Blumat auto watering

[RubbaDub]

This thread inspired me to give Blumats a try. I keep hurting my back by watering my plants by hand, so I'm hoping this will fix that problem.

FWIW, planet earth hydro does not ship discreetly. I had the blumat kit sent to my work address. The box had 'Planetearthhydro.com' printed on the shipping label.

 

[station2]

Re: Blumat auto watering

Id like to +1 this thread! After the lengthy read and all the contributions to the thread, the team has produced strawberry diesel with success with these wonderful appliances called blumats! we will continue to use these In the garden. They have cut down massive hours in the grow room . The setup is 5 gal buckets on a loop system and a drain valve at one end. strawberry diesels are in 2 gal geopots filled with coco We have had no issues with clogging in the lines, and of course no run off with coco.. Flawless!

Heres a shot of the strawberry diesel fed with blumats

In this pix the blumats are out, so we can flush

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[Tyga]

Oes anyone know who home harvest use for shipping in te US? Ups, usps?...

 

[Eol]

i finally drew the diagram for a vented line set up. this is how mine is set up (actually i don't have a shut off valve -- it's not necessary, just convenient). credit goes to GDbud for the idea. works great and especially well suited for micro grows.

I'm going to setup my system based on this diagram (thanks a lot for it headyblunts!). I bought a shutoff valve, but I think I'm going to use it to connect to my rez adapator, so I just can turn it off and then remove the rez from the system to fill it up, rather than lugging buckets of water over. As I won't have a shutoff valve at the end of the line, should I seal the last dripper then to stop the water leaking out the end?

Cheers =)

 

[heady blunts]

I'm going to setup my system based on this diagram (thanks a lot for it headyblunts!). I bought a shutoff valve, but I think I'm going to use it to connect to my rez adapator, so I just can turn it off and then remove the rez from the system to fill it up, rather than lugging buckets of water over. As I won't have a shutoff valve at the end of the line, should I seal the last dripper then to stop the water leaking out the end?

Cheers =)

if you have the patio kit, you'll notice they've included one or two "L" pieces in addition to the "T" connectors. just use that at the end of your feed line and plug your last blumat into it.

best of luck!!

 

[Eol]

Cheers for the reply heady, unfortunately I didn't buy the patio kit - I just ordered the components separately. Do you think i'll be alright just using some sealant to seal up the end of the last T connector?

 

[WasntMe]

you could put a piece of 8mm on the end and with knot it or double fold it with a clamp to seal it...this could still have the ability to use it as a drain or bleed if needed BUT that being said I wouldn't trust it long term with the pressure. I would just order the correct valve or "L" piece end. Otherwise you are asking for a future silicone or clamp failure.

 

[Eol]

Good idea WasntMe! You're right, I should just buy the extra part - it just seems like such a waste getting it shipped from Germany (as there are no retailers where I am). I'm going to use some sealant to seal off the end, and then attach a knotted bit of tubing as you suggested - so it's twice as safe =) - I've only got one female anyway, so I can just disconnect the dripper itself if I have drainage/bleeding problems.

Thanks!

 

[heady blunts]

i actually use knotted pieces of the 3mm tubing to do that all the time. it works great, and you can just pop it off when you need to add more!

I think it was wasntme who suggested it to me originally. thanks wm!

 

[sunnydog]

i actually use knotted pieces of the 3mm tubing to do that all the time. it works great, and you can just pop it off when you need to add more!

I think it was wasntme who suggested it to me originally. thanks wm!

Works for me!

 

[WasntMe]

Due to the flexible nature of the rubber material of the 3mm hose, putting a knot in it or tieing it off to prevent leaks at that 3mm location (typically done in a position a carrot is not being used at the time) is easy and effective.

Due to the more rigid nature of the plastic used in the 8mm hose and the larger diameter, tieing the 8mm hose into an effective knot will be a little more difficult. You may need to utilizes a pair (or 2 pairs) of pliers to pull the ends to make the knot tight enough to prevent water passage/leaks in a more long term install as the knot may possibly loosen over time.

So, doing the same to the 8mm hose as a lot of use do with the 3mm hose will probably work. I just personally would prefer a valve in this case. But like you said, if local supplies and ordering in your area are not the best of situations then sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

Good luck
-WasntMe

 

[Tyga]

So basic steps are..
-Soak blumats for atleast an hour
- Drill 12MM hole in rez to attach tubing
- Soak tubing in warm water to make more flexible
- Fill up cone with water
- screw back on
- then insert and adjust dial?
Am I missing anything?

Also if I was running 50 gal. smart pots outside and wanted to use blumat maxi's what would you guys suggest. 2 per pot?

 

[sunnydog]

So basic steps are..
-Soak blumats for atleast an hour
- Drill 12MM hole in rez to attach tubing
- Soak tubing in warm water to make more flexible
- Fill up cone with water
- screw back on
- then insert and adjust dial?
Am I missing anything?

Also if I was running 50 gal. smart pots outside and wanted to use blumat maxi's what would you guys suggest. 2 per pot?

I usually screw the cap on under water, too.
Can't help you with the S/Ps......

 

[sunnydog]

Pressure reducer......

Pressure reducer......

I have been using the pressure reducer for several months now, and it appears to be VASTLY SUPERIOR to the "res" method, almost no overruns!(actually, NONE, after tweaking the dial in!) This with ~30 pots.


Theory is,air seems to readily get trapped in the 3mm lines, this gets worse as we (needfully) use longer lines.
The P/R BLOWS the bubbles through, no matter what.
Thereby reducing chances for carrot drying and related fuck-ups.



Sorry about shouting, but I thought this was important to all.

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

I have been thinking about using the pressure reducer with a water pump in a res but I am not sure how to do it without killing the pump. Is there a specific type of pump for this use?

 

[sunnydog]

I have been thinking about using the pressure reducer with a water pump in a res but I am not sure how to do it without killing the pump. Is there a specific type of pump for this use?

No pump.
Garden hose threads.

 

[heady blunts]

So basic steps are..
-Soak blumats for atleast an hour
- Drill 12MM hole in rez to attach tubing
- Soak tubing in warm water to make more flexible
- Fill up cone with water
- screw back on
- then insert and adjust dial?
Am I missing anything?

Also if I was running 50 gal. smart pots outside and wanted to use blumat maxi's what would you guys suggest. 2 per pot?

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

I want to be able to water from a res with a pump. No plumbing in the space.

 

[Tyga]

Im thinking that having an airstone mixing your nutrient solution in your rez might lead to air bubble in the tubing causing it to block up.... Do you guys run airstones in the rez or no?

 

[TLoft13]

I have been using the pressure reducer for several months now

Could you elaborate, or show a picture? I'm confused, the only pressure reducer i know connects to a regular waterfaucet, so how do you mix the nutrients in?