Earthbox AWS advice

[hangman]

Hello all,

Noobe container farmer here,

Just received My new AWS from earthbox, the instructions say that the pressure regulator should as high or higher than the sensor on the 'tainers.

Has anyone here tried piping the water up to an elevated deck( about 4 feet higher than the water supply)?

My setup is as follows:

2 earthboxes and 5 homebrew 5 gal. SWC's all about 50 feet from the hose bib.



Thanks to all the info I have found here,
it looks like I just might succeed in growing Me some maters.

[rnewste]

hangman,

Not sure why they make this recommendation. Perhaps it has something to do with an anti-siphon condition of water in the line back-flowing into your main line.

My pressure regulator is at ground level, with my AWS systems (33 in all) at 2 feet to 4 feet above the pressure regulator. Not had any problem with this setup in 3 years like it is.

Maybe others have a view on why the EB folks make this statement.

Raybo

[rtsouth]

Ray, also a noobie. Just installed my AWS and have a couple of questions since I have no experience and don't know what to really expect. The water comes in the form of a drip out of the body. Sorta or expected it to go down the tube. The water continues to run, even after the boxes have begun draining and have drained for some time. I followed your instructions with the adjusted length and replacing the tubing etc. Any thoughts?
Another noobie question: After applying MaxiCrop, a couple of days later there seemed to be a brown snuff laying on top of the mix near the roots where the MaxiCrop was administered. Is this common?

[rnewste]

rt,

The EarthBox AWS is one of the most ingenious inventions I've seen in quite a while. This system with no moving parts nor electronics, operates on one of Bernoulli's Principles relating to pressure inside a bell increasing as the surrounding water level outside the bell rises up. This process trips a pneumatic diaphragm to open and close water flow into the filler tube as the outside water level rises and falls.

The Patent is held by a Company in Wisconsin, as I recall. In any event, the water "trickles" through a secondary opening (not to be confused with the pressure sensor tube) and fills up the container. The on / off accuracy is uncanny - - about 1/8 of an inch sensitivity.

I am unclear about your statement of the water running out the overflow hole, if I understand you correctly. If this is indeed happening, something in the height adjustment is wrong. With an AWS, water should NEVER run out of the overflow hole. The length of the Sensor Tube should be such that the AWS valve shuts off before the water level in the reservoir reaches the overflow hole. Please clarify your statement. Again, verify that you cut the filler tube down to 16 inches, and that you lengthened the clear sensor tube to 13 inches with a new 1/4 inch ID tube section.

I have no experience with Maxi-crop, so can't give you any insight there.

Raybo

[hangman]

Raybo,

Thanks for Your answer to My question.

I will be hooking this up on the weekend, I'm sure that all will go well

Thanks again...

...Ted

[hangman]

Well if anyone is interested, the AWS from EB works woo hoo!!

No problems at all rising up to the deck level.

Now no worries about My 'tainers drying out while I'm at work, (it does get really hot here this time of year.

[rnewste]

hangman,

Good Job!!

If you have any concern about back wash, you can always install an anti-siphon valve near your original water source.

Raybo

[hangman]

Thanks Raybo.

for reference I do have a anti siphon valve on the hose bib. as per local building code,

regards. a new devotee of AWS