Aeroponics Water Cycle

glShemp

glShemp

Active Member
Question about Aeroponics and water pump cycle. The Ed Rosenthal book says 1 minute on 3 off. Those kind of timers are like $65. But Googling the topic I see advice on forums including this one that a timer is unnecessary, just run it 24/7.

What is the correct answer and what kind of timers do you all use? I'm not on a tight budget but I don't want to waste money on an expensive timer if it's not needed.

Thanks.
 
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aero45

Member
If you have a real aero system, your def. not going it run it 24/7. If your fogging than sure... why not. If it is aero, you hit your saturation point, than shut off and feed again in a few mins, look at ur plants and either shorten or lengthen the cycle. If you dont know what im talking about than mist a min, rest it 5, thats pretty safe.
 
Mike42Zero

Mike42Zero

Well-Known Member
glShemp said:
Question about Aeroponics and water pump cycle. The Ed Rosenthal book says 1 minute on 3 off. Those kind of timers are like $65. But Googling the topic I see advice on forums including this one that a timer is unnecessary, just run it 24/7.

What is the correct answer and what kind of timers do you all use? I'm not on a tight budget but I don't want to waste money on an expensive timer if it's not needed.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
there is a thread at stinkbuddies that links to a timer from ebay for $20 that can do 1on 4 off. Dont know if i can post other forum links here so just head there and search timer.:roll:
 
Mike Young

Mike Young

Well-Known Member
If you do 1 min on, 4 off, you're cycling your pump 288 times per day. I hope you have a backup or two...
 
Mike Young

Mike Young

Well-Known Member
It has nothing to do with the particular pump. Cycling anything 288 times per day is gonna take it's toll. How many days do you think you could start your car 288 times before it didn't start? You're not going to get any more benefits doing a 1on/4 off than you would 24/0. That cycle time is for more advanced aero systems that use high pressure.
 
Serapis

Serapis

Well-Known Member
The only concern with 24/0 is heat from the pump. If you get a decent pump with magnetic action it runs a lot cooler. Mike is right, you don't want to cycle a pump that many times in a single day. I just started using Aero and I'm going with 5 on and 15 off. That is (3) five minute cycles per hour and should be sufficient. I learned to fog my clones for rooting so now I'm interested in DWC and Aeroponics and will be trying both.
 
glShemp

glShemp

Active Member
Ok, so today I learned that cycling a submersible pump is harder on it than just letting it run constantly. Is that correct?
 
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Derka21

Member
:lolNo the whole point of aeroponics is not having your roots continually soaked I have noticed that people have been discrediting the the effectiveness of the aero timer. If you leave your pump on 24/7, in my opinion, you might as well be doing deep water culture or some other type of hydro. It is the 4 or 5 minutes being off and receiving abundant amount of oxygen that makes it aeroponics. During this time, the roots search for water and stretch out to do so. As we all know, what ever happens below the medium is mirrored above. In other words, if your roots are kicking but, so is your veg/flowering. I understand these timers can be expensive, but they're worth every penny, trust me. Also here is a link to best deal I could find.Found these, they seem to be the best deal around! Lots of people like them.:!:

http://shop.ebay.com/chirocolt45/m.html
 
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wiseguy316

Well-Known Member
i run my pump 10 to 15 seconds and 6 min off. keeps the heat down and provides great amount of oxygen. 30 dollar pumps are the least of my worries.
 
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aero45

Member
Agree for a good starting point. Check your roots and see if you need to make the cycle shorter or longer. I am misting 15ml with 1 on 7 off on the timer in the link. I am set up with a drain to waste operation. working very nice!
 
Cereall

Cereall

Well-Known Member
Same here... 25$ pump is not so bad, even if i have to replace 1 or even 2 a year....

What does everyone use for timers? that link a few posts above has only 40 minute settings, not what i was looking for

http://cgi.ebay.com/CAP-Preset-Cycle-Timer-NFT-1e-Hydroponics-NFT-1e-/250660236531?pt=COMP_EN_Routers&hash=item3a5c83acf3
is 50$ and the best price i can find, can get an adjustable one for 71$
http://cgi.ebay.com/CAP-ART-DNE-ADJUSTABLE-RECYCLE-TIMER-ART-DNe-Ships-Free-/260611603232?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cada97b20
 
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aero45

Member
Cereall, the timer in the link does not have 40 min intervals, it has 50 second intervals.

48 pins that you can flip up or down that takes 40 mins to turn through all 48 pins, over and over again, so you can set it up to do just about any aero set up. Plus its mechanical so its less likely to crap out on you than digital ones with the big power draws some setups put on the circuit.


So if it wasn't too obvious... I use that one.. haha
http://shop.ebay.com/chirocolt45/m.html
 
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