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Blumat auto watering

J

jointventure420

Member
Thank You very much Sforza, Ez Rider and Jhhnn..Great responses and information..built a pressurized system with a diaphragm pump..couldn't go over 10 psi with the system..kept bursting blumat hose fittings(not a sound you want to hear in a room)..looks like buying the hose from a shop is the path for now..thinking i should b able to find a supplier in the aircraft or medical field..if i do find a workable supplier..i will most definitely post up here..just be nice to have 3 or 5 foot long whips on each carrot to move around..

thank you again very much!!

JV
 
Ez Rider

Ez Rider

Active member
Veteran
Jhhnn said:
Their marketing strategy with the kits is to give us enough to see that they work great but that we can make 'em work better. So we buy more stuff to do that, their stuff.

Once you're hooked, resistance is futile.
Click to expand...
Ain't that the truth.
jointventure420 said:
Thank You very much Sforza, Ez Rider and Jhhnn..Great responses and information..built a pressurized system with a diaphragm pump..couldn't go over 10 psi with the system..kept bursting blumat hose fittings(not a sound you want to hear in a room)..looks like buying the hose from a shop is the path for now..thinking i should b able to find a supplier in the aircraft or medical field..if i do find a workable supplier..i will most definitely post up here..just be nice to have 3 or 5 foot long whips on each carrot to move around..

thank you again very much!!

JV
Click to expand...

That's how I set mine up. I have the main line running in a loop around the perimeter of my trays, and 3'-5' lengths of 3mm line running from the main to each pot. It does make it very easy to move the plants around. You want to be careful when moving the pot to not disturb the carrot's contact with the surrounding media, or you'll get a runaway.

How could you not go over 10psi? My demand pump is a diaphragm type and rated @ 45psi. The blumat pressure reducer on the discharge side of the accumulator drops the pressure to 14.5psi continuous output to the 8mm main line. Were you using a demand pump, accumulator and pressure reducer, or just a standard pump running non-stop? Something doesn't add up. Like I said, my lines are under continuous 14.5 psi and showing no sign of strain. If anything, the pressurized fittings are more difficult to get the hose off of.



I'm on day 2 of my pressurized system. Had 2 more mild runaways this morning when I got up. They'd overflowed their individual saucers, but that's about it. I keep all the plants in 10" saucers, inside extra deep 4x4 trays. Either tray can contain my entire rez in any event. I'm still finding the pressurized system far less finicky than the gravity to dial in. Considering what an inexpensive, and truly simple DIY it is, I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. I built mine for under $150 off of amazon, that's about the same cost as 100m roll of 3mm line.
 
J

jointventure420

Member
Hello again Ez Rider...I have yet to have a runaway with the system thats in place..but..also running 2.5 gallon hempy pots with 100% Coco..makes for a bit of a buffer when it comes to overflowing
Originally had a 15 psi regulator on the system and within the first 15 minutes of operation the 8mm lines started popping off their fittings..!!!...so...reduced it down to 10 psi and a few hose clamps later and ZERO problems..Stainless Steel hose clamps are my friend...:)
Have a pre-filter..then diaphragm pump(45 psi)..then accumulator tank...then a 10 psi inline non adjustable pressure regulator...Picked up all fittings,regulators,filters,pumps and tubing from a commercial irrigation supply house..the fittings and tubing are almost bullet proof...makes for a system that i never worry about(leaking..ruptures...etc..) any runoff hits a concrete floor..so..a bit of a safety buffer...
Was thinking about a gravity feed system at first..then configured the pressurized system...it was a no-brainer..the pressurized system won(for me..my situation)..

JV
 
Last edited:
Ez Rider

Ez Rider

Active member
Veteran
jointventure420 said:
Hello again Ez Rider...I have yet to have a runaway with the system thats in place..but..also running 2.5 gallon hempy pots with 100% Coco..makes for a bit of a buffer when it comes to overflowing
Originally had a 15 psi regulator on the system and within the first 15 minutes of operation the 8mm lines started popping off their fittings..!!!...so...reduced it down to 10 psi and a few hose clamps later and ZERO problems..Stainless Steel hose clamps are my friend...:)
Have a pre-filter..then diaphragm pump(45 psi)..then accumulator tank...then a 10 psi inline non adjustable pressure regulator...Picked up all fittings,regulators,filters,pumps and tubing from a commercial irrigation supply house..the fittings and tubing are almost bullet proof...makes for a system that i never worry about(leaking..ruptures...etc..) any runoff hits a concrete floor..so..a bit of a safety buffer...
Was thinking about a gravity feed system at first..then configured the pressurized system...it was a no-brainer..the pressurized system won(for me..my situation)..

JV
Click to expand...

I use 4l airpots with 45% perlite, doesn't take a lot to get runoff. I think the runaways are mostly due to me setting it up too quick. Usually I let the carrots sit in the pots for an hour or so before hooking up the feed lines. This time I just planted the carrots, poured a little more water on top and went for it. Next time I'll give the carrots time to stabilize with the outside pressure.

I suspect the difference lies in our tubing. I've got the silicone flex tubing from and fittings blumat. It all holds together just fine with barbed fittings, not one clamp in the entire system. I'd be surprised if my pumps full 45psi could cause a "blowout".
 
J

jointventure420

Member
5 gallon buckets here...Ph soak the carrots for 24 hours before placing them in Coco...assembling the carrots under water and tapping the hell out of them to hopefully get out all the air bubbles..then the carrots get placed into the Coco...at 15 psi i had several lines popping off their fittings..
 
Ez Rider

Ez Rider

Active member
Veteran
jointventure420 said:
5 gallon buckets here...Ph soak the carrots for 24 hours before placing them in Coco...assembling the carrots under water and tapping the hell out of them to hopefully get out all the air bubbles..then the carrots get placed into the Coco...at 15 psi i had several lines popping off their fittings..
Click to expand...

Weird...I'm at 14.5psi, and it's a struggle to get any of the fittings apart.
 
Bwanabud

Bwanabud

Active member
Ez Rider said:
Weird...I'm at 14.5psi, and it's a struggle to get any of the fittings apart.
Click to expand...

Yes the injection system is designed to run at 15 psi, so can't see how tubing could be blowing apart. I just received the jumbo kit for 70 pots, pump & guage kit, everything...can't install till my girls finish up.

I'll let you know how it goes :tiphat:
 
Sforza

Sforza

Member
Veteran
jointventure420 said:
.assembling the carrots under water and tapping the hell out of them to hopefully get out all the air bubbles...
Click to expand...

Tapping doesn't work as well as using a disposable pipette to squirt into the top of the carrot underwater. This works very well to displace the air that is reluctant to leave the top of the carrot.

51BqREaa17L._SL1500_.jpg
 
J

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
Sforza said:
Tapping doesn't work as well as using a disposable pipette to squirt into the top of the carrot underwater. This works very well to displace the air that is reluctant to leave the top of the carrot.

View Image
Click to expand...

I dunno. When I look at the way the carrots are made, at the size of the 3 little holes leading to the tiny upper chamber in the carrot it occurred to me that the design is deliberate, employing surface tension to have a little tiny air cushion at the top. I've dealt with the carrots as if that's true to good effect. I may try it your way the next go-round.
 
rives

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Jhhnn said:
I dunno. When I look at the way the carrots are made, at the size of the 3 little holes leading to the tiny upper chamber in the carrot it occurred to me that the design is deliberate, employing surface tension to have a little tiny air cushion at the top. I've dealt with the carrots as if that's true to good effect. I may try it your way the next go-round.
Click to expand...

They will usually still work fine with minimal air, but the response gets a little sluggish compared to how they respond when completely purged.

It's like air in any hydraulic system.....
 
N

nastynate420

Member
To the coco growers: What brand of coco do you guys use? I'm about to switch over from promix to coco and would like to see what you guys use before going to the store. Can't wait to get this coco and blumats going!!
 
Ez Rider

Ez Rider

Active member
Veteran
nastynate420 said:
To the coco growers: What brand of coco do you guys use? I'm about to switch over from promix to coco and would like to see what you guys use before going to the store. Can't wait to get this coco and blumats going!!
Click to expand...

I use ReadyGro Aeration Mix by Botanicare. It's basically 55/45 coco/perlite. I use straight botanicare coco to "plant" the carrots in, after inserting and removing the carrot a few times, and backfilling with coco. The idea is to not let the perlite in the mix contact the carrot. I learned that from rives:tiphat:
 
Maj.Cottonmouth

Maj.Cottonmouth

We are Farmers
Veteran
nastynate420 said:
To the coco growers: What brand of coco do you guys use? I'm about to switch over from promix to coco and would like to see what you guys use before going to the store. Can't wait to get this coco and blumats going!!
Click to expand...

I am a fan of B'Cuzz coco, I have been using it with blumats for years and I love it.
 
dansbuds

dansbuds

Retired from the workforce Bullshit
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I like the bagged coco , easier to use than hydrating & precharging bricks .

Canna , Mother earth , H&G , Bcuzz ..... all good brands right out of the bag .
 
EL ROBUSTO

EL ROBUSTO

Member
Ez Rider said:
Most of us in the States are buying them online from http://www.sustainablevillage.com I have no doubt they'll ship to Canada too. If you have a Costco where you're at, they sell blumats, but usually don't stock them.
Click to expand...

Yeah been to the website and was just wondering if there was an alternative closer to home before I looked there.
Although they do seem to have everything you would possibly need for a blumat system and then some.
 
oti$

oti$

Active member
Any Coco is fine really, I like botanicare bricks BC they are cheap, easy to transport and store, and bug free. I'm almost certain I got root aphids from bagged coco. In my opinion, straight coco works best. It has plenty of air porosity for the roots and usually perlite and the like just causes issues with carrots drying too fast.
 
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