Notifications
Clear all

[Sticky] DIY Auto Watering System

18 Posts
9 Users
258 Likes
2,915 Views
twisted1
(@twisted1)
Posts: 3723
Valencene Moderator VIP
Patreon Bling
Active Grow Diary Bling
5 Complete Grow Diaries
The High Council Award
Moderator Bling
YouTube Member Bling
Member of the Year
Discord Member
50k Post Likes
2.5k Posts Bling
Member for 4 Years
Topic starter
 

If you think being around to water your plants might be a problem, then a DIY Auto Watering System might be what you need to solve it. With the correct setup, you can fill a reservoir with nutrients, and then be assured your cannabis plants will be watered automatically.

This can be great if you work away from home throughout the week. If you only come home from work on the weekends and want to grow weed, or maybe you have a holiday or vacation coming soon and you won't be around to water your plants.

An auto watering system for your weed plants is easy to set up, cheap, and makes the whole process of feeding your cannabis plants a lot easier.

Buying an Auto Watering System for your Grow Room

This pic shows the Ebay Auto watering system

You can buy an auto watering system for your grow room from Ebay or Amazon for a decent price. However the problem is, sometimes these may not be adequate for your grow room.

For the best result and for a better price, you should build your own DIY Auto Watering System so it is more suitable to your grow room

I have used a set up bought from Ebay in the past. and I ended up needing to build my own Watering System as it wasn't adequate enough for growing four weed plants.

I decided I needed to get a Watering System that was more capable.

This year as the season gets ready to start. I have decided it's time to either build my own setup, or possibly lose my plants. So after a little trial and error, the resulting set up will pump 1.6l in 60 seconds per ring. For the most part this is the amount that I hand water, and therefore the plants should be much happier.

Controlling DIY Watering Systems

This pic shows the Digital timer used to control pump run intervals and days of operation for the DIY Auto Watering System

So for the build I decided to use a digital timer. This allows me the ability to program the system for 1 min intervals and also select the days of operation. .


Constructing the system drip rings

This pic is showing the assembled drip ring before adding holes.

The drip rings will be used to deliver water to the surface of the soil.

First I began by cutting off 4 lengths of tubing 24" a piece, Then using 4 "T" fittings I constructed 4 Drip rings.

Next I drilled holes in the drip rings to deliver the water to the soil. To do this I decided on using a 5/64th drill bit. Then I decided to start with 2 holes in the ring and work up to more if necessary.

After testing they ended up with 3 holes.


Pumps For DIY Watering System

Pic of a Fountain pump being used to provide flow for the auto watering system.

I will be using a fountain pump to provide the needed flow of water to the drip rings.

The pump I have is capable of flowing 320 GPH, a much smaller pump would be better suited for this purpose.


Adjusting system flow

Pic of the fountain pump inlet showing the adjustable inlet used to help control the flow rate of the  DIY Auto Watering System.

The pump I used has an adjustable inlet, which is useful for tuning the flow rate of the DIY Auto Watering System. Opening and closing the inlet allows for adjustment of the rate of flow, Thus allowing you to fine tune the auto watering system to meet your needs.


Final Assembly of the DIY Auto Watering System

Pic of the system set up ready to test

I started out by placing my buckets in position and then placing the pump in the reservoir.

next I cut several pieces of tubing to fit and connected all the drip rings to the pump.

Make sure all fittings are firmly attached, the last thing you want is water spraying all over place or possibly contacting electrical devices.

Now your DIY Auto Watering System is ready to test.


Time to test out the DIY Auto Watering System

Picture of a drip ring in action flowing water into bucket

Once I plugged the pump into my Digital timer and programmed it for 60 seconds, I was ready to test the flow rate of the DIY Auto Watering System.

Once the cycle was complete, I could now measure the amount of liquid. I ended up running the system 4 times to ensure accurate measurements.


Measuring the final system flow

To measure the flow rate I emptied the contents of a single bucket into a measuring cup.

I measured each bucket separately, In order to determine the individual flow rate.

The results were approximately 1.6l of water per drip ring.

Since this is close to the amount that I use for hand watering no further testing was required.

And my DIY Auto Watering System is ready for operation.


I hope this helps anyone in a similar watering situation

I now feel confidant that my plants will be properly watered while I am away working this season. And feel that it may also work good with my scrog, where it can be difficult to reach the plants in the back.

For more information on equipment for growing weed, check out the How to Grow Weed Sections

Now I need to find a bigger reservoir Happy Growing

Parts list

For using 1/2" tubing

1/2" pvc fittings

Water pump

Digital Timer

1/2 " PVC tubing

If you have any questions or need any advice with setting up your own automated watering system for your plant, the you can find me in our cannabis growers forum. Sign up now, and start a new thread in the hydroponics section. There will be someone to help you straight away.

Thanks for reading Percy Growers.


Sativa to change the things I can, Indica to accept the things I can’t.

 
Posted : April 3, 2020 9:41 pm
ForeignLuxx, Woolie, Grower Urban and 42 people reacted
Macky
(@macky)
Posts: 12275
Alpha-Pinene Admin
Patreon Bling
1 Complete Grow Diary Award
The High Council Award
Admin Bling
Discord Member
10k Posts Bling
100k Likes Bling
Member of the Year
Member for 4 Years
 

Excellent work twisted, thinking about setting one of these up myself man. Save me some time, and it'll be nice to be able to mix feed when i have time to and not have to wait until lights on n shit. 

Please keep up to date with forum rules and posting guidelines to keep the forum tidy 🙂
Forum Rules
Posting Guidelines
Community Standards
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
― Mark Twain

 
Posted : April 3, 2020 10:56 pm
Grower Urban, Stoney, Hart and 18 people reacted
Fukentokin
(@fukentokin)
Posts: 309
Caryophyllene Forum Member
100 Post Likes
250 Post Likes
500 Post Likes
1K Post Likes
250 Posts Bling
100 Posts Bling
50 Posts Bling
Active Grow Diary Bling
 

Awesome!

Sometimes I slap my forehead

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 3:43 am
Grower Urban, Stoney, Hart and 18 people reacted
monkeydo
(@monkeydo)
Posts: 9076
Alpha-Pinene Admin VIP
Patreon Bling
Active Grow Diary Bling
5 Complete Grow Diaries
The High Council Award
Admin Bling
Discord Member
1 Plant of the Month Win
2 Plant of the Month Wins
3 Plant of the Month Wins
100k Likes Bling
7.5k Posts Bling
Member for 4 Years
 

Good job Twisted, these watering systems can really help reduce some labor in your grow. Been using a modified version of this for a while now and as long as it’s maintained properly it’s a real improvement in any grow space. I’ll share a couple of lessons I learned to maybe help someone else avoid my screw ups. Moving only water is different than moving nutrient rich water as algae and slime build faster in nutrient water. It’s good to have the system that can be disassembled and cleaned as needed during the grow. I ended up making my rings so they can be removed to be cleaned and also so I can remove plants to clean the tent if needed. The fertigation rings can clog with debris and slime if not serviced. The pump in a nutrient rich solution will also need cleaning periodically for the same reasons. I try to clean the system weekly and never longer than 2 weeks. My res is outside the tent so it stays out of the bright light and avoids algae growth better, dark color res with light blinking lids are recommended. Avoid using clear tubing, black is better to prevent slime and algae buildup and clogging. And lastly, auto watering is great but you will still need to hand water periodically to ensure even watering and help properly flush your medium.

Random acts of kindness make the world a better place

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 4:11 am
Grower Urban, Stoney, Hart and 21 people reacted
Fish
 Fish
(@lovetoflyfish)
Posts: 1580
Limonene Known User
100 Post Likes
250 Post Likes
10k Post Likes
5k Post Likes
500 Post Likes
1K Post Likes
2.5K Post Likes
1k Posts Bling
500 Posts Bling
250 Posts Bling
100 Posts Bling
50 Posts Bling
 

@twisted1 nice work on the watering system👏Class post bro😎

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 6:42 am
Stoney, Hart, Green Beard and 12 people reacted
twisted1
(@twisted1)
Posts: 3723
Valencene Moderator VIP
Patreon Bling
Active Grow Diary Bling
5 Complete Grow Diaries
The High Council Award
Moderator Bling
YouTube Member Bling
Member of the Year
Discord Member
50k Post Likes
2.5k Posts Bling
Member for 4 Years
Topic starter
 

@monkeydo Thanks monkey I also have the black tubing that i can use for the other 2 rings. I just used what i had on hand at the moment. My idea is to place the res out side the tent and can also add to it so i can also water my second tent. I have the smaller system from ebay that i will use to pump nutes with on one day each week.


Sativa to change the things I can, Indica to accept the things I can’t.

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 9:16 am
Fish, Stoney, Hart and 15 people reacted
monkeydo
(@monkeydo)
Posts: 9076
Alpha-Pinene Admin VIP
Patreon Bling
Active Grow Diary Bling
5 Complete Grow Diaries
The High Council Award
Admin Bling
Discord Member
1 Plant of the Month Win
2 Plant of the Month Wins
3 Plant of the Month Wins
100k Likes Bling
7.5k Posts Bling
Member for 4 Years
 

Here’s an easy and cheap way to scale the system to allow more time between refills. I made siphon links to link multiple buckets. They are simple U shapes out of half inch pvc scraps. The bottom should be cut as a slight angle to assist flow and you can link as many as you want. Just fill the links and insert them into the full buckets.

0D2E3D29 452C 444B 8000 383F45FEB4C9

 I’ve been away as long as 10 days auto watering without issues. 

Random acts of kindness make the world a better place

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 5:31 pm
ForeignLuxx, Fish, Stoney and 18 people reacted
twisted1
(@twisted1)
Posts: 3723
Valencene Moderator VIP
Patreon Bling
Active Grow Diary Bling
5 Complete Grow Diaries
The High Council Award
Moderator Bling
YouTube Member Bling
Member of the Year
Discord Member
50k Post Likes
2.5k Posts Bling
Member for 4 Years
Topic starter
 

@monkeydo Nice thanks Monkey I was not looking forward to trying to fill and store a large barrel on the second floor of my house, Multiple smaller ones would definitely be easier to handle.  I have a lot of PVC pipe and fittings laying around.


Sativa to change the things I can, Indica to accept the things I can’t.

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 7:36 pm
Fish, Stoney, Hart and 9 people reacted
Green Beard
(@green-beard)
Posts: 978
Limonene Known User
250 Post Likes
1 Complete Grow Diary Award
YouTube Member Bling
100 Post Likes
5k Post Likes
500 Post Likes
1K Post Likes
2.5K Post Likes
 

great set up twisted, thanks for sharing it buddy. im defo gona have to make one of these bad boys up for in the groom 🤙🏻

 
Posted : April 4, 2020 10:38 pm
Fish, Stoney, Hart and 9 people reacted
Stoney
(@stoney)
Posts: 115
Ocimene Forum Member
1 Plant of the Month Win
100 Post Likes
250 Post Likes
500 Post Likes
 

@twisted1  Right on Twisted, great job on the system it looks good buddy 

 
Posted : April 5, 2020 11:02 pm
Macky, Hart, twisted1 and 9 people reacted
Page 1 / 2

Our forum is free to join. We are an international cannabis forum that helps people all over the world grow their own personal supply of cannabis. Through our site you will find cannabis breeding forumscannabis deficiency forumsindoor cannabis growing forums, and much more. 

We are a home growers cannabis forum, and we only allow people who grow cannabis for personal use to be members. Our mission is to help you grow your own cannabis. We do not buy/sell/trade cannabis, or equipment for growing cannabis. Our site is strictly a cannabis smokers forum, cannabis growers forum and forum for medical cannabis users.

Use our guides on how to grow cannabis, cannabis grow diaries, and growers forum to find all the info you need to learn how to grow your own cannabis.

Any member who is suspected of growing cannabis for commercial gains will be banned immediately.

Please read our forum rules, and enjoy the site.

Find us on all social networks! Just search for Percys Grow Room