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Blumat auto watering

N

NachoConQueso

Peacefrog said:
If the gunk was in your reservoir it is most likely still in your supply tubing. You probably won't be able to get it completely clean by just opening up the Blumats all the way because there will be a bottleneck from the 8 mm to 3 mm tubing. If you have a way to bleed the supply line at the end of the line that would be your best bet. Even if you have to do a partial disassembly it will probably be worth it to clear the line.

Between runs I like to run a weak bleach solution through all the tubing and then rinse with a bunch of water. I also use Drip Clean which is supposed to keep salts from building up in the lines but I don't think it would help with the gunk. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I highly recommend using an on/off at the end of your supply line. You can open up the valve into a little container and you'd be surprised what comes out. I do it every res cleaning and my lines are always clean for the full run.
 
sunnydog

sunnydog

Drip King
Veteran
Update:

Update:

Since covering the supply lines with foil, AFOM reports FAR LESS "bubbles and troubles" in the lines.

SD:tiphat:
 
G

gardenbug

Member
Seems like everyone is going from hand watering to blumats, which seems like an obvious upgrade. Anyone have experience comparing a pump/timer drip setup to the blumats? Setting up some coco and trying to decide which way to go.

This was an insanely long thread to read in one day, that took awhile.
 
Lapides

Lapides

Rosin Junky and Certified Worm Wrangler
Veteran
gardenbug said:
Seems like everyone is going from hand watering to blumats, which seems like an obvious upgrade. Anyone have experience comparing a pump/timer drip setup to the blumats? Setting up some coco and trying to decide which way to go.

This was an insanely long thread to read in one day, that took awhile.
Click to expand...

Blumats water the plants WHEN THE PLANTS WANT TO BE WATERED.

AFAIK, Pump/timer/drip setup waters the plants WHEN YOU SET THE TIMER FOR THE PLANTS TO BE WATERED.

If it were me, I would leave it up to the plants to decide when to get watered.
 
P

Pompey_Monkey

Member
real ting said:
What size did you all drill out your reservoirs for the bulkhead fitting that comes with the blumats? The instructions list it as 12mm, which has no exact counterpart in standard drill bit sizes, would it leak if drilled to 1/2"?
Click to expand...

Surely you can buy a 12mm drill bit? I'm guessing that you're in the States where many things are in imperial units, but surely there must still be a demand for metric tools and components? I'm curious...
 
Lapides

Lapides

Rosin Junky and Certified Worm Wrangler
Veteran
I'm pretty sure I used a 1/2" drill bit. It was really close in size. No leaks ever.
 
B

B. Self Reliant

sunnydog said:
Just wondering, maybe Maxi's would be better for C-C, as they would sample from the bottom,where it would be wettest.
I do not grow in C-C, other than a bit in my mix, so this is just a thought.
Maybe someone has some input here?
Click to expand...

I just ordered (4) Maxi's for my next coco grow. I'm not going to incorporate them into my current grow because I want to see how they work throughout a whole grow cycle. I'll let you know how they turn out. My next run will probably be in 10" circular pots or 5 gallon buckets, so the Maxi's should be perfect. I'll keep ya posted.
 
pinecone

pinecone

Sativa Tamer
Veteran
Anyone having any thoughts about using blumats on outdoor raised beds with a rain barrel for a res?

Pine
 
O

OneTokeOver

gardenbug said:
Seems like everyone is going from hand watering to blumats, which seems like an obvious upgrade. Anyone have experience comparing a pump/timer drip setup to the blumats? Setting up some coco and trying to decide which way to go.

This was an insanely long thread to read in one day, that took awhile.
Click to expand...

I was in the same situation. For me the deciding factors were no drains required for the Blumats and no run off required.

Maybe it's just me, but I have a problem with paying for nutes and then pouring them down the drain.

2 runs now with the Blumats and I couldn't be happier. I takes me 2 days to get them set right and then it's just a matter of filling the res.

I am now setting up a run of plants in a green house with soil and the Blumats hooked up to a rain barrel. Talk about lazy, I won't even have to fill the rez. LOL.
 
G

gardenbug

Member
The only part that needs the 3mm tubing is the little section in the blumat right? Anyone find a common tubing that will connect to the 3mm yet? That way you could run all commonly available tubing and fittings until you got to the actual blumat itself. Something like what people are doing with the 8mm tubing?
 
heady blunts

heady blunts

prescription blunts
Veteran
gardenbug said:
The only part that needs the 3mm tubing is the little section in the blumat right? Anyone find a common tubing that will connect to the 3mm yet? That way you could run all commonly available tubing and fittings until you got to the actual blumat itself. Something like what people are doing with the 8mm tubing?
Click to expand...

i haven't seen it attempted but it should work...hmmmm
 
sunnydog

sunnydog

Drip King
Veteran
gardenbug said:
The only part that needs the 3mm tubing is the little section in the blumat right? Anyone find a common tubing that will connect to the 3mm yet? That way you could run all commonly available tubing and fittings until you got to the actual blumat itself. Something like what people are doing with the 8mm tubing?
Click to expand...

I just buy a roll of 3mm, it is not very expensive.
 
Kreamy

Kreamy

Member
Lapids thanks for the information. I've done a bunch of reading here and understand that the juniors are said to be for house plants and are not useful for our application. Do you know the reason for why that is. Is it just a difference in capacity? Thanks
 
WasntMe

WasntMe

Member
Kreamy - The ones you linked too are either Blumat Jr's or knockoffs of Jr's. Do NOT waste money on knockoffs. From my understanding in conversations and reading that their cones are typically made from an inferior clay which causes under/overwatering issues.

I use Jr's for my houseplants, and they work great for them. Spider, golden prothos, orchids etc ... but these plant have much lower water requirements. Jr's provide water to the plant by osmosis through the clay cone.
-Soil dries and water transfers through the cone into the soil. There by causes a very small vacuum pressure inside the cone which causes water to get sucked up the small hose and refills the water inside the cone.

Here is an animated example of Jr's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y8vimXnYO8

Now the Patio set works slightly differently but provides much better watering and control for plants with higher water needs like ours. A res (or water supply line) provides a slightly pressured water supply in the 8mm and thereby the 3mm feed lines.
-Soil dries and a small amount of water transfers through the cone into the soil. This causes a small vacuum pressure inside the cone which releases a valve blocking the 3mm line. With the 3mm line valve now open the 3mm line is now free to drip water directly on the soil. When the soil is moist water travels back into the cone and releaves the small vacuum. When the small vacuum inside the cone goes away the valve closes onto the 3mm hose and the drip stops.

Here is an example of a patio kit with accessories attached but same principles of valve functionality is expressed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVeaOJh_DFY&feature=related



The Patio kit has better control, can handle higher water need plants and allows you to add nutrients to the water because the water going to the plant comes directly from a drip hose, not through the clay cone.


I hope this helps clear it up for you. If not ask for further clarification.
 
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