For All Cap Ebb and Grow Users
- Thread starter pluto420
- Start date
dbizzo
Active Member
Thats what I was thinking my only option is. Usually I flush 2 wks h20. Next time I'll keep all the strains around same finishing time.
I hear what dg is saying- I mean, I never flushed my tomato plants and they still tasted gr8!
shnkrmn
Well-Known Member
I am using Dyna-gro Foliage Pro 9-3-6 and wow! Love that stuff and so do my plants! What would you use during bloom? Just continue on with that, or use a blossom booster?
I spent 2 1/2 hours washing new hydroton today.
Thank god I had some very effective molasses cookies
I still havent figured out my layout so the ebb and grow is as yet unassembled. Tomorrow. I have so much material begging to be put in there! And new beans coming! I'll be starting a new journal soon with the ebb and grow. I'm looking forward to saying farewell to perlite.
doogleef
Well-Known Member
Switch from the foliage pro to bloom formula after stretch.I am using Dyna-gro Foliage Pro 9-3-6 and wow! Love that stuff and so do my plants! What would you use during bloom? Just continue on with that, or use a blossom booster?
I spent 2 1/2 hours washing new hydroton today.
I still havent figured out my layout so the ebb and grow is as yet unassembled. Tomorrow. I have so much material begging to be put in there! And new beans coming! I'll be starting a new journal soon with the ebb and grow. I'm looking forward to saying farewell to perlite.
Sinclue
Member
It took me several evenings after work, but I finally got mine all set up. I only have a small space (4x4) and have decided to start off with 8 pots (on 1risers as suggested here). Good thing too, because two of the outer pots came with cracks in the bottom. Have to address that with the seller I guess.
Last night I set it up to run every hour so that I could test it out before any planting. I checked it at each run through #5. Then I got distracted (i.e. medicated) and didnt check until what would have been run #7. When I looked into the tent it was flooded almost up to the top of the liner (thank god for that item) with water reaching the bottom (and perhaps into) the timer box. It is in the back of the tent and I didnt want to step into the water. The drain light was glowing however. After an hour of bailing water out (bucket by bucket) I could get to the controller. All the switches seemed to be free-floating and nothing seemed to be amiss. I shut it down and went to bed. Today I dried up the last of the water and started it up again. It ran through several cycles and then I had to go out so I shut it down. Fired it up again this evening and watched it fill up, the upper valve floated up and didnt shut anything off. If I hadnt been there to reach in and jiggle it Id have another flood. Any ideas as to what might be wrong and what to do about it?
Two things to mention in the off chance they might contirbute. The upper float switch is not oriented perpendicularly. Its angled towards about 2 oclock (10 oclock from the outside). But then the lower switches are also not perpendicular. The second thing is the piece of tubing I used on the filler line (in the controller) was a leftover piece only about 5 long (instead of the 10 the directions indicate to use). Might that somehow change how the float valve functions? I dont really see how, but the older I get the less I seem to know.
Last night I set it up to run every hour so that I could test it out before any planting. I checked it at each run through #5. Then I got distracted (i.e. medicated) and didnt check until what would have been run #7. When I looked into the tent it was flooded almost up to the top of the liner (thank god for that item) with water reaching the bottom (and perhaps into) the timer box. It is in the back of the tent and I didnt want to step into the water. The drain light was glowing however. After an hour of bailing water out (bucket by bucket) I could get to the controller. All the switches seemed to be free-floating and nothing seemed to be amiss. I shut it down and went to bed. Today I dried up the last of the water and started it up again. It ran through several cycles and then I had to go out so I shut it down. Fired it up again this evening and watched it fill up, the upper valve floated up and didnt shut anything off. If I hadnt been there to reach in and jiggle it Id have another flood. Any ideas as to what might be wrong and what to do about it?
Two things to mention in the off chance they might contirbute. The upper float switch is not oriented perpendicularly. Its angled towards about 2 oclock (10 oclock from the outside). But then the lower switches are also not perpendicular. The second thing is the piece of tubing I used on the filler line (in the controller) was a leftover piece only about 5 long (instead of the 10 the directions indicate to use). Might that somehow change how the float valve functions? I dont really see how, but the older I get the less I seem to know.
morrisgreenberg
Well-Known Member
yes that upper float valve is agnled a bit, cus if you rotate it to a normal angle it will kick off soon with a lower waterline, this is all right. the only tubing issue you would have is the drilled elbow that belongs in the res, other than that you can use lengths to siut your needs. you can test your float valves by running the unit to fill and with your hand lift the upper float switch, if it shuts off your incoming water then its good. you can also test your outgoing drain floats by moving your timer passed the fill cycle to drain and play with the switch, if you lift the switch up it should still be pumping, you will learn fast. just make sure you have the elbow with the hole in it inside the res on the fill pump, hole facing down, if not for this hole through the cyphon effect your fill pump will be activated as normal and shut off as normal but the vacuum can still pump water thruogh thus emptying your res, since this would happen during a fill cycle your drain pumps will not be automatically activated till the timer passes the fill cycle, after the fill cycle the drain pump will pump anything left in your buckets back regardless of the timer---this pump will always work unless your segment timer tells it to fill. i am lucky to never have flooded my rooms in this fashion.......i manage to flood the whole joint by other means xD
morrisgreenberg
Well-Known Member
also let me address one more thing, never let the res get so low that air gets into pumps , you dont water air pockets getting into those line, the pumps arent strong enough to blow them out and you will have to suck on that hose to cyphon out fliud to get it going again, you need to try this if one day your pumps seem not to work
xceptional
Active Member
yeah make sure the elbow with the hold right at the bend is on the fill pump res lid connection. make sure it's not clogged also! this prevents siphoning and if it siphons you will flood your buckets!
morrisgreenberg
Well-Known Member
^ i am thinking this could have happened, once the drain pump kicks in it will be too late, all the water would have flooded all the buckets. dont worry about a thing Sinclue, after your initial setup, your not going to touch a single thing on this system for the next 3 months i promise you, your going to wind up fucking something up out of sheer bordum, just add water and nutes, ya dont even have to change the rez ever just top offs and it will be succesful (although i am a big advocate of monthly flushing because i use sewage for nutrients-PBP-)
Sinclue
Member
All systems are assembled per directions and working as they should. The elbow connection has a hole in it that drips nicely when the controller is filling from the reservoir. Just started the system up yesterday so it has 50+ gallons in the reservoir. No kinking of lines. All assembled per instructions and functioned properly multiple times without problem (including 15 minutes ago). The float switches always work if I move them manually (the drain ones have not been a problem). When it is filling I can lift the fill switch (top switch) and it shuts the pump off. Let it go and the pump comes back on, i.e. functioning as it should. At this point I have probably put it through 25+ cycles. One failure I wasn't there to catch and one I was there to catch (manually tripped the float to stop the fill).
Do you have a controller with two switches top and bottom?
Do you have a controller with two switches top and bottom?
xceptional
Active Member
i own the cap ebb and grow with the same brain bucket you have. my buddy has one as well. he had one flood i have had NOT ONE SINGLE ISSUE with my system. i don't run at 50 gal that's a waste unless you are running 48 buckets. i run 12 and i run at 25 gal. running 24 i would run about 35. save yourself the hassle.
i run the lucas formula so i just fill the res to 45 gal and nute and ph it then use 4 5 gallon buckets to pull 20 gal back out. as needed I'll add it back in. not much difference then leaving it in i guess but it makes me feel like i have much more control.
i run the lucas formula so i just fill the res to 45 gal and nute and ph it then use 4 5 gallon buckets to pull 20 gal back out. as needed I'll add it back in. not much difference then leaving it in i guess but it makes me feel like i have much more control.
Sinclue
Member
Thanks for the idea about using less in the reservoir. Makes sense...also to premix your nutes for adding back.
I'm only running straight water now to test the system. Just put it through two cycles without problem. Wish that made me feel better, but since I didn't change anything since the last "failure", it doesn't.
I'm only running straight water now to test the system. Just put it through two cycles without problem. Wish that made me feel better, but since I didn't change anything since the last "failure", it doesn't.
patlpp
New Member
Sounds to me like it may be a sticky relay inside the brain. Inside they use generic relays that I have seen get stuck in the energized position. They are spring loaded and sometimes they just don't quit release right. If your unit is new, get it exchanged. I had to send mine back cuz of another issue and they (R&M) http://www.randmsupply.com/ were fantastic. They just pulled a new one off inventory and shipped. I did however need to ship mine back first (they paid). With the new brain were 2 new pumps and all the 1/2 fittings!! Now the vendor was willing to bust into their own inventory and swap with me, but I decided to work with CAP direct. CAP may cost a little more, but warranty resolutions are top notch.
Even if it were something else, wouldn't you feel better if it were replaced with it so intermittent ? Fastest way is to try to swap with the seller.
Even if it were something else, wouldn't you feel better if it were replaced with it so intermittent ? Fastest way is to try to swap with the seller.
smokingrubber
Well-Known Member
Don't take it back. Epoxy something floaty to the end of the plastic float valve. That way it will surely float up every time without fail. Use marine epoxy.
If you have a small bottle (pill bottle, film cap) glue it to the end. Opening UP of course.
If you have a small bottle (pill bottle, film cap) glue it to the end. Opening UP of course.
patlpp
New Member
smokingrubber
Well-Known Member
Its a freakin float valve. He's not rewiring the fukr, just making sure it floats. Taking it back requires a lot of disassembly and hassle, and he's still got to explain to the clerk that he wants a new one because he's scared it MIGHT not float one time? Even though it IS actually working right now?
I would glue something that floats to the end of the floaty. Make it floatier
Or chalk it up to a gremlins cuz it's working right now. Maybe it just needed someone to diddle it a couple times.
I would glue something that floats to the end of the floaty. Make it floatier
Or chalk it up to a gremlins cuz it's working right now. Maybe it just needed someone to diddle it a couple times.
patlpp
New Member
The freakin warranty is NO HASSLE, they will do it no problem, I have worked with them. I am talking from personal experience, not out of my ass. YES they will replace it because the customer has indicated to the company there is a flaw that creates a FREAKIN DEADLY SAFETY HAZARD, be it intermittent or not. So say he sticks a freakin bottle on the end of it with FREAKIN epoxy. The warranty would be VOID VOID VOID. What makes you think thats the fix? What if it isn't and he has to return it with a freakin retard bottle hangin on the end of it?