Drip system manifolds?

johndoe12345678

johndoe12345678

Well-Known Member
Im setting up a top drip DTW I was wondering what is the best configuration and pipe size for my system? Im using a 50-100gallon rez. Where should I be placing my inline filters for particulates? Where should i place the shut off valves? Should shut off valves be on manifold or on the water line near the plants? I have pics of what i had in mind i figure I run a pump from rez connect to line of pvc to a manifold that recirculates back into rez from manifold, then set up individual shut off valves to control water to each individual plants. There is a youtube video with a set up already completed is there anyway i can make this better and easier to use?
 

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Last edited:
johndoe12345678 said:
that recirculates back into rez from manifold
Click to expand...
recirculating back will drop pressure hardcore, if you wanna do that to put a valve on the return to bypass some extra pressure thats cool but definitely put a valve there as you may need to close it to get pressure to the sites depending pump size and such.

Honestly a simple flood and drain setup would knock the socks off that mess.
 
johndoe12345678 said:
Im setting up a drip system I was wondering what is the best configuration and pipe size for my system? Im using a 50-100gallon rez. Where should I be placing my inline filters and shut off valves? Should they be on manifold or on the water line near the plants? I have pics of what i had in mind i figure I run a pump from rez connect to line of pvc to a manifold that recirculates back into rez from manifold, then set up individual shut off valves to control water to each individual plants. There is a youtube video with a set up already completed is there anyway i can make this better and easier to use?
Click to expand...
Honestly, I have no idea what's going on here, and I kinda like it. I say have a pump recirculating all the time in the reservoir and another pump for the manifold on a timer for application. I don't understand why you would need filters? What are you planning on filtering? And no shutoff nessisary or am I missing something with that? I'm excited to see it up and running!
 
Honestly a simple flood and drain setup would knock the socks off that mess.
[/QUOTE]
I would do something more along those lines but the rooms im setting up have to be dummy proof and as automated as possible. I figure soil with top drip to waste would be the easiest and the most forgiving setup for the area. If I could teach people how to properly dial in and run a hybrid hydro setup i would have more options.
 
Look at some youtube videos of flood and drain setups where the tray is above the reservoir. Not the systems like ebb and grow with bucket sites.
 
IMO the only reason to need to supply irrigation to individual plants is if they are large trees. Otherwise you have a mess of spaghetti to clog up.
 
Back when I ran a recirculating drip system I used a system like what you are talking about. I always had problems with the salts in the nutrients causing buildups that would clog emitters nozzles. This at first was just one here and there but after a little while it's all of them and it's a PITA to unclog them all the time plus you have to be checking them all the time and that meant automation was out and I was in lol. Hated it so much. Plus once a dripper managed to somehow end up out of it's pot and on the floor. Didn't find it till the next day, that wasn't fun but totally my fault.

I just avoid systems that have that much granularity because it's more parts to fail. A flood and drain system has one pump thats just circulating the reservoir and one pump on a timer that floods the tray. The tray then drains back into the reservoir below. So you flood the tray say once every 4 hours when the lights are on (thats what I do with expanded clay pellets in 6 inch square pots). So unless a timer or a pump fails or the reservoir runs out of water you are good to go.

I have automated them with a solenoid valve on a float valve such that the reservoir is automatically topped off from my RO filter during the dark cycle when it's guaranteed all the water will be drained back into the reservoir from the tray. Then you can just check pH and PPM. Larger reservoirs are more stable and can be run longer. With RO water and good nutrients (I use GH Flora Trio) the pH stays really stable.
 
Renfro said:
A flood and drain is IMO the most reliable, least prone to root rot, simplest to setup and run hydroponic system out there.
Click to expand...


This is where i was heading when it all started, flood and drain, ez pz

somehow i ended up with a room full of aero totes. Parts everywhere, any one of which could fk my shit up quick lol

Ill prob try flood and drain next for a laugh, ive always felt it seemed the most prasctical
 
johndoe12345678 said:
Im setting up a top drip DTW I was wondering what is the best configuration and pipe size for my system? Im using a 50-100gallon rez. Where should I be placing my inline filters for particulates? Where should i place the shut off valves? Should shut off valves be on manifold or on the water line near the plants? I have pics of what i had in mind i figure I run a pump from rez connect to line of pvc to a manifold that recirculates back into rez from manifold, then set up individual shut off valves to control water to each individual plants. There is a youtube video with a set up already completed is there anyway i can make this better and easier to use?
Click to expand...

Its not DTW if you are recirculating back to your rez. Which are you wanting to do, DTW or recirculating?
 
klx said:
Its not DTW if you are recirculating back to your rez. Which are you wanting to do, DTW or recirculating?
Click to expand...
Im talking about water manifold being built so it goes into a loop back into rez, water goes from pump to pvc main line to valves to drip lines to plants then drained to waste and not reused. Here is the video I got idea from.
 
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johndoe12345678 said:
Im talking about water manifold being built so it goes into a loop back into rez, water goes from pump to pvc main line to valves to drip lines to plants then drained to waste and not reused. Here is the video I got idea from.
Click to expand...

Oh ok I see what you mean yeah thats so you get even pressure to all the feed lines. Top feed DTW works well I like it you just need to be careful about clogs or knocking a feed line out of place when doing plant maintenance etc.
 
Renfro said:
Back when I ran a recirculating drip system I used a system like what you are talking about. I always had problems with the salts in the nutrients causing buildups that would clog emitters nozzles. This at first was just one here and there but after a little while it's all of them and it's a PITA to unclog them all the time plus you have to be checking them all the time and that meant automation was out and I was in lol. Hated it so much. Plus once a dripper managed to somehow end up out of it's pot and on the floor. Didn't find it till the next day, that wasn't fun but totally my fault.

I just avoid systems that have that much granularity because it's more parts to fail. A flood and drain system has one pump thats just circulating the reservoir and one pump on a timer that floods the tray. The tray then drains back into the reservoir below. So you flood the tray say once every 4 hours when the lights are on (thats what I do with expanded clay pellets in 6 inch square pots). So unless a timer or a pump fails or the reservoir runs out of water you are good to go.

I have automated them with a solenoid valve on a float valve such that the reservoir is automatically topped off from my RO filter during the dark cycle when it's guaranteed all the water will be drained back into the reservoir from the tray. Then you can just check pH and PPM. Larger reservoirs are more stable and can be run longer. With RO water and good nutrients (I use GH Flora Trio) the pH stays really stable.
Click to expand...
Since im limited on height space, can i run a flood to drain table a inch from the ground with res bedside it instead of under it? I know gravity helps with the drain part but I dont want to sacrifice any vertical space. Could I use a pump to pull water back into res and a pump to push out or am i defeating the whole simplicity of the flood and drain design?
 
johndoe12345678 said:
Since im limited on height space, can i run a flood to drain table a inch from the ground with res bedside it instead of under it? I know gravity helps with the drain part but I dont want to sacrifice any vertical space. Could I use a pump to pull water back into res and a pump to push out or am i defeating the whole simplicity of the flood and drain design?
Click to expand...

If you are going to need to pump the nutrient around you may as well just stick with dtw imo
 
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