# What Size Rez & Pump For Flood & Drain System?



## Pepper (Oct 28, 2009)

Table 1 - 54"x54"

Table 2 - 46"x25"


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## DonJones (Oct 28, 2009)

We also need to know the depth that you want to fill when you are flooding?

Then once you figure out how much solution you want to flood into the beds, you need figure out how long you want it to take flood them. A bigger pump floods faster, but if it is too fast it will flood faster than the beds and medium can handle.For more detailed advice I will let the more knowledgeable  members respond but those basically the things you need to consider.


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## chris1974 (Oct 28, 2009)

You could always get two pumps and flood one tray at a time with a single 50 gallon resi.....  do it manually the first time so you can see how long it takes your table to flood and drain, then set your second timer to kick after first tray drains completely !  just my thoughts


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## Pepper (Oct 28, 2009)

I need 2 seperate rez, the tables I believe are 7.75" H and I have no idea on how many times a day to flood & drain the tables or how high the solution should go on the table.

The plants will be in 5" and 6" net pots filled with hydroton, the rest of the table will also be filled with hydroton about 1" from the top of the table.


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## chris1974 (Oct 28, 2009)

Oh I see.... I flood my tables about 3/4 of the way if thats any consulation, and it works well for me....   just from experience Ive learned that to sufficiently flood 1 of my 4x4 trays with 12 plants in it takes approx 40 gallons, so I use a 60 gallon res for 1 4x4 tray?


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## PUFF MONKEY (Oct 28, 2009)

be safe and get 2 70's....running low when flooding really sucks. my 3'x3'x7" gets filled to the top with 5 10" mesh bottom pots. i use a 45 gal res and have a little to spare...pump cavitation is a bad thing so you never want your res running dry during fill time.....also 1 on 2 off (hrs) works very well for me, might be a good place to start


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## JBonez (Oct 28, 2009)

Ecoplus pumps, anything under the 385 pump, i use the 385 pump, but its timed to just barely hit the overflow and shut off.

otherwise, id say its efficient, i dont see the point in "long" floods, just need to get in there and swap out nutes and air, im at about 7 minutes per flood.

I run a 40g res and 4x4 flood table, and 40g seems just fine, anything bigger will just add to the convenience of more time between swaps.

i dont mind swapping every other week, keeps the nutes fresh and girls happy!

I also dont flood the table to full, just about half way.


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## daf (Oct 31, 2009)

flood about 5" i flood 4\times a day 15min. each


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## Pepper (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks gent's.

I guess I'll get a heavy duty 55 galon drum at Lowes or Home Depot and use it for a rez on the 54"x54" table and I'll pick up the pump # 385.

I like the idea of flooding 15min at a time 4 times a day, I like things to be simple, specially when my brain is not all there  

My new venture flood and drain  

I'm thinking vegge in dwc and flower on the flood table I hope it works out.


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## Pepper (Nov 1, 2009)

What do you guys/girls think about this *Coleman Marine 150-Quart Cooler* for my rez on the 2x4 table? 

I think it would work, 150 quart = 37 gallon's if I'm not mistaken the cooler would help a lot in keeping the solution at the proper temp, its 80 bucks at Walmart not bad considering the size of the cooler.


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## LEFTHAND (Nov 1, 2009)

*Hey pepper *
*instead of guessing to be safe.*
*take your tables set your overflow where ya want it.*
*plug fill hole..*
*fill tables with hydroton..*
*fill table till water drains out the over flow, making sure your measuring the water carefully..*
*that will tell you how much water you need to fill your table. then time that by 3 and that will give you your res size..*
*do the same with the other table. and there ya go a res that you will be safe with..*
*LH*


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## Pepper (Nov 3, 2009)

LEFTHAND said:
			
		

> *Hey pepper *
> *instead of guessing to be safe.*
> *take your tables set your overflow where ya want it.*
> *plug fill hole..*
> ...


 

Ok thanks, will do that today  today is play day :hubba:


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## LEFTHAND (Nov 3, 2009)

Pepper said:
			
		

> Ok thanks, will do that today  today is play day :hubba:


 
*have fun pepper... also b4 u modify any tubs or anyting put water in them to see for any leaks.... no need putting the effort in and filling to ind a leak....*
*good luck stay safe..*
*LH*


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## DonJones (Nov 3, 2009)

Pepper, just a though that you probably have already covered, but aren't you taking a big chance on damaging roots when yo pull the plants out of DWC and try to put that root ball into a tank filled with hydroton?

Most of the hydro growers that I know say not to disturb the roots after they get nearly full grown and to certainly NOT be trying to put them into some kind of medium after being in DWC.  They just keep each table separate so they can just switch the lights and nutes without having to handle the roots.  Never having tried what you are doing, I don't have any personal experience but it doesn't seem cool to be stressing the roots like tha when they are that mature.

If you have a way around it, I'd like to hear it.  No one that I know tries to switch hydro systems in the middle and they try to not transplant more than once, and most of them don't really even transplant at all because they sprout and root clones into cubes or disks of a medium like rockwool or Oasis foam or the various peat products and then just sit the cube into the hydro pot filled with medium so the roots aren't even handled or stressed.

Good luck man.  It sounds interesting.


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## Pepper (Nov 3, 2009)

LEFTHAND said:
			
		

> *have fun pepper... also b4 u modify any tubs or anyting put water in them to see for any leaks.... no need putting the effort in and filling to ind a leak....*
> *good luck stay safe..*
> *LH*


 

Very true  thanks


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## Pepper (Nov 3, 2009)

DonJones said:
			
		

> Pepper, just a though that you probably have already covered, but aren't you taking a big chance on damaging roots when yo pull the plants out of DWC and try to put that root ball into a tank filled with hydroton?
> 
> Most of the hydro growers that I know say not to disturb the roots after they get nearly full grown and to certainly NOT be trying to put them into some kind of medium after being in DWC. They just keep each table separate so they can just switch the lights and nutes without having to handle the roots. Never having tried what you are doing, I don't have any personal experience but it doesn't seem cool to be stressing the roots like tha when they are that mature.
> 
> ...


 

There is nothing wrong with taking plants from 1 hydro unit and putting them into another hydro unit, or different hydro system I transplant plants in hydro all the time with no problems.

Its just like gowing in soil were the plants are started in small pots then transplanted into larger pots, its no big deal.


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## JBonez (Nov 3, 2009)

Pepper said:
			
		

> There is nothing wrong with taking plants from 1 hydro unit and putting them into another hydro unit, or different hydro system I transplant plants in hydro all the time with no problems.
> 
> Its just like gowing in soil were the plants are started in small pots then transplanted into larger pots, its no big deal.



I agree, cannabis is actually a pretty hard plant to kill. In hydro the roots could be disturbed, so that will cause a little stress, but they bounce back in a day or two max, i just moved my 12 plants from one flood table to a flowering room flood table. they didnt bat an eye.

I had a seed growing out of my floor mat on my porch, these things really just wanna thrive.

understand them better is the only advice i would give. Knowing transpiration and how it works made me the grower i am today.


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