blumats and reservoirs

[GOT_BUD?]

Raise res and use two. Small feed res up top with drip line exiting to plants and an overflow line back to large res on floor. Pump from bottom res to top res set on a timer to keep top res at the same level. Your water level can have a significant impact on a gravity fed system, this will keep your water level the same while recirculating your nute solution.

Or.. if I were using Blumats in soil I’d consider running straight from the tap with a pressure reducer, totally eliminating the need for a res. If your tap isn’t ok to use for plants, you could setup a pump system. As we’ve noticed, operating at higher pressure seems to give the Blumats a bit more stability. The only time I have a runaway is within the first couple days of setting them up.

Using my municipal water supply is no good for me. On my Blue Lab pen it reads 800 ppm out of the tap. 1100 after my water softener. Shit's awful.

Right now I have my 5 gallon bucket for a rez being fed by a RO filter that I have rigged to a float valve. That bucket was sitting on a shelf that was waist high about 30 minutes ago. Now it's on a shelf head high.

What I might do is move the line feeding the rez to a closet I have on the main floor above and put my rez on the shelf in that closet. That will give me about 14 feet above the first carrot. I think I have enough hardline to do it on hand too.

 

[Fitzera]

I use a large garbage can as my res, sitting on a step about 16" off the ground. I keep it around 3/4 full and that keeps the hydrostatic pressure high enough that there arent any runaways. Only runaway I've had like this is when I let the water get quote low, when I refilled it is when I had issues. Keeping it at a steady level stopped that from happening.

 

[PurplePotion]

Using my municipal water supply is no good for me. On my Blue Lab pen it reads 800 ppm out of the tap. 1100 after my water softener. Shit's awful.

Right now I have my 5 gallon bucket for a rez being fed by a RO filter that I have rigged to a float valve. That bucket was sitting on a shelf that was waist high about 30 minutes ago. Now it's on a shelf head high.

What I might do is move the line feeding the rez to a closet I have on the main floor above and put my rez on the shelf in that closet. That will give me about 14 feet above the first carrot. I think I have enough hardline to do it on hand too.

Crazy thought here.. just kinda popped in my head. RO unit plumbed directly to your Blumats.. Pressure could be reduced with the Blumat pressure reducer, which also gives you the 8mm out.. as long as it kept up with volume I’d think it would work. Obviously you’ll need to bleed out the line initially but after that I don’t believe you’d have any issues. Then again, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it lol. I have no experience with using them with anything but a pump and res in coco.

 

[hamstring]

and some diagrams i made:


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[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=23835&pictureid=710703]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=23835&pictureid=710702]View Image[/url]

hey bro,
the one with the vent needs to have the pipe standing up, also it only uses one shut off valve, the other uses more materials and doesn't have the vent.

my system is like this:
reservoir -> thru-hull adaptor -> shut off valve -> 8mm feed line -> T -> 2 8mm feed lines to 1 blumat each -> return to a T -> shut off valve (to release potential air).
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81333&pictureid=1999308&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

very very simple, no problems
cheers!

Thanks for the reply. I understand everything up to the last "T" with the shut off. Does it go back the reservoir ?

reservoir -> thru-hull adaptor -> shut off valve -> 8mm feed line -> T -> 2 8mm feed lines to 1 blumat each -> return to a T -> shut off valve (to release potential air).

 

[hamstring]

The “two line” or loop setup is designed to give equal pressure distribution throughout the entire loop. Typically, you will experience pressure loss as you travel further down the line; the loop fixes that. I actually have my line setup in a loop with a discharge line at the furthest end of the loop feeding back to my reservoir at all times. This is a pressurized system with a pump. I run a warm room and have found the nutrient solution to heat up in the lines more than I’d like before I started recirculating the main drip line.

Great explanation now I understand the pro's of the loop vs single ended.

On the part I have in bold I don't understand. It sounds like you are saying you have three lines going back to the res. The two ends of the loop and a third line from the plant/container farthest from the res. Is that correct?

 

[hamstring]

Is it possible to use water soluble ferts with a air stone in the res or does it heat up the water too much?

 

[PurplePotion]

Great explanation now I understand the pro's of the loop vs single ended.

On the part I have in bold I don't understand. It sounds like you are saying you have three lines going back to the res. The two ends of the loop and a third line from the plant/container farthest from the res. Is that correct?

My feed line tee’s off after the pump to create the loop, then at the far end of the loop I have another tee with a single line back to the res (with shutoff valves for easy adjustment and bleeding).

 

[PurplePotion]

Is it possible to use water soluble ferts with a air stone in the res or does it heat up the water too much?

Ditch the air stone. Introduces pathogens, messes with pH. Use a small pond pump to recirculate if needed.

 

[Cmoon]

Iv used blumats 15 years and its good to see them still growing strong, some great tips all


reg Cmoon

 

[Desert Hydro]

What I started doing out of necessity is installing a pump in my drip loop that is always circulating through the main artery so to speak. Without it i would get slime in my lines and i would get clogs. with circulating water in all of my reservoirs and a few drops of bleach i never get clogs anymore. I am currently building out a 40 ft insulated shipping container that will be LED, Blumats and Coco.

 

[PurplePotion]

What I started doing out of necessity is installing a pump in my drip loop that is always circulating through the main artery so to speak. Without it i would get slime in my lines and i would get clogs. with circulating water in all of my reservoirs and a few drops of bleach i never get clogs anymore. I am currently building out a 40 ft insulated shipping container that will be LED, Blumats and Coco.

Glad I’m not the only one! Did the same thing but with a pressurized system so I didn’t have to add a pump, just a tee and a line back to the res with a shut-off so I can adjust the throughout of the return.

Jelly of the shipping container!! Good luck mate! While I got you here, mind sharing your nute regimen with the Blumats in flower? This has been the trickiest part for me using Blumats.

 

[JustBlazin]

Hello all
Hoping some can help me out with my red question. Went to the hardware store and the only barbed fittings with a rubber oring or washer were in the electrical section, so I got the only two sizes they came in, so I am wondering if I have an intake of 5/8 ID 7/8 OD and overflow of 3/4 ID 1" OD would that work? Or are they to close in diameter and might cause flooding? Also is there something else I should be using to hook to my res like the tank connectors that come with the blumat that have the rubber and the back nut part(I couldn't find any fittings with rubber washer or a plastic nut like the one blumat provides) sorry all I'm a super moon with reservoirs and watering systems
Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction
Thanks
Justblazin

 

[JustBlazin]

Hello all
Hoping some can help me out with my red question. Went to the hardware store and the only barbed fittings with a rubber oring or washer were in the electrical section, so I got the only two sizes they came in, so I am wondering if I have an intake of 5/8 ID 7/8 OD and overflow of 3/4 ID 1" OD would that work? Or are they to close in diameter and might cause flooding? Also is there something else I should be using to hook to my res like the tank connectors that come with the blumat that have the rubber and the back nut part(I couldn't find any fittings with rubber washer or a plastic nut like the one blumat provides) sorry all I'm a super moon with reservoirs and watering systems
Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction
Thanks
Justblazin

Supposed to say super noob....not super moon lol

 

[Ood]

Any tips for an 84 pot blumat setup, will definitely raise my renz, and loop my feedline, also planning on going from clone to flower, hence the 84 pot(5lt airpot), will be using the GH Flora coco range of nutes(grow bloom and ripen). Any options ideas and suggestions will be greaty appreciated.

 

[madalasatori]

Going from clone to flower a 3l pot would be ideal, 5l could cause problems with overwatering as well as waste coco

 

[Junior Capsula]

Ood if you’re running 84 plants at that size I’d suggest running one Blumat per every 5 or so plants and let that Blumat feed the other 4 plants off drippers. Once dialed this Blumat will equally feed the other plants on the same line. It’s cheaper as you don’t need so many Blumats, and much less of a pain in the neck as you won’t be adjusting 84 Blumats!

Also with these numbers I’d suggest using a pump also. It will be safer and more efficient with all these Blumats going off a pump than gravity. I’ve put together the pump setup for less than 200USD, Shurflo 8005 pump, Shurflo accumulator tank, Blumat flow restrictor, filter and fittings. Don’t but these off Amazon! I tried and received either the wrong parts, broken or both. There are plumbing and RV suppliers online with great prices and actual Shurflo parts.

 

[mackdx]

Any tips for an 84 pot blumat setup, .

Yup.

Have a shop vac ready for the inevitable time when you get a run away carrot and it dumps your entire rez on the floor.