Blumat Setup Question......

[krunchbubble]

Trying to figure out the best way to setup the elevated res situation that goes with blumats, to minimize air bubbles in the system....

It seems to be the way to go to make sure you have constant pressure is to have a big res on the ground that continually pumps to an elevated, smaller res.....

But then i see Lazymans method..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AsCHtPmEBA

He has a completely different way to go. looks like he used much bigger main line. he says he gets no air bubbles with this method. i dont even think the system is looped, like what is recommended....

I have both 1/4 and 1/2 main line to work with. only doing about a dozen, bigger plants to start with....

 

[megayields]

Brah check out Bobbleheads thread in the vertical system ....he has a real handle on Blumats and is doing some interesting things also that you might find interesting. But i think your basic premise on the setup is probably what 90% of peeps do....I am going to incorporate them soon into my stadium vertical room hopefully this summer..but theïr just a bit pricey.

 

[DHF]

Hey Bro....If you`ll only be runnin a dozen bigger plants , that upper rez upgrade`s really not necessary and any rez yas can raise above container height oughta suffice....now...

As far as keepin bubbles outta the feedlines , a simple anti-siphon tube in-line and above the rez will take care of any bubbles , and or a small ball/control valve at the end of all feed lines below container level to bleed out any trapped air should it occur....but...

Once yas have the cones/sensors dialed down to a cling with all but no runoff indicated by the plant saucers underneath each plant , there should be no bubbles as long as the main rez is kept at close to full level at all times for constant down pressure on the gravity controlled emitters........so...

Are yas runnin the maxi`s or the regular size Krunch....With bigger plants the maxi`s are better suited for a deeper and wider rootzone , and as far as a loopfield manifold goes there are different ways to accomplish the same thing as yas see with Lazyman`s technique , although I can`t view his setup on youtube from my farm that`s still on bullshit dialup....

I`ve got an OCD GrowBro on the left coast that built a "Pico style" manifold outta CPVC with tophat grommets in drilled holes with the 3/32" barbs and blumat tubing runnin to the cones in a big ass warehouse setup with megawattage and coco plants gone wild with the elevated rez setup I talked about earlier that`s absolutely killin it with the finicky elite "kushes" to the tune of well over 2 1/2 lbs per light....and...

You of all folks should know bout those no yieldin elongated internode spacin OG`s and such plants that demand top dollar at the dispensaries....anyways....

Sorry I didn`t catch the thread and it took a PM ta get me here but....Many waysta skin a mule Bro as you`ve seen but....regardless....

Blumats ftw.....once dialed in and hoonin......Set em and ferget em....Plants all but grow themselves.....

Holler if I can help....DHF.........

 

[rives]

There are a number of people that have found that the larger line is more resistant to having problems with air bubbles. Greenmatter was doing some experiments with clear tubing of different sizes, and the larger tubing was much better.

I've always had a hell of a time with air in my system, even with the reservoir elevated 4'+ above the blumats, an anti-siphon tube like DHF mentioned, a looped feed, automatic top-off, etc, etc. I finally put an automated air bleed circuit on mine for when I'm out of town, but my situation seems to be pretty rare - there seems to be a lot of entrained air in my municipal water system.

 

[DHF]

Sorry yas had so many probs Rives , but you`re right...MANY municipal water systems employ air into the mix to push the juice....but...

The small bleed/ball/control valve at the lowest point of the setup takes care of any air bubbles in the setup if needed should they occur and cause any feed irregularities if developed.....

Krunch...the 1/2" tubing`s cool with a punch for the 3/32' barbs and initial dialin process while you`re gettin used to the setup....

Upgrades are available.....DHF........

 

[Guest 18340]

Got 2 Blumats soaking right now...

 

[krunchbubble]

As far as keepin bubbles outta the feedlines , a simple anti-siphon tube in-line and above the rez will take care of any bubbles , and or a small ball/control valve at the end of all feed lines below container level to bleed out any trapped air should it occur....but...

Are yas runnin the maxi`s or the regular size Krunch

The small bleed/ball/control valve at the lowest point of the setup takes care of any air bubbles in the setup if needed should they occur and cause any feed irregularities if developed.....

Krunch...the 1/2" tubing`s cool with a punch for the 3/32' barbs and initial dialin process while you`re gettin used to the setup....

Upgrades are available.....DHF........

im running regular 'mats, no plants over 3 gallon...

i read the ENTIRE thread on blumat that SunnyDog did...

but i dont remember the "mall bleed/ball/control valve at the lowest point of the setup"...

and upgrades? do tell!!!

appreciate everyone's time and effort...

 

[rives]

The small bleed/ball/control valve at the lowest point of the setup takes care of any air bubbles in the setup if needed should they occur and cause any feed irregularities if developed.....

Yep, a manual valve works great for purging the air, but you've got to be home to use it! My schedule requires me to be out of town for about 10 days a month, which was enough time for the blumats to vapor lock until I automated the process. Unfortunately, I proved this empirically with one crop.

Krunch, on the layouts for the feed line plumbing in the big thread, there is a "T" with a valve on the outlet leg set about midway in the loop if the line returns to the reservoir (fed from both ends), or a valve on the end if it is a single-ended feed. This allows you to purge the air out of the system without having to dink with one of the blumats, pull a hose off, or whatever. Actually, I think it should be at the high point in the system rather than the lowest because the air bubbles are going to try and move upwards.

 

[bobblehead]

I gotcha kruncherooni...

Here's a pic of what I'm doing...

I have 1 500gph pump in each 330g ICB tank constantly feeding each of the 55g drums through 1/2" tubing, and the passive 3/4" return lines going back to the main res. I have 1/2" feed line going from the 55g drums all the way to the room, where I attach the 1/4" flexzilla feed line, and I snake it through the different levels. No loop, just an open end at the bottom that I pinch off with a clamp, and open it up if I need to bleed the line. So far the 1/4" flexzilla is doing a great job... but I also have 3/32" barbed fitting that can be used with a larger manifold... They just took a while to arrive so I got the flexzilla and never looked back.

You're probably growing plants on one level and don't need your res to be so elevated...

 

[DHF]

Yeah Krunch.....Told yas there`s upgrades....You know Stoner ingenuity will prevail on setups made for patio plants.......and Rives....

The reason you developed "vapor lock" was from not havin a topoff setup in place to keep constant gravity/down pressure on the cones....and....

The reason yas put the "bleeder valve" at the lowest end on the manifold is to make sure once yas can "purge" the manifold of all juice to make sure there`s no bubbles left in said loopfield ....but....

All these tips come from invite only med sites and my paranoid old head potsnob mad scientists that started their own sites when OG , CW , and HG went away yrs ago.....so..

Blumats are catchin on slowly with the public forums although Lazyman and Sunnydog have had their threads runnin for awhile , but trust me....

The Movers and the Shakers in the Wild Wild West as well as CO are rockin the fuck out of em , and upgrades are a good thingy right ?.......

If I was still croppin ...It`d be with Blumats guaranteed...and...I`ve got couple hundred in the barn in storage for proof I ordered before shutdown....anyways...Been preachin em for awhile....

Krunch....Get ta work...

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

 

[rives]

Rives....

The reason you developed "vapor lock" was from not havin a topoff setup in place to keep constant gravity/down pressure on the cones....and....

The reason yas put the "bleeder valve" at the lowest end on the manifold is to make sure once yas can "purge" the manifold of all juice to make sure there`s no bubbles left in said loopfield ....but....

All these tips come from invite only med sites and my paranoid old head potsnob mad scientists that started their own sites when OG , CW , and HG went away yrs ago.....so..

I wish it was that easy, DHF! As I mentioned in my first post above, I've had an automatic top-off since I first built my blumat reservoir a couple of years ago. It's from the aquarium industry and keeps a total swing of about 2" in the reservoir, still got vapor-locked.

The only way that an air bleed at the low point will work is if you get sufficient volume flowing to flush the bubbles out - if it is a lower flow, the bubbles will just hang at the high point and let the water flow around them. Check it out with some clear tubing - that's why automotive brake slave cylinders have their bleed valve at the highest point.

 

[DHF]

I wish it was that easy, DHF! As I mentioned in my first post above, I've had an automatic top-off since I first built my blumat reservoir a couple of years ago. It's from the aquarium industry and keeps a total swing of about 2" in the reservoir, still got vapor-locked.

The only way that an air bleed at the low point will work is if you get sufficient volume flowing to flush the bubbles out - if it is a lower flow, the bubbles will just hang at the high point and let the water flow around them. Check it out with some clear tubing - that's why automotive brake slave cylinders have their bleed valve at the highest point.

I can honestly say that you`re the only person I`ve ever heard say that a top off rez that you came up with 2 yrs ago doesn`t compensate for the vacuum/vapor lock problems with the cones/emitters as well as everyone else solvin their problems between the 2 with the "bleeder valve" AND the elevated , constantly topped off rez , but Hey....

If this is a flawed system , I`m sure seein a whole buncha success stories doin exactly what I`m tryin ta help folks with......and....

Rives...I`ve seen too many folks rock this setup in the last few yrs as well as upgrades in the last yr that make it even MORE idiot proof , so....

I agree to disagee with yas regardless if air rises up instead of down when bleedin the juice that`ll get rid of those bubbles you`re talkin bout that was diagnosed and dealt with at least couple-3 yrs ago when blumats were in their infancy....

Yas just bleed the juice WITH the bubbles in the lines OUT of the lines if yas allowed the cones to dry out more than necessary to cause those air gaps from inconsistent down pressure on the sensors/cones that`s paramount in dialin em ....

Positive vibes in your new setup Krunch....NO negativity....Hoon this bitch...even if it`s only 12 plants....Make em perform....Here ta help...

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

 

[rives]

I can honestly say that you`re the only person I`ve ever heard say that a top off rez that you came up with 2 yrs ago doesn`t compensate for the vacuum/vapor lock problems with the cones/emitters as well as everyone else solvin their problems between the 2 with the "bleeder valve" AND the elevated , constantly topped off rez , but Hey....

If this is a flawed system , I`m sure seein a whole buncha success stories doin exactly what I`m tryin ta help folks with......and....

Yep, it drove me nuts until I came up with the automated bleeder circuit. I redid my feed loop so that it was fed from low on both sides and came up to a high point in the middle of the rear of the tent. A "T" was set there, feeding a solenoid valve that is controlled by a digital timer, purging off +/- a quart every other day. I've been running straight water up until now, so the purge didn't burn off nutrients, but I'm getting ready to set things up with a large reservoir feeding the small one, and the purge line can just feed back to the lower rez. Where there's a will, there's a way!

The only reason that I can come up with for the high levels of entrained air is that the springs feeding our municipal water system are at a much higher elevation than the town. Possibly that kind of drop gives a waterfall effect, raising the DO in the water. Beats me, but I know it was a pain in the ass. Interestingly, my mom cabinet has the reservoir mounted on top of it (a larger, manually topped rez that drops very slowly) and it has never had any problem whatsoever. I think that perhaps the frequent addition of fresh water to the self-topping rez for the flowering tent works against it in this case.

 

[vwgtiron]

Blumats

Blumats

I am a medical caregiver in Maine. I run 36 of the tropf in flower. I use 2 25 gallon resevoirs. They top off with RO water. I run a mix of Dyna Gro Bloom, Mag Pro, Protekt, Nitrozyme, Sea Green, Carb Load( a custom blend of Maine Maple Syrup, Raw Organic Agave, Jamaican Molasses) with H2O2. Sometime Mendicino Avalanche but its the same thing as Nitrozyme basically. It runs at 1000 PPM and I run it down to 350 ish, let the res sit till its almost empty. I then clean and restart. It takes about 10 days of constant top off from the RO to do the drop. I do monitor the PH with constant nutrient tri meters from CWP, they work OK, as long as you watch the probes. Tanks stay at about 68F.
In the Flower Room I ran 2Inch PVC all the way around the room as a manifold. Ball valves at the tanks. With PVC tubes to allow drains for each tank. I then punched 16 stations on each side and used the A-199 Watts Nylon Hose Barb to M/P Elbow. 1/4"x1/4". This allows me to plug a piece of blumat manifold into my custom PVC manifold. Then in the pot I used the stakes from lowes for rainbird drip tubing. It fits perfectly around the hose and will lock it into place in the pot. I use 4.2 gallon Superoots pots. I also bought the drip tube holders at lowes. The packs are like 10 for 5$.
I like the bleed valve Idea I didnt think about that. So today later I can post some Pics if you want.
Ron

 

[vwgtiron]

tanks

tanks

Oh yeah the tanks sit outside the room in a "lung" room. They punch through the wall into the flower room and then I just foamed the shnikeys out of the

These are the tanks
http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=A-VT0025-18

 

[vwgtiron]

PICS

PICS


Let me know if yo have questions

 

[rives]

Cool setup - you sure shouldn't lack for flow with that size pipe! I'm not sure that I would be overly comfortable with the rez plumbing directly over your electrical shelf, though.

 

[vwgtiron]

Yeah its a temporary solution to a permanent problem, waiting on the electrician to add an outlet on the wall

 

[krunchbubble]

Thanks guys!!!!

Finally got my Kent systems thingamabobs today!

BUT! of course my landlord has to call and want to inspect the house tomorrow!!!

FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!

 

[vwgtiron]

Nice congrats Krunchbubble