Total ebb and flow newb question

Vitus.Syndrome

Active Member
I cant figure out how I am supposed to have a drain that lets the water out every thirty minutes. Can the pump be used to drain as well? I feel like an idiot but I cant think a a way to make a timed drain.
 
I use ebb and flow.

I built a frame out of 3/4 inch PVC that's a few inches taller than the resivors I use. The 2 trays sit on this rack above the resivor that holds 30 gallons. The trays are under-the-bed storage boxes I bought from K mart. In each tray I (Very Carefully! the plastic is prone to cracking!) drilled 3 5/8th inch holes. In 2 of them I siliconed 8 or 9 inch pieces of 1/2 inch cold water PVC (it's outer diameter is 5/8") Position the 2 so that they are as tall inside the tray as the highest you want the water level to reach. These will overflowback into the resivor while the pump is running and provide a constant flow while the pump is on.
The third hole PVC is the same size as the other 2, but only about 3 inches long. What I did was to Silicone (DON"T USE PIPE DOPE OR PVC CEMENT!) a coupling piece on the end of one side of your 2 or 3 inch piece, then cut it off so that there is now a small lip on the PVC (mine are about an 8th inch) Then put a ring of silicone just under the lip and put it into its hole all the way up to the lip. Let these dry at least 24 hours.
Put a submursible pump of decent size into your resivour and run 5/8th inch INSIDE diameter garden hose from the pump to a T, and then to the 3 inch PVC's in the bottoms of the trays. Put the pump on a timer and you're all set. (I use 15 minute on every 4 hours)

Oh yea.... You have to drill the holes you want in the 2 tops of the under-the-bed containers. I put 6 in each one of mine, so my resivors (can't spell that damn word to save my life!) each serve 12 plants, and each setup is under 1 400W HPS lite.

I've seem E & F setups with a "controller" resivor. This is a waste of space and money. Gravity is free! Use it! What happens is that the pump runs the entire time the timer has it on. The trays fill up, then overflow back into the resivor. When the pump shuts off, the fill hose becomes a drain hose, and the trays drain back into the resivor thru the pump.

I've been using this setup for 5 + years now. Get the pumps off Ebay, the trays and resivors from K Mart, and the PVS from any hardware store. Jus remember to use 100% silicone. Every type of glue I've tried has adversely affected the plants.
 
The 3 inch pvc pipe is the drain?
"Put a submursible pump of decent size into your resivour and run 5/8th inch INSIDE diameter garden hose from the pump to a T, and then to the 3 inch PVC's in the bottoms of the trays."

Whats a T and am I supposed to run the pump hose through one pipe and back out the other?

I want a set up just like your only a little smaller. I just dont understand the drain.
 
The 3 inch pvc pipe is the drain?
"Put a submursible pump of decent size into your resivour and run 5/8th inch INSIDE diameter garden hose from the pump to a T, and then to the 3 inch PVC's in the bottoms of the trays."

Whats a T and am I supposed to run the pump hose through one pipe and back out the other?

I want a set up just like your only a little smaller. I just dont understand the drain.


Yes, you only need one hose running from the pump. It fills both trays, and when shut off it acts as the drain, running THRU the pump and back into the reservior (DAMN that word!)

A T is a hose splitter. Go into any garden store and ask them for a 5/8 inch hose splitter for hose WITHOUT ends. It looks just like the letter T, but each of the three ends is barbed to grip the hose.

The 2 drain pipes don't have any hoses connected to themon mine. You could I guess, if you are going to keep a lid on the reservor, I don't. I just let them spill back into the res. The 2 trays block out the light cause I spray painted thier bottoms black.

It'll be about a week till I have to break the next set down... If you can wait that long I'll take some pic's and post them in this thread.

The most expensive piece in your setup is the lights.. $120 for the ballast, lamp and reflector. The second most expensive was the pump... about 20 odd bucks on Ebay. The PVC, PVC couplers, rubbermaid bin I use as a reservoir and the 2 trays totaled like 60 bucks. Might be more now, I bought this stuff over 5 years ago.

Makes me laugh to see peeps selling E & F setups for $400. And THAT's without lights!
 
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