What size res. do I need for a 4x4 flood table?

[kingucci]

I have 2 4x4 flood tables and two 30gallon res. The guy at the hydro store told me that 30gal. res. was enough to fill the table and when I ran the pump it only filled up to half way up the table and the pump started to run dry. So im guessing I need a bigger res. Also, it takes about 5min to fill up the table half way.. and 10-15min to drain. Is thier timers that turn on for 5min. and off for several hours?? I have a 3on/off timer but It cant be turned on for less than 30min. So what timer should I use?? THanx for reading

kingucci Reviewed by kingucci on 12-20-2010. What size res. do I need for a 4x4 flood table? I have 2 4x4 flood tables and two 30gallon res. The guy at the hydro store told me that 30gal. res. was enough to fill the table and when I ran the pump it only filled up to half way up the table and the pump started to run dry. So im guessing I need a bigger res. Also, it takes about 5min to fill up the table half way.. and 10-15min to drain. Is thier timers that turn on for 5min. and off for several hours?? I have a 3on/off timer but It cant be turned on for less than 30min. So what timer Rating: 5

[keylime]

I have 2 4x4 flood tables and two 30gallon res. The guy at the hydro store told me that 30gal. res. was enough to fill the table and when I ran the pump it only filled up to half way up the table and the pump started to run dry. So im guessing I need a bigger res. Also, it takes about 5min to fill up the table half way.. and 10-15min to drain. Is thier timers that turn on for 5min. and off for several hours?? I have a 3on/off timer but It cant be turned on for less than 30min. So what timer should I use?? THanx for reading

I have two 4x4 trays and two 30 gal res and never had a problem. You need an overflow on your tray, maybe 3/4" pvc pipe, it needs to be adjustable to the exact height you want the nutes to come up to. When the level comes up to your designated height, the water will flow straight down into the res again through the overflow. I run mine every 4hrs for 15 minutes, using a timer.
keylime

[tinytoon]

pick up a digital timer, those you can set right down to 1 min :thumbsup:

[BudLuv420]

Same setup but I only use 20gal of water for 1 4x4. I've done it 2 ways, first was 20 girls in 6x6 cubes with hydroton filled up around it. Worked great but the clean up after was a pain. Second was the same way but no hydroton which I made a few mistakes by not letting it fill up at least 3/4 of way of the tray. So I switched to 6" baskets with hydroton inside the baskets along with 3-6"x3' water bags on the sides of tray. Now with a 20gal res it fills up in 5 minutes up to the top of basket. Also make sure your overflow valve is higher so it take longer to fill up. Like anything else, its trial & error & works for some & not others.

[kingucci]

I have two 4x4 trays and two 30 gal res and never had a problem. You need an overflow on your tray, maybe 3/4" pvc pipe, it needs to be adjustable to the exact height you want the nutes to come up to. When the level comes up to your designated height, the water will flow straight down into the res again through the overflow. I run mine every 4hrs for 15 minutes, using a timer.
keylime

Hey, im now doing the 4hrs for 15. How many plants can u fit in this 4x4 table? Im using it for veg. How high do you get the nutes to? I have like 2in spacers and I think 6in x 5in pots. Im not sure I gotta check on that..

[kingucci]

Same setup but I only use 20gal of water for 1 4x4. I've done it 2 ways, first was 20 girls in 6x6 cubes with hydroton filled up around it. Worked great but the clean up after was a pain. Second was the same way but no hydroton which I made a few mistakes by not letting it fill up at least 3/4 of way of the tray. So I switched to 6" baskets with hydroton inside the baskets along with 3-6"x3' water bags on the sides of tray. Now with a 20gal res it fills up in 5 minutes up to the top of basket. Also make sure your overflow valve is higher so it take longer to fill up. Like anything else, its trial & error & works for some & not others.

I switched to a 55gallon res. and it works fine.

[bluntar]

olympic swimming pool aught-a do it...then you have toom to grow (no pun intended)

[spoon2610]

Im useing a 30 gal res. on my 4x4 tray and i have 6 girls in it. Dont let it veg too long. My girls are getting too tall. LOL!!!

[BudLuv420]

I change my res every week. Other people do it differntly. On the nuit no more than 200 to 600ppm max. keep low on on the veg, you dont want to shock them.

I switched to a 55gallon res. and it works fine.