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Multi-flow/Ebb&Grow Users: TIPS&TRICKS

E

EvilTwin

Hi DHF...
OK, I see what you're doing. I built a controller and set up a gravity fill system. Very unhappy with the fill and drain times and now I really understand guys having root rot issues with these systems.

The positive fill and drain with pumps would be a vast improvement. I don't agree with you though on the reed valves. The hinged ones that is...not the ones with a vertical float. The Aquahub style valves aren't prone to stick, though they are susceptible to damage from mishandling (shock and magnetic trauma).

I'm a pretty handy guy and I found the controller troublesome to build and get all squared away. I suspect many problems with the DIY controllers are related to construction error.
Peace,
ET
 
Mist

Mist

Member
I think the main reason people would run into issues with the stock Ebb&Gro or Multi-flow controller is due to not properly maintaining the equipment. You see many people who only fush their system at the end of the grow and just keep adding nutes on top of nutes through the grow. I flush the entire system with clean water and clean out the controller and resovior with a high pressure sprayer every 2 weeks. They look and operate like they just came out of the box right now on their 3rd grow. The pumps also get taken apart, the impeller cleaned and the foam filter cleaned out. Of course you can't clean out the plant sites themselves, but filling and draining twice with fresh water removes most of the sediment that accumulates in the lower buckets.
These are simple things to do and only take about 2 hours to complete. So I say that if you don't have or want to put in the time to properly maintain your system then you should look for a simpler system like and ebb and flow table or a non-recirculating DWC setup with a controller bucket.


Happy Growing.
 
Ms_Weekend

Ms_Weekend

Member
pugnacious said:
whats the max amount of buckets you can put per 55 gal drum?
Click to expand...

48 works fine......in flower it goes about 5-7days before i have to top it off......you have to remember how much room the hydrotron takes up.......when my 55gal res is around half full it still has enough water to fill all 48 buckets.

takes about 15 mins to fill all 48



DHF is the man....I forget what site you helped me on before, or what name i had, but THANKS!...got my stuff rocking now!
 
Ms_Weekend

Ms_Weekend

Member
Mist said:
Hmmm, mine drink 25 gallons in about 5 days during flower and that is a 12 site system
Click to expand...

could just be different strains needs, or enviroment(im really low humidity too).......I do have a week where water seems to disappear alittle faster(maybe 3-4week), but ive always been able to leave for a week if i neeeded with the 48


will be starting a grow thread very soon so be on the look out
 
D

DHF

Hey Mist......I live in Hell where humidity`s like 80% on the average so as Ms Weekend has stated that if you`re in lower humidity climates then plants drink more and sweat/transpire more to try and equalize the grow area`s RH in veg......

I know in late flower all my plants drank a bunch but shit was automated using dehuey and A/C condensation runoff through inline filters back to the R/O filtered tanks that topped off big pest control rez tanks for pickup trucks cuz they were wide and short.......

All in all I can`t say how much each plant used cuz I used 5 gal buckets with 35 x 2 in different flip rooms and the 325 gal rez`s prolly stayed 2/3`s full at all times with only rinsing and swappin out rez juice once a week.......

Billbob......Go look up Ray`s ebb and flow bucket Basement Grow I think that`s the name of the thread......I taught him in PM and he knocked one outta the park with the addition of computer controlled EVERYTHING.....

Ray of Light was his nick.......Brilliant young Euro Bro with a temper that got his lil ass banned but he finished the grow up at another site and I wanna say he pulled 12 lbs off his first run with 5400 watts....Been a few yrs back so I`m not positive but he was tickled on his first rodeo and that`s all that mattered ta him ........

My setup`s were simple with failsafe devices in place to insure no flooding since I only went to my locations once a week.....Heath Robinson hooked me up on automating ebb and flow buckets to run themselves many yrs ago after gettin sick of krusty bucket high maintenance bullshit......

Look forward to your thread Ms Weekend........Ya`ll take care and Happy Holidayzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Peace...DHF.......:deadxmas:....
 
Mist

Mist

Member
DHF,
I know what your talking about. I used to, and will be again, live in where the RH stayed in the mid 60's for all but the end of winter and I used to do a lot of plain water add back to my rez because of the heavy transpiration. It stays in the 80's where I am now so it isn't an issue. I think the difference may come from plant size in this instance. I have girls in the 3 to 4ft range right now and they need their food, LOL!
 
D

DHF

Hey Mist..........A dialed 4' plant drinks and eats like a mofo so you know what you`re doin but each strain eats and drinks differently ......

They`ll letchas know real quick if you`re overdoin it cuz ph`ll drop and ppm`s will go through the roof at least my ebb and flow buckets reacted that way...............I suppose your mileage may vary with larger or smaller systems......................

It`s just I had no way of knowing exactly how much juice my plants consumed on a weekly basis due to automation but what yours drank sounds kinda normal for stretchier hybrids that have a lotta plant mass/foliage to keep fed........

I only triedta avg 2.5 ozs per plant x 35 per room with each room 4 1/2 weeks apart in age to pull 5 lbs a month perpetually.......

You`re growin bigger girls for the max return and I agree with you wholeheartedly to use every sq inch of grow area........

Ya`ll take care....DHF.....:deadxmas:
 
HUGE

HUGE

Active member
Veteran
I just pulled my first harvest from my ebb& gro. I was running 5 void 2.0 indica phrnos. Under 2000 watts. I veged for 4 weeks and plants finishe almost 3 feet tall yeild was 4-7 zips per plant. 4 of the 5 did 4.25 while I had 1 monster. The monster was next to the drain in the veg table & developed a way bigger root ball than the others. So while they were all the same height this 1 almost doubled the yeild.
 
L

lizard09

New member
DHF

I tried to search for ray of light but came up with nothing. It seems like you have alot of great info on this type of system and there is alot of people interested in your great knowledge and trials and tribulations of the system, especially myself. Do you have any tutorials that you have done or is it all in your head. I would love to become a pupil of yours seeing how I am very interested in this system. I have tried krusty style dwc and rdwc and find it very finicky and would like to switch. Any help or info you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Lizard
 
drymouth

drymouth

Member
I've been reading on here that 1/2" drains are'nt cutting it when it comes to fill and drain for 48 sites? I all ready drilled my holes for 1/2" but I havent connected any tubbing yet.... you guys think i should just drill for 3/4" drains or has some one combated this with some other technice or trick? And if i should drill for 3/4" in my buckets does my multi flow controler have to be altered to 3/4" as well?
 
Ms_Weekend

Ms_Weekend

Member
drymouth....1/2in works fine...trick is to loop the end of your line(last bucket) back to the first bucket.....hope this makes sense

but if you can do 3/4, I say do it, & yes you would have to drill 3/4 on the controller also



alos my controller is bigger than my buckets, but im not sure why...just the way it came (multi flow)
 
drymouth

drymouth

Member
I wonder if theres a reason why that is? So the multi brain is 3 or 3-1/2 gal? and about the looping thing you think u could show a pic of it cuzz i kinda dont get it? I know duuuh.... sounds dum...
 
Ms_Weekend

Ms_Weekend

Member
hope this makes sense.....this would be a run of 6 buckets....it makes it sdo the last bucket fills as fast as the first.....if you just ran one line the first bucket would fill first, & the last bucket takes alot longer

____ - hose

@-buckets


NORMAL WAY

(Controller)___@_____@_____@_____@_____@_____@




THE BETTER WAY(ignore the dots, its the only way I could get the lines to stay over there)
........................ __________________________________
(Controller)______|__@____@____@____@____@____@_|

hope this helps
 
RebelGrow

RebelGrow

Member
for those running buckets and want to scrog but still want to be able to move the plants or even turn them with out removing the screen should run over to home depot and look in the lawn and garden section and find the tripod with screen on top. the legs are two feet tall and the screen is 16" across. this has worked wonderfully for me. it has helped bring down the taller plants to the size of the smallest so that the canopy height is the same, while increasing the bud sights to the lights and keeping my lights lower.
 
drymouth

drymouth

Member
Thanks alot Ms_Weekend, so every line will be looped correct? If I did this you think that what combat my slow fill? So I would'nt have to drill new3/4" holes? have you ran 48 sites this way and if so, how long was your fill and drain times?
 
Ms_Weekend

Ms_Weekend

Member
yes each run looped.....I have a 48 with 6 runs of 8

the shortest my controller bucket timer will do is 15min and thats long enough for the fill......I dont sit there and watch them fill & drain...all I know is it works & my roots are healthy every single time......not one problem with my system since ive owned it
 
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