What's new
  • Please note members who been with us for more than 10 years have been upgraded to "Veteran" status and will receive exclusive benefits. If you wish to find out more about this or support IcMag and get same benefits, check this thread here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

blumats and reservoirs

joe fresh

Active member
Mentor
Veteran
just wondering if anyone felt like posting pics of how they got their res setup?


whether it be a single res, or double res(one on ground and one up high), i want to see them....i know more and more ppl are using blumats, so lets see some of that ingenuity we got here
 

joe fresh

Active member
Mentor
Veteran
bump...cmon guys lets see some pics...

i just got a deck & patio set to test and get used to em while i wait for my larger order...gonna be setting it up today, ill get some pics too
 

joe fresh

Active member
Mentor
Veteran
still hoping for some pics ppl, lol...

so i was over at the spot...i decided to keep the res out of the room to give me more grow space and to keep res temps cooler...i managed to build the frame for the elevated res and get the ducting for my exahust mounted through the ceiling...got the blumats in a bucket of water to soak over night and ill end up doing it tomorrow...

i also forgot my cam to take some pics but will get some done tomorrow....
 
F

Funion

I use a tent set-up. I have a length of drywall that rests on-top of my tent, and I have a 5 gallon square reservoir that rests on that. I have just the one bulkhead and I use .224ID silicone tubing (in lieu of the 8mm black plastic tubing) that drops to the floor of the tent, then T's of into a circle. I have a shutoff valve nearest the door of the tent with which I bleed about 2 cups of H2O every day or so.
Hope that helps some.
 

joe fresh

Active member
Mentor
Veteran
sounds nice...got pics?? i want this thread to have a bunch of pics, like a pictoral, so we can show off some of the handywork and setups made....ill get my pics up tomorrow
 

joe fresh

Active member
Mentor
Veteran
ya i got the manuel and its also availible on the net...


but your drawings are very nice....thx for posting them..

and your last post is exactly what im looking for...just want everyone to post pics like that...kinda like bud porn...but for reservoirs, lol
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Here is the temporary setup that I have going until I get my new area done. The feed line is 3/4", the return 1-1/4", there is a Tunze circulating pump in the lower reservoir for stirring, and the lift pump is a Mag 3. The pumps are on a digital timer and run for 2 minutes, 3x a day. The upper reservoir is a 5 gallon bucket that probably holds about 4-1/2 gallons at the overflow level, and the lower one holds 20 gallons. There is a single feed line on this one with a valve at the far end for purging air, flowing the system, or whatever (like the bottom drawing in heady's post).

picture.php
 

FlowerFarmer

Active member
Veteran
Nice drawings heady..should make it a lot easier for folks to visualize a few blumat options.

Here is what I got going Joe. Each raised barrel feeds a light..well one feeds 2. I have a fresh RO barrel on the floor with a sump pump on a key fob outlet switch. I mix up in the RO barrel..hit the button and pump it all up top. I might make all 3 circulate however with a lower res so that I only have to mix once.. everything gets the same juice anyways..

*Going to cross brace my stand as others have suggested previously in case those barrels felt the need to shift and try to come crashing down. They are pretty sturdy, but ya never know. If doing a large amount like this I think its just easier to run the constant pressure res fed from the floor res.

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php
 
T

TribalSeeds

Can someone breakdown the pump and float falve needed to keep the upper res at a constant level? Im not sure how to set it up so the float valve shuts off the pump, or whatever magic is going on there. Sounds sweet though!
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
TS, I don't use a float valve with mine, I just make sure that the pump runs frequently enough to keep it topped off. The water can actually drop a foot and only change the water pressure by .433 psi, and mine only varies a couple of inches.

If you did want to use a float valve, you would need to feed it with a pressurized line like your residential tap water so that the pressure was always there, or perhaps set it up with an electrical switch to kick a pump on as the float valve fell away. My other system uses a level switch that kicks on a solenoid, but has another output that could be used to drive a pump. This in combination with a 24vac relay for a residential sprinkler system would do what you are talking about. I bought all the parts to do it, and decided that I was making things to complicated.
 

FlowerFarmer

Active member
Veteran
Can someone breakdown the pump and float falve needed to keep the upper res at a constant level? Im not sure how to set it up so the float valve activates the pump or whatever magic is going on there. Sounds sweet though!

No float valve.

Simply pump water from your lower res to upper res via 1/2" tubing and pump capable of the lift.

then..
Install a larger "overflow" drain fitting near the top of your upper res to allow water to overflow back to your lower res. I like to use a 1" fitting and hose here to be absolutely certain that the upper res cannot overflow.

You can time it to fill the top res.. or easier yet just let it run/circulate. Have the water from the overflow hose splash back in your lower res to keep it aerated without adding air pumps.


See headys 1st drawing.. this is what he is picturing even though his upper res / lower res are drawn together. You can achieve this same thing with drain fittings and tubing. Just make sure your fill is smaller then your return line.
 
T

TribalSeeds

Thanks! This is going to eliminate half of the work I still have to do with the blumats! These things are the greatest thing to ever happen to stoners!
 

joe fresh

Active member
Mentor
Veteran
thx guys for posting up some pics...exactly what i asked for, each one is nifty in its own way...different strokes for different folks...keep em commin


hey FF...what size lines are comming from the blue barrel?
 

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
im gonna do a DIY auto topp off in a couple weeks when this run is finished but by then you will have it all worked out haha
 
R

Red Swan

I just set up a blumat res with an upper and a lower with overflow , but made the mistake of making the overflow from the rez the same size and it overflowed all right. The line attached to my pump is 1/2 inch. How big do I need to make the overflow for a constantly on pump? 3/4"? 1"?

Thanks.
 
Top