A few ebb and flow questions???

[Opie Yutts]

how i can get a timer to go on for 3.5 min....around 5 times a day???

By buying a cyclestat, which is a fancy word for $140 timer. Otherwise you can't, without using an elaborate system of ropes, pulleys, tipping buckets, and floats. That is unless you get the next best thing, which is the timer that gainesville told you about. I'm pretty sure that it's Intermac brand, and is under $20 and available everywhere your fine timers are sold. The one I'm thinking of has 14 on and 14 off times per day, which would cover what you want. The cyclestats are nice because they have infinite control over both frequency and duration. They don't come on at a certain time, but just keep repeating a pattern. Really good for rooting clones, but I digress.

and also when the tray drains there is still around a 1/4 inch of water left from the fill drain..sits higher than being flush with tray??? Is this alright or not??

Yes this is fine. It is the nature of all hydro, due to the fact that it's very difficult to put a hole in the exact bottom of the side of a tray, and still be able to get a fitting in there with a properly sealed grommet around it. This means that when you replace your reservoir water, you'll have a very small amount of the old stuff mixed in. Each time the extra left in the reservoir will be higher in TDS, but not nearly enough to hurt anything before harvest. Sometimes I do just what you do and tip the tray to get a little more. You can get nearly all of it this way depending on your setup, but it doesn't really matter. It is actually desirable in some situations (like mine) to have a small amount of water in the tray at all times. If the power goes out while I'm on vacation, the plants won't die of thirst.

Opie Yutts Reviewed by Opie Yutts on 11-09-2007. A few ebb and flow questions??? Alright i just got my new ebb and flow set up complete...i have a 7 gallon tray from HD...and a 14 gallon res....it takes around 3.5 minutes to fill.....what i need to know is how i can get a timer to go on for 3.5 min....around 5 times a day??? and also when the tray drains there is still around a 1/4 inch of water left from the fill drain..sits higher than being flush with tray??? Is this alright or not?? I tipped the one side higher but it still doesnt drain all the way... Any suggestions??? Rating: 5