Octa Bubblers drain to waist DIY guide to setting up a watering system the way Jack does it..

[whocares]

I see alot of questions about the pump relay. The pump does not need a relay and it is pressure activated so it is always powered on. When the sprinkler timer activates the sprinkler control valve it releases the pressure and the pump turns itself on.

Pretty trick setup. Still trying to completly figure it out.

My questions would be

1. what is the 1st ball valve above the pump allow you to do? does it act as a anti siphon? or a way to drain the line?

2. How do you empty or clean out the line between the pump and the octabubblers? Im assuming theres got to be some sort of cleaning involved during the cycle?

3. i get how the pump pulls from the storage and fills res. I get how the pump can be used to mix the res and how it would feed the tables. What i do NOT understand is after the water cycle is completed how do you drain whatever nutes are left over in the res and in the lines.

 

[Tylrr420]

Unfortunately your wrong about the pump relay. IT IS needed. Without the pump relay you will fry your sprinkler controller. It goes sprinkler controller to pump relay to pump. If u hook your pump up directly to your sprinkler timer u will fry it the first cycle it kicks on

As for your questions.
1. Yes you are correct jacks first ball valve acts as a drain for between pump and Rez. U shut off 2nd highest ball valve and turn on 1st and empty whichever Rez and line u prefer.

2. To clean out lines it is simple. I personally have octa bubblers that you can turn off and open a master ball valve at the end of the line to push clean water or whatever sterilizing solution of your choice. I personally don't clean my lines tho. I run a tea every week and The filter jack uses in his pics will keep your lines/sprayer heads rather clean depending on what micron screen u use (don't go to small)

3. Refer to my answer in two. You use that first ball vavle above pump to clean before the pump. And put a ball valve at the end of line to clean after pump

Here is a pic of what I'm talking about for valves at the end of line. I will take pics of my Rez,pump,timer setup when I get home

 

[whocares]

@Tyirr420 thanks. That makes sense.

As far as the pump goes why not just plug it into the wall? doesnt the pump has a pressure switch so when you activate the sprinkler valve that would activate the pump?

Are those pressure gauges in the pic your posted? are they helpful?

 

[Tylrr420]

The only reason I have a sprinkler timer is because I feed 4x a day and am not there 4x a day to manually turn it on. Jack doesn't use a sprinkler timer because he waters manually one time a day. Or at least he did when he made this thread. I was very confused about this topic too and found absoluley no exact info. The sprinkler timer communicates with both the relay and the valves. The relay is what actually turns on the pump. The pump plugs into the relay. Not the wall directly. So long story short, no u can't just leave the pump running and let the valves do the work. U need the relay and it's only like 40 bucks. I will take a pic tonight and it will make more sense. My system is a lot easier to understand than jacks cause I can fit it all into one pic.

Yes the pressure gauges are very helpful imo because if sprayer heads start getting clogged u can determine if it's them or your main filter. But it's not a necessity.

 

[whocares]

ok i think i got it. Jack was doing it one way and you are doing it similiar but not exact. I believe the difference is jack used the sprinkler timer to "manually" activate the sprinkler valves. You use the sprinkler timer to automatically water. Difference being jack simply HAD to be there to start the watering but it was a simple push of a button.

Very cool setup either way its done.

i was looking at doing this but now jacks way really looks proper. It just seems like clearing the lines the way he has it setup would be difficult and im sure after weeks of water sitting in them they gotta get nasty. its probably easier than it looks.

 

[Tylrr420]

Yes exactly you are right. Jack will activate whichever valve on his sprinkler timer so that it is open and ready to run, AND THEN manually turns on his pump. Mine is done all automatically with cameras paying attention so I can watch while I'm away. I made my system about 2 crops ago and man do I not miss being doggy style in my room hand watering. The video you provided is a different way of doing it but works just as well imo. Don't like that Rez inside his room as it will need a chiller but he did mention he was crammed on space. My Rez sits outside my room in my 70 degree basement so that's less electricity for me there. I also like the ability to have "zones" you see how I got 4 lines with a different valve on each? Monsters that need more water will be on zone one, lighter feeders will be on zone 2 with fewer waterings, Etc. It's nice to be able to "zone" things. It's also beneficial to zone things so u don't need as much pressure from your pump. Or in other words you don't need as expensive of a pump. Btw jack if you are reading thanks for this thread. Would have been a bitch with out your priceless info.

 

[whocares]

when you have the pump hooked up to a rely then to the sprinkler controller how do you turn the pump on to fill/mix nutes in the res? i see how the sprinkler controller activates the pump and the solenoid to feed the rows, just not for nute prep.

 

[whocares]

Do the lines need to be equal length with octa bubblers

 

[leadsled]

Do the lines need to be equal length with octa bubblers

No, the octabubbler has pressure regulators

 

[Smokey503ski]

I'm still trying to figure this out.
I'm setting up a new spot and want it done nice.
If I have 3 separate reservoirs. I can get away with using only one pump?
I get how the relay works.
Wouldn't the lines have to be flushed somehow between feeds in different zones?
I will have 3 flower rooms. Roughly coming down 3 weeks of each other.
I will need to have 3 separate reservoirs with different EC to accommodate for the difference in flowering.
Can someone dumb this up for me please?

 

[We Solidarity]

I'm still trying to figure this out.
I'm setting up a new spot and want it done nice.
If I have 3 separate reservoirs. I can get away with using only one pump?
I get how the relay works.
Wouldn't the lines have to be flushed somehow between feeds in different zones?
I will have 3 flower rooms. Roughly coming down 3 weeks of each other.
I will need to have 3 separate reservoirs with different EC to accommodate for the difference in flowering.
Can someone dumb this up for me please?

it might get messy with the wiring but you could piggyback your room's solenoids with a solenoid at your reservoir, that way when the timer kicks for zone 1 it's opening the tank for zone 1 and the irrigation line for zone 1. Whatever water is in the line between runs would get fed but that shouldn't be an issue, at least it never has been for me.

 

[Smokey503ski]

I'm pretty good with wiring. I actually enjoy doing automotive wiring/electrics.
If I run 3 tanks, I would put one at each reservoir. Then one main one?

 

[We Solidarity]

I'm pretty good with wiring. I actually enjoy doing automotive wiring/electrics.
If I run 3 tanks, I would put one at each reservoir. Then one main one?

You'd put one at each reservior, then one at each room (assuming you have enough pressure to run a whole room at once). Reservoir A would be for room A, so they'd need a set of solenoids wired together to terminal (zone) 1, then the same thing for B and C in terminals 2 and 3 on the irrigation controller. You have a common wire that runs between all solenoids and back to the "com" terminal. Use a pump start relay (you need to do some electric work to wire the relay directly to an outlet, as well as the pump motor) and wire the relay to the common terminal, and another wire to the master valve terminal (you're using the master valve spot to kick your pump relay instead of an actual master solenoid like you would for lawn irrigation)

 

[Smokey503ski]

You'd put one at each reservior, then one at each room (assuming you have enough pressure to run a whole room at once). Reservoir A would be for room A, so they'd need a set of solenoids wired together to terminal (zone) 1, then the same thing for B and C in terminals 2 and 3 on the irrigation controller. You have a common wire that runs between all solenoids and back to the "com" terminal. Use a pump start relay (you need to do some electric work to wire the relay directly to an outlet, as well as the pump motor) and wire the relay to the common terminal, and another wire to the master valve terminal (you're using the master valve spot to kick your pump relay instead of an actual master solenoid like you would for lawn irrigation)

Awesome shit!
I have not purchased the pump yet.
I was thinking of getting one like Jack has in the thread.

 

[We Solidarity]

Awesome shit!
I have not purchased the pump yet.
I was thinking of getting one like Jack has in the thread.

Leader and grundfos are great, I really like grundfos because you don't need an expansion tank but they're $$$ just like the nicer leaders. Goulds are the best you can buy. For years I ran irrigation with pumps from Home Depot.

Using any jet pump would work though, right now I'm using wel-bilt because they were cheap and had a badass warranty.

 

[Smokey503ski]

I will be running 30 plants in my larger room.
With a 100 gallon tank

15 plants in each room.
Going to buy 2 of these for the two smaller rooms which I'm thinking of getting the 55 gallon ones.
Which Grundfos pump would you recommend for my use?
My 2 smaller rooms are bunk bed style. So I will need something that can work.

 

[mittenmedgrow]

I need to setup something like this.

 

[We Solidarity]

if you can find an mq3-25 that's what you want from grundfos but idk if they're made anymore. The other MQ series pumps would be overkill I used a 1/2 hp to water a 50 light veg. http://www.amazon.com/Grundfos-MQ3-..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1JT2BGG2X4KCFG51R398

http://www.amazon.com/Pentair-Water..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1JT2BGG2X4KCFG51R398You'll be a lot happier with a well pump with an expansion tank at first so you can adjust your psi, until you can nail it from the design phase those are what you should use. Simple to replace, reliable, and damn near unbreakable.

 

[Burned Haze]

if you can find an mq3-25 that's what you want from grundfos but idk if they're made anymore. The other MQ series pumps would be overkill I used a 1/2 hp to water a 50 light veg.

You'll be a lot happier with a well pump with an expansion tank at first so you can adjust your psi, until you can nail it from the design phase those are what you should use. Simple to replace, reliable, and damn near unbreakable.

Amen. You can buy everything at Home Depot (I would get a good pump somewhere else).

Thanks for your links , information/suggestions ( Pretty sure going your route!)

* I'm going to buy a 100 or 150 gal water and continue to have as first stage 1-2 55 gal containers.If anyone has anymore input or extra tips . I'm sure everyone would love it ( including me ;) )

 

[MSH]

@We Solidarity @Smokey503ski can you be arsed to help a brother out? :)

I want to set up a drip system similar to this one. The drip systems I have been using is a pump inside a reservoir connected to a mainline and some feeding lines hooked to that line with emitters on the end who always clog up, the pots nearest to the res get fed more water etc. Really basic and not that functional.

There I see a water filter, the pump outside the res, octabubblers at the end of the mainline and it all looks amazing.

Do you use octabubblers to supply the same amount of water to each pot?
The water filter is to make sure the system doesn't clog?

I use tap water and grow in Coco - I have (50) 5 gallon pots, one row of (2) 4x4 tables and one row of (3) 3x3 tables.