AWS in Earthtainers

[drallred]

We have built the Earthtainer III's and they are working great, we have also purchased the Earthbox AWS system and made the modifications listed in the Earthtainer docs to make them work.

My question is this, How deep is the water after you get the AWS installed and stabilized?

We installed them all and it looks like the water level will be around 2" deep. I think the system would work better around 3" or so deep.

Any thoughts?

[rnewste]

Congrats on building the new EarthTainer IIIs. Let me know if there are any confusing instructions so that I can make the Guide even better.

I am sure you will be VERY happy with installing the AWS!! The water level will come up about 1/4" higher than the bottom of the plastic "bell". There is no "correct" height of the water in the EarthTainer. Keeping the water consistently available is the important factor. The AWS does this perfectly.

As a further suggestion, I run the AWS off a dedicated 1/2" water line with a timer, which I set to open for 30 minutes in the morning, and for another 30 minutes in the evening. I do this in the case that a water line off one of the 1/4" lines may come off while I am on a trip, and with the main 1/2" master line hooked up through the timer, then I know the wasted water will be gated at 60 minutes only.

Just an extra "fail-safe" method to minimize any potential wasted water.

Raybo

[Irv Wiseguy]

We added the AWS to our Earthboxes and Earthtainers last year, but tapped off the in ground drip system. That worked well until the tomato plants grew big and then it wasn't enough water. We had to supplement it with manual watering every afternoon.

This year we're going to put in another water valve just for the Earthboxes/tainers and follow a similar watering method as Raybo. I'm not comfortable just connecting the AWS to a faucet and keeping it turned on all the time. We already have a timer so adding another valve will be cheap and a nice weekend DIY project.

Irv

[rnewste]

Irv,

The way I look at it is if you have the AWS hooked up to a 24 hour "ON" faucet and you have a filler valve break, or a feed line pops off the 1/4" tee, you can waste a lot of water very quickly.

My 2-cycle 30 minute access timings do limit unattended "spillage" to 1/24 of what it would have been, while giving the AWS access to 60 minutes of replenishment time per day. So far, the process has worked beautifully.

Raybo

[Irv Wiseguy]

I agree completely. Water is precious here in SoCal, and I was brought up to not be wasteful of resources.

We had a 25psi regulator crack last year and pour water all over the garden. I don't know why it cracked; inlet pressure out of the whole house regulator is only about 65psi. Anyway, I was upset over losing 20 minutes of water. Imagine how much could have been wasted if that happened to a regulator connected to an always on faucet.


Drallred,

I'm sorry, i didn't mean to hijack your AWS water level post. Getting back on topic, shouldn't the tube be cut so the water shuts off just before it reaches the overflow hole?

Thanks,

Irv

[rnewste]

Originally Posted by Irv Wiseguy

Drallred,

I'm sorry, i didn't mean to hijack your AWS water level post. Getting back on topic, shouldn't the tube be cut so the water shuts off just before it reaches the overflow hole?

Thanks,

Irv

Actually, I am a firm believer in a First In, First Out (FIFO) approach, in that last Season, I lengthened the clear sensor tube to 14 inches, to maintain an even lower level of water in the reservoir. My goal was to keep water "churn" such that there would be reduced stagnation, salts buildup, etc. In fact, if the tomato plant's water uptake was predictable, I would run perhaps only a 1/2 inch level in the reservoir to assure a constant churn of new water in the reservoir. Does that make sense?

Unfortunately, the daily water requirements of the plant will vary greatly during its growth cycle, so trying to come up with an algorithm to predict daily water needs was impossible. In any event, with the AWS there is no absolute need to keep the reservoir topped up to the overflow hole. Anywhere from 1 inch to 3 inches is just fine. I just love my AWS!!

Raybo

[drallred]

Living in the hot desert of Arizona, I would rather have the faucet on all the time as the water is needed by the plants, yes we would lose water if a hose broke, but having the plants dry out is a bigger problem when it is 110+ degrees outside.

Irv, no problem about the hijack, that is what a forum is for....

David