Digital Timers

[smoke3]

I need a flood timer that is able to do secs like 2min 30 sec or 2mins 15 sec, u get the point. Im doing a ebb and grow system minus the controller bucket, i found the extra bucket to be a waste of time/space in my opinion. Not only would i have water in the bottom of the buckets which is ok, but ill also have water at the bottom of the controller bucket too.

I redesgined the waterfarm drip system into an ebb and grow setup replacing the rubber tubing with 1/2 pvc piping. Right now my setup is flawless but because of my indecisive mind and my need to perfect things, I need a timer to control my flood cycles to the point. Any suggestions??

Another option i have is to use a float valve in a pvc pipe that disconnects my flood pump when the level is reached. (in the overflow pipe in ref. to the super simple ebb and grow setup.) This how ever would be my last resort.

A timer that goes into secs would be ideal and makes it lot easier on my self to extend my system

 

[BlindDate]

I use this one made by Omron, Model H3CR

It is a cycle timer that can be adjusted from seconds to hours.

I'm curious why you need to be so precise?

 

[badugi]

You want a float valve / switch, not a timer. Problem with a timer like that is that it will fill a given amount of water in a given condition (which isn't likely to change). Although the displacement by roots shouldn't be so big that it will cause an overflow, relying on a timer to fill the buckets to exact capacity, and not overfill, doesn't sound like a good idea.

 

[smoke3]

I use this one made by Omron, Model H3CR

It is a cycle timer that can be adjusted from seconds to hours.

I'm curious why you need to be so precise?

Because anything past 2min 45 sec i get a slight spill, i cant have that.
my system is designed with out a controller bucket just two pumps connected to a pvc hardline. when the fill pump is filling it sort primes the drain pump. so after 15 mins and the drain pump kicks on it takes about 8 mins to drain the complete system. When i had a controller bucket my pumps where two strong and it took forever to drain, because the pump had to wait for the water level to catch up.

ok a float vavle switch sounds more like it, I would have to position this switch in the middle of the piping between the buckets, at the height that i would want the pump to stop. that would make perfect sense. so it fills on til it hits the valve then the pump stops. and ill put the drain pump on a digital timer ok. it all makes sense now.


can i use the same valve switch used in the diy controller bucket tutorial.
can those handle 120V

 

[BlindDate]

I was afraid that is what you were trying to do. Like Badugi said, as the roots grow, conditions change. You cannot time a fill cycle.

As for putting the switch in the pipe. I don't think that is going to work since the water is going to take the path of least resistance first. That means it is going to keep hitting that switch over and over rather than flood into the grow rocks. In other words, that thin little pipe has now become your controller bucket for filling. Understand?

I don't get it. Where are you putting the drain pump and how does the drain pump have any effect on how fast the buckets drain? Does the drain pump suck water out of the grow rocks when installed in the line? Does that work? What if one bucket drains first> Now the pump is sucking air until the others catch up. Can you show us a picture?

 

[smoke3]

ok ill try on a picture im having problems up loading

 

[smoke3]

I was afraid that is what you were trying to do. Like Badugi said, as the roots grow, conditions change. You cannot time a fill cycle.

As for putting the switch in the pipe. I don't think that is going to work since the water is going to take the path of least resistance first. That means it is going to keep hitting that switch over and over rather than flood into the grow rocks. In other words, that thin little pipe has now become your controller bucket for filling. Understand?

I don't get it. Where are you putting the drain pump and how does the drain pump have any effect on how fast the buckets drain? Does the drain pump suck water out of the grow rocks when installed in the line? Does that work? What if one bucket drains first> Now the pump is sucking air until the others catch up. Can you show us a picture?

Ok my system works the same way a ebb and flow setup works. Im uploading pics right now so ull have a pic.

The fill line and the drain line are situated right next to each other. The fill line is connected to the system with a 3/4 T while the drain system is connected via a 1/2 T. When the buckets are full the drain line has water in it so when the 15 min flood time is complete and the drain pump comes on it sucks the water and dumps it into the resivor. So the drain pump is never sucking air, unless it drains quicker than usual. ill post pics in a min





The fill and drain connection into the bucket. I dont have a picture of the T's for the fill and drain. but i can explain there 2 T's like the one below one fills and 1 drains. the fill is bigger so the buckets get filled quicker and equally. I used the PVC pipe so the both fill and drain at the same level





Ok here are the feed and drain lines running into the closet.



Ok resivor the huge line is the fill line, and the smaller line is the drain line the pump is connected out side the resivor and drains up

 

[BlindDate]

Why do you need a separate fill and drain line for an ebb & flow system. They are one in the same.

I only see one in your picture.

 

[smoke3]

damn i thought i replied to this, yes ur right but for my system i do because im not on a table so i dont have gravity to help me, i have to create