Oh damn! Well ok, mine was very rudimentary.
First, this system was in 2 seperate rooms.
I drilled out holes for the 1 1/4" drain and 1/4" feed lines to pass through the cinder block wall.
The grow area, and the maintenance area, for lack of a better term.
System ran 24/7.
It starts with a sunken reservoir, where I put in a big pond pump, 700+ gpm, connected to a self made manifold, with 6 - 1/4" feed lines, 1 for each bucket.
I strapped them to the 1 1/4" pvc return pipe , that each bucket drained into, then came through the wall and dumped back into sunken resy in maintenance area.
Once every 6-7 days, I would recheck solution, as it would be 3/4er’s of the way down the sunken reservoir, then add back the water/ the nutrients, for the week.
The system just runs, each bucket, is top feeding, through a 1/4" tubeing, that drains down through the buckets into 1 1/4" pvc pipe system, that runs into the reservoir, well until you want to be away.
Having spent some time with aquarium junkies, on their message boards, all now defunct, I got this idea, to use 3 cheapo float valves, non electric, a saddle valve, and a big assed (new) plastic trash can, (TC) .
So, I mount the saddle valve into the main copper water pipe, attach the 1/4" tube, to the saddle valve, then poke a hole in the upper part of the side of the TC, to add the float switch , in the TC.
I did not open the saddle valve until I wanted to fill the TC.
Then on the other side of the TC but down lower, about a foot or so to the bottom of it, poked a hole, added the 2nd float switch. This is to supply water to sunken reservoir when called on.
I then add the 3rd float switch down in the sunken reservoir, above the height of the feed pump/manifold.
BUT I had to mount it to something, and I think I cut an old bucket apart, and simply used a portion of the bucket wall, keeping in mind, that float will be up, until the solution comes down, then it will start feeding from the TC, as that lower TC float is always up, (open to flow).
Ok I open the saddle valve, now filling TC from main copper pipe, until float valve lifts and stops flow.
Systems runs, about 6-7 days, the sunken reservoirs float switch lowers, and water flows from TC, lifting sunken reservoir float.
Yes, the solution is out of parameters for the nutrients profile, I’m cool with that for 3 days or so.
Now the TC supply float, lowers, as sunken reservoir is filled, once it raises up, the float stops the saddle valve from suppling water.
Later on, I added a drain tube to the TC, to make putting it away quicker and easier than lifting to empty. I still have the TC, as a pole building shortage unit.
I made a sketch, sort sucks, kind of embarrassing, but it’s all I got for ya.
Hope this helps you.
