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Multi Bed fill system

I just came up with this idea for a 2 liter bottle system, where you fill one main tub, which is piped to multiple "grow beds" and in turn controls the water level over all.

Have any of you have tried a setup like this before, and if so has/does it work well for you?

I would imagine it would work for any multi bed system (Scaled up of course) if you could get the piping to distribute the water properly.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks!

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jim Troyer on June 12, 2013 at 2:26pm

Hi Russ:

I use 2 liter bottles in a raft bed, same principle, just without all those fittings.

The bottles have the tops removed, so they stand upright and I made lots of slices in the sides with an angle grinder, 1/4" holes didn't flush well enough. In some bottles I am using DWC and others I am using cinders for media with a handful of sand on top to germinate seeds. Straight sand didn't flush well enough either ... both media and DWC work pretty well. My purpose was to contain the roots into a more manageable situation. Worked for the root problem, except for that cherry tomato plant, make that a bush or maybe it's a tree, not sure yet...

Your concept will have a problem with roots in the pipes unless you use something large like 1.5" pipe, but other than that it is a sound idea. My only change would be having the water supply come in from a second tank on the right end with the same outlet you have shown on the left but only for distribution of flow and flushing of any solids that might show up trapped in the roots.

Nice concept Russ!

Permalink Reply by Russell Weight on June 12, 2013 at 2:50pm

My original idea (Same Concept of one fill/drain) was to do this with small beds such as cement mixing tubs.

I figure it would save on piping and overall simplify the build. Not to mention that having a single fill/drain pipe under the beds would beautify the system by removing a lot of the visual pipes that come up over the top of each grow bed.