An alarm to tell me if my hydroponics pump failed?

Hiya- I had a mishap several times, mostly with clones- BUT I did kill 4-7 weeks plants in pebbles, that was SUPPOSED to be watered 3 times a day, but failed for 4 or more days before I came back. Kid of a remote grow, no one goes every day. Oh I had a timer go to hell and killed a few also. I've had more than a reasonable run of bad luck. LOL 8 seeds all-male (google the odds of 8 coin flips, 4 strains 2 of each)

Is there an alarm or a DIY solution to this "running dry" problem?

Easiest suggestion is to get more reliable pumps and or timers.

Depends on the sophistication of your automation setup.

You could check the amps on the plug the pump is powered from to confirm that the pump actually ran as scheduled but that doesn't tell if the pump had a priming issue, loose hose, etc. and sucked power without moving water.

To be 100% certain, you'd need to measure the moisture in the pot (by weight via load sensor or capacitive sensor) or the pump output with a flow sensor.

Checking the res level is another option; plenty of sensors available to do that as well.

these will keep everything running during power outages.

pump failure would be hard to figure out remotely like billy said above. maybe a remote camera to a smartphone or something like that? you watch during the time it's supposed to be on?

You could use something like a Flo by Moen on the output from the pump which you can connect to wifi and an app on your phone. It will tell you how much water you're using but they're pretty spendy.

What kind of pump are you using? There really isn't much to fail unless they get clogged up with gunk or something. I have pumps that I used for years and still work that are close to 15 years old.

xtsho said:

I have pumps that I used for years and still work that are close to 15 years old.

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i was almost gonna say that but i didn't want to jinx myself. next grow all my water and airpumps are gonna crap out on me!!

A pump running 24/7 lasts years,A pump running for 8 seconds 3 times a day....not as long.

xtsho said:

There really isn't much to fail unless they get clogged up with gunk or something. I have pumps that I used for years and still work that are close to 15 years old.

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Same, I put my pump in a micron bag and never clogs the pump filter again.