TheUltimateNoob's Semi-Automatic watering system

[TheUltimateNoob]

Greetings 420 fam

So as promised, here it is.

For anyone that's growing and hand-watering their plants, this is for you guys. This is a simple project that I've completed in minimal time while sitting at home trying to make life easier, lol.

For those who want one, but don't have the resources or time to make their own, I am willing to make the kits by order (excluding the container) and make them available for purchase in the classifieds section - which is why I've decided to exclude the pricing list. They will be cheap though, no worries.

I hope you guys understand, just trying to make some extra moola during this lockdown.

 

Anyway, enough of that. Let's get into it

 

What you will need:

- 5mm PVC tubing (I got 3m to be safe but it can be done with a shorter length of tubing)

- An adequately durable and sharp scissor

- 5 x 5mm screw/barb adapters 

- 1 x 5mm micro tee

- 1 x 5mm micro choke

- 2 x 5mm regular adapters

- 1 x 10L plastic container w/tap

- Hot glue gun (we gonna use a really small amount of glue)

- at least 2 x small cable tie straps

 

 

Now that we've got that out of the way, here's the build.

 

 

Creating The Main Ring

- At the base of your tree, use an end of the PVC tubing and hold it in a loop around the main stem, creating a circle of the diameter you would like. Use the scissor to cut the desired length of tubing.

- Insert the micro tee into an end of the tubing and close the loop

 

 

 

Making it into a Drip Ring

- Cut out/poke 5 holes spaced out well on 1 side of the tubing that are slightly smaller than the diameter of the screw/barb.

- Shorten the screw side of the screw/barb adapter so that it doesn't damage the opposite inner wall of the tubing once it's screwed in securely.

- Use the screw side of the adapter and try to push it into the gap you've created while you rotate the adapter to catch thread. Screw the adapter in until the plastic base is flush with the tubing. Do this for all the holes you created.

 

 

The plumbing

- Cut a length of tubing a bit longer than the distance from the center of where your pot will be to the corner of your tent.

- Connect one end of the tubing to the choke valve and the other end to the micro tee on the drip ring you've just created.

- Cut a length of tubing long enough to reach where you're going to place your container/res.

- Attach one end f this tube to the free end of the choke valve.

 

 

The installation

- Use one of the cable tie's to secure the tubing to the grow tent pipe slightly higher than the level of the drip ring on the soil.

- Strap another cable tie just above that, securing the choke valve and holding the tubing much more securely.

- Open one end of the drip ring and place it around the base of your plant than reconnect the tubing. You can face the drippers upwards or into the soil, I went with upwards so i can notice any flow issues.

 

We're almost there! Just a few things left.

 

 

The Res

I know this isn't a traditional res in growing terms, but its function is definitive.

- Cut one side of the regular adapters off at the base as shown below.

 

- Place the modified adapter at the outlet of the tap as shown and hot glue it into place effectively, not leaving any gaps. This is so that your precious nutes don't drip all over the floor once you open the tap.

*Be careful not to cover the barb of the adapter that's sticking out with glue or else you will have trouble with the next step*

 

- Cut off a short length from the free end of the PVC tubing and attach a regular adapter to one end, then attach this piece to the adapter sticking out of the tap.

 

- Mix your nutes, fill the res (please make sure the tap is closed, lol) and place it somewhere higher than the choke valve.

- Attach the free end of the PVC tubing to the adapter pipe on the res (this is the pipe and point at which you will connect and disconnect when using and storing the system to prevent breaking the tap adapter).

*The higher you have the res, the more force the water will flow with*

 

 

Adjust your flow

- Open the choke valve the so that it barely lets anything through, then open the tap on your res (open the res tap slowly to prevent anything blowing out due to the sudden change in pressure) *Check For Leaks At This Step*

- Adjust the choke until the nutrient mix has a slow, steady flow out of all the nozzles. This is subjective though so set it however suits you the best.

 

Just like that... Boom, your very own semi-automatic watering system.

 

The only issue with this prototype design is that the res doesn't completely empty due to its shape (a major part of the reason I'm leaving it out of the kit), but there are ways to solve this. I plan to make a commercial version available once I find a decent shaped res with a siphon pipe to ease flow and empty the res.

I'm also in the process of designing another (pressurized) system so the res can be kept on the floor along with some other improvements.

 

Send me a private message for any questions or orders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

The reason I opted for clear tubing is so I could spot any blockages or nutrient salt build up if it does happen... Also makes it easier to spot if there are any air bubbles disrupting the flow.

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[afternoon blazer]

@TheUltimateNoob.

Welldone brobeans.

Looks awsome and effective.

Great simple solution.

Big up to u bro for some out the box thinking.

[TheUltimateNoob]

@TheUltimateNoob.
Welldone brobeans.
Looks awsome and effective.
Great simple solution.
Big up to u bro for some out the box thinking.

Thanks bro. Hope I can develop a nice product with the idea.

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[Newbie_2020]

@TheUltimateNoob Thanks, awesome system. Thanks for sharing

[TheUltimateNoob]

@TheUltimateNoob Thanks, awesome system. Thanks for sharing

No problem man... And thank you

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[Batista]

This is perfect for a manual but easy watering system.I will build one soon.Are you still using yours or did you move to automation now?

I think I'll have to turned that ring around so that the black bits are in the soil.My coco doesnt like water at all, so I can see the water running straight out the pot!lol

 

[PsyCLown]

Very nice, gravity system is clever and makes life easier if one does not want to run a water pump.

Although wouldn't you want to run black piping to avoid possible algae growth inside the piping?

 

@Batista what do you mean your coco does not like water at all?

[TheUltimateNoob]

This is perfect for a manual but easy watering system.I will build one soon.Are you still using yours or did you move to automation now?
I think I'll have to turned that ring around so that the black bits are in the soil.My coco doesnt like water at all, so I can see the water running straight out the pot!lol
 

I'm still happily using this system, haven't had any complaints so far honestly...

I did try it with the black nozzles sticking into my medium, but I prefer them facing upwards to get that slight bit of 3xtra aeration.

Strange that your coco doesn't like water, usually that shit soaks it up better than a sponge.

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[TheUltimateNoob]

Very nice, gravity system is clever and makes life easier if one does not want to run a water pump.
Although wouldn't you want to run black piping to avoid possible algae growth inside the piping?
 
@Batista what do you mean your coco does not like water at all?

Thank you sir!... I'm dreading setting up an electronic automatic watering system because of the price of these damn pumps, lol. I think I'll build myself a small one out of a 5V motor and some blades ...

Initially I did want to run a black tube but the clear was cheaper.

Black tubing would be ideal to avoid algae growth but I haven't experienced that yet with my clear ones.

It also makes it easy to spot any blockages or restricted flow due to air bubbles.

I need to make more of these anyway for my new grow box so I'll probably go with black tubes then since the concept works and the prototype is performing well without issues

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[PsyCLown]

You can get a water pump from around R110 or so and it works fine for a smaller system.

The pump I use for my res is a small one and a cheapy.

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[TheUltimateNoob]

You can get a water pump from around R110 or so and it works fine for a smaller system.

The pump I use for my res is a small one and a cheapy.

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Could you possibly hook a brother up with a link? If it isn't too much trouble.

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[PsyCLown]

12 hours ago, TheUltimateNoob said:

Could you possibly hook a brother up with a link? If it isn't too much trouble.

Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
 

I see the price is actually a little more than I quoted, this one is R170.

https://www.petworld.co.za/webstore/fish/aquariums-accessories/aquarium-pumps/aqua-one-fountain-pump-101-400l-h-9325136037012.php

 

Although a slightly bigger one isn't that much more:

https://www.petworld.co.za/webstore/fish/aquariums-accessories/aquarium-pumps/aqua-one-fountain-pump-102-500l-h-9325136037029.php

 

More than double the L per hour (apparently):

https://www.petworld.co.za/webstore/fish/aquariums-accessories/aquarium-pumps/aqua-one-fountain-pump-103-1200l-h-9325136037036.php

 

You could possibly even find these pumps cheaper elsewhere. I have the small 101 pump for my blumat system, it sits in the res and works well. It runs 24/7 as the blumats only open and let water in when the medium dries out a bit.

[TheUltimateNoob]

On 9/18/2020 at 8:51 AM, PsyCLown said:

I see the price is actually a little more than I quoted, this one is R170.

https://www.petworld.co.za/webstore/fish/aquariums-accessories/aquarium-pumps/aqua-one-fountain-pump-101-400l-h-9325136037012.php

 

Although a slightly bigger one isn't that much more:

https://www.petworld.co.za/webstore/fish/aquariums-accessories/aquarium-pumps/aqua-one-fountain-pump-102-500l-h-9325136037029.php

 

More than double the L per hour (apparently):

https://www.petworld.co.za/webstore/fish/aquariums-accessories/aquarium-pumps/aqua-one-fountain-pump-103-1200l-h-9325136037036.php

 

You could possibly even find these pumps cheaper elsewhere. I have the small 101 pump for my blumat system, it sits in the res and works well. It runs 24/7 as the blumats only open and let water in when the medium dries out a bit.

thank you so much bro