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Grow Tray / Drip Manifold -Water Pump Size

alpo

Active member
I always thought bigger pipe means bigger pressure. Going from 1" to 1/2" will reduce PSI right? Either way, pipe size isn't going to solve your problem. If you want to create pressure you need a diaphragm pump. GPH, especially concerning submersible pumps is a terrible way to measure PSI. Most, no matter how large won't create the PSI you need for pressure compensating emitters to work as designed.

Anyways, why do you want to run pressure compensating emitters? I think your better off with a loopfield or "pico" style manifold with open ended 1/4" lines. Just make sure your main loops and all your 1/4" open lines are the same length. Your pump is more than enough power, in fact you might have to tee off in your rez with a shutoff valve to control flow as it might be to much... this valve even left slightly open will also act as your siphon break if you keep it above the waterline.

Emitters clog... Don't see why you would want to use them if you don't have to.


Athena makes a product called: Cleanse. "Keeps irrigation systems in pristine condition. Keep lines clear of dangerous organic material"
 

f-e

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
All pumps will have the same psi if they are measured at the same head level?
Like inches or centimeters can be used to measure length, head or psi can be used to measure pressure.

10 meters of head, means its like having a hose from a tank 10 meters above you. Many will of showered with a gravity fed tank. Finding the shower head just dribbles at the top of the pole when doing your hair, but works quite well laid on the floor.

That's also 10 meters it can push water up a vertical hose. To empty a deep hole perhaps.

10 meters of head, is 1 Bar. Or 15(14.7)psi. Three ways of saying it can push that hard.

How hard it can push is of great importance. The other measure of a pump is almost a question of how wide the hose is, rather than how high. That's where we are talking about capacity in units like Gallons or Liters.

A deep well pump can boast both high pressure and high capacity. Most of what we see can only offer one of the two.

We can't really find what we want. Hoselock make that specific pump, but because it's also a garden hose pump, it's big enough for two of them 1/2" 100 foot 100 emitter lines.

I have found a 250w version now that musters the same 11 meters as the 300w Hozelock. It's 100w sibling looks interesting though, with it's 9 meters of head. Many drippers are actually rated from 0.8bar/8meters. So the 9 meter 100w might be a winner for some. Certainly in this thread somebody stepped up to 9 meters to be happy.

Oh shit I have restarted my pc. The links gone..
The Color Out of Space... no that was a movie.. let me paste again..
Mastra MOP 100W

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.details.deiletai6.4.7730122d4yePMT

It's still a monster of a pump to be sending a bucket full into a tent each day. Nothing gets close to the 12v Whale. With it's 14 meters from 50w it's king. There is a 10 meter for 40w. Though it leaves little extra for filters or sprung non-return valves if you use them as anti-siphon. Such that the pump must overcome the spring. I use a Hozelock Double Check Valve. You can't blow through one, so it stops a siphon. It robs a couple of meters from the pump to open it.

Most pond looking pumps run to about 65w and still have just 3 meters. The Maxijet-1200 has a head of just 6 foot. I can piss 6 foot. It wouldn't reach my drippers. It would struggle with my filter and check-valves.

If a single 0.5gph gets a Bar to produce 33ml a minute, then a 4" blocks volume with some runoff might have a lesser pump running a very long time.


The yellow pump is a bit of a gem. It's not what I want still, but for many it's going to be close enough.
 

mikeross

Member
to control the rate so it waters the media more evenly.

I ended up buying parts for a floraflex micro drip set up on their cyber Monday sale


You're over thinking it. Did you go see what a loopfield manifold is. Theres a long thread started by Pico about them. They might not be ideal in huge warehouse grows but perfect for a single table setup. Emitter setups like you're planning require a pump that creates pressure. You need to supply 18gph, any pump can do that but very few can create enough pressure.

With a loopfield manifold, which is dirt cheap to make and wont clog, you have a level table, make a loop with your mainline that is also level, all of your 1/4" open lines are all the same length and set at the same height. Now you use a cheap submersible pump that tee's off in the rez. You can open and close this tee to play with the GPH allowed to flow through your mainline. If everything is level and the same length you will have even output from each 1/4 line. This works perfect on small setups but harder to dial in on large long runs.
 

alpo

Active member
Basic setup of one of the tables 15 plants

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alpo

Active member
would there be any problems with using clear braided pvc vinyl tubing for the feed line from the control bucket to the tents? or should I stay with black. thanks
 

alpo

Active member
I got this Munro pump during the holiday sales to try. Stats show better than the Mondi every where but the price is higher.

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f-e

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
1 bar pump. Just what the emitters want. Using 150w too, not 400w like some lesser pumps.

The 32gpm figure is of no concern. It's the figure people chase after but you only need a quart. It's that 34 foot head figure that makes it a winner. 34'/1 bar/15psi/10meters however you like to measure things.

edit: The tank is interesting. Is that a float for filling? The best bit of automation I ever did was simply filling the tank. End of the day, after all the drip cycles, it fills and awaits you adding the nutrients. So much easier than standing over tanks with a hose.
 

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