Recirculating system gurus

[Mmcary82]

System: DIY 5 gallon bucket flood and drain, with 4 brain buckets, pumps, a couple large reservoirs.

This system is going to be 100 pots each brain bucket responsible for (25) 5 gallon pots.

I would like to flood time as quick as possible, the aim is 15 min flood / drain cycles. I need to know can this be accomplished with 3/4” tubing and fittings or 1” pvc and what size water pumps to accomplish this. This is for a legal commercial rec grow operation.

Anyone with experience in this area I welcome your wisdom.

 

[Renfro]

To achieve a fast flood you will want a larger diameter main line off the pump, big pump, like minimum 2 inch line, then break off runs with reducing tee's and run 1 inch say down each row with reducing tees to the 3/4 to hit each bucket. Depending on the layout of the room though, the best way to get a good design is to provide room layout information. Often in larger setups you wanna loop the main line off the pump and feed it from both ends.

 

[Renfro]

And sometimes it's just best to have a separate pump for each row for example.

 

[Mak'er Grow]

Just a guess...wouldn't you need a pump that equals pipping amount + buckets...50 feet of tubing) 50 + (25x5) 125...so about 200 gpm min.
Ah there ya go...Renfro knows it...listen closely.

 

[Renfro]

so about 200 gpm min.

gph. gpm would be one hell of a pump lol I would want a pump thats at least 500 GPH for 25 sites, preferably at least 1000 gph because real world flow rates are often less and we can always loop a feed back to the brain bucket and use a valve to bleed off excess pressure right back to the reservoir. So if the pump is a little oversized it's easy enough to fix that and also get a waterfall for oxygenation when the pump is on.

 

[Renfro]

1000 GPH would be 16.67 GPM. If we want to flood 25 sites at say 3.5 gal per, thats 87.5 gal. Therefore a 1000 GPH pump, at best, would accomplish that in about 5.5 minutes.

 

[Mmcary82]

To achieve a fast flood you will want a larger diameter main line off the pump, big pump, like minimum 2 inch line, then break off runs with reducing tee's and run 1 inch say down each row with reducing tees to the 3/4 to hit each bucket. Depending on the layout of the room though, the best way to get a good design is to provide room layout information. Often in larger setups you wanna loop the main line off the pump and feed it from both ends.

Wow, yeah I’m totally picturing what you are describing. It’s 16’X25’ space with 12’ ceilings.

 

[Renfro]

Wow, yeah I’m totally picturing what you are describing. It’s 16’X25’ space with 12’ ceilings.

Well I think that with the information I provided you can come up with a layout that suits your needs. May I ask why have 4 "brain buckets"? Are you trying to do a perpetual or are you trying to just run 4 different strains? I would rather have one large reservoir to maintain, one room, one res, one cycle, perpetual perpetuates problems and makes it so you can't really tune for different stages of growth, like ripening at lower CO2 levels, temps and light.

 

[Renfro]

And one more tip, for auto top off you can use a float valve thats connected to the water supply using a solenoid valve on a timer. The float valve is only activated by the timer in the middle of the dark period when it's guaranteed the system isn't flooding and the nutrients have all been returned to the reservoir. Then you can use a dosing pump setup on the res to maintain pH and PPM even.

 

[Mmcary82]

Well I think that with the information I provided you can come up with a layout that suits your needs. May I ask why have 4 "brain buckets"? Are you trying to do a perpetual or are you trying to just run 4 different strains? I would rather have one large reservoir to maintain, one room, one res, one cycle, perpetual perpetuates problems and makes it so you can't really tune for different stages of growth, like ripening at lower CO2 levels, temps and light.

Shit your from Colorado, you already been in the game for awhile..This is Maine, we’re just firing up, your kinda on some other level shit, blowing my mind..I wish I could pick your brain a little while longer. The thought was 4 brains to handle the output of water and yes I plan on multi strain grows the thought was to have 2 200 gallon reseviors and have 2 brains per Rez.. but if you have a more streamlined approach I’m all ears man. And thank you btw.

 

[MICHI-CAN]

And one more tip, for auto top off you can use a float valve thats connected to the water supply using a solenoid valve on a timer. The float valve is only activated by the timer in the middle of the dark period when it's guaranteed the system isn't flooding and the nutrients have all been returned to the reservoir. Then you can use a dosing pump setup on the res to maintain pH and PPM even.

Hello @Renfro. I am old school. And have noticed a method not mentioned as of yet. To many growers and not enough range. I and several people used a self breaking siphon method based on a saltwater ebb and flow system. 1 pump, reservoirs as desired for flow at your chosen GPH by dia or area if custom square design. And 1 collection tank to recycle. Our hobby is not topic specific as you know. And most people know no other topics. Peace and check self purging saltwater filter set ups. Late 80's tech mates perfectly. Peace and grows.

 

[Mak'er Grow]

gph. gpm would be one hell of a pump lol I would want a pump thats at least 500 GPH for 25 sites, preferably at least 1000 gph because real world flow rates are often less and we can always loop a feed back to the brain bucket and use a valve to bleed off excess pressure right back to the reservoir. So if the pump is a little oversized it's easy enough to fix that and also get a waterfall for oxygenation when the pump is on.

I'll have to store that in my memory banks.
I was just using basic number...guess I didn't say that part...my bad...lol
I'll let you get back to the proper info and follow along for info to store.

 

[Mmcary82]

Well I think that with the information I provided you can come up with a layout that suits your needs. May I ask why have 4 "brain buckets"? Are you trying to do a perpetual or are you trying to just run 4 different strains? I would rather have one large reservoir to maintain, one room, one res, one cycle, perpetual perpetuates problems and makes it so you can't really tune for different stages of growth, like ripening at lower CO2 levels, temps and light.

You would think with that info you provided I’d be able to but your ideas have me lost on shit like what type of brain bucket are we talking about to be able to handle that type of water? A 55 gallon drum?? Lol.. And this is a 2” bilge pump do you think 4700gph pumps are big enough if I went with a 1 controller bucket system to flood with? And what type of valve to bleed off excess pressure and how would you install it?

 

[Renfro]

And this is a 2” bilge pump do you think 4700gph pumps are big enough if I went with a 1 controller bucket system to flood with?

Well if you went with one controller "brain bucket" and have 100 sites at 3.5 gal flood each we need to deliver 350 gallons. A 4700 GPH pump equates to about 78 gallons per minute, therefore such a pump would be capable of flooding the sites in around 5 minutes. That is a marine pump so the voltage is DC.

You can get vertical storage tanks in many sizes, perhaps one of those for the reservoir then put 4 pumps in it that each feed 25 sites via a "brain bucket" that has return pumping back to the res? This provides one res to maintain and allows you to use pumps of reasonable size?

Since ceiling height isn't a problem you could elevate the sites using bricks, then run the grommets through the bottom of the sites to get full drainage as the brain bucket would be lower since the pump can't ever fully empty it.

 

[Renfro]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N09508/ref=twister_B07W6HJN61?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Those come in several sizes, might be good for the return pumps. Remember, since the sites are fed from th ebrain buckets by gravity, larger plumbing is best. You could go to each site with 1 inch instead of 3/4 off the trunks.

 

[Renfro]

Shit your from Colorado, you already been in the game for awhile.

I have been growing since 1989. lol Used to run a lot of black market grows back in missouri. Times are a lot easier now with it being legal but the pay isn't as good, I miss $5000 a pack wholesale. lol

 

[Mmcary82]

Well if you went with one controller "brain bucket" and have 100 sites at 3.5 gal flood each we need to deliver 350 gallons. A 4700 GPH pump equates to about 78 gallons per minute, therefore such a pump would be capable of flooding the sites in around 5 minutes. That is a marine pump so the voltage is DC.

I’m just trying to envision that amount of water flowing into a 5 gallon controller bucket..so your saying gravity will feed that amount of water in the controller bucket to the sites?

 

[Mmcary82]

I thinking the brain bucket will fill in a 1/2 second, click off , click back on, and so forth gravity fed is a bit slower then the influx of water jetting it with all that GPH..

 

[Renfro]

I’m just trying to envision that amount of water flowing into a 5 gallon controller bucket..so your saying gravity will feed that amount of water in the controller bucket to the sites?

For like an ebb and grow the water is pumped from the res to the controller bucket that has the float switches and the return pump but from that controller to the sites and back it's all gravity.

 

[Mmcary82]

For like an ebb and grow the water is pumped from the res to the controller bucket that has the float switches and the return pump but from that controller to the sites and back it's all gravity.

I get that..I have grown many times with a ebb and grow system just not on a commercial scale..I’m just having a hard time imagining- pumping 5000gph flow rate into a tiny 5 gallon control bucket that relies on gravity to move the water. I am not doubting a dam thing your saying, I’m just having trouble envisioning gravity fed controller bucket feeding the water efficiently..maybe I just have to see it to understand.