fccking lie blumats JUST USE 1/4' air line

Well my blumats came to day though I have to go and get all this high price line and valves just use 1/4 air line from wall mart for fish tank just push The the line and Collier in to the 1/4 line and if it leak just put some silacone on it but I had to cut the air line to get the blumats out



edit I was try to get a pont across not try to be rude there a lot that use them but the cost and had people tell me you had go with a high price kit

It's the 3 mm silicone tubing in the valve itself that's hard to get.

Just tie in to the !/4 " line then use the fish tank valves are drip line mine had 18" of 3 mm line on them

If there no line just pull cap apart and drill out so the !/4 line will fit tight

I think that you are going to run into algae build-up problems if you use clear air line for your distribution plumbing. Lot's of people on here are using line and fittings from Kent Systems. Also, I think that by drilling out the cap for larger line you would just ruin the sensor - the 3mm line is much more pliable than any alternate that I have seen, and the "anvil" from the sensor needs to be able to pinch off the flow completely.

Good luck.

gurnt said:

If there no line just pull cap apart and drill out so the !/4 line will fit tight

Click to expand...

Because that sounds a heck of a lot easier then just buying the appropriate fittings from KentSystems. Not to mention this will NOT work. Try it and report back because right now your just talking out of your ass.

3/32" tee is like 0.22/ea and runs 2 blumats. The 3mm blumat tubing is necessary for the blumats to run correctly. The carrot is not going to pinch regular air tubing.. let alone 1/4 tubing that doesnt fit through the valve. People want more of this 3mm tubing so that you can move the plants as you see fit...why are you calling us liars for trying to help better a system/install process?

You may be able to use 1/4" tubing (as bobble did), but why not just go 1/2" so that you have increased pressure behind the blumat.

I've set the kit up using whatever comes with the deck and patio kit.. it works... however they are WAY NICER to run and operate if you use kentsystems tees (into 1/2 or 3/4 tubing as your main trunk) and extra 3mm line (through from trunk to blumat). You'll soon discover this I imagine.


PS - by buying the proper supplies you don't have to drill, dick around or silicone. You just have to set them up and enjoy having a hands free garden.

I used 1/4" tubing to run mine since the 8mm wasn't long enough to reach all the plants....just like gurnt said, just push the 1/4 into the 8mm line...I didn't have to use anything extra to seal it..I only slipped the 8mm over 1/4 right at the barb so it would kinda barb both of them and make for a tight fit.

also ran 24 blumats off a single 1/4 " line without pressure problems...gravity fed.

* think there's some confusion in this thread.

the 1/4 wont be as flexible but if you poor you have to do what you have to do

If your worry about algae use black line with 1" of air line to tie together with tape over it

As your main distribution line sure.. but that doesnt solve the problem of plant maneuverability. The extra 3mm tubing gives you this freedom...otherwise your "air tubing" or 8mm line must lay near your cone and not move to prevent kinking of the 3mm line that is attached to it.

The 3/32 tees allow you to setup however you want using regular tubing (for distribution) and cheap bulkheads vs. the crappy thru hulls /fittings that come with the kit.

Set um' up how you guys like but don't go calling the folks that helped make these things "better" and easier to use liars. These tips and tricks are to enhance your blumat experience..

Your method still relies only on having a few inches of the 3mm tubing. This typically makes them a pain in the ass. Do-able without..sure.. but having the 2ft or so of 3mm tubing is much nicer. Having the 3/32 tees allow me to run off of any distribution tubing and bulkhead. The thru-hulls that come with the kit are weak and can easily break if moving reservoir around , etc. The 8mm fittings are also tough to get back out of the 8mm line should you need to "re-setup" your layout. Having a lot of 3/32 tees and 3mm tubing makes blumats extremely flexible and universal.

Sorry if my initial response came off harsh. I just read you initial post a little rude I guess.

I was try to get a pont across not try to be rude there a lot that would use them but the cost and had people tell me you had go with a high price kit

I'm always surprised when I see people talk about how expensive blumats are. At roughly $6 per plant for the patio kit, it doesn't cost a hell of a lot more than a 3 gallon smart pot.

After playing with one if the air tubing get old it would not turn off at the membrane but the rest can be 1/4 line. THANKS RIVES

$6 x120 can add up for the Vertical set up it's going in
JUST ME if you cant hit it running you will fight it all the way

The only other thing i had to buy other than the patio kit ... was the extra 3mm line . whats wrong with the 8mm feed line from the tank , that everybody is changing it to bigger lines ???? i've been using the 8mm & 3mm lines at different lengths for over a year now & love it !! i don't need to change it to 1/2'' lines with special fittings , the ones that came in the kit work great .

I dunno ... just sayin

I have been eyeballing that patio kit big time

THERE TWO Tipes the cones and membrane

dansbuds said:

The only other thing i had to buy other than the patio kit ... was the extra 3mm line . whats wrong with the 8mm feed line from the tank , that everybody is changing it to bigger lines ???? i've been using the 8mm & 3mm lines at different lengths for over a year now & love it !! i don't need to change it to 1/2'' lines with special fittings , the ones that came in the kit work great .

I dunno ... just sayin

Click to expand...

The 8mm stuff is fine, but those fittings (8mm tees with 3mm nipple) are pretty blumat specific. Fine if your just needing to set up a small garden or 1 patio kit, etc and only need whats included in the kit..however if setting up a large run its handy to just use 1/2" or 3/4". Gives you much more flexibility in parts...common parts.

Once your out of the 8mm tubing (or need more)... or if you need additional blumat fittings is where you'll run into problems. I also feel the 8mm thru-hull bend easy..and I've ruined what came in my kit either trying to get 8mm back off or when moving reservoirs and having them bump into stuff. Then you gotta track down 8mm thru hulls.

Its just much more convenient to use 1/2" tubing.. where you can use common stuff like 1/2" bulkheads and 1/2" stopcock valves. I guess what you are considering "special" fittings we (or I) are considering common stuff. Only the 3/32 fittings need purchased and are much cheaper then buying more blumat tees or blumat thru hulls. I would more consider THOSE items special fittings needing sourced from somewhere whom carries more then just the blumat patio kit. When these kits became popular find the patio kit was semi-difficult..finding misc parts even harder...maybe thats not the case anymore but I'm sure 8mm tees to blumat and 8mm thruhulls are more expensive then adapting the system to use regular 1/2" stuff with KentSystems tees (.22/ea)

I was able to adapt a small compression valve (from lowes) (used for various things) using some tubing as a coupler. It worked.. but again... just using a regular 1/2" valve is much more convenient...plus I can drain my res faster using the same distribution tubing.

I've got a bag of 3/32 tees from Kentsystems and 100' roll of 3mm tubing from GreenAcresHydro. I'm set to setup my blumats as many ways as I'd like ..as many times as I'd like without needing ANY special blumat fittings (tees/thru-huls/valves,etc). That is the advantage.

EDIT - just did quick search. Additional blumat fittings are like $1/ea! Thats for those little tees and end pieces. If your going to be needing more then what is include in the patio kit it makes WAY more sense to go the kentsystems and regular tubing route. The thru-hull from blumat is like 6 bucks compared to 1.50 for normal bulkheads from the grow store. Blumat shut off valve is like 6 bucks.

FlowerFarmer said:

The 8mm stuff is fine, but those fittings (8mm tees with 3mm nipple) are pretty blumat specific. Fine if your just needing to set up a small garden or 1 patio kit, etc and only need whats included in the kit..however if setting up a large run its handy to just use 1/2" or 3/4". Gives you much more flexibility in parts...common parts.

Once your out of the 8mm tubing (or need more)... or if you need additional blumat fittings is where you'll run into problems. I also feel the 8mm thru-hull bend easy..and I've ruined what came in my kit either trying to get 8mm back off or when moving reservoirs and having them bump into stuff. Then you gotta track down 8mm thru hulls.

Its just much more convenient to use 1/2" tubing.. where you can use common stuff like 1/2" bulkheads and 1/2" stopcock valves. I guess what you are considering "special" fittings we (or I) are considering common stuff. Only the 3/32 fittings need purchased and are much cheaper then buying more blumat tees or blumat thru hulls. I would more consider THOSE items special fittings needing sourced from somewhere whom carries more then just the blumat patio kit. When these kits became popular find the patio kit was semi-difficult..finding misc parts even harder...maybe thats not the case anymore but I'm sure 8mm tees to blumat and 8mm thruhulls are more expensive then adapting the system to use regular 1/2" stuff with KentSystems tees (.22/ea)

I was able to adapt a small compression valve (from lowes) (used for various things) using some tubing as a coupler. It worked.. but again... just using a regular 1/2" valve is much more convenient...plus I can drain my res faster using the same distribution tubing.

I've got a bag of 3/32 tees from Kentsystems and 100' roll of 3mm tubing from GreenAcresHydro. I'm set to setup my blumats as many ways as I'd like ..as many times as I'd like without needing ANY special blumat fittings (tees/thru-huls/valves,etc). That is the advantage.

Click to expand...

1/2" stuff is easy to get.

barbs are 30 cents a piece.

and it works.

None of you guys have had any problems with the barbed fittings seeping where they are poked into the distribution tubing? I've been reluctant to go that direction because that just looks like it could be a problem area. I know that all of the outdoor drip systems use that system, but a little seepage from the fittings wouldn't be a problem outside.

Ive got 48 hooked up right now no seeping at all where the 3/32 tee punches into the 1/2 distribution tubing. I cannot remember the exact size but I just used a small ice pick looking thing to punch my holes. It looked like a screw driver but has a sharp pointed end.

I then took some small pliers to push the tee into the tubing all of the way as to not kill my fingers or thumbs with all that pushing.

I did a test 1st however before punching all of my holes to ensure I would not get seepage with my size punch.

This was a major concern of mine as well... but it worked 1st time round' no leaks.