how many gph per site on 75 site system

[samtodd]

Ok need some help. I cant seem to find the info im looking for. I would really appreciate some info from someone that has experience with this. I am planning on running 1 inch at least pvc with 1/4 line coming off with no drippers and im trying to figure out what size pump i will need for a 25 or so foot run with 75 1/4" lines.

I will be running 150 sites off of 1 res so if there is a more economical way to run 150 at once on say a closed loop system i am open for suggestions on that aswell.

 

[samtodd]

 

[Observer Tom]

I think it depends a little on your setup. Is this an ebb and flow, DWC or drip system?

If it's ebb and flow then 1/4 inch pipe would be pretty small so I imagine you're probably doing something else.

If it's DWC then you want to watch your exchange rate so it depends on the container size and pressure.

If it's drip which seems most likely, then I don't have much experience with those systems but I would assume 5k+ gph would do it.

I think your best bet would be to start with a 5k and if it's too fast trade it for a smaller pump, if it's too slow trade it for a larger one.

If you're doing 150 sites (wow) then you obviously have some extra money to blow on a pump. =)

 

[samtodd]

yes im building a top feed setup and i will run 150 off of 1 res but i figured it would be easier to break it into 2 pvc lines with a pump on each and 75 1/4 coming of each pvc. I figured that a 1800 gph pump would be plenty but i dont know that and would like some feedback from someone with a similar situation.. there would be a few feet head which will bring that rate down some but i just need each site to flow properly then i can run it for 15 mins or whatever. if i went that route would be 4 pumps at about 200 a piece so thats why i would prefer feedback before i go buying shit..

thanks for any input.

 

[00420]

how much flow per site do u want....

off a 500 gph pump w/ 1/2" feed to 24 1/4" drip line it was like a garden hose i tryed running 48 it was a drizzzle and i had to get a bigger pump..... ( about 2-3 foot of head ) for a 96 site top feed system i ended up running 4 pumps with a bleed off valve back to rez

 

[Observer Tom]

If you were going to do 2 pumps at the same time you may consider putting them both on the same line for redundancy. That way if one failed the drip rate would go down, but give you time to notice and replace the failed pump.

1800 gph - say 20% for head and pipe resistance / 75 = about 20 gph, that still sounds pretty high from my observations using a 1000 gph pump and 1/2 pipe with a 2' head. But I guess a low pressure drip system doesn't exactly need many gph so maybe it would be right.

I would go down to your local Lowes and buy a 2,000 gph pump or whatever they have in that size range and try it with one. If you don't like it, go down and buy a bigger one. Once you find one you like you can order several online somewhere to get the best price.

You'll probably do several wet runs with no plants first to make sure there aren't any leaks, may as well use returnable pumps while you work out the kinks.

 

[Observer Tom]

What size pumps did you end up with 00420? I think using multiples is a good idea, especially with that many plants at stake why not be redundant.

 

[samtodd]

well i believe i have some 1200 gph's laying around so im sure the thing to do will be do some testing.. The flow really isnt of high importance as long as i have a decent flow out of each line. As long as i can pump out about a gallon out of each line in a matter of 15 mins or so would be cool.

Just guessing but i would think with loss from head and other factors that a 1200 gph should push 3 gallons/15 mins on a 75 site setup. But hey at this point im just making shit up.. LOL

 

[Macster2]

1800 gph sounds like an awful lot I'm going to purchase an 850gph pump for 32 sites but that's with spray nozzles on the end so I want high pressure (a spray mist). Are you doing an NFT system or are you doing low pressure Aeroponics ?

 

[samtodd]

simply a top feed for coco pots thats why i just need a decent flow out of a straight 1/4 for about 15 mins.. know what im saying.

 

[Observer Tom]

I guess the benefit to having more pressure is you can add pressure adjusters on the lines so that the sites closer to the pump don't put out significantly more gph than the ones further away.

But.. like I said I don't have much experience with drip systems so maybe that's not a concern. I'll watch and learn when you figure out what the real number is. =)

 

[Macster2]

Use 1/2 hose with spaghetti lines going off at each site and you should have no issues with around 300 gph pump

 

[00420]

What size pumps did you end up with 00420? I think using multiples is a good idea, especially with that many plants at stake why not be redundant.

4 500 gph with a bleed off valve too slow down the flow to 96 plants

 

[Macster2]

Wow 0042 looks alot like my system.Where does the water drain too?? How long you veg and what's your yield like?

 

[smurfin'herb]

1000 gph will do it. If its too much, just bleed of the excess.

 

[micro gro]

I'm using a cheap $35 submersible 1000gph (typical hydro store variety with 15' lift) to drive a 60-site drip ring. Each site (plant) has a Tee at the end for two points of watering. That's after about 4' of lift, through roughly a 40' run of 3/4" PVC. 1-minute waterings in 1 gallon bags were too much so I turned it down using an on-delay timer.

 

[00420]

Wow 0042 looks alot like my system.Where does the water drain too?? How long you veg and what's your yield like?

ummmmmmm back into the 5 gallon buckets via 3/4" hose..... lol

veg really come's down to strain...... anywhere from 1-2 days to 5-10+, yeild 1st round sucked but after that it was ok 1 to 1 1/4 a light avg then once we dialed in the room backed some light off got good water chillers ect...... it bumped up to 1.5 switching from hydroton to perlite i went up to 1.75 but never got anymore then that