Do it yourself MicroOctopot Auto Fill System

[GrouchyOldMan]

[Some of this has been cross posted in other notable threads, I’m consolidating here for convenience and future reference.]

A Simple AutoFill System for Octopots

Greetings OctoPoddlers,

I just cobbled together an Octopot auto fill system that seems to work perfectly and cost under $20 total.

In the picture below, the little red container is pretending to be an Octopot. The white bin is the Controller and the grey tub on the left is a ten gallon reservoir.

When the Reservoir is full, and the two blue-handle valves below it are open, the Controller bin will fill until the floater check-valve rises up and shuts off the flow.

The water level is adjusted by the float valve and currently set for the height of water in a “Full” 1 gallon micro octopot container (about 3.5"). The magic trick here is that if the Controller is set on the same level (floor/table/rack, etc.) as the Octopot, this setup will maintain the same water level in the Control Unit and as many Octopots as are connected to it.

As the plant drinks and draws down the red octopot, water from the Controller will refill it. Once the water level in the Controller itself drops, the float valve will open and the reservoir will flow until everything below is back up to full up again. As long as the Reservoir has water, all the attached octopots will stay full.

The tubing and fittings all snap together easily. You only need to drill a 5/8" hole to install the float valve and bulkhead fittings and you’re done.

Please let me know if I’ve completely missed something obvious, but I think I’m going to convert my entire six-octopup system to autofill as soon as this grow is done. Cool thing: If you decide not to use the Autofill for a grow, just turn off the two valves and disconnect the tubes.

Simple, cheap and nerdly fun to play with.

Any questions, comments welcome. Or if you’d like a component list let me know. The AmaZone has everything needed.

Cheers,
-Grouchy
PS, Hat Tip to @Nagel420 for his plumbing tips!
PPS, Thx to the rest of the OctoPoddlers, including the OG pioneers: @firehead @syn @Papalag @ShiskaberrySavior @SaintAliasKnife @Floyd @Nagel420 on and on, pardon for anyone I’ve left out!

[GrouchyOldMan]

Component List

I hesitate to post a string of AmaZonian links, but here are the names of the major pieces of the system. Use whatever Tubs & Controller tanks & Rez you have around, but here’s search terms for the essential plumbing.

Water Filter Float Ball Valve 1/4 Inch Adjustable Float Valve Plastic Water Tank Float Valves for Ponds, Water Pump, Water Trough, Aquariums, Aquaculture, Water Tank, Reservoir (4)

Water Filter Float Ball Valve 1/4 Inch Adjustable Float Valve Plastic Water Tank Float [Visit the Mudder Store]

ZAOJIAO Tube Bulkhead Connector Push Fit Quick Connect for RO Water

Malida 1/4 inch O.D. Length 32.8ft(10 meters) RO Water Tubing, Hose Pipe for RO Water purifiers System,+ 1/4 O.D quick connector 10pcsf

Malida 1/4 inch Plug for RO Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Fittings Valve (10 pack)

That’s most of the stuff anyways.

-Grouchy
PS, you can mostly ignore the specific brands (Malida, etc.) The fittings all seem to be built to the same specs.

[GrouchyOldMan]

Octo Auto Fill System

Hola Amigos,
I received my Octopuppy 2-pack from the Amazonians and decided to convert one of the new pots to an auto fill system.

I have this ridiculous Acapulco Gold SativaGirl who towers over everyone else in the room at six feet plus. She is drinking her 1-gallon rez dry nearly every day lately so hooking her up to auto fill will test the concept and make my life simpler.

Here’s an annotated “How To” picture show.

Here’s what comes in the box. I haven’t found any need for the brown “Support Legs” or the white wicks that come with the pots.

Closeup of a 1/4 tubing" Bulkhead fitting that is used to breach the wall of a container. The little blue clips are removed before you push the tube into the fitting. You push the clip back in place to lock the tubing in place. The two red washers are standard garden hose types. One goes inside the Rez and the other goes outside. The plastic nut at the bottom is on the inside and tightening it squeezes the two washers to prevent leaks.

Drilling the hole for the Bulkhead is really the only tricky part. The spade bit is 5/8" and I’ve clamped a backing block of plywood to prevent cracking the plastic. Slow and steady wins the day. After the hole is complete I’ll de-burr the rough edges of the hole with a bit of sand paper or a file.

Assembly is simple, just plug the tubing into the fittings, turn the two valves on and add a few gallons to the large reservoir. To add more octopots to the system you just extend the main line from the Controller and add a “Tee” connector for each pot from the main line to the bulkhead fitting.

The float valve sets the water level in the white “Controller” bin and that same water level flows into our Octo rez. You can see the water in the Octo and in the net cup. Full up!

That’s all folks!

[GrouchyOldMan]

Micro Octopup SIP AutoFiller At Work!

After much testing and tweaking I finally installed the auto fill system and hooked it up to a thirsty weed! I thought it might be useful to share the details here.

Here’s the layout from above: Reservoir on the left, controller on top, and an empty micropot ready for action.

There are three valves allowing parts of the system to be isolated for startup/troubleshooting/maintenance: one little ball valve below the Rez, one after the Controller, and an 8-way Valve Manifold that each octo will be connected to.

Auto fill startup notes
So I set it all up, did a quick leak check, then dumped a few gallons in the Rez and turned on the first valve. I was surprised at the lag time before water hit the Controller. Small tubing, low pressure, but still. Once the water arrived, the flow into the Controller was robust, at least for quarter inch tubing. It still took forever to fill the Controller up to its bulkhead and I opened the second valve to let the flow run down hill.

That run really did take forever… By the time water finally dribbled into the octopup I had wandered off to other projects and the initial flow seemed a mere dribble. But, as sure as water must run downhill, the entire flow through of the system increased over time and with only a little cheating on my part, “AutoPuppy-1” was topped off and ready for action. Sweetness.

Let’s Talk Gear
Here’s a shot of the widgets and gizmos that make up the system with a few words about some of them.

Starting at the two coils of 1/4" plastic hose. There seem to be at least two types of tubing compatible with these little white compression fittings. The blue hose seems to be more common to those kits intended for water filters, ice makers, etc. It is more rigid and stronger. I’m using it for the mainline; Rez to Controller, Controller to Valve Manifold.

The black hose is more targeted at aquariums, bubblers, or drip system irrigation. It is more flexible and lots cheaper. There’s an even softer clear plastic tubing but I haven’t tried it. Let’s face it, this is an extremely low pressure system. The hydraulic head is measured in inches! So, it is tempting to use the cheapest and most “flopsie” quarter inch tubing you can find. I went up a grade for the backbone, more flexy for the rest.

This next widget is a rain barrel bulkhead and I got it to eventually upgrade my auto fill reservoir from ten gallons to fifty gallons for the cost of a plastic trashcan! To install, you cut a hole in the barrel down low. Then use the nut and washer on the grey bulkhead to make a water tight connection. the next white piece is an adaptor from pipe to hose threads. And that final white fitting is a Hose to 1/4" push fit tubing that you can connect to your auto fill system. Triv. It is also interesting to consider that same hose x 1/4" could also be connected to a real hose and the inexhaustible city water supply! You’d want some serious pressure reducers and back flow preventers…

The Valve Manifold at the bottom is flat out nifty. Nicely machined and finished chromed ball valves. Nine bucks! Eight valves, each serving a single octo. Hat tip to @GramTorino for that tip!

It’s a bonus that the manifold is a little heavy because the final runs of tubing must be ground level below the Controller. That’s why you can’t just connect your tubing to the Octopup nipple on the top.

This seven foot tall Acapulco Gold girl (Thx @lampchopdd) drinks over a gallon per day. Instead of daily top-offs, I can now fill the rez and leave for a week!

Here’s the “Money Shot,” the Controller float valve is set to a nice “Late Flower” Octopot water level. If this works that little green Twiggy should stay pegged as long as I keep the Rez full. I’ll post an update next week.

[Gpaw]

Great job and an amazing presentation!

Well done Grouchy!!

Cheers
G

[SaintAliasKnife]

A pleasure to read. Thank you for the very detailed guide.

[420Ghost]

Very cool thread. I have a few questions. Do you put a lid on the reservoir or do you need to keep it open for proper pressure? Would this system benefit from using 1/2" tubing instead? And finally would you need some kind of air stone or something in the res to keep your nutes mixed and aerated or is it fine to have it just sit for awhile?

[Dirtron]

So to make sure I understand, having never seen an octopot in person, the little green plastic tree is a water level indicator? That’s way cooler than some clear tubing!

[Nagel420]

yes a float style indicator. the foam isn’t the best, easy to replace with regular Styrofoam though.

[GrouchyOldMan]

Greetings @420Ghost, @Dirtron, Good questions!

@420Ghost

Do you put a lid on the reservoir or do you need to keep it open for proper pressure?

I have and use a lid on the big Rez and the Controller, but they are not air-tight so everything is at Atmos pressure. The lids just keep the dust out of the system.

@420Ghost

Would this system benefit from using 1/2" tubing instead?

You could use larger tubing, especially for a system with many plants, but the final rate of flow just depends on how much your plants are drinking. As long as the tubing can keep with that, size doesn’t matter much. If I did the math right, an eight Octopot system in which every plant was drinking a gallon per day only needs a flow water of 3/4 oz per minute, easy enough for 1/4" tubing. Besides, those little “Push Fit” connectors are a treat to work with.

@420Ghost

would you need some kind of air stone or something in the res to keep your nutes mixed and aerated or is it fine to have it just sit for awhile?

Octopots are strange in this area of hydro because airstones are definitely not recommended in the small reservoirs under each plant. However if you are using an auto fill system and you plan on running organic nutes instead of inorganic salts, you should add an airstone to the large Rez periodically to stir up the stuff on the bottom. Hope that makes sense.

@Dirtron

the little green plastic tree is a water level indicator? That’s way cooler than some clear tubing!

Heh, it’s too cute by half but it does get the job done. I made marks along the “stem” for each quart of water.

Just checked this morning and the water level is holding perfectly, Acapulco Gold seems happy.

Cheers,
-Grouchy
PS, as of yesterday the Micro Octopots were back in stock in the AmaZone…

[GrouchyOldMan]

Trial by Fire!

The Saintly Spouse and I are getting set to embark on several weeks of vacation travel and so the time has come to put my Auto Fill system to the test.

The recent harvest has reduced the grow room population to two flowering plants and two small clones who are in the final stages of a reversal to support a pollen dump next month. The big plants are approaching harvest time and they’re pretty thirsty, the clones not so much.

With a ten gallon reservoir full and the four micro octopups topped off I’ll have about 14 gallons at the start and that should be more than enough to keep them all watered.

The room itself is pretty much autopilot for temp, humidity and ventilation although I fuss with it almost daily attempting to hit the current VPD target.

TBH this is somewhat of a crap shoot and I can only hope that nothing serious goes wrong. I don’t have the ability to watch it from afar via the Net so I’m just going to dash off with my Lady and try not to think about it. Fingers crossed…

-Grouchy

Current Residents, with one of the clones hidden behind. You can see the big rez in the background and the Controller under the shelf.

I first saw this clever little valve manifold on the @GramTorino Garage post and it got me thinking along these lines.

PS, One unlikely but possible nightmare: The reversed clones mature far faster than I expect and pollinate the two mature plants so I come home to big pile of random seeds!!!

[MrWizard]

Good luck, I always hate leaving the girls unattended.

Cheers,
M

[GrouchyOldMan]

I dread the thought Mr. Wiz, but I’ve been planning this test for months now and the system seems to be working. I’ve automated to the point where my daily visits to the grow room are becoming boring.

Thx for the “Luck,” stay tuned for the outcome…

[420Ghost]

Hows it going?

[GrouchyOldMan]

@420Ghost,
Thanks for asking, I’d sort of forgotten about this topic!

After 12 days we returned to find all four plants healthy and happy. The main reservoir (ten gallons) was empty down to the bulkhead fitting, the smaller controller was still full and all four octo pots were completely topped off. I reckon the system had another day or two until the micro octopots were empty.

All the grow room lights and enviro controls worked perfectly despite a power outage while we were gone so I’m calling this a complete success.

On the other hand, the two reversed clones in the room were piled high with Boy Balls ready to spew pollen, so my very first move was to get them the hell out of there! Anyone interested in that subject can look here:

STS vs. CS Side by Side Comparison

Greetings All, I’m not a breeder, but I thought it might be of interest here to share a Reversal project that I currently have going. I have a classic White Widow photo fem strain that I cherish and want to “preserve” for my own use. I also host a healthy WW female now flourishing on my deck that I’m basically growing for bud. To spice things up, I have both Colloidal Silver and Thiosulfate on hand. So the basics are in place to attempt a sex reversal and use the pollen selectively on a bran…

Cheers,
-Grouchy

[420Ghost]

That’s awesome. I have everything I need in my cart now but my only concern is that these fittings may leak. On the bulkhead fitting reviews a lot of people are complaining about leaks from the quick connection. Have you not had any?

[GrouchyOldMan]

I haven’t had any leaks at all from the 1/4" tubing push-in fittings, which is a nice surprise because they are so easy to use. I suggest using the little blue lock-clips to prevent accidental pull outs but other than that they’ve been solid.

I did have tiny leaks on two of the bulkhead fittings, so I started using a silicone caulk when I installed them.

Two other Tips:

• I used a translucent basin for the controller because it was what I had on hand. Bad idea because green algae forms when the light hits the nutrient-rich water. USE OPAQUE MATERIALS for the reservoirs!

• If you are going to put nutes in the large reservoir, use inorganic salts only. The organic material in products like FoxFarm Grow Big will probably clog up the small diameter tubing over time. I also plan to flush the system with pure water periodically in between grows.

Best of Luck @420Ghost and I hope you’ll share your project here for everyone’s benefit.

-Grouchy

[anon58740919]

I use cable glands on my builds mate and stick a rubber washer seal inside and out. Had a leak first run on this build but that’s a me problem (drinking scotch whilst I built it)

[420Ghost]

I have the micro octopots and all the supplies to build it but just put my order in tonight for the parts to build this auto fill system. I also placed an order for a pack of sour stomper seeds by Mephisto. I have very high hopes for this next (2nd) grow, and will definitely share it here! Thanks again for this guide

[420Ghost]

So I put it together and I’m having an issue. The float valve never totally stops the flow so over time the controller bin and eventually the pups get overfilled. Maybe I just need a new float valve idk