Root Ball plugging Drain Pipe

The title pretty much sums it up. I have a number of 5 gal buckets with 1" drain lines linking them back to the pump bucket,I have a 900 gph pump running 1/2" feed line with low pressure spray nozzles in each bucket. The root mass plugged up the 1" drain line today and caused about 40 gal of water with nutes to overflow, thank god I put down b/w poly. Anyways what can I do to stop the roots from clogging the drain line. I was thinking maybe a soda can with the top cut off and a bunch of holes punched in it placed over the drain hole in the bucket. I dont know how an aluminum can would react with nuts and water though. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

tpsmc said:

The title pretty much sums it up. I have a number of 5 gal buckets with 1" drain lines linking them back to the pump bucket,I have a 900 gph pump running 1/2" feed line with low pressure spray nozzles in each bucket. The root mass plugged up the 1" drain line today and caused about 40 gal of water with nutes to overflow, thank god I put down b/w poly. Anyways what can I do to stop the roots from clogging the drain line. I was thinking maybe a soda can with the top cut off and a bunch of holes punched in it placed over the drain hole in the bucket. I dont know how an aluminum can would react with nuts and water though. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

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I had the same problem 2 grows ago, what i have found works for me, is i rotate the plants in their buckets every 2 days they get a 180* turn. Since i've been doing this, no clogging.

if spinning or rotating doesnt work the only other option is mild root pruning

Thanks for the advice, I think Ill try spinning.

I put a 1.5 in net cup over my intake in my rez, but on my 3/4 inch drain return I use a short piece of pipe with a cap glued on it. Then I drill it with a ton of little holes atleast something has to work to get through it vs. going straight down it. I've also spun my plants 1/4 turn a day, but after having to do some tying that was no longer feasable. So I've reached into my flowering container and spun the root mass slightly and doubled the loose ends back underneath it.

would my 3/4 ebb & flow screen be enough to prevent this or should i take additional measures?

im currently having the same problem, i have an aero system and the roots are making their way down through the drain hole. what ive been doing is picking up the netpots carefully so that the roots rise out of the drain hole and kinda sit back down flat on the floor of the drainage res; careful not to let light hit the roots. im considering cutting back the roots as they get down into the drain but i dont know how to distinguish a taproot from a regular root. anyone know?

tpsmc said:

The title pretty much sums it up. I have a number of 5 gal buckets with 1" drain lines linking them back to the pump bucket,I have a 900 gph pump running 1/2" feed line with low pressure spray nozzles in each bucket. The root mass plugged up the 1" drain line today and caused about 40 gal of water with nutes to overflow, thank god I put down b/w poly. Anyways what can I do to stop the roots from clogging the drain line. I was thinking maybe a soda can with the top cut off and a bunch of holes punched in it placed over the drain hole in the bucket. I dont know how an aluminum can would react with nuts and water though. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Click to expand...

Try getting a cheap plastic spagetti/ veg strainer and set in the bottom of the bucket. This will basically be a catch basin for the roots and keep them from being sucked into your drains. You could probably do the same thing with a cheap plastic bowl that fits into your 5 gal bucket but you will have to drill a shit load of holes in it for proper drainage.

bio-buckets

tpsmc said:

The title pretty much sums it up. I have a number of 5 gal buckets with 1" drain lines linking them back to the pump bucket,I have a 900 gph pump running 1/2" feed line with low pressure spray nozzles in each bucket. The root mass plugged up the 1" drain line today and caused about 40 gal of water with nutes to overflow, thank god I put down b/w poly. Anyways what can I do to stop the roots from clogging the drain line. I was thinking maybe a soda can with the top cut off and a bunch of holes punched in it placed over the drain hole in the bucket. I dont know how an aluminum can would react with nuts and water though. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Click to expand...

if you are checking your grow area and keeping up with your plants you should be also watching the roots, first thing is first take and get larger buckets (why not right increase the root increase the fruit, if they are getting close enough to your drain pipe i would say that root mass is almost outgrowing its pot, simply get larger pots OR i have heard of but never done personally manicuring your root mass. I would either just rotate my lids constantly to keep them from getting close or just get bigger buckets in rotation twords the end of my perpetual harvest, looked like the Cell service bars in my space small med large buckets lol but the only way that would have clogged would be improper maintenance in my opinion if you were watching them close you would have noticed the problem and found a solution. Now you know what to look for at least

i had this problem to a minor degree i simply cleaned my hands throughly grabbed the roots and pushed them as far away from the drain hole as possible the spinning trick would just bunch all the roots together.

simply cutting the top off a water bottle and cutting holes into it should work and no metal keep in mind that given enough time NOTHING you do will prevent the roots from getting in that wouldnt also reduce water flow levels so steady adjustments are needed unless below works

maybe those mesh smart pots that are ment for soil http://www.smartpots.com/tan-smart-pots just to catch the roots while the water flows around/through it?

tat2ue said:

Try getting a cheap plastic spagetti/ veg strainer and set in the bottom of the bucket. This will basically be a catch basin for the roots and keep them from being sucked into your drains. You could probably do the same thing with a cheap plastic bowl that fits into your 5 gal bucket but you will have to drill a shit load of holes in it for proper drainage.

Click to expand...

Spinning the root ball is not working and getting larger buckets is out of the question at this point. I am heading to the dollar store to buy some cheap plastic spaghetti strainers. That should keep the mass out of the drain while still allowing water to flow and they will fit the bucket nicely. Thanks for the idea +rep.

roots will just find a hole

heh..spagetti strainer. Depending on the type it is just a glorified net pot I've seen screens installed that hold the mass up from the drain but like hellraizer30 pointed out they are going to find a hole and they always grow towards the water. I would think the finer the screen the better as this will impeded thier downward growth just have to make sure water is still passing through adequately.

I would think if you were going to have to trim a root ball it would be better to do it sooner than later...Keep us posted on how it turns out for you