Blumat auto watering

[LostTribe]

Nah you're good, until recently I have never used more than 2 feet of vertical elevation for the reservoir...
If you can have directly next to the plants or just outside the tent it will work. If it's further away you'll need to raise it a bit. The directions on how much are on the tropf blumat page.


It's best to water to full saturation, then install the carrots for "last drop hanging", then close 3 more marks.

Since you watered it might take a couple days for the soil to dry enough to suck the water from the carrots and open the valve in the cap.
BTW they're good to go after an hour's soak, no need to water them for days or even weeks, the clay is not that thick, water will permeate it quickly.
When i set mine I try to be around for a couple days to see if they're responding to the soil drying out so that I can intervene if something went wrong. After they have opened and closed again for the first time, I tend to forget about them.
Best of luck
CC

Ok so a quick update. I got the measuring tape out. I was not even a foot above the carrots. Its cramped in there so trying not to knock the 5gal bucket Rez over into the tent or the electrical. I did notice soil drying out on the very top also one dripper actually dripping a bit. Should the tops be drying out?

Blumat instructions say minimum .5m height for 10m of tubing. I have about 5 ft of total tubing and just trying 3 plants to start out going up to 9. So would this .5m/10m (1.51ft/32.8ft)deal work as a ratio? I am not experienced with calculating head pressure. I will need to come up with a way to raise the Rez but its a small closet and the bucket is behind the door and don't really want to put it above the tent worried even a small leak might make its way to some electrical stuff.

These are 1 gal soil feeding just RO plan to hand water as needed. Sativa OHz and my Granny Hz. I thought the idea would be highly beneficial as with the pure sativa's I've run Indoor in the past needed small pots to keep from stretching but this also causes them to dry out very quickly so imagined they would be healthier overall with proper watering and coming from a hydroponic background I prefer working with a drip type system on a timer so I don't have to mess with them. Handwatering has a great deal of drawbacks not just the time involved but the plants are really not kept at an optimum level.

Hope it works if not I will just toss a drip and pump on them and hope they don't suffer if I have to leave them for a week. Not sure a week is long enough to know the blumats will get the job done.

 

[saitama]

A pretty affordable pressure system can be built from amazon. I plan on building one for my veg tent soon.

$35 accumulator

$7.50 filter

$71 shurflo pump

$45 blumat pressure reducer

You would just need a foot valve and you'd be set.

This is very similar to the system I bought from sustainable village for 3x the price.

 

[hamstring]

Far from a expert but I would raise the res. I have mine around 3ft above the plants. One of the reason quoted for run away is not enough head pressure. They run better with more res height. I have one at 18 inches and it doesn't run near as well as the one at 3ft.

One of things I dont like, and I do love blumats, is the fact they do run the container a little dry. The drip pattern,as called out in this thread big props, is a little like a ballon under the soil. The plants do great but I dont feel like I am using all the benefits of a good quality soil mix. I think half the soil stays too dry to be an effective feeder.

I now use some water soluble ferts in the res with a airstone.

Ok so a quick update. I got the measuring tape out. I was not even a foot above the carrots. Its cramped in there so trying not to knock the 5gal bucket Rez over into the tent or the electrical. I did notice soil drying out on the very top also one dripper actually dripping a bit. Should the tops be drying out?

Blumat instructions say minimum .5m height for 10m of tubing. I have about 5 ft of total tubing and just trying 3 plants to start out going up to 9. So would this .5m/10m (1.51ft/32.8ft)deal work as a ratio? I am not experienced with calculating head pressure. I will need to come up with a way to raise the Rez but its a small closet and the bucket is behind the door and don't really want to put it above the tent worried even a small leak might make its way to some electrical stuff.

 

[Fitzera]

As far as the top of the soil drying, yes it does outside of the drip area. And like hamstring said, im sure there are dry spot inside the pot. I spin my carrots throughout the grow to try and utilize the whole amount of soil, and feed teas here and there.

A pressured system would be ideal, plumbed directly off an ro system...I'd be in heaven

 

[LostTribe]

As far as the top of the soil drying, yes it does outside of the drip area. And like hamstring said, im sure there are dry spot inside the pot. I spin my carrots throughout the grow to try and utilize the whole amount of soil, and feed teas here and there.

A pressured system would be ideal, plumbed directly off an ro system...I'd be in heaven

Are those feed systems just set up to maintain a certain pressure or is the pump continuously running? I looked into that years ago but stayed hydro.

 

[saitama]

Are those feed systems just set up to maintain a certain pressure or is the pump continuously running? I looked into that years ago but stayed hydro.

The accumulator keeps the lines pressurized so the pump doesn't constantly run. It only runs when the accumulator is below a certain pressure. My pump goes off every so often for a couple seconds.

 

[Fitzera]

Are those feed systems just set up to maintain a certain pressure or is the pump continuously running? I looked into that years ago but stayed hydro.

What i have in my mind would be running directly off an ro system which would be under continuous pressure from the buildings water system. Either way, for blumats it would need constant pressure. Otherwise you'd be better off running a drip system or equivalent.

Something else I found as far as runaways are concerned..I work away from home so my wife takes care of keeping the water full for me. But she doesn't have a real grasp of how it all works. Things got drier than I would like due to sediment buildup at the reservoir valve. I cleared that all out and the blumats started going fairly good. I left it for a while and checked before bed...all was good. When I woke up I had 2 pots that flooded over their saucers and some excess water in the tent. None of the blumats were still going. What had happened is the blumats ran until the carrots rehydrate (as I didn't adjust the flow from where they were set). This allowed the pots to overfill until the carrots were back to normal. At that point they all worked as they were meant to. But had a little mess to clean. These small things can become big problems.

 

[LostTribe]

What i have in my mind would be running directly off an ro system which would be under continuous pressure from the buildings water system. Either way, for blumats it would need constant pressure. Otherwise you'd be better off running a drip system or equivalent.

Something else I found as far as runaways are concerned..I work away from home so my wife takes care of keeping the water full for me. But she doesn't have a real grasp of how it all works. Things got drier than I would like due to sediment buildup at the reservoir valve. I cleared that all out and the blumats started going fairly good. I left it for a while and checked before bed...all was good. When I woke up I had 2 pots that flooded over their saucers and some excess water in the tent. None of the blumats were still going. What had happened is the blumats ran until the carrots rehydrate (as I didn't adjust the flow from where they were set). This allowed the pots to overfill until the carrots were back to normal. At that point they all worked as they were meant to. But had a little mess to clean. These small things can become big problems.

So if they get too dry do you need to re clear the lines, hang a drop and dial it back?

With soil do you guys all go from the hanging drop and dial back 2 carrots?

I am going to try and see if I can build something to hold a container right above the tent but not much room.

 

[Chevy cHaze]

I use living organic soil after Lavender Cowboy's recipe here on ICMeg in the organics for beginners thread and only water until harvest.
last drop hanging and then close the brown valve 3 marks.
If you want to be 100% safe then choose a catch tray that holds more than your rez.
Athough I've found Blumats to pretty safe and reliable ( I'm away from home a lot für up to 4 weeks) having them under constant pressure from an infinite source, like the municipal water supply, is a bit of a scary scenario for me.
I have a big rez for my small tent, about15gal/60l, but the the liner/tray of my tent holds more than that, so even if things go fully sideways, I won't ruin the house.


While pressure is somewhat important, everyone remember that it doesn't have anything to do with the watering and closing mechanism at all.
Pressure is needed merely for the water to make it out the end of the drip line whne the valve opens. You could argue that higher pressure could potentially flush out small bits of debris in the line and I'd say you're right.
You can also put the fully saturated carrot into dry soil, but watch out, it will be only minutes before the valve opens as it is "seeking" for equilibrium between carrot and surrounding soil.
That being said, higher pressure will of course result in stronger flow/ more water coming out and quicker "saturation" of the soil. Now with too much pressure that can mean the water shoots out the drip line and may well spill over from the pots before the soild has had enough time to absorb it and for the carrot to suck up enough to close the valve again.
A good steady drip is really all you want.
I've never used loops, but purging the lines properly is key. I always do this at setup, letting the water gush out the drip line while shaking the feed line vertically so air can move up and out. The close to last drop hanging, then close a further 3 marks.
With Blumats I've found the soil often looks dry overall, but the amount of moisture inside the pot will be just right. PLants seem to love it and I have never really been able to produce these kind of stable conditions through handwatering.
Take care guys
CC

 

[exploziv]

Don't do that. Even sprinklers drippers would need a presure lower than municipal, that's why good watering systems have pressure reducing valves.
If you want to automate it you could use a valve with a floater that tops off your reservoir from the main water source. But there is still risk of having infinite water flooding your tent or house instead or just what you got in the reservoir. There are emergency water valves that you might use on a splill sensor and make sure the water surce is turned off if tent is filling with water. But it's just easier and cheaper to keep a reservoir filled with water.
Even toilet tanks are designed in a way that if the valve fails the excess water is going in the toilet and does not spill over the top. Things fail. Water pressure is big enaugh to flood your house in hours. Keep that in mind.

 

[Fitzera]

So if they get too dry do you need to re clear the lines, hang a drop and dial it back?

With soil do you guys all go from the hanging drop and dial back 2 carrots?

I am going to try and see if I can build something to hold a container right above the tent but not much room.

If they get too dry, I might time it so I have a tea ready to rehydrate the whole thing or ill just open up the carrots some and re adjust them later.

Honestly I dont really set mine conventially. Sometimes I hang a drop, sometimes I have them dripping...depends on what I feel like is happening at the soil level. The only thing different for me on this run is im using all fabric pots, ive always done plastic...so im trying to figure out the right amount of drip with the extra evaporation. That and 7 gals instead of 5.

I wonder if you could rig up one or two of those outdoor camping shower bags to hang on the side of the tent

 

[Fitzera]

While pressure is somewhat important, everyone remember that it doesn't have anything to do with the watering and closing mechanism at all.
Pressure is needed merely for the water to make it out the end of the drip line whne the valve opens. You could argue that higher pressure could potentially flush out small bits of debris in the line and I'd say you're right.
CC

I guess for me, I always go to pressure first because the only problems I've had were pressure related. If I open a carrot fully, I usually have a nice steady stream but not excessive...it would land maybe 1.5" away from the end of the drip line. Fully open. If im only getting drops like I have it set, then I know I've either got air pockets, debris or not enough pressure to begin with.

 

[Junior Capsula]

I put together the exact setup Saitama has in his picture from the previous page. When I thought how much of a pain in the neck it would be to have an elevated 50 gallon res. Put the pump system together for less than 200USD. Blumats lined into this pump system is as good as it gets.
Another thing to take into account if using coco is the container size. I run 3 gal Smart Pots with a blumat and three drippers per. Expecting one blumat drip site to saturate a larger pot will make it drip longer increasing chances of extra runoff. I wouldn’t go larger than a 2 gal pot with one drip site.

 

[LostTribe]

Checked them today and everything seemed to have started dripping slowly and the fabric pots of soil don't seem "light" I also was able to start making a support to set a Rez above the tent. Just want to be able to leave for work for a week and not worry they'll be lost. I'll report back tomorrow. I haven't re adjusted the knobs trying to see if I need to re calibrate from the beginning ie rewater hand a drop and dial back a wee bit.

No overwatering ie run away I guess you guys are calling it if they just keep dumping water until they over flow your catch pans but I don't even have catch pans now. I guess I will try to find a container the size of the bottom of the tent to hold it too. Can put the fabric pots on top of like a brick or something to keep them above any runoff.

Thank you guys please check back I am truly GRATEFUL!
LT

 

[hamstring]

So if they get too dry do you need to re clear the lines, hang a drop and dial it back?

With soil do you guys all go from the hanging drop and dial back 2 carrots?

I am going to try and see if I can build something to hold a container right above the tent but not much room.

If you look through the thread you will find that some people put a small on/off valve (sold by blumat) in the middle of the trunk line ring to your plants. What I do, and I learned it right here, is open that valve once a week or so to get any debris or air bubbles out of the line. I let it run for 30 seconds and the let the excess water go in one of my pots. It helps keep the system running well.

I do agree some times the carrots stop working and the soil gets dry . You reset them and if you walk away you are likely to get a runaway. If you find the soil is dry its better to hand water first before reseting the carrot. I will be the first admit I get lazy and dont do that some times. Only had one bad run away with my lower res. Lost all 5 gallons on the floor.

 

[LostTribe]

I was able to set up a small sort of shelf above the tent but didn't get to plumb it yet. They look better today. I picked them up and they are neither heavy nor light and still haven't hand watered.

After hand watering nutes or water will I need to adjust the dripping or do they just self adjust because of the carrot?

 

[Chevy cHaze]

I can only tell from my own experience:
Don't freestyle the set up process because you feel it's too wet/ too dry/ not responding quickly/something should be different in your opinion. These things work a treat and have been for decades and they know more about how much water a plant needs than you.

If you freestyle it, you will most likely fuck things up right there.
- Soak the waterfilled carrots with caps screwed on for an hour in a bucket

- Saturate the soil in the pot (aka water it til runoff)

- then insert the assembled carrots
- Put the drip line in
- Open valves all the way and purge feed line
- close to last drop hanging
- then close three more marks
Presto you're set and minimal chances of things going sideways.
Also telling from my own experience if things do go south, you didn't set them up properly. I have done it too. When set up correctly and the rez is not running dry or anything, these things are set and forget and bulletproof.
Hand water in nutes if needed at any point- no problem.
Distance dripping point to carrot determines the radius that will receive water (radial wicking from point where the drip hits).
Do snorkel tek if you have deeper pots to add for the third dimension (that's a straw inserted vertically under the drip point to roughly the middle of the pot( you can shove the drip line into the opening of the straw).

I do 3gal fabric pots with one carrot and zero problems (unless I take shortcuts in the set up).
Take care guys and all the best
CC

 

[ozdia]

I can only tell from my own experience:
Don't freestyle the set up process because you feel it's too wet/ too dry/ not responding quickly/something should be different in your opinion. These things work a treat and have been for decades and they know more about how much water a plant needs than you.

If you freestyle it, you will most likely fuck things up right there.
- Soak the waterfilled carrots with caps screwed on for an hour in a bucket

- Saturate the soil in the pot (aka water it til runoff)

- then insert the assembled carrots
- Put the drip line in
- Open valves all the way and purge feed line
- close to last drop hanging
- then close three more marks
Presto you're set and minimal chances of things going sideways.
Also telling from my own experience if things do go south, you didn't set them up properly. I have done it too. When set up correctly and the rez is not running dry or anything, these things are set and forget and bulletproof.
Hand water in nutes if needed at any point- no problem.
Distance dripping point to carrot determines the radius that will receive water (radial wicking from point where the drip hits).
Do snorkel tek if you have deeper pots to add for the third dimension (that's a straw inserted vertically under the drip point to roughly the middle of the pot( you can shove the drip line into the opening of the straw).

I do 3gal fabric pots with one carrot and zero problems (unless I take shortcuts in the set up).
Take care guys and all the best
CC

Also running them in 3gal (11L) square pots just wondering what length do you recommend having the drip line at. Having a few issues and going to pull them and reset them following your steps.

 

[LostTribe]

- then close three more marks

CC

3 Triangles towards close or 3 smaller lines between the triangles? Instructions from blunt say close 2 more triangles.

 

[hamstring]

3 Triangles towards close or 3 smaller lines between the triangles? Instructions from blunt say close 2 more triangles.

They do say 2 turns. I start with 2 turns and change it if needed. I like to dial it in again during flowering.
It certainly could be three turns depending on growing conditions.

My point is you have to keep your eye on pot weight and adjust accordingly . Its close to set and forget but still requires some maintenance. We all do.