Flow Rates in Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic Systems
In this video Hoocho explores flow rates in nutrient film technique NFT hydroponics.
Hoochos explores the worlds of Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Fermentation, Technology Vanlife and DIY Builds to look at the world through a larger lens that can incorporate the best of everything into a rich and rewarding lifestyle.
Through self sufficiency we can reduce consumption and increase our hyperlocal household production.
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1/2 gallon per minute per bucket.
You should put a filter bag around your pump to keep your particulate out of lines. Also try putting
13MM hose right into pipe, your problem isn’t 13MM it’s dropping to only 3 – 9mm tubing
please help. Newbee but heavy questionner her☝..
The idea is great with a 4mm 6 port manifold…, But the hoses are not secured and water pressure ( depending on the pump) will frequently blow them off and the unit becomes ineffective… wouldn’t it be better with miniature ball valves,???? thanks
Hi there. Am learning a lot from your videos. Thanks. A quick question. How do you make the roots touch the flowing water when the plants are small and the roots aren’t yet long to touch the bottom of the pipe? If you don’t want the system to be an RDWC?
Hoochos, would a higher flow rate do a better job of not creating algae in the system? I would think that as long as you have good drainage, your plants could withstand a higher flow rate, as long as the top of the root mass in not under water… anyone have any ideas about this theory? @Hoochos???
That’s a great vid. You’ve earned yourself a sub.
Excellent videos! Is there a reason why you don’t take some of the 4mm tubes from the manifold and evenly space them down the rail to increase flow rate as you move down the system? (Maybe you address this…I’m only half-way through)
why you just add a extra small pump to just supply 2 tubes?
Thanks so much for your superuseful tutorial however matematic is not an opinion and please correct me if I am wrong. Ideal flow rate is 2 liters x minutes. In your first test you got 700 ml x minute, 1000 ml = 1 liter, therefore, before correction your system was running at less than 1 liter x minute, not nearly 2 liters x min as you told.
Again, please take mine as constructive critique and correct me please if I am wrong.
Thanks again for your excellent teachings, really apreciate!!!!
Great video mate
where did you get the 4mm 6 port manifold……. lots of garbage 🗑 out there. thanks
Sharing your “failures” is encouraging. Many other channels show perfect results which is a bit intimidating and most likely unrealistic.
1400liter per hour/60min=23,333liter per minute. 23,333/6 tubes=3,88 liters per minute, should be more than u need. Maybe the 4mm tubing dont let enough waterflow trough?
great video. third time I see it. with more experienced eyes I now ask is you pump on all the time? same question with bato bucket 🪣hydroponic.
🙏💙
great video. i’m just starting to build my own system. the pump that i’m looking at has both a 13mm and 19mm output. i’m wondering which models of pump were the two in this video? i’d be interested to know how their respective wattage and GPH correlate to the results that you found. thanks for doing this science!
Boa noite, meu nome é Pedro sou do Brasil, gostaria de saber se você tem algum vídeo detalhado de como vc montou seu sistema de Aquaponia?
i had a smaller manifold with only 4 ports and measured the flow, 600mls to each x 3 so about 1800mls / min. So i upgraded to an 8 port and used 2 lines to each of the 3 pipes, effectively doubling the lines but was surprised to see the same output to each pipe – 600 to 700 mls. >> so, reviewed the manual on this new Orbit 8 port (sold in the states) and found it has a filter in the middle. After checking the plastic screens, I decided to drill 4 small holes in each screen panel to see if the flow would increase. Yes it did, 1100 mls to each pipe. I knew the pump was capable, since i had examined the manual, (Active Aqua 250) which gives 1100lph, or as much as 18 litres /min. Sometimes its not about the plants, it can be fun tweeking and customizing the gear.
Thanks for showing the trial and error! Very helpful
great info TY
I thought this was interesting:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465728/
There is no correct flow rate for NFT in general because it depends on the size of the channels or trays and it also depends what type of plants you are growing & how big they are.
I have a question, what would the optimum flow be per plant? Reason I ask is because I want to build a 600m NFT system and I’m sure 2L per minute over that length wouldn’t be sufficient.
is the 2litters per min test is it the same at the end of the stretch at the return manifold??? I figure with the roots of all the plants would it slow down the flow??? thanks
Store link Pls
Did you account for the loss of flow rate due to pumping uphill?
Why is 2 litres per minute optimal?
What’s an acceptable deviation from that? You started out with 33% and ended with 67%.
2 litres per minute, is it independent of how long your pipes are?
I guess your system is continuously pumping. How does the equation differ if you have a timer on your pump?
Without knowing, I would imagine that pooling in the system wouldn’t be a big deal since it won’t pool for more than a few minutes anyway before being circulated. Is the reason you say it’s not wanted that it turns the system into an RDWT?
So many questions. I have designed my first system, based on what we learned from a pre-existing one. However, the old system is undocumented so we have to make a lot of guesses about what design choices were made for what reason. Flow rate is the big unknown.
Having alot of problems with roots completely plugging up the rails
I have the same pump running 3 gullies but with the 13mm tube going straight to the gullies = 1.8 liters per minute each
Thank you for this info
Ur info is ace. We learn by mistakes
Very informative thank you 👍
This really has helped my trouble shooting of my system.
Absolutely agree with you about university for an agricultural degree. I wish I had not wasted my time and money on it (still paying back my student loans.) I actually did psychology, but knew people who were doing agricultural degrees and one friend was actually doing a degree in aquatic sciences and fish farming. I ended up going into something else animal-related and while a unit or two was on animal behaviour and welfare, it was certainly not a whole degree-worth! Wish I had just got into the job market straight after school and worked! The most common comment I got from prospective employers during job interviews was that they could not pay me as a university graduate. At best I’ve always started having a salary that they would pay a high-school graduate. Wasted my time, really.
You’re a top bloke Hoocho! Cheers mate.
Bro great video
But I have one question
If you are recommending no stop at the end of the pipe
Because of the oxygen level so what if when you have just transplant and the roots are not long enough to reach the bottom water of the pipe?
Great video. I can not find this book anywhere. Do you know a place I can get it from?
Hoocho: This is great information. However, I need to understand what is the angle of slope of your NFT Tubes. You’re regulating the water, but by knowing the slope angle, that determines the proper resident speed of the solution against the roots. Too high of an angle will cause turbulence that may not touch some roots. Too slow and the solution skirts around the root mass, not penetrating all of the root tips. Does Dr. Allen Cooper address this?
I bought a house sediment prefilter to run the water through before going to my nft rails, prevents sediment build up in the lines.
What flow rate did you end up using
I’m not sure why you bother with the three 4mm tubes in the first place. Run a single 13mm tube connected to the 19mm tube via a control valve. Every time you step a pipe down in size makes your pump work harder. Theoretically, your smaller pump at 1400 liters per hour, which is approx. 23 liters per minute means you should be able to put out 5.75 liters per unit. Yet you get only a fraction of that.
Part of the loss will be pumping up hill. Keeping the pump as high as possible will help with that. The rest of the loss is due to friction and bottle necks in your tubing. Keeping your pipping as short as possible and large diameter tubing will help with friction between the wall of the pipe and the water itself. Avoiding tight 90 degree bends and pipe diameter reducers will eliminate the bottle necks in your system. Any bend in the pipe should be a gentle as possible. Use two 45’s rather than one 90 degree fitting. The only bottle neck in your system should be the flow control valve, and this valve should be located as close to the end of the pipe as practical.
Just my 2 cents worth. In any case, it is a nice video and I enjoyed it.
How much of a grade do you have on your pipes? ie: how many mm/m?
This is fantastic information. I’m about to set up a NFT system and i think this video will save me from making some bad mistakes. Thanks
NFT contradicts Kracky
First off… Love your videos. I’ve learned so much from your channel.
Part of the issue may be that there’s not an equivalence between increased pressure and increased flow rate in your pumps. Flow rate’s pretty self explanatory, but doesn’t directly relate to the pressure that the pump puts out. The pressure (generally expressed in head) will describe the pressure at the pump outlet which is required to overcome the gravity, friction in your plumbing etc. In fact, for a given pump as you increase the flow rate you actually decrease the pressure head. Increasing the channel size will have decreased the friction which is why it returned higher flow rates, but ultimately pump head is what will fix your issues.
😎
Hoocho – Have you had any issues with the 4mm tubes blowing off those manifolds?
Great its Amazing.. i have a question .. the irrigation its running all time ? H24 ? Or just a few times?
Super appreciate your content man, I learned hydroponics 12 years ago in high school, started with nft, in class, made it into drip system, then moved to ebb and flow. I found your videos a month ago and my own mother said I should stick with the basics. So thank you for being inspiring in the simple ways.
Hey mate,i just want to ask,so even in lettuce it still need a flow rate of 2 liters per minute?thank and more power on your channel.
ta-ta-ta-today junior
I can’t listen to this freaking guy. I don’t care how valuable the information is