Do it yourself MicroOctopot Auto Fill System

[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

[Papalag]

Best wishes my friend not sure how to fix maybe @GrouchyOldMan or @Nagel420 could help

Paps

[GrouchyOldMan]

Make sure the float is installed right side up! The little “elbow” should face upwards.

Here’s a pic of the correct installation.

You can see the water flow below the valve, when the float rises the water will stop. You can also blow through the valve inlet and see how it stops airflow when the float rises. If that doesn’t work then your valve is probably defective.

Hope this helps, post a pic if it is still confusing.

-Grouchy

[Nagel420]

As grouchy said, make sure its position properly. The little screw in the center can be loosened to adjust the float as well (is it too high?).

When there’s no water in the reservoir, and its filling, does it shut off when you lift the float?

There’s also a little rubber seal inside the valve, could be defective. Or might not be there.

[GrouchyOldMan]

Setting up the Auto Fill Controller

As long as we’re on the subject, here’s another refinement that may be helpful.

The Octo system relies on an airgap between the plant and the local reservoir. It seems that varying that airgap by controlling the water level at various stages of transplant, veg and flower can help maximizing growth.

Since all the plants connected to the Auto Fill system will have the same water level as the Controller, you can easily set the water level where you want by just physically raising the height of the Controller itself.

I set the float valve on my controller to set the water level in the pots so that it just touches the net pots in each octopup. That is as low as I ever want it to be.

With that done, I can raise the level in the Controller and all the pots by just slipping a board under the Controller to elevate it. Since the difference between “Low” and “High” in the octopups is only about two inches, a couple of different thickness boards will give you good control.

Here’s a few pics to illustrate:

Setting the Controller float valve. This is the “Low” level for the system, the controller is at the same level as the pots.

Here’s “Mid-Level” using a one inch board. The pots haven’t moved so the Controller water level is one inch higher relative to the pots.

Here’s “High-Level” using a 2x4 board.

The highest level still doesn’t hit the Octopup lid and the lowest level is still touching the bottom of the net pot.

[420Ghost]

I don’t see any sort of rubber in it. Just seems to be all plastic which makes me doubt it in the first place. I have adjusted it multiple times and have found that no matter what it doesn’t seal. I was just outside looking at it again and lifted up the float and still a decent stream flows thru it. BUT I just realized there was another adjustment I could make. Two different holes for the arm to pivot on. So I moved it to the second hole and it seems to work now when I lift the float. I’ll let it sit for a few hours and report back. Thanks for the quick replies!!

[SaintAliasKnife]

alright, alright. parts ordered. should be here by this weekend. Thank you for the detailed how to. hopefully not gonna mess up so bad. lol

[GrouchyOldMan]

I’m delighted to see others (and especially you Dear Lady) using this system!

Please let us know if you have any problems or questions getting it up and running.

Here’s a pic of my room with four octopups running auto fill.

Popquiz Octopoddlers: What is the current water level in these pots?

[SaintAliasKnife]

@GrouchyOldMan

Popquiz Octopoddlers: What is the current water level in these pots?

I’d say first mark of this:

https://overgrow.com/uploads/default/original/4X/b/9/1/b91787ea92065e0314352a26eaba4c37acccac64.jpeg

[GrouchyOldMan]

@SaintAliasKnife

I’d say first mark of this:

Good try, @SaintAliasKnife, it’s kind of a trick question.

The Controller is sitting on a one inch board which would raise the pots to Mid Level, about three quarts full. However the pots themselves are sitting atop “Lazy Susan” spinners raising their base height about 3/8 of an inch.

So the inch thick board has only raised the level in the pots a smidge over half an inch (one inch minus the platter height).

All of which is just another demonstration to understand how this gizmo works. Once you get the hang of it, it’s fun to play with.

The black tray sitting on top of the controller is just an attempt to prevent the grow lights from causing algae to form in the nute-rich water.