Rives:
that solenoid I am about to buy from amazon only have one way 1/4" female npt. Is that right?
I think yours is a two way, with two 1/4" female npt right?
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Blumat auto watering
- Thread starter sunnydog
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- blumat drippers irrigation watering
Rives:
that solenoid I am about to buy from amazon only have one way 1/4" female npt. Is that right?
I think yours is a two way, with two 1/4" female npt right?
I found that the bleed solenoid became unnecessary after I got away from directly adding municipal water to the reservoir. I have three systems - one with the solenoid (it is in place and there isn't any reason to remove it), and two without. If you continually agitate the reservoir or have water bubblers running in it (not a good idea with Blumats), the bleed may be necesary, but I think that a standing reservoir allows any entrained air to escape reasonably quickly. For most utility water systems, it probably isn't an issue anyhow, our water system is unique in a number of ways.
I run clones, and primarily a very hungry strain that wants more magnesium. I usually veg at @ 1.4-1.6 EC. When I put them into flower, I continue with this through week 2, and then bump up to @1.8 for weeks 3-4, then up to around 2.0 or just under. A portion of this is Epsom, I add 1.3 g/gln in veg and 1.7-2.0 g/gln during flower. I usually run 10 weeks, and cut the feed down to .4 or so during the last 2-3 weeks for the fade. This rate is considerably higher than most report, but it works well for me. V+B will quickly tell you when the rate is too low - the plants start to show all manner of odd deficits. V+B, Epsom, and DripClean are all that I run.
I don't know where you got the "one-way" description, but I think that it must refer to flow direction rather than the number of ports that 2-way, 3-way, etc. refer to. A valve with only one port would simply be a pipe cap with a solenoid mounted on it....
Valves are frequently sensitive to the flow direction, with definite inlet and outlet ports. The pictures in your link appear to show two ports.
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Maybe these-
https://wholesaler.alibaba.com/product-detail/MJ-K8-K8-Brabed-Pipe-diameter_60319838528.html
It came up when I googled "8mm valve".
$3.95 isn't really a terrible price, but it all adds up. Blumats are just such a killer system that it's impossible not to buy all the bits & pieces beyond the kits to make it a really deluxe setup. They know it. The kits are a marketing tease.
I wan thinking of buying some of these but wasn't sure how worth it they are.
Rives: When using epsom salt, do you use in Grams or Miligrams?
I sometime find myself getting Mag Deficiency too using Veg Bloom. Starting using epsom salt will be a cheaper and more convenience alternative.
Also, you don't use any bloom booster for Flowering?
Grams. Thanks for catching that, I edited the previous post.
I sometimes use PK 13/14 if I think of it at the correct time. I'm not really convinced that it is worthwhile - the buds certainly appear larger while the plant is growing, but the weight after drying doesn't seem to change appreciably. The jury is still out....
I use them steadily - the epsom is mixed into the nutrient mix in the reservoir and delivered via the Blumats.
I found that the bleed solenoid became unnecessary after I got away from directly adding municipal water to the reservoir. I have three systems - one with the solenoid (it is in place and there isn't any reason to remove it), and two without. If you continually agitate the reservoir or have water bubblers running in it (not a good idea with Blumats), the bleed may be necesary, but I think that a standing reservoir allows any entrained air to escape reasonably quickly. For most utility water systems, it probably isn't an issue anyhow, our water system is unique in a number of ways.
I run clones, and primarily a very hungry strain that wants more magnesium. I usually veg at @ 1.4-1.6 EC. When I put them into flower, I continue with this through week 2, and then bump up to @1.8 for weeks 3-4, then up to around 2.0 or just under. A portion of this is Epsom, I add 1.3 g/gln in veg and 1.7-2.0 g/gln during flower. I usually run 10 weeks, and cut the feed down to .4 or so during the last 2-3 weeks for the fade. This rate is considerably higher than most report, but it works well for me. V+B will quickly tell you when the rate is too low - the plants start to show all manner of odd deficits. V+B, Epsom, and DripClean are all that I run.
I don't know where you got the "one-way" description, but I think that it must refer to flow direction rather than the number of ports that 2-way, 3-way, etc. refer to. A valve with only one port would simply be a pipe cap with a solenoid mounted on it....
How much drip clean per gallon do you add?
1 ml/gallon.
Thanks I will buy drip clean. Do you water with light solution to run off or flush from time to time. What about salt buildup when you feed that high.
Thanks for the help Jnnn, I did already buy 3 of these... But they are too big for the supply line.
Believe 8mm is the OD of the supply line, while it's the ID of these valves.
Still on the hunt
8mm is very close to 5/16" but nobody uses 5/16" for much of anything. If 1/4" isn't big enough they jump to 3/8".
Blumats are basically a proprietary system designed to be incompatible with others. It's a common marketing approach among European makers of niche products. When you need parts, there's really only one place to get them. I just figure that resistance is futile & go with the flow...
I usually try and flush once or twice during a run but don't make a fetish out of it. I consistently flush at the end when I'm starting the fade and want any buildup gone. The outbound flush water can have a very high EC but it doesn't seem to impact the plants much, perhaps because of the Drip Clean.
Thank you very much. I like your gallery, amazing plants. If I have more questions I will ask you on pm.
hi guys quick question in regards to using neuts with the blumats. i have a 12 piece kit that comes with the bucket, i was planning on just using the bucket as a res and putting my neuts in there but im actually running a staggered grow so 6 blumats in plants near the end of life and 6 in young ones.
i could get 2 res and do them seperate but is it just possible to run them with water only and then manually feed neuts to the plants once a day? if so how would i go about this in terms of concentration? was thinking this might be better cause then i could just run CalMag/roots excelurator/drip clean thru the res since all plants get the same dose of that, and then adjust feed for separate plants with additives etc.
any help or advice would be appreciated.
i could get 2 res and do them seperate but is it just possible to run them with water only and then manually feed neuts to the plants once a day? if so how would i go about this in terms of concentration? was thinking this might be better cause then i could just run CalMag/roots excelurator/drip clean thru the res since all plants get the same dose of that, and then adjust feed for separate plants with additives etc.
any help or advice would be appreciated.
Thats what Im doing, I feed every 3 days with 1.5 to 2 times strength via a topspin manifold dripper, its a complete guess! I'll let you know how it goes but seems to be ok upto now if not a bit hot to be honest- The reason i do this is to keep the rez's clean but if i do need to leave the plants for days they are still taken care of by the Blumats
