Timer to stop water flo to pots?

[420kidder]

Hi. I have tried to use this hydro system twice but have failed. Each time I have learned a bit more about what not to do.

It looks like what my $500 kit, which basically included a simple hydro system and grow light , forgot to include is a timer. I can't have the water pump going constantly or else the roots become saturated. The timers I have seen at Walmart, etc. seem to only allow me to turn things on and off a couple of times per day.

The type of hydroponic system that I purchased (I'll avoid pasting a link here) is basically an 8 gallon rubbermaid with 6 - 4" net pots. There is an air stone that runs constantly in the mix and of course the pump that drives the water to all 6 pots. I believe I failed previously because I have no way to turn off the water.

Thanks in advance, everyone has been so helpful! :S5:

420kidder Reviewed by 420kidder on 02-05-2007. Timer to stop water flo to pots? Hi. I have tried to use this hydro system twice but have failed. Each time I have learned a bit more about what not to do. :) It looks like what my $500 kit, which basically included a simple hydro system and grow light , forgot to include is a timer. I can't have the water pump going constantly or else the roots become saturated. The timers I have seen at Walmart, etc. seem to only allow me to turn things on and off a couple of times per day. The type of hydroponic system that I Rating: 5

[420kidder]

Ok I just ordered for $12 Ecoplus 15 amp timer with built in pins that supposively allow me to do things in 15 minute intervals.

Anyone know about how long I should go in between waterings? and for how long? I have researched but I never see answers to a lot of these questions, just a lot of general discussions.

[fuzygrowth]

dude what you need is a digital timer which you can purchase at lowes, they only cost about 10-15 bucks or so, maybe 18 tops. the digital timers i have will allow something like 12 or 14 operations a day. each operation lasting at least 1 minute. g'luck

[latewood]

otherwise...just use the tub as dwc unit and use airstones and forget about drip...at least until you get a hydro grow or 2 under your belt. We water 24/7 in drip. so that is not your problem. peace

[deftdrummer]

I got a pretty good digital timer for about $24 at the local hydro shop. Let me tell you, you don't want to get stuck with a crappy timer when it comes to lighting or watering. I would spend a little bit extra $$ for peace of mind knowing that when the time comes to re schedule everything (and it will for various reasons) that you can do it with ease. The push peg style timers are best suited for lights since you are basically utilizing only half of the pegs (on/off). Watering needs to be a little more precise so a digital timer with 9 or more separate on/off functions is recommended.

[latewood]

that is a great point, I agree with you, but the only time my "cheap timers have malfunctioned was "user" error. lol I had one heavy duty timer burn up due to an amperage problem caused by window unit, but that was again..."user" error. Peace

[latewood]

420 kidder. I have run systems I built similar to that for a long time. You can run 24/7 I am currently doing that as an experiment, and I am quite pleased. However; I don't keep water filled all the way to the netpots...NO need.

I really like the results from running "on" for an hour, the "off" for 15 minutes. That will allow for oxygen availability. Like you want. These times will also allow the pump to cool and back-off any sediment that sucked up in the pump filter. In turn that will help the longevity of the pump.

Hope this helps. Search Aero and Drip threads for info from Zandor or myself, and that should answer more Q's. Goodluck

p.s. (It is a little harder to find good 15 minute timers.)
I will give you a hint. Go to pet store and get Iguana cage timer. It has 2-Light/2-Dark inputs, and 4-on all the time inputs. with 15 minute interval timer...For recirculating ghetto tub like you have...that is perfect.
You can run an entire grow room off one of these . They cost 28 bucks.