My Tomatoes And Peppers Are Growing!

[GpsFrontier]

How does the valve control water level?

[FalseFlash]

By controlling the rate at which the water exits the pipe, although it's more effort than it's worth. Sometimes I spend hours outside trying to get the level right. So it works, only if you're willing to put in the effort. I'm going to get it changed soon, it's really annoying because last night I was outside until 2AM making sure it didn't overflow.

Any slight change is either too much or too little. And by a slight change I'm talking barely any change in the position.

[GpsFrontier]

although it's more effort than it's worth. Sometimes I spend hours outside trying to get the level right. So it works, only if you're willing to put in the effort. I'm going to get it changed soon, it's really annoying because last night I was outside until 2AM making sure it didn't overflow.

Yes, exactly. You will never be able to get it to work the way you want. Think of it like this, If you have one gallon of water flowing in, and less than that flowing out, it's just a mater of time before it overflows. You can adjust it as much as you want, but all your doing is changing the amount of time before it overflows. The only way you can keep it from eventually overflowing is to have the same amount of water exiting as you have going in. So the only way you can keep that valve from eventually overflowing your system, is to make sure it is open enough so the same amount of water is going out as you have being pumped in. That makes the valve useless because you can do that with nothing but a straight piece of tubing.

I'm assuming your using the same system you posted pictures of before, and the design is still the same. I made some drawings to show you how I would setup an overflow system in your system. It's quite simple, just get an end cap for the tubing (about $2). Then get two one inch PVC connectors. One a male connector like this PVC connector and one female connector like this one. Cut a hole in the center of the end cap just big enough to stick the threaded side of the male connector through it. You may need to use a spacer when you tighten it down to get it to snug down. The threads on PVC connectors are tapered, and don't go all the way on. They just get tighter until their too tight to screw on anymore. Once you have them tightly in place you should glue it in place as well. I like using pluming goop. Most hardware stores carry it, but the cheapest place I have found it is at Wal-Mart. Our Wal-Mart sells it in the pluming department for $3.94.

Now cut a opening in the top of the "T" connector in your system so you can access the overflow tube that will be inside. Then glue the end cap in place. Don't glue the overflow tube that's inside the "T" connector so you can change it at will. If you want the water level in the system to be higher, just make the overflow tube longer. If you want to lower the water level, just cut the overflow tube shorter. As long as the overflow tube is at least twice as wide as the water line feeding the water into the system, you wont have water backing up in the system and you wont need to constantly be watching to make sure it doesn't overflow on you.

[FalseFlash]

Just an update of where I'm at so far. The peppers are not doing too good, I'm going to put them in the ground. So here are the tomatoes. Some of the leaves are starting to turn brown on them, so I did some searching and tried changing nutrients this morning. I also bumped the PPM up to 1300, is that too high? Seems a lot of people run in that range after a couple weeks.

[GpsFrontier]

What nutrients are you using, and how much are you mixing per gallon of water?

[FalseFlash]

Originally Posted by GpsFrontier

What nutrients are you using, and how much are you mixing per gallon of water?

General Hydroponics Flora Series, I'm using whatever their calculator says to use.

16.9oz of each this time for 50 gallons.

Edit:

The readings show 1,210PPM today.

[GpsFrontier]

I'm using whatever their calculator says to use

That doesn't help me with anything. I'm not there with when you put in your parameters, I can't see what what your reading and how your interpreting the results etc. etc.. I don't know if you are using additives, and if your checking PPM before you add them, or after you add them. I also don't know what the PPM of the water is before you add anything at all to it. I don't know if your PPM meter is accurate, what conversion rate it uses, if it automatically adjusts for temperature, not to mention if it is being cared for properly. Even properly cared for meters often malfunction for various reasons. I also don't know what the PPM of the plain water consist of. To help with your question I need to know the specifics of what your doing.

The only thing I can take from the reply is you are using 16.9 oz of each gro, micro, and bloom, and I don't even know how your measuring it (I don't have anything accurate enough to measure fluid ounces down to 1 tenth of an ounce). You do know that the GH calculator has an option/setting for milliliters (ml) as well as fluid ounces. I can only assume from your reply that you choose not to use the additional additives, or you are using the same amount of all the additives as well.

Assuming your measuring fluid ounces correctly, one fluid ounce equals 30 ml. So 30 ml x16.9= 507 ml. That's enough to make 51 gallons of full strength nutrient solution of the GH flora series. For small plants the size in your picture, I wouldn't be using more than a 1/2 strength nutrient. Even full size plants I would probably only be using 3/4 strength nutrients (375 ml for 50 gallons of water). Likely even just a 1/3 strength for plants that small. And I wouldn't be using any additives at all. For a 50 gallon reservoir, and plants that small I would be using between 166 ml (1/3 strength), 5.5 fluid oz. And no more than 250 ml (1/2 strength) 8.33 fluid ounces. Even less if it's hot. Bottom line 1/3 strength is fine for plants that small. If they grow well, I'd probably bump it up to 1/2 strength in a few weeks.

P.S.
I don't use PPM, TDS, or EC meters because they just cant tell me the only thing I want to know (what the level of "each" mineral salt is). I might get a EC meter in the future for general comparisons, but it's not something I would rely on. Also I think you were running the system as an NFT system. Because I know your having trouble getting the water level to be content, that may be a big problem with your system as well. A NFT system uses a "thin" layer of water running at the bottom of the trough. If the water level is much higher than that, you run the risk suffocating the roots. They need air/oxygen just as much as water.