[dunkydunk]

Having run them in both organic, peat-based mixes, and most recently in pure coco with canna nutes, I can see why you would think this. Really dialling them in using coco is much more involved, there is a much much finer line between too wet and too dry. My experience with coco and the blumats would probably have been better if I was set up for run-to-waste.. I was constantly fighting to find the limit, when really they could've worked well if set constantly "over-wet".

Nailed it. That's exactly what I find, they are either dripping wet or too dry, with the exception of a few plants that are dead on. I am, however, still set up for DTW, so maybe I shouldn't be so concerned if I get a little runoff, that would help with salt buildup I've been having. I'm not convinced the Drip Clean is worth the money either.

 

[NachoConQueso]

How much Drip Clean are you using per gallon?

 

[farmdalefurr]

its .4ML/Gal. i to believe that its not worth the money. i also had salt buildup in my coco using the H&G line and blumats. im 99.9% sure it was from the shooting powder. i even used way below what they call for. i most likely wont use it on this run. what kinda additives does everyone run w/ their blumats (if any)?

 

[Lazyman]

Having great success with Maxibloom powder and Koolbloom powder in flower, really nothing else in the res except bleach and some Floranectar in the last 4 weeks. I think bleach makes a fine substitute for Zone and Drip clean, way cheaper and only takes about half a cap per 55g res. Keeps em clean and smelling fresh, and the driplines are flowing better too.

 

[primeform]

How many of these would you need for a 200 gallon smart pot?

 

[dunkydunk]

How much Drip Clean are you using per gallon?

2 ml per 5 gallons, or .4ml per gallon, as it says on the bottle.

 

[dunkydunk]

. I think bleach makes a fine substitute for Zone and Drip clean, way cheaper and only takes about half a cap per 55g res. Keeps em clean and smelling fresh, and the driplines are flowing better too.

Bleach? Really? I missed that memo.

 

[sunnydog]

A tip on adjusting...

A tip on adjusting...

When making dial adjustments, go past where you want to be, and then tighten.
This will remove "slack" from the system.
Hope this makes sense.

SD

 

[sunnydog]

On CO-CO....

On CO-CO....

Just wondering, maybe Maxi's would be better for C-C, as they would sample from the bottom,where it would be wettest.
I do not grow in C-C, other than a bit in my mix, so this is just a thought.
Maybe someone has some input here?

SD

 

[BorkBorkBork]

So...probably a good idea to cover any line exposed to intense light.
Also,If possible, use the WHITE 8mm dist. hose.Can't hurt.
However, I think wrapping with foil is prob. best, as it will insulate as well as reflect.

Good tip!

Also, when I get off my lazy ass,LOL, will be running +- 200 of these with the PRESSURE REGULATOR ,and a bunch of slave drippers( I know I have expressed my distrust of these, but, I may have to make them work).

SD

This ^^ will be fraking EPIC!

 

[slowandeasy]

Having great success with Maxibloom powder and Koolbloom powder in flower, really nothing else in the res except bleach and some Floranectar in the last 4 weeks. I think bleach makes a fine substitute for Zone and Drip clean, way cheaper and only takes about half a cap per 55g res. Keeps em clean and smelling fresh, and the driplines are flowing better too.

Lazy, what is your Kool Bloom routine? How much, and when? I use a modified 6/9, and hand water Kool Bloom a few times in Flower. But I am wondering using less Kool Bloom, and adding to Res would be better. I am going to experiment this round, just seeing what other people do with Kool Bloom. Peace