Blumat auto watering

[LostInEthereal]

Don't mind me... I'm new to blumats and just subbing for info..

And what an Awesome thread this is... Thanks for all the information..

I think you'll love them brother. I opted for an over $500 blumat pump (could be DIY yourself for $250 probably less) that's besides all the tubing and extra fittings over a much cheaper DWC or E&F system because I am a true believer. This is for 3 plants in a 4x4 tent as I would like to stay Colorado legal, mind you.

 

[bigbadbiddy]

What is a "Blumat Pump" pray tell?

Because I spoke with Blumat in Austria directly and they informed me that they themselves are just starting to test out pump/pressure systems in conjunction with the Blumats and are nowhere near giving actual suggestions as to what will work with the Blumats.

The Forum here is way ahead of the actual manufacturers in this regard.

I was actually tempted to tell them to head to IC and do some reading so they know what works and what doesn't

 

[Jhhnn]

What is a "Blumat Pump" pray tell?

Because I spoke with Blumat in Austria directly and they informed me that they themselves are just starting to test out pump/pressure systems in conjunction with the Blumats and are nowhere near giving actual suggestions as to what will work with the Blumats.

The Forum here is way ahead of the actual manufacturers in this regard.

I was actually tempted to tell them to head to IC and do some reading so they know what works and what doesn't

I think it's important to understand that the Blumat organization is geared towards the much larger market of soil gardeners & houseplant keepers, not the hydro cannabis market at all. Their products are designed to deliver water so anything beyond that is up to their distributors like Sustainable Village & downstream users. Pumps aren't nearly as useful for water gardeners.

 

[chris harris]

What is a "Blumat Pump" pray tell?



The Forum here is way ahead of the actual manufacturers in this regard.

I was actually tempted to tell them to head to IC and do some reading so they know what works and what doesn't

So true. Don't even bother to ask the north America distributor Rambridge, they have no clue. This is the best source of info for them hands down. Thanks guys!

 

[LostInEthereal]

I went and visited with Steve and his lovely wife today at Sustainable Village headquarters.

Saw about a thousand various BMs in action, from house plant watered juniors, large avacado tree running off downstairs pump, to outdoor beds with one single carrot (in some cases a mega, nearly 16" carrot) and a ton of snaking soaker hose. Pretty cool stuff really.

Also picked up my tubing and extra fittings and now I can finally get this all together. I spent like 3 miserable hours hand-watering on Labor Day instead of BBQ!!

 

[LostInEthereal]

What is a "Blumat Pump" pray tell?

Because I spoke with Blumat in Austria directly and they informed me that they themselves are just starting to test out pump/pressure systems in conjunction with the Blumats and are nowhere near giving actual suggestions as to what will work with the Blumats.

The Forum here is way ahead of the actual manufacturers in this regard.

I was actually tempted to tell them to head to IC and do some reading so they know what works and what doesn't

It's a simple pump/accumulator system (think RV) with fittings to pair up with Blumat, distributed though a US supplier. Quite the investment for plain ole water, when you can do that with standard pipe fitting pressure regulator and a faucet. The pump is definitely designed for large systems (dozens of plants or more) and those running nutrients.

 

[Bwanabud]

I went and visited with Steve and his lovely wife today at Sustainable Village headquarters.

Saw about a thousand various BMs in action, from house plant watered juniors, large avacado tree running off downstairs pump, to outdoor beds with one single carrot (in some cases a mega, nearly 16" carrot) and a ton of snaking soaker hose. Pretty cool stuff really.

Also picked up my tubing and extra fittings and now I can finally get this all together. I spent like 3 miserable hours hand-watering on Labor Day instead of BBQ!!

Steve is a great guy, very helpful and really does an outstanding job at customer service...I have a man-crush on Steve

 

[LostInEthereal]

Steve is a great guy, very helpful and really does an outstanding job at customer service...I have a man-crush on Steve

Yeah, as a non-gardener (besides attempting cannabis cultivation), I was in awe to see his setup. Damn near their entire inside and out was covered in lush plants all running various blumats. Even had a small fish pond running the soakers though it to aerate.

He bled a line to fire on the pump just to demonstrate, it's audible for sure but nothing too bad. If stealth was the utmost I could see the small accumulator becoming an issue though.

I also had him swap out some fittings and he did all the work while we bullshit. Definitely a cool dude.

I cannot rave enough of about these things in general, I wish I had more gardening friends (no matter garden type or gardening style) I could turn on and convince. Lol

 

[Bwanabud]

I have 3 pressurized Blumat systems running now, and really enjoy the work load they took off me. I'm adding another system right now for a veg/baby room with 70 plants, have to call Steve tomorrow for a few needed parts.

 

[LostInEthereal]

Lol. I guess my next visit is with Bwanabud to peep out his setup! Another impressive setup by the sounds of it.

I'm however going the route of complete overkill for just a 2x2 and 4x4 flowering tent running maybe up to a dozen plants. The bonus of running a small reservoir kept on the floor and free from nagging thoughts of run-offs (not impossible though, obviously) is well worth it though.

 

[bigbadbiddy]

I'm so sad that I didn't consider the Blumats when I made the layout for my growroom

By the looks of it I will only be able to supply my 2 flower chambers with the Blumats because I would have to cross the floor of the room to reach the veg-chamber T_T

Although having the pump now, maybe I can go along the ceiling...

Guys question:
My accumulator has a "T-valve" in front of it. Theoretically I could use one end of the T to supply my 2 flowering chambers (they are conjoined and can thus be supplied through 1 line) and use the other end of the T to supply my veg-chamber.

If I lay the supply line for the veg-chamber on the floor, I run the risk of stepping on it which I believe can cause serious issues when that happens repeatedly.

So the "logical" solution would be to run the veg-chamber supply line across the room ceiling. That would be a 2 meter height difference though.

Can the Shurflo pump (Shurflo 2088-592-444; 3.4 bar, 10.7 l/min, max suction height is listed at 2.7 meters) handle that?

Otherwise I suppose I will continue to hand water the veg chamber.
Poor guys would really enjoy the blumats though, I have let them go through some droughts here and there

 

[louisblom]

Hi All. if one wants to produce CBD oil on a large scale hydroponically ( 5000 plants+) will there be a market to sell it to ???. I have been growing tomatoes ( 10 tunnels, 9000 plants) successfully for a couple of years and would like to explore this avenue. I have done some research on the subject and will be able to do it but do not know who will buy it on this scale.

 

[LostInEthereal]

I'm so sad that I didn't consider the Blumats when I made the layout for my growroom

By the looks of it I will only be able to supply my 2 flower chambers with the Blumats because I would have to cross the floor of the room to reach the veg-chamber T_T

Although having the pump now, maybe I can go along the ceiling...

Guys question:
My accumulator has a "T-valve" in front of it. Theoretically I could use one end of the T to supply my 2 flowering chambers (they are conjoined and can thus be supplied through 1 line) and use the other end of the T to supply my veg-chamber.

If I lay the supply line for the veg-chamber on the floor, I run the risk of stepping on it which I believe can cause serious issues when that happens repeatedly.

So the "logical" solution would be to run the veg-chamber supply line across the room ceiling. That would be a 2 meter height difference though.

Can the Shurflo pump (Shurflo 2088-592-444; 3.4 bar, 10.7 l/min, max suction height is listed at 2.7 meters) handle that?

Otherwise I suppose I will continue to hand water the veg chamber.
Poor guys would really enjoy the blumats though, I have let them go through some droughts here and there

Hey brother, Steve has some giant plants, such as an avocado tree and giant eggplant, powered by the very same basic pump running off a 55gal drum downstairs and across the length of two rooms. I don't think you'll have an issue.

 

[Jhhnn]

If the pump has a high enough head to fill the system the pressure on the other side of the high point will be the same as at the pump. A siphon works the same way.

 

[Bwanabud]

I'm so sad that I didn't consider the Blumats when I made the layout for my growroom

By the looks of it I will only be able to supply my 2 flower chambers with the Blumats because I would have to cross the floor of the room to reach the veg-chamber T_T

Although having the pump now, maybe I can go along the ceiling...

Guys question:
My accumulator has a "T-valve" in front of it. Theoretically I could use one end of the T to supply my 2 flowering chambers (they are conjoined and can thus be supplied through 1 line) and use the other end of the T to supply my veg-chamber.

If I lay the supply line for the veg-chamber on the floor, I run the risk of stepping on it which I believe can cause serious issues when that happens repeatedly.

So the "logical" solution would be to run the veg-chamber supply line across the room ceiling. That would be a 2 meter height difference though.

Can the Shurflo pump (Shurflo 2088-592-444; 3.4 bar, 10.7 l/min, max suction height is listed at 2.7 meters) handle that?

Otherwise I suppose I will continue to hand water the veg chamber.
Poor guys would really enjoy the blumats though, I have let them go through some droughts here and there

Is this a DTW system ?, you won't be able to feed both veg/flower plants the same mixture/strength of nutrients.

 

[MIhomegrown]

Hey everyone, I was looking for some insight on blumats. I have read a lot of pages so far and still going through them but I am looking for a certain answer. I am wondering what I need to do when I refill my reservoir? My reservoir is not centrally located to where I can fill it easily, so when I refill it the blumats will not have a water source while my reservoir is being refilled. So will this time lapse create air pockets in the blumats while I refill my reservoir?

 

[rives]

Hey everyone, I was looking for some insight on blumats. I have read a lot of pages so far and still going through them but I am looking for a certain answer. I am wondering what I need to do when I refill my reservoir? My reservoir is not centrally located to where I can fill it easily, so when I refill it the blumats will not have a water source while my reservoir is being refilled. So will this time lapse create air pockets in the blumats while I refill my reservoir?

You are going to disconnect the reservoir and pack it off to fill it? Why not bring the fill water to it?

If you have valves at the reservoir outlet, no air will get into the lines until you replace the reservoir. However, if the lines were disconnected, you will inevitably get some air in the lines during reconnection. This can usually be purged out by opening the valve on the spike and allowing the line to run for a bit (mark your setting with white-out so you can come back to it easily), but you always have the risk of air hanging in a high spot in the plumbing. With a gravity system, air in the lines can cause havoc.

 

[MIhomegrown]

I can't run water to my reservoir because it too far away from my water source. My tank is 25 gallons and I guess I could fill buckets to refill but I am trying to make watering easier for myself. I have been using a large Rubbermaid Brute container on wheels and just fill that up, then bring it to my rooms. I was really excited about blumats and kind of order them off a whim but I think a normal drip irrigation system would be better for me. I am intrigued on how they operate and can sense the moisture content of the medium.

 

[LostInEthereal]

Honestly brother, I can't help you with your situation of hauling water, perhaps some ingenious folks whom frequent this thread can. But blumats themselves will feed the exact amount the plant requires, no more, no less. Should save you on water over a traditional drip system.

 

[rives]

I can't run water to my reservoir because it too far away from my water source. My tank is 25 gallons and I guess I could fill buckets to refill but I am trying to make watering easier for myself. I have been using a large Rubbermaid Brute container on wheels and just fill that up, then bring it to my rooms. I was really excited about blumats and kind of order them off a whim but I think a normal drip irrigation system would be better for me. I am intrigued on how they operate and can sense the moisture content of the medium.

You could set up a 2-stage system like many of us have, with an elevated reservoir feeding the blumat loop and the lower reservoir keeping the upper one topped off. Use unions in the fill and return lines, and your lower rez can easily be disconnected while the upper reservoir keeps a steady supply going to the spikes.

However, I use a 55-gallon rez on one system and a 25 on the other. I routinely fill them with a 5-gallon tote that I carry back and forth. The first few buckets are straight water, and the last bucket has the cumulative nutrients for the refill in it.