HEADY BLUNTS -- 400w vert micro cab - 22.5" tall -- organic soil w/ blumats!

[heady blunts]

Not really what I'd call micro but great stuff nonetheless Keep up the great work

Can't wait til autumn

Greetz,
Garuda.

garuda-

thanks for droppin in. i'm a huge fan of your downsize this cab.

gotta ask tho, why wouldn't you consider this micro? less than 24" in height and depth, and completely stealth. i think it's the definition.

like you said in your thread, before you started vaping, you smoked a lot more. well i don't have a vape, and i smoke a ton. i'm aiming to supply 100% of my meds so i don't have to buy them anymore.

a PC is not gonna cut it, yaknowwhatimean?

to me, micro = smaller than a person could fit in.

 

[Garuda]

then you are micro just kidding Don't get me wrong: I don't really care, just joking about it When I started my thread I was wondering which section to choose. At first I thought micro would be too small but I saw other PL-L setups with more power in here so I stayed
I like your setup too btw, so much power on a small area...

Greetz,
Garuda.

 

[heady blunts]

then you are micro just kidding Don't get me wrong: I don't really care, just joking about it When I started my thread I was wondering which section to choose. At first I thought micro would be too small but I saw other PL-L setups with more power in here so I stayed
I like your setup too btw, so much power on a small area...

Greetz,
Garuda.

i always thought of your grow as micro, but i see that you've moved the thread into the general growers forum.

i guess the word micro is misleading, but there's no forum designated "mini" for those of us with cabs somewhere between PC's and closets/tents

i think the micro forum, at least here on icmag, has room for all of us that are growing in height restricted spaces!

long live ingenuity and good design!

 

[mugenbao]

Reminds me of my reefkeeping days... I used to have a 75-gallon reef tank, commonly designated "micro" because it was microscopic compared to an actual reef... By the same token though, almost all hobby-level reef aquariums were "micro", lol.

Small grow space, big fat buds... Not sure I'd care what folks call it

 

[silver hawaiian]

Small grow space, big fat buds... Not sure I'd care what folks call it

I'd call it... Effective.

 

[heady blunts]

new res!

i read that water pressure from gravity is measured at the top of the water level, not where the thru-hull adapter comes out the bottom. so i redesigned my reservoir.

(i hadn't added the thru-hull yet in this pic

am i the only DIYer that loves p-traps and rubber bands?

you can't really see it but there's a hole in the lid of the darker tote that this drain pipe fits in.

and here it is all installed!

i just quadrupled my capacity! plus the blumats will now have consistent pressure ALWAYS!

 

[Crowmax]

nice job mate, i seeing your updates few weeks now, very inspiring!

 

[silver hawaiian]

heady

I've been really curious about getting some Blumats, but looking at your new rez, I'm thinking perhaps I was simplifying the Blumat deal.

If you don't mind, could you indulge my idiocy and explain to me how that rez system works? My impression of the Blumats (via their website & diagrams) was that the feed lines essentially sat in a rez, .. Looking at your contraption, I feel like I'm back in a hydro situation again. ..Only this one, I don't understand a lick.

As always, diggin' the updates, photos, 411, etc.. !

 

[heady blunts]

nice job mate, i seeing your updates few weeks now, very inspiring!

thanks cm!

heady

I've been really curious about getting some Blumats, but looking at your new rez, I'm thinking perhaps I was simplifying the Blumat deal.

If you don't mind, could you indulge my idiocy and explain to me how that rez system works? My impression of the Blumats (via their website & diagrams) was that the feed lines essentially sat in a rez, .. Looking at your contraption, I feel like I'm back in a hydro situation again. ..Only this one, I don't understand a lick.

As always, diggin' the updates, photos, 411, etc.. !

oh man i love them.

it sounds like you're talking about blumat Jr's (juniors), which are not the same design. i actually have a few jr's that i use for my tropical house plants with low water requirements. they syphon water out of a water bottle or a bowl and distribute it through the little ceramic carrot by osmosis with the soil.

the "regular" blumat is a much more precise design. when the soil dries past a set level of moisture (which you control), it tries to pull water out from the ceramic cone. this creates a vacuum inside the cone, pulling the pressure-activated pinch valve down. the pinch valve constricts the drip line, and therefore as the soil dries out, the blumat sensor activates a drip line.

thus your plant has full time control of when and how much water it wants.

this goes great with my organic philosophy that the plant knows best what to feed itself. now it gets to quench its own thirst too!

the best way to use the blumats is to have a really wonderful, rich, living soil full of diverse organic material.

just add water

i finally drew the diagram for a vented line set up. this is how mine is set up (actually i don't have a shut off valve -- it's not necessary, just convenient). credit goes to GDbud for the idea. works great and especially well suited for micro grows.

 

[heady blunts]

i know, ton of updates. but i had a busy day!

plus, who doesn't love bud shots?!

white widow

blue dream

the BD is gonna be a real blast to manicure...

 

[silver hawaiian]

heady

Good stuff on the diagram, and the diagram seems to make enough sense, .. Quite simple, actually. (Not much more complicated than the Jr setup, eh?) I suppose what really threw me was the rez on top of the...rez?

 

[mugenbao]

heady

Good stuff on the diagram, and the diagram seems to make enough sense, .. Quite simple, actually. (Not much more complicated than the Jr setup, eh?) I suppose what really threw me was the rez on top of the...rez?

If I understand correctly, that modification was made only to ensure that the water height is always consistent, to provide a consistent level of pressure to the Blumats. The top rez is set up such that you can pump water into it 24/7, and any extra will overflow down the drain pipe back into the lower rez, so the water is always at a consistent level in the top rez, and the bottom rez now acts as a sump. The net effect is that the max water height in the system at a whole, and most important in the rez that feeds the Blumats, is always at a consistent level and thus always provides the same amount of water pressure to the Blumats, enhancing stability.

You could achieve a similar effect by filling the top rez via a float valve, though that has it's own set of pros and cons.

I don't know if what I wrote makes sense, I haven't had my morning coffee or my morning puff yet

Nice mod, heady!

 

[silver hawaiian]

mugenbao

Ahhh, yes. That makes sense. So the top rez stays at a consistent level (because anything beyond that level just drains back into the bottom rez, from where it's pumped back into the top rez, minus any overflow..), .. Am I pickin' up what you're puttin' down?

I'm half a step ahead - waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, though.

 

[CherChezLaGhost]

Great setup Heady. Super ingenious bro. Good karma and keep it sticky

 

[heady blunts]

coffee is extra necessary this morning

If I understand correctly, that modification was made only to ensure that the water height is always consistent, to provide a consistent level of pressure to the Blumats. The top rez is set up such that you can pump water into it 24/7, and any extra will overflow down the drain pipe back into the lower rez, so the water is always at a consistent level in the top rez, and the bottom rez now acts as a sump. The net effect is that the max water height in the system at a whole, and most important in the rez that feeds the Blumats, is always at a consistent level and thus always provides the same amount of water pressure to the Blumats, enhancing stability.

couldn't have explained it better myself!

i figured the float valve would take up too much space in my situation, plus the possibility for failure is higher and i have a lot to lose if 10gals of water decide to flood my closet.

i'm really enjoying all the feedback. thanks guys!

 

[mugenbao]

mugenbao

Ahhh, yes. That makes sense. So the top rez stays at a consistent level (because anything beyond that level just drains back into the bottom rez, from where it's pumped back into the top rez, minus any overflow..), .. Am I pickin' up what you're puttin' down?

I'm half a step ahead - waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, though.

I think you've got it exactly right

I've had my coffee and my puff now, and I think this thread is inspiring me to make some changes of my own to my Blumat setup. I love how a post like heady's above acts as a trigger to get the ideas flowing, which is definitely enhanced by some good organic homegrown

(mumbles "Pretty sure I still have some pumps and plumbing left over around here somewhere" and wanders off to search the garage)

 

[heady blunts]

also my last res was transparent, and after a few months, there'd be some algae blooms in there, which are both gross and could eventually clog the lines. \

the darker totes should prevent algae growth, plus the added benefit of a circulated water system keeps the o2 levels higher.

dead reservoirs have been recommended in the blumat thread to reduce the chance of air bubbles getting in your lines, but since i have the circulation happening in the lower res, and the upper one is free of agitation, i think i've effectively avoided this possible issue.

 

[silver hawaiian]

also my last res was transparent, and after a few months, there'd be some algae blooms in there, which are both gross and could eventually clog the lines. \

the darker totes should prevent algae growth, plus the added benefit of a circulated water system keeps the o2 levels higher.

dead reservoirs have been recommended in the blumat thread to reduce the chance of air bubbles getting in your lines, but since i have the circulation happening in the lower res, and the upper one is free of agitation, i think i've effectively avoided this possible issue.

Hmm. Maybe I didn't understand, .. I was figuring that the water from the bottom rez was being pumped in to the top rez, with an overflow tube running back into the bottom rez.. But in my mind, if that's the case, then isn't there agitation in the top rez from the water being pumped in?



Too much of this for me apparently:

 

[heady blunts]

...isn't there agitation in the top rez from the water being pumped in?

well i guess there's movement, but what i was trying to avoid was air bubbles in the top res. since the pump line is submerged, and the pump is very low flow (took 25 minutes to fill the 3 gal upper reservoir), the top stays relatively calm.

the bottom res has the overflow tube constantly spilling in, agitating the surface tension and hopefully keeping the water from going stagnant.

 

[silver hawaiian]

well i guess there's movement, but what i was trying to avoid was air bubbles in the top res. since the pump line is submerged, and the pump is very low flow (took 25 minutes to fill the 3 gal upper reservoir), the top stays relatively calm.

the bottom res has the overflow tube constantly spilling in, agitating the surface tension and hopefully keeping the water from going stagnant.

Ahh, got it. At least I understood the rez situation - proud of myself for that one!