Blumat auto watering

[stihgnobevoli]

actually these blumats and any similar technology aren't sensing shit. it's just marketing buzz words.

these work by simple osmosis/wicking.

you put the clay spike in the soil and once the moisture on the outside is equalized to the moisture inside it attempts to equalize the pressure. once the outside of the clay spike and the inside of the spike are the same level of moist it's like there's no clay wall to separate the 2. the medium will stay as moist as it can based on how much moisture is on the other side of the membrane.

but it's also a porous material so if there is more pressure on one side than the other. as soon as the moisture is equalized the water will just continue to flow till the pressure equalizes.


it's like a siphon. if you suck to start the flow, it will continue till you either raise the end of the hose above the level of water you're siphoning off. or until there's nothing left to siphon off.

 

[rives]

Wrong.

The spikes that you are referring to are the Blumat Jr's, which flow through the porous ceramic spike and are siphon-fed. They aren't really suited to our needs because of their inherently low-volume delivery.

The Blumats that this thread is dedicated to are the "Tropf Blumats", and they function in a completely different manner. They have a pinch valve on the top which controls the flow from a pressure or gravity-fed source (no siphoning), and the pinch valve is controlled by the spike's efforts to balance it's internal and external pressures as the moisture tries to migrate either in or out.

 

[komboloi]

Wrong.

The spikes that you are referring to are the Blumat Jr's, which flow through the porous ceramic spike and are siphon-fed. They aren't really suited to our needs because of their inherently low-volume delivery.

The Blumats that this thread is dedicated to are the "Tropf Blumats", and they function in a completely different manner. They have a pinch valve on the top which controls the flow from a pressure or gravity-fed source (no siphoning), and the pinch valve is controlled by the spike's efforts to balance it's internal and external pressures as the moisture tries to migrate either in or out.

Sometimes it's just necessary for someone who knows what s/he is talking about to speak up.

Good job and thanks, Rives.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

yeah...they're clay spikes. the only difference between the professional version and the JR are the feeding lines. it's the same shit.

but anyway...magic clay spikes that sense water levels sounds a lot better for all that money you're dropping on em.

https://blumatsystems.com/
i mean they tell you right on the website exactly how it works. i just didn't want anyone going around thinking these were magic based on your insistance that they "sense water levels" they don't SENSE shit. there's not SENSING equipment anywhere in there. it's simple gravity and siphoning.

 

[rives]

No where did I infer that they were "magic", nor did I say anything about "water levels" - I said that they worked via sensing moisture content. If the surrounding media is dry, the water inside the spike tries to migrate out which creates a vacuum and pulls the valve open. If it is wet, the opposite occurs and the valve closes.

Now, perhaps you want to quibble about the definition of "sensing", but having worked as an instrumentation tech, this would certainly fall under the definition of a "sensor", whose function is "sensing". Do you think that a bi-metal thermostat "senses" temperature the same way that humans do, or a fucking photocell is a miniature eyeball?

Oh, and by the way, this is a direct quote from their site - "The Tropf-Blumat (Drip-Blumat) is a sensor that supplies plants with drips of water via thin tubing. As the soil dries, its natural suction power triggers the opening of the Tropf Blumat allowing the water to flow. When the soil is sufficiently moist, the Tropf Blumat automatically stops. The system functions fully automatically."

Apparently Blumat erroneously considers them to be a sensor, too.

Per Webster's -
Full Definition of SENSOR

1: a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control)

 

[stihgnobevoli]

you said
"Blumats function by sensing moisture levels and will self-adjust to maintain the setting - that is what makes them unique."

i didn't come here to start no shit with you homie, i was just trying to help that guy out.

i merely informed him that they do not SENSE anything. it's just suction and gravity, or back pressure if you get the tap attachment. it's gonna keep the soil a certain amount of wet based on how many spikes you put in a given pot.

if i stick 5 spikes in a 1 gallon pot, is it gonna sense that there's too much water in the pot and stop? no it's not. it's just gonna keep flowing till you run out of water, or flood your house. whichever comes first.

Oh, and by the way, this is a direct quote from their site - "The Tropf-Blumat (Drip-Blumat) is a sensor that supplies plants with drips of water via thin tubing. As the soil dries, its natural suction power triggers the opening of the Tropf Blumat allowing the water to flow. When the soil is sufficiently moist, the Tropf Blumat automatically stops. The system functions fully automatically."

Apparently Blumat erroneously considers them to be a sensor, too.

Per Webster's -
Full Definition of SENSOR

1: a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control)

as i said clever marketing. which is why i said anything to that guy at all. i fell for it myself. sensors? automatic? oh fuck yeah!.

NOT!

 

[GSPfan]

if i stick 5 spikes in a 1 gallon pot, is it gonna sense that there's too much water in the pot and stop?

Yes. They sense that there is enough water/nutrients and stop until it dries out again.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

can i ask you how you know, did you actually do this. do you use blumats? i don't see any in your pics.

 

[rives]

you said
"Blumats function by sensing moisture levels and will self-adjust to maintain the setting - that is what makes them unique."

i didn't come here to start no shit with you homie, i was just trying to help that guy out.

i merely informed him that they do not SENSE anything. it's just suction and gravity, or back pressure if you get the tap attachment. it's gonna keep the soil a certain amount of wet based on how many spikes you put in a given pot.

if i stick 5 spikes in a 1 gallon pot, is it gonna sense that there's too much water in the pot and stop? no it's not. it's just gonna keep flowing till you run out of water, or flood your house. whichever comes first.




as i said clever marketing. which is why i said anything to that guy at all. i fell for it myself. sensors? automatic? oh fuck yeah!.

NOT!

This is absolutely incorrect. The Jr's function this way, but the Tropf's do not - they will actively modulate the flow from a dead stop to whatever the maximum flow a 3mm line can deliver with the pressure supplied.

You can set whatever moisture level you want, and the sensors will work to hold it there. For instance, if I supplement by hand-watering, they will completely stop until the media dries out to the point that they sense that they need to turn back on.

I think that your question was directed at GSP, but just in case, yes, I use them. I have three systems going and have been using them for about 5 years.

Again, they do sense moisture content and throttle up and down to hold a given setting. If you bought them and they didn't work this way, you either bought the Jr's or you screwed up the installation.

 

[Lapides]

I love the way my Tropf Blumats sense how moist my dirt is and waters or doesn't water accordingly.

I haven't had to hand water my plants in years.

Blumats blumats blumats!! I love my blumats! THE MIRACLE SENSOR!!!

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

The Magical Miracle Sensor!

 

[catman]

They do sense in every sense of the word. Not magic, but there are no affordable alternatives that preform the same function.

 

[rives]

i fell for it myself. sensors? automatic? oh fuck yeah!.

NOT!

If you would like to figure out what went wrong when you tried to use these, holler and we can get you straightened out. A good start might be to post up a picture of your spikes so we can see if you've actually got the right ones, and a rough description of how you were set up. All the info that you need is in this thread, but it is one big, unwieldy read anymore. They do make life a hell of a lot simpler when they are set up properly, as long as you are using either salt-based nutes or water-only organics. The thicker mixes don't work well.

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

For sure man, blumats work great and if you can get them work correctly you will love them. Post any questions you have and the crew here will help you out.

 

[stoned40yrs]

Love my blumats but they DO NOT sense anything. They utilize a ceramic actuated valve. When the ceramic dries up, the valve opens, then once the medium is wet again, the ceramic soaks the water back up, swells, and shuts off the valve. This is not "sensing". No more than the sponge on your kitchen sink can sense when it's dry or wet, it expands with moisture and contracts when dry. No brains, no magic, no sense organs to sense something. Dry it contracts, wet it expands and both conditions trip the valve open or shut.

 

[rives]

Love my blumats but they DO NOT sense anything. They utilize a ceramic actuated valve. When the ceramic dries up, the valve opens, then once the medium is wet again, the ceramic soaks the water back up, swells, and shuts off the valve. This is not "sensing". No more than the sponge on your kitchen sink can sense when it's dry or wet, it expands with moisture and contracts when dry. No brains, no magic, no sense organs to sense something. Dry it contracts, wet it expands and both conditions trip the valve open or shut.

Per Webster's -
Full Definition of SENSOR:

1: a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control)

Obviously you do not understand what a sensor is, and you don't fully grasp how blumats function. It is not a "ceramic actuated valve", and ceramic does not "swell".

The diaphragm actuating the pinch valve responds to hydrostatic pressure fluctuation within the spike, created by the water trapped within the spike attempting to equalize with the moisture in the media. The valve actuation portion closely resembles the way that automobile brake slave cylinders work, and the force controlling it is very similar to a barometer.

 

[stoned40yrs]

The water isn't trapped in a blumat. The ceramic is porous and permeable to water, dissolved salts and dissolved air. When the medium dries and water starts leaving through the porous cone a partial vacuum is created inside the cone that opens the pinch valve. When water isn't trying to leave the cone it stays closed.

 

[rives]

The water isn't trapped in a blumat. The ceramic is porous and permeable to water, dissolved salts and dissolved air. When the medium dries and water starts leaving through the porous cone a partial vacuum is created inside the cone that opens the pinch valve. When water isn't trying to leave the cone it stays closed.

Jesus Christ. Yes, the water is trapped but it can be drawn through the porous ceramic. Yes, it creates a vacuum which opens the pinch valve. Yes, that is a variation in the hydrostatic pressure being applied to the diaphragm. Yes, this is exactly what I've explained several times before.

Gee, what happened to the ceramic expanding and contracting?

 

[Lapides]

A few years ago, I bought a whole bunch of Tropf Blumats for my garden. Somehow, and I'm really not sure how, but they seem to sense the moisture level of the dirt that they're in and water the area accordingly.

I used to think I had a pretty good sense about when the right time to hand water my plants. But I really have to tell you, in the 15+ years I've been growing pot, these Tropf Blumats are able to sense when the plants need watering WAYYY better than I ever could.

How can this make sense?

 

[cannaisok]

If Blumats are once activated in water they do not stop giving water as long as the soil around them has less moisture than Blumat himself.
place container lower or higher to control the amount of outflow.
max outflow is 250/300ml/24h
min outflow is 70ml/24h
Blumat is not really a sensor...
5blumats in 1 gallon coco/soil pot and a swimmingpool of water and you can flood your house... will take long but theoretically possible