Top Feed Drain To Waste

J Bone

J Bone

Member
Hi everyone,
I'm really interested in getting a top feed drain to waste system going for my soil and soilless mediums, but I can't seem to find the right one. Does anyone have any opinions on what system to get or how to build my own custom design? I think I just want to get a reservoir with some drip emitters, and then just plug them in to my current grow pots, but let me know what you guys think!

P.S. I want it big enough for 20+ plants in 5 gals

Any feedback is appreciated!
 
Any growers have some experience/opinions on top feed drain to waste systems? I'd love to hear what works for people!
 
Just go get your self a 132 to a 594 gph pump buy or make a manifold run some lines off it get some drip emitors or spinners or even a drip ring. All of this is available on line. Its not much but its all I got for ya. I my self prefer flood and drian. Peace..... Oh yeah get a timer and set it for one feeding aday until your plants get bigger then maybe two or three times aday
 
Thanks for the reply farmer fischer! I may be interested in going the flood and drain route too. Are both systems pretty similar maintenance wise? My main goal is to have 20+ plants in 5 gals all automatically watered with timers, and Ideally Id like to only have to clean the reservoir once every 2 weeks if possible.
 
The top feed drain to waste is easy bro that's how I roll, from Aqua trays with rockwool slabs and blocks to 20l buckets filled with fytocell the options are endless. Say u want 4 rows of 5 buckets / pots u want ur res with a pump and then tee off your supply pipe then tee off each of them so you have a pump with 1 pipe- tee with 2 pipes- 2 tees with 4 pipes. Set out ur pots and lie these 4 pipes over them, then fit a tee to the pipe above each pot. If using a bucket you can plumb in a drain pipe from each or simply put them all in a flood tray with the drain plumbed to waste. Hope this helps
 
Heres some pics of my coco top feed drain to waste setup. The red reservoir is my fresh RO'ed water which i then pump into the green and fill with nutes.
 

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Thats a nice setup you got there Dr.D! Would you mind posting a parts list and a price estimate of your setup? Also where does your waste runoff to?
 
Sure. I'll post in a few hours when I get home. This is my first time doing hydro and coco btw. I absolutely love both. I can say it cost about 1100 for everything minus the lights.
 
For my grow i bought 2 6 pot add ons (http://www.greenspirithydro.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=200) for a hydro system. I used about 100 ft of 1/2 soft poly tubing for both the feed and drain lines. My drain just runs through a hole in the floor and out the side of my house. I bought 2 res's at Walmart, both a 30 and 32 gallon. I have my RO system fill the 32 up so i always have one full of fresh water, since the RO systems take forever to fill. Im using a 260 gph pump and 2 2gph drippers on either side of each plant. Where i tee'd off of my 1/2 inch supply line, i didnt put in the little barbs a lot of people do. I went to Lowes and bought some threaded nipple fittings and used hose clamps because it just seems to me the barbs would leak. Im sure im forgetting something....
 

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Thanks Dr., thats some helpful info! Im definitely getting a better understanding of how I should set mine up. I appreciate the pics too
 
Looking good.
But I seriously recommend a drip ring, or at least 2 more drippers per pot.
Those pots are pretty big for only 2 drippers IMO.
I do a single basket drip stake per 1gallon pot, and that is pushing it. But
Works killer!
I use to make drip rings, w/ 5 or 6 holes in it, when growing in 2gallon pots.
With not enough drip locations, your risking some serious salt build up.
 
Yea I thought about drip rings. Im probably gonna switch to rings next time with 4 1gph droppers. The coco wicks the water like crazy. I think I need to run perlite too next time. It stays moist a little too long.
 
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