Beschreibung
A simple, manual way to flush your FloraFlex drip circuit and clear air locks, without reaching over the canopy and without soaking the tent floor. A FloraFlex 16/17mm shut off valve goes on the flush tee opposite your feed, and 2 metres of garden hose carries whatever comes out to a bucket outside the tent.
Open it, air and debris blast out, close it. That is the whole job.
One rule, and it matters
Keep the valve closed whenever you are not actively flushing. If the hose end sits lower than the water in your reservoir and you leave the valve open, the tank will siphon out through it after the pump stops. Close it before you walk away.
What's Included
- FloraFlex 16/17mm shut off valve. Quarter turn, so you can see whether it is open or closed at a glance.
- Floraflex male adaptor + Tap Connector
- Hose connector.
- 2 metres of garden hose, enough to reach from the flush tee to a bucket outside most tents.
Why Not Just Use an Automatic Flush Valve?
On a big system, do. The automatic FloraFlex Lateral Flush Valve is the right tool when you have the pressure to run it.
The catch is what it needs to operate: 8 to 25 PSI, and 2 to 5 GPM on its low flow setting. 2 GPM is about 450 litres an hour. A nine plant tent on two way drippers moves closer to 70 litres an hour, and a small submersible pump gives you well under 8 PSI once you have paid for the lift. Below those figures the diaphragm never actuates, so the valve sits there doing nothing and the air it is supposed to release stays trapped in your ring.
A manual valve has no threshold. It works at any pressure, because you are the mechanism.
The Part Nobody Expects
Closing the valve stops the circuit draining between cycles. If the line cannot drain, air cannot get in. If air cannot get in, air locks do not form in the first place.
So flushing goes from a chore you do every cycle to occasional maintenance. The valve prevents the problem it also fixes.
How to Use It
- Fit the valve to the flush tee, directly opposite your feed tee, using the FloraFlex adaptor on the tee.
- Connect the tap connector and hose, and run the hose out of the tent to a bucket.
- With the pump running, open the valve for ten to twenty seconds. Air and any debris will come out first, then clean solution.
- Close it. Leave it closed.
Common Questions
Do I still need this if I have a strong pump?
Not necessarily. If your system runs in the 25 to 35 PSI window the drippers want, the automatic Lateral Flush Valve will actuate properly and do the job without you touching it. This kit exists for systems that do not reach those pressures, and for growers who would rather flush on demand than trust a diaphragm.
Where exactly does it go?
On the flush tee, which sits directly opposite the feed tee on your ring. In a closed circuit the water travels both ways round and meets at that point, so it is where air and debris collect.
What happens if I leave the valve open?
Two things. While the pump runs, the circuit cannot build pressure because there is an open path at the far end, so watering will be visibly poor. And when the pump stops, if the hose end is below your reservoir water line, the tank will siphon out through the hose until it is empty. Close the valve.
Can I put the bucket anywhere?
Yes, as long as the valve is closed when you are not flushing. If you would rather have belt and braces, stand the bucket on a crate so the hose end sits above the water level in your reservoir. At that height a siphon is physically impossible, whatever the valve is doing.
Will 2 metres of hose reach?
It covers the flush tee to a bucket outside the tent on anything up to roughly a 1.5m x 1.5m footprint, with slack. For larger rooms, or if the tent is not near a walkway, you may want a longer length.
Does this replace the DNL non return valve?
It does a different job. A DNL holds water in the line and needs 0.8 bar, roughly 8 metres of head, before it will open at all. Small submersible pumps do not reach that, which is why our whip kit is also available without one. This kit gives you the flushing and air clearing that matters, at any pressure.
