pumpless Airo-drip idea

I was brainstorming at work today and I came up with something that might eliminate the need for a noisy pump for a small grow.

The idea is gravity pushes the water through the tubing to drip down on the plants and as the water leaves the top container makes a vacuum that sucks in water from the water container under the plants. So it theoretically pumps until a seal breaks or something gets clogged.

Here is a horribly drawn ms paint of the idea anyone think it could work?

hey dude have u tried this. i would be intrested to know if this works i want my system nearly silent to. would be intrested to know how u get on! keep me posted hendrix

You are trying to create energy from nothing. The vacuum you create isnt strong enough to raise water higher then the original potential. (Syphons work by going down hill) Potential = Kinetic energy (in physics) Mass*Gravity(constat accel due to gravity on earth)*Height = 1/2*Mass*Velocity*Velocity If you plugg in the numbers you will find there isnt enough energy to return the water (you can lower the mass drastically and get a little back but in reality this wont happen only in math land.) In the end you will find the vacuum just slows down your flow to the other tanks as it add a small force opposite the flow to the system.

^^^^ right, this is known as a perpetual motion machine. It can never take as much up as it drips down. I don't see why anyone wants to dream up a drip system when a high level bubble system does the same thing easier, cheaper and better.

could you make that opposing force strong enough to allow a controlled amount of water go into the system. Say, just enough to keep the water level full? Is this just an example of a auto filling water bowl for a cat or dog?? Look at how those work and try to make a model off of that

Illegal Smile said:

^^^^ right, this is known as a perpetual motion machine. It can never take as much up as it drips down. I don't see why anyone wants to dream up a drip system when a high level bubble system does the same thing easier, cheaper and better.

Click to expand...

I'm with Illegal Smile on this one... Bubbles are where it's at.

DWC is a proven winner. Its what I have done up until a a couple months ago, going aero after seeing my home made cloner in action.

As to your design, it wont work. Good idea though.

You can still run a dwc/drip hybrid.

Have your res above your grow tub to generate energy. In your grow tub, install a float valve that has a fitting instead of one of the ones that just sprays. Run a tube off the float valve to a little manifold and n driplines to the plants from the manifold. A quiet drip/dwc.

Lol was worth a shot, ill look into the dwc and bubbles