Sharing your “failures” is encouraging. Many other channels show perfect results which is a bit intimidating and most likely unrealistic.

So pleased to see someone finally put a number on what an ideal flow rate is, I been struggling over the last cpl of months trying to find what works, and I've settled on what my current flow rate is, watched this vid last night, and just completed testing my flow rate, exactly same way you did, turns out, I'm already running at 1.9L/m.

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.

Exactly where I am with my system, this videos completely covers information which was needed before constructing a nft system. Thanks for the great info

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.

Perfect timing this is Hoocho. I've got the 13mm roll and fitting still unwrapped, can take them back to bunnings and exchange for 19mm tomorrow. 2nd batch of seedlings have sprouted, looking to get them into the propagation system over the weekend. Thanks for your work buddy 👍💛😁

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.

Super interesting, thanks Hoocho!! I appreciate you keeping in all the video parts even where you incorrectly guessed some issues, since it gives me my own ideas for when I need to troubleshoot, things to possibly try!! Cheers :D

Yes ! Exactly what I was looking for , thank you.

Thanks for showing the trial and error! Very helpful

You're a legend mate

At 8:15 the realisation that you should have gone to Uni. The look is priceless.

Excellent video on NFT. Love your in depth explanation.

Thank you for teaching us this information!

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

Great Vid Hoocho! With my nft I just injected a 19mm straight in to the top pipe (3x 3m rails but all connected on a slight downward slope joined with elbows) with an adjustable tap. It seems to work ok without too much back pressure on the pump. 😉👍

Very informative thank you 👍 This really has helped my trouble shooting of my system.

Thanks Hoocho, good informative video.

Love it. Very informative.

Really great info! This year was the first year Im trying NFT and results have been mixed - flow and EC is something i have to keep an eye on.

Thank you for this info

You're a top bloke Hoocho! Cheers mate.

Really great video! thanks so much for going through this process! Also, killer mustache, man! Also, TIL i think my nft is an rdwc and I need to troubleshoot now.

I have been doing this for a while - interesting that you had blockages - I did too - so, I just put 2 pairs of stockings on the outlets where they flow back into the tank - problem solved - this is as the debris seemed to be coming out of the NFT pipes - roots breaking etc... Change the stockings every few weeks! P.S. We're in Bermuda and we only use rainwater here - no mains water.

Great its Amazing.. i have a question .. the irrigation its running all time ? H24 ? Or just a few times?

Great video mate

That's a great vid. You've earned yourself a sub.

Very nice video. Very interesting.

great info TY

Cool stuff. Good work. With that much effect from diameter tubing. Makes me think just use rigid pipe for main line. Since you love experimenting. I will share a find. I hear that there are pumps for aquarium protein skimmers which use needle wheels instead of centripetal. So what ends up happening is that it makes fluffy bubble air water type of flow. Kinda like the massagers in a hot tub. I think there is an air tube which is inserted into the pump head. Weird stuff. Found that out a couple days ago.. btw that looks like a cool book !! Thanks for sharing

Good job

Hey Hoocho, there is math in plumbing that can be used to work out the size of pipe. I forget it off the top of my head but if you know someone in the plumbing game it will. In general 20mm to 25mm is the standard for most house and would allow you adjust with more control.

Ur info is ace. We learn by mistakes

nice one dude

5:38 -- Just for anyone interested in implementing this, there's probably no need to add the manifolds purely to increase flow. If decreasing pressure is a concern, then the manifold is of course still useful, however 2 vs 3. terminal 4mm tubes per NFT rail won't make a difference. To see why -> sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/poiseuilles-law The flow rate is being determined by two factors here, according to Poiseuille's Law: - the pressure generated by the pump (P), - and the cross-sectional area of the most proximal pipe (A) - (The length of the pipe also increases resistance, thus decreases flow, but here it remains constant). We know the flow rate (Q) into each NFT rail is 1.4 L/min. So the flow in the 19mm tube coming from the pump = 4 x 1.4 = 6.4 L/min. This is the maximum output of this system under these conditions, and by adding more terminal 4mm channels you're just splitting the flow across however many downstream 4mm channels (seen really well in video above). So if you've got 3 per NFT rail, the flow is 6.4/(3x4) = 467ml /min going through each 4mm pipe, but still a total of 1.4L/min in each NFT rail. If you have 2, then 700ml is going through each 4mm pipe, but still a total input of 1.4L/min and so on. Ultimately, the total flow into each rail will remain the same. TD;LR: If you want to increase flow: 1) get a bigger pump, 2) use wider diameter piping, 3) shorten the distance from the reservoir to terminal pipes

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?

I bought a house sediment prefilter to run the water through before going to my nft rails, prevents sediment build up in the lines.

Thank you, dont know that there should have a flow of water for doing this hydroponic, God bless learn a lot.

Great video, thanks. I wonder what size of reservoir tank you are using for your NFT system? I see others recommend around ½ gallons = 1,90 liter per each smaller plant, but I wonder if this is right.....

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.

Hi, This is how I solved the problem of flow rate. Shorten the distance from pump to NFT and avoid bottle necks. Pump water into the beginning of your NFT system (close to your tank), let the water gravity flow to the furthest point into your over flow pipe which gravity feeds back to your tank.

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)

Loved this episode. I literally just did this whole experiment 3 days ago. My plants were wilting in the sun so easily, because my flow rate was too low. Bought a new pump, tested out the 19mm, now we are flowin like a dream, and the plants are responding. Just checked my flow rate then though, 3.8 L per minute... maybe a little extreme.

Another great vid buddy! I’m struggling with root rot in my propagation and nft system. I’ve moved my nft system into full sun now, so I’ll see how we go :) Love it when a new vid comes out!

Great video. I can not find this book anywhere. Do you know a place I can get it from?

Hi. Im wondering if you had placed the pump and reservoir closer to the feeding area and having a manifold collecting the water back to the reservoir if you wouldn't had more success with increasing the flow. it seems the pump is working just to get the water across the 6m spam

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

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?

does the water stay cooler doing it this way and im thinking of changing to this cause it seems much better for the plants. thank you for the video I am surely going to change over.

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.

I have the same pump running 3 gullies but with the 13mm tube going straight to the gullies = 1.8 liters per minute each

I was expecting that the size of the pipe should also be consider when measuring the flow rate of the water. For example: Will we get the same result or efficiency if a 2 system that uses 2 liters per minute flow rate but with one on 4 inches PVC pipe, and the other one with 2 inches pvc pipe? I hope I can get an answer on this, thanks!

so if like me you figure your running a rdwc due to baffled ends, a good air pump in the res help or is it better in the pipe? mine are only 1.5mtrs long x 2 with a 35ltr res, put the air pump in res?

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

This is the best NFT video I've seen! So many are actually DFT or whatever, and do very little to explain the actual nutrient solution level that should be in the system. Like you, I was reading a hydro book by some horticultural academic. Not the same ones you've got but nevertheless I was very confused when I went to KZfaq and the wider internet afterward to find that most designs have larger fluid depth in the channel, or don't really talk about that or flow rate at all. Love the cross section shots, very informative. How do you find round pipe to work? Do you find that the roots grow into the curvature the way that they like? I've heard that you've really got to use rectangular channel so there's a flat bottom, for "true" NFT.

I've made that mistake on large scale in ground salad production, realize after a really bad harvest that a whole block of greens is not happy bevause of a bad oring screen

Thanks Hoocho, Nice pipe work

Hoocho - Have you had any issues with the 4mm tubes blowing off those manifolds?

Thank you for the info. Interesting and informative as always. What is the drop for your NFT rail from one end to the other? I plan on building an NFT system and was wondering how much it should drop. Thanks in advance and keep the videos coming.

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!!!!

Question, what are you growing in the last pipe at the back??

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.

how long do you keep your water on?

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

Cool but the nute buildup in those small tubes are going to be a nightmare to keep from clogging imo

Totally the issue I am struggling with in my new system! I started out with the manifold and am checking today to see if it has an internal filter! So happy you did the final check on 13 vs 19mm piping. Since you have 2 pumps now, any thoughts on having them both run, one to each manifold and splitting the tuning across all the rails? Pump failure insurance!

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?

Did I see you’re using larger feeder tubes now?

How is the manafold going for you?

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?

Do I need to make the water flow 24 x 7 in the channel?

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.

Did you account for the loss of flow rate due to pumping uphill?

Store link Pls

Having alot of problems with roots completely plugging up the rails

Good day sir! I have ran across a few of your videos and gave them the thumbs up and sub'd just now, I may try this out in CT this spring onward. How do you keep the pest at bay, neem oil/iso ? I've read neem oil isnt great for younger kids and also read its okay up to same day spray and removal and eating....conflicting internet :\

Hey Hoocho, very interesting video. If you had a system with 1 x 6m NFT pipe running at 2lt per min mean that running a system of 2x 3m pipes (in parallel) should still be 2lt per pipe - i.e. 4Lt per min in total (hence you need double the flow for the same number of plants?). Going further, 6 pipes at 1m @2lt per min require a total flow of 12lt per min?

Loved the video hoocho!! Do u have instagram?

Checking in whats cracking hoocho

Have degree in math, was laughing all this vid. Hoocho, a little hint, if you will combine these 2 pumps together - it will give you 2.1L/min flow. Don't ask how would I know ... Other than that - really great result, nice plants!

So our planned NFT seems to then fall in the category of quasi DWC. But I'm ok with that for now, as our electricity supply is not super reliable and if it goes off for 2.5 hours, my plants automatically go into a kratky style of growing. Better than drying out completely I guess? The pipes will be just under half full when not running at all. Would adding an air stone in the reservoir help at all?

Interesting, going to have to get a new pump, my flow rates are much lower than that. But to be fair the pump is running 7 vertical towers, 5 NFT rails and a flood and drain lol

How much of a grade do you have on your pipes? ie: how many mm/m?

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.

hello mate, how many liters of a tank do I need for my NFT system? I mean is there a formula to determine the liters VS (#) net pots in numbers?

😎

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???

why you just add a extra small pump to just supply 2 tubes?

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?

I have an issue. The flow rate is good but drainage appears to be poor since there is pooling. The drainge end is one inch lower than the feeder site. I have a video that I can share with your official email. Please, help.

1/2 gallon per minute per bucket.

What is slope on the pvc?

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.

ta-ta-ta-today junior

I was keen to try this but all that fiddling around boggles my mind...

where did you get the 4mm 6 port manifold....... lots of garbage 🗑 out there. thanks

What flow rate did you end up using

NFT contradicts Kracky

I can’t listen to this freaking guy. I don’t care how valuable the information is

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. 🙏💙