Needed: Creative Genius

MoN3yb4Gs

MoN3yb4Gs

Well-Known Member
Here are some pics. This is the idea I'm working toward....See the tee at the bottom center? That's the main feedline for this system, but on the back side there is the reservoir. I'll use 2" abs as a drain manifold in a similar fashion as this feedline.

I'm using 2" abs as my main drainage manifold. Like this...My question is can I plumb these barrels together using the bottom holes of these reservoirs?

The drainage from the staggered stadium grow chambers will flow to the middle where it can be drained to these...


.

Here is my pump. Its a Ecoplus 4950gph.



So....
Any ideas or suggestions on the plumbing the inline pump? The reservoirs will be housed underneath the grow chambers so that they will be shielded from direct light. I will eventually be insulating around the reservoir barrels. To help control temperature fluctuations


+Rep for stimulating ideas?
 
highaltitude

highaltitude

Active Member
I have a hard time figuring out what you want to do. Are you going to run your pump at intervals, or all the time. The pump seems awfully powerful for the job.
My next thought is to remove the carpet, before further installation.
Since the pump is submersible, you may want to consider a reservoir you can get the pump into - which may help on issues like sound, cooling and potential leaks.
 
MoN3yb4Gs

MoN3yb4Gs

Well-Known Member
yes my pump will run at intervals. Maybe 1/5. Here is my cycle timer. I have yet to find a stellar deal on one of these timers, they all seem to run about 80 bucks.



The pump is an Ecoplus4950. I'm hoping this will do the trick. On pre-trials it seemed to work well..

I installed the pad & carpet to on top of my floors to help with sound issues. It stays.

I will be using this pool I got for free off CL as a membrane for my emergency flood trays, as I imagine this system may weep a bit.


;)
The pump creates heat, I'll be keeping it outside the res, beside it couldn't fit in my reservoirs anyway the opening is too small.
Heating the reservoir is generally the reason behind running inline pump. I'm not too concerned with minor leaks because of the emergency flood tables I'll be installing.

These are the reservoirs I have to use. They are the only ones that fit through the access.
They're perfect, I just need to know if plumbing the two tanks at the bottom sounds like it would work?
 
highaltitude

highaltitude

Active Member
OK - I'm starting to understand - maybe. If I got it right, you're looking to plumb together your two tanks??
What I have used for similar applications are 'drain pet-cock for swamp-coolers' You will find them at Home Depot or similar. They come with the necessary gaskets and are simple to install - and then you can connect your tanks with regular garden hose and fittings.
Since they have a shut-off they allow for connecting and disconnecting without huge spills, whenever you want to remove your tanks for emptying and filling. If I understand what you're looking to achieve, I would connect the two tanks at the lower third, allowing your water to flow from one to the other - and through your system.

Did I understand what you mean?
 
MoN3yb4Gs

MoN3yb4Gs

Well-Known Member
highaltitude said:
OK - I'm starting to understand - maybe. If I got it right, you're looking to plumb together your two tanks??
Click to expand...
Yes, and here is a rough layout of what I'm thinking.

Do you have any layout ideas?

highaltitude said:
What I have used for similar applications are 'drain pet-cock for swamp-coolers' You will find them at Home Depot or similar. They come with the necessary gaskets and are simple to install - and then you can connect your tanks with regular garden hose and fittings.
Since they have a shut-off they allow for connecting and disconnecting without huge spills, whenever you want to remove your tanks for emptying and filling.
Click to expand...
That sounds like something I'll need to look at on my next trip. Thanks.
highaltitude said:
If I understand what you're looking to achieve, I would connect the two tanks at the lower third, allowing your water to flow from one to the other - and through your system.

Did I understand what you mean?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was thinking of just connecting the two bottom holes to the drain manifold and that way the reservoirs would fill equally.
Then for the intake to the pump, I can just run hose through the top hole of one of the reservoirs. How does that sound?
I'm really looking for opinions, and ideas surrounding this so please feel free... I need to get this figured out asap! :confused:
 
fatman7574

fatman7574

New Member
Thats big bucks putting in 3" fittings considering that 1" would likely handle drain from each tube just fine. However by the time you cap off the ends of the tubes and drilled the bottom of the tubes to attach smaller pipe and used something like uniseals to install the pipes you will spend almost as much as using Tee's. I would just use a Tee on each tube. 3" pipe fittings prices are strange, as you can buy them at Home Depotin a large lot (35 at $1.94 each) for something like 1/3 of the singles price of over $6 each. Use flex PVC in between each Tee. Don't use glue. The fittings and Flex PVC will be plenty tight and being able to disassemble the system will make cleaning and root removal easier. On the top tube Tees have one arm of the Tee fitting pointing up and one down. Put a cap on the top and drill a small hole in it. The hole will assure that enough air enters to keep the noise down. I would just connect water should ever experience and then the level between the two reservoirs will always remain the same. Buy some low micron filter bags from ebay to catch all the crap that comes through the two drain pipes. Small aero tubes experience a lot of dead roots that shed into the drain water. http://cgi.ebay.com/5-5-Micron-7-x-16-Polyester-Filter-bags-Biodiesel_W0QQitemZ260300439464QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3c9b1d7fa8
 
MoN3yb4Gs

MoN3yb4Gs

Well-Known Member
fatman7574 said:
Thats big bucks putting in 3" fittings considering that 1" would likely handle drain from each tube just fine. However by the time you cap off the ends of the tubes and drilled the bottom of the tubes to attach smaller pipe and used something like uniseals to install the pipes you will spend almost as much as using Tee's. I would just use a Tee on each tube. 3" pipe fittings prices are strange, as you can buy them at Home Depotin a large lot (35 at $1.94 each) for something like 1/3 of the singles price of over $6 each. Use flex PVC in between each Tee. Don't use glue. The fittings and Flex PVC will be plenty tight and being able to disassemble the system will make cleaning and root removal easier. On the top tube Tees have one arm of the Tee fitting pointing up and one down. Put a cap on the top and drill a small hole in it. The hole will assure that enough air enters to keep the noise down. I would just connect water should ever experience and then the level between the two reservoirs will always remain the same. Buy some low micron filter bags from ebay to catch all the crap that comes through the two drain pipes. Small aero tubes experience a lot of dead roots that shed into the drain water. http://cgi.ebay.com/5-5-Micron-7-x-16-Polyester-Filter-bags-Biodiesel_W0QQitemZ260300439464QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3c9b1d7fa8
Click to expand...

The main drain-manifold (pictured above) constructed @ 2" abs. There is no 3" pipe.:-|
Yes, It is an expensive project. They want $3000-5000 For retail systems that are of similar design. This is my personalized diy system.

The 3/4" PVC drain lines will flow off of the main grow chambers into the main drain-manifold. I think rubber grommets are the answer not tee's, unless that is you want to spend $3/per tee. I'll just tap the 3/4" into the 2" like this.




diagram...?...pirateninja...:eyesmoke:

I will only be using glue where necessary. I do have a one micron mist filter I picked up but it could use something like those bags to wrap around the end of the intake hose as a pre-filter. +rep
Noise is not of major concern, but will consider and addressed once the system has been checked upon completion.
 
MoN3yb4Gs

MoN3yb4Gs

Well-Known Member
fatman7574 said:
I would just connect water should ever experience and then the level between the two reservoirs will always remain the same.
HUH?
....Back to the point.... My MAIN concern is drainage here. The diagram above shows a single rectangular reservoir system. With the drain flowing into the BOTTOM of the reservoir. My concern is that the water would not completely fill the res because of gravity? Thus leaving water in the main 2" line. If I hook my two reservoirs together, at the bottom of them do I have the possibility of that happening or will my reservoirs fill up fine? This is my big question, and the reason for this thread. Anyone?
oh... And yes, the 2" line will have the neccessary min. of 1/4" per foot drop for adequate drainage....
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
fatman7574

fatman7574

New Member
It doesnt matter whether your drains go to the top or bottom of the drains. Just make sure your water reservoir full level is a below the bottom of the bottom drain pipe. The water may back up in the drain pipe but not to a level higher than the water level in the resrvoir for any length of time (seconds unless you are using a large pump and high volume sprayers). However if your pump has a discharge of only 1 inch that is only a stream of water of an area of 0.78 inches square and that would mean even if your drainpipes were only 1/3 full they would handle that amount of water. The connections between the to reservoirs is just to handle the possibility of one side of the system getting more water then the other and that could cause one to eventually overflow without the balancing pipe in between. What I have seem some growers do is drill a hole in the bottom of each tube large enough to slip a pipe into. They then drill four or five holes into the side of the pipe at the end. They then just apply PVC cement and slide the pipe in until the holes are just above the pipes inside bottom. The holes will generally a carry all the flow but if not the pipe only sticks up a half inch or so. They then put banded caps over the ends. By grommets do you mean uniseals. They look like giant grommets. They are nice but not cheap. http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/829/Uniseals/uniseals/0
 
Hulk Nugs

Hulk Nugs

Well-Known Member
Thats one sick DIY AERO unit you built there money, great job on that!!!

for the res problem fatman i believe is thinking like me test run it if theres water still in the pipe then you have to raise the whole aero unit so it sits higher then the res and gravity will do the trick.

hope that helps
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top