Blumat auto watering

[sunnydog]

I just had my biggest blunder whit the blumats till now. and it was all my fault.
I mainly use blumats so i can be absent for weeks at the time. so now i just started a new run whit northernlight, hooked it all up, just like the last few times tightend the valves abit exstra, and off i went for a longweekend in dublin whit out thinking witch res i was using. so when i got home it had all run out trough one of the pots, and all the 300 L water was already getting a thin layer of algee,growt. and it took me the hole night to dry it up.
so the lesson i learned is to allways start whit the small res. then adjust, then bring out the oversized one, or spend a week adjusting them befor they are left alone.

Takes about week to dial in.......

 

[rrog]

I just removed the BM system from my last plant. I'm icing it down at night so no more need for BM watering. I run well water. Hard well water. Lots of iron buildup. I mentioned this before but felt I should mention again. You should take the BMs and rinse / soak in vinegar for a bit to remove ion deposits. Same with the distributors. Unscrew them and soak in acid (vinegar) to loosen the iron. Use a toothbrush to get in the grooves. It'll come off and you're set.

If this step is neglected you're setting yourself up for a clog next run. Also, I am NOT reusing the thin drip lines, as they are lined with iron also and not worth cleaning out.

 

[Sean Price]

I just got 12 blumat maxis which are going into my flowering room Jan 1st. I have installed 6 regular blumats into my veg room (1 for each 1gal. smart pot). I use a 5 gallon bucket that I top off which is about 4 feet above the girls. The system is a straight feed line no loop, 6 tees with long pieces of 3mm drip line to each plant. has been in a week and so far I'm having success with only a couple glitches.

Thanks to sd, wisco, lazy and all the rest for the info. I grow organic soil using homemade ewc and I just top-dress guanos and other shit to feed. By skipping all the people asking about nutes\ph stuff I was able to bypass a lot of irrelevant info. Made reading the thread go way faster..

My only problem so far was adjusting them a little too tight at first. Pots were soaked, blumats had soaked 30 hours, I adjusted until a drop just clung, then 2 more marks. Two pots were a little dry a couple days later (blumats were still full).. so I backed off until I started getting some runoff.

The other thing is why is the pressure great at all the blumats but the one that is at the end? Does a loop design solve this?

Roots at the top of the soil! Awesome..

 

[sunnydog]

I just got 12 blumat maxis which are going into my flowering room Jan 1st. I have installed 6 regular blumats into my veg room (1 for each 1gal. smart pot). I use a 5 gallon bucket that I top off which is about 4 feet above the girls. The system is a straight feed line no loop, 6 tees with long pieces of 3mm drip line to each plant. has been in a week and so far I'm having success with only a couple glitches.

Thanks to sd, wisco, lazy and all the rest for the info. I grow organic soil using homemade ewc and I just top-dress guanos and other shit to feed. By skipping all the people asking about nutes\ph stuff I was able to bypass a lot of irrelevant info. Made reading the thread go way faster..

My only problem so far was adjusting them a little too tight at first. Pots were soaked, blumats had soaked 30 hours, I adjusted until a drop just clung, then 2 more marks. Two pots were a little dry a couple days later (blumats were still full).. so I backed off until I started getting some runoff.

The other thing is why is the pressure great at all the blumats but the one that is at the end? Does a loop design solve this?

Roots at the top of the soil! Awesome..

Loop would probably help.
Get the res. up high as possible.
I usually only make very minor adjustments or re-calibrate from the beginning.


Good luck!

 

[rives]

I have had better luck with a feed line that is fed from both ends rather than an actual "loop", meaning a circle around the plants with one or two attachment points for feed lines. With the loop, it seemed like any air bubbles that I was trying to purge went somewhere else, and it took forever to bleed. I've now gone to a line that is fed on each end with the center point slightly elevated and a bleed valve installed at that point, and purging the air is a snap.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it, but I've found that having the bottom edge of the adjustment knob at the same elevation as the top of the pointer comes remarkably close to being the correct setting for all of my plants, as in the attached picture. I'd be interested in hearing if this is true for other users.

 

[dansbuds]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it, but I've found that having the bottom edge of the adjustment knob at the same elevation as the top of the pointer comes remarkably close to being the correct setting for all of my plants, as in the attached picture. I'd be interested in hearing if this is true for other users.

Hmmmmm. gonna have to check on that . it might be an easier way of dialing them in if it has a good set point . thanx rives , i'll look into it

 

[supermanlives]

great reading all. still have yet to set mine up. maybe someday. i have had em like 6 months now LOL

 

[RugerBaby]

my only issue im having is my humidity is high! Should I buy an oscillating fan or dehumidifier? its getting in the upper 60-70% RH

 

[rives]

my only issue im having is my humidity is high! Should I buy an oscillating fan or dehumidifier? its getting in the upper 60-70% RH

I would think that the oscillating fan would just move it around, not dry things out, but I don't have any experience with high humidity problems. Is that just the humidity in your grow space or the ambient? If it is restricted to your grow area, moving more air through it might be of help.

 

[NFD]

my only issue im having is my humidity is high! Should I buy an oscillating fan or dehumidifier? its getting in the upper 60-70% RH

Dehumidifier will help a lot. You won't have worry about those fat buds getting rotten before they are ready to harvest. I use the water from the dehumidifier to water plants as well.

 

[Sean Price]

If I open the blumat all the way when the soil isn't soaked, but moist, then adjust back to a clinging drop and leave it..is that wrong? That's kind of worked for me. I messed with them a lot the first few days

 

[rives]

If I open the blumat all the way when the soil isn't soaked, but moist, then adjust back to a clinging drop and leave it..is that wrong? That's kind of worked for me. I messed with them a lot the first few days

I have a post somewhere in this maze about what I have found to be the easiest method. I bring the soil to about the desired moisture level and adjust to a clinging drop, and it takes very little monkeying around with from there. Usually I will saturate the media and then install the blumats a day or two later, depending on how quickly it dries out. The interesting thing to me is that they always wind up in the region shown in the picture that I posted up above.

 

[Herbophile]

@ sunnydog
The line is as prone to kinking as the 3mm flexible silicone drip line.
I would guess that the wall of the silicone feed line I am using is about 1-1.5mm thick.
When it is full of water and the system is running the lines are strong/straight.
I think my answer is no.
It is not prone to kinking.
Since it is more flexible there are no weird twists or curves to have to work around.
Even the connectors are able to twist with no loss of connectivity.
I believe it is an advantage to the system with no negatives.
Other than price

It's a little bit of a hassle ordering this stuff but I finally have my order placed. The sample that was sent to me is exactly what I was looking for. As you have said this stuff is exactly like the 3mm drip line and very easy to work with.

 

[Protea]

I realise that, i have managed sucsessfully many times. but it was just sloppyness on my part. I just tigthent them abit more. and left. WHIT a exstention cord lying on the floor. just pur dumb luck i didnt get a chock before i saw. I really have to take a lesson from it. I never found out where the leak came from, but my guess is that i left one or two valves to lose.

 

[Señor Chang]

@Herbophile

I am pleased you are happy with the silicone tubing. I've had zero problems with mine, and have more than enough for a variety of set-ups.
I hope this catches on.

 

[Sean Price]

Oh some people use an alternative 3mm drip line? I didn't know that was possible...oh that's why that pic from earlier in the thread showing a root stretching toward a drop is black drip line not grey.

 

[sunnydog]

NO!

NO!

Oh some people use an alternative 3mm drip line? I didn't know that was possible...oh that's why that pic from earlier in the thread showing a root stretching toward a drop is black drip line not grey.

No, this is an alternative to the 8mm supply line.

 

[Herbophile]

What I was meaning is that the replacement for the 8mm line is just as flexible as the stock 3mm line is.

 

[Sean Price]

ok i see. is there a consensus on running the 3mm line as supply line? I have a roll of it. I was thinking of using the 8 mm with a bunch of tees close together (like a hub) all running long 3mm drip line to the 6- 7gal smart pots.. so six tees in maybe a foot length of supply hose (two end caps)

mentioned earlier in the thread, but I never read an answer; does the water "drag" a lot on the 3mm line making lower pressure at the blumat?

 

[fafafaMANG]

i'm not being a dick. someone PLEASE explain how the entire soil stays wet if you only drip water onto one spot?

i just dont see how such minute amounts of water (drops) can wick through the entire container.

it seems impossible to avoid crusty edges and overal uneven water distribution.