Mac's lovely ladies and some dudes too

Capt C

Capt C

Saltwater Cowboy
SCJedi said:
If you set your dippers up and you come back a few hours later, it is very highly likely they won't be dropping.

In my system they drip often because I run mine dtw with runoff.
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@SCJedi i have noticed if i do a soil soak and reset they will not drip for a while. Once they do start dripping is it a slow continuous drip or intermittent drip when the media needs watering? Seems like i have to adjust them a lot to slow the drip down so it will not so it will not become a runaway. When i do the first adjustment and tighten until the drop hangs the instructions seem to be saying tighten approx one notch more. I have not been doing that because the first time i tried it like that it was still not dripping 24 hours later.I have a feeling this is the area i am maybe doing incorrectly and thank you for the help @SCJedi
 
SCJedi

SCJedi

Synergist
Capt C said:
@SCJedi i have noticed if i do a soil soak and reset they will not drip for a while. Once they do start dripping is it a slow continuous drip or intermittent drip when the media needs watering? Seems like i have to adjust them a lot to slow the drip down so it will not so it will not become a runaway. When i do the first adjustment and tighten until the drop hangs the instructions seem to be saying tighten approx one notch more. I have not been doing that because the first time i tried it like that it was still not dripping 24 hours later.I have a feeling this is the area i am maybe doing incorrectly and thank you for the help @SCJedi
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Yes, soak media to desired moisture. Open dropped until it streams, then dial back to a hanging drop +1 notch per instructions.

Remember everything is situational. If you are getting runaways my first investigative suggestion is to put individual pans under each plant and figure out which it is.

From there you can solve it easier.

Is it possible the carrot is empty of water?
It is possible the microtube has an upstream clog?
Is it possible the carrot tip is hitting something dry (pocket of perlite, rock container bottom, etc) to make it trigger?

Do you have spare carrots? If not get a couple of each. Just pull out the problem carrot, reset the new one and see if the runaways stop.
 
Capt C

Capt C

Saltwater Cowboy
SCJedi said:
Yes, soak media to desired moisture. Open dropped until it streams, then dial back to a hanging drop +1 notch per instructions.

Remember everything is situational. If you are getting runaways my first investigative suggestion is to put individual pans under each plant and figure out which it is.

From there you can solve it easier.

Is it possible the carrot is empty of water?
It is possible the microtube has an upstream clog?
Is it possible the carrot tip is hitting something dry (pocket of perlite, rock container bottom, etc) to make it trigger?

Do you have spare carrots? If not get a couple of each. Just pull out the problem carrot, reset the new one and see if the runaways stop.
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Okay thanks @SCJedi . I will work on that . I am pretty sure the problem lies with not doing the +1 notch further when resetting. I have had the runaways with several different ones so i think it is not a bad carrot. I am going to reset tomorrow and try again. Thanks again.
 
SCJedi

SCJedi

Synergist
Capt C said:
Okay thanks @SCJedi . I will work on that . I am pretty sure the problem lies with not doing the +1 notch further when resetting. I have had the runaways with several different ones so i think it is not a bad carrot. I am going to reset tomorrow and try again. Thanks again.
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I doubt that not turning it back a single notch causes a full runaway but definitely begin with the process of elimination to determine which one carrot it is before resetting them all.

I will add that anyone using Blumats should regularly look for kinks in hoses too. One slight spin of a plant can kink either tubing
 
macsnax

macsnax

PICK YOUR OWN
SCJedi said:
I doubt that not turning it back a single notch causes a full runaway but definitely begin with the process of elimination to determine which one carrot it is before resetting them all.

I will add that anyone using Blumats should regularly look for kinks in hoses too. One slight spin of a plant can kink either tubing
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Boom, that's a good one that I didn't think to mention. Those kinks will cause problems for sure, add that to the stiff tubing from the res and it's not hard to do at all.
 
Capt C

Capt C

Saltwater Cowboy
SCJedi said:
@Capt C can you define "runaway"? Are you referring to a complete reservoir or just a bunch of water everywhere?

Personally, a runaway is 27g of my 27g res unless I catch it sooner but it usually happens quickly like over a weekend away. This typically occurs early on in a cycle before I have it all dialed in.
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No @SCJedi not a full runaway at all. Might dump a extra gallon are so. I check before lights out and when light first come on. It is a rapid drip thats causes runoff from the pot . I have my pots sitting on styrofoam blocks inside F&D tray so not that big of deal mess wise. I just vacuum it up . My issues are early one ( like yours) when getting it set back up after a resirvoir change.
 
macsnax

macsnax

PICK YOUR OWN
Capt C said:
No @SCJedi not a full runaway at all. Might dump a extra gallon are so. I check before lights out and when light first come on. It is a rapid drip thats causes runoff from the pot . I have my pots sitting on styrofoam blocks inside F&D tray so not that big of deal mess wise. I just vacuum it up . My issues are early one ( like yours) when getting it set back up after a resirvoir change.
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How many feet above carrot level is your res? You're using a tote though right? That should be beneficial...... I was talking with @SSGrower about the shape of the res making a difference in feed pressure as well. The taller the res the more pressure when full.
 
Capt C

Capt C

Saltwater Cowboy
macsnax said:
How many feet above carrot level is your res? You're using a tote though right? That should be beneficial...... I was talking with @SSGrower about the shape of the res making a difference in feed pressure as well. The taller the res the more pressure when full.
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I should be good Mac real close to 36" above plants. My res is pretty small says 12 gallon but i can only fit 10 in there
 
Capt C

Capt C

Saltwater Cowboy
macsnax said:
I'm just tossing out ideas here until something sticks bro, lol.
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macsnax said:
I'm just tossing out ideas here until something sticks bro, lol.
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When i reset this time i will be patient and give it a chance to work correctly. I have not tried tightening one additional notch after the first time i tried it. Maybe i have been tinkering with it to much. I figured out a way to set it up on the next run where i can reach the top of the carrot a little easier. It has been a major pain in the ass getting to them on this run.
 
SCJedi

SCJedi

Synergist
Capt C said:
No @SCJedi not a full runaway at all. Might dump a extra gallon are so. I check before lights out and when light first come on. It is a rapid drip thats causes runoff from the pot . I have my pots sitting on styrofoam blocks inside F&D tray so not that big of deal mess wise. I just vacuum it up . My issues are early one ( like yours) when getting it set back up after a resirvoir change.
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So this how I have mine set up. 4x4 tray in a 5x5 tent. It's the perfect size. If you have identified which carrot/pot in the culprit and it's just a fraction of your res then just try dialing it back.
 
SCJedi

SCJedi

Synergist
Capt C said:
When i reset this time i will be patient and give it a chance to work correctly. I have not tried tightening one additional notch after the first time i tried it. Maybe i have been tinkering with it to much. I figured out a way to set it up on the next run where i can reach the top of the carrot a little easier. It has been a major pain in the ass getting to them on this run.
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They aren't set it and forget it but the are pretty damn close.

Another thing to remember is that as the plants grow they'll drink more. Typically, once they are set from running away you'll only need to open them more, if anything
 
macsnax

macsnax

PICK YOUR OWN
Capt C said:
When i reset this time i will be patient and give it a chance to work correctly. I have not tried tightening one additional notch after the first time i tried it. Maybe i have been tinkering with it to much. I figured out a way to set it up on the next run where i can reach the top of the carrot a little easier. It has been a major pain in the ass getting to them on this run.
Click to expand...
Let us know how it goes man. We can always brainstorm and try to get it figured out buddy.
 
SSGrower

SSGrower

Average Grower
macsnax said:
How many feet above carrot level is your res? You're using a tote though right? That should be beneficial...... I was talking with @SSGrower about the shape of the res making a difference in feed pressure as well. The taller the res the more pressure when full.
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Was thinking that too reading along, but he would probably have multiple runaways. I think @Capt C is on the right path with the back to basics set up. The type of these that I have used didnt have a valve so the tank shape and elevation came more into play.
 
macsnax

macsnax

PICK YOUR OWN
SSGrower said:
Was thinking that too reading along, but he would probably have multiple runaways. I think @Capt C is on the right path with the back to basics set up. The type of these that I have used didnt have a valve so the tank shape and elevation came more into play.
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Gotcha, sometimes the little things. Hopefully he gets it figured out, if not we'll be here spitballing, lol.
 
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