Grow Mediums Autopots, do they need to be level?

[HemiSync]

i have a slight downslope on my cellar floor that slopes towards the floor drain. This makes the autopots have a slight lean. Not a lot but enough to make me concerned that it might affect the valve. If I have the pot lean towards the valve the water level will be empty under the pot before it is empty in the valve area. If I turn them the opposite direction the lean will cause the valve to open before the pot is dry. Or at least that is how I am thinking it will work.

Anyone have any ideas on the best way to position the pots? Or should I find a way to level my tent?

 

[Eekman]

Hey HemiSync,

Would you like me to fix your thread title to "they" instead of "the?"

:smoking:

 

[HemiSync]

Hey HemiSync,

Would you like me to fix your thread title to "they" instead of "the?"

:smoking:

Yes please

Never mind I found the tool. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Ozone69]

Haven't used them, but I've read up on them a bit. Instead of trying to do the whole tent, could you just shim one side of the autopot some to level it off? How slanted are we talking?

 

[HemiSync]

Haven't used them, but I've read up on them a bit. Instead of trying to do the whole tent, could you just shim one side of the autopot some to level it off? How slanted are we talking?

It's not a lot of lean, according to a level it is right at -2 degrees. It's not worse because the entire tent sits on a wooden pallet. In case of any flooding it gives me four inches off the floor. I noticed the lean when I watered the girls for the first time. When I placed them back in their bases the runoff that came out immediately went to the front of the base where the valve is located. Rotate them 180 degrees and the water flows back. Of course in a tent it only makes sense to face them forwards for easy access to the valve and other maintenance.

It might not be anything to be worried about, but I thought I would ask if anyone knew how much of a lean it would take to interfere with the wet/dry cycle the auto valve tries to simulate.

 

[Hansbricks]

Yeah I doubt 2 degrees would affect anything... best to have the valves facing the front for easy access tho as you said.

 

[HemiSync]

Yeah I doubt 2 degrees would affect anything... best to have the valves facing the front for easy access tho as you said.

Thanks. I was thinking the worse with the water flowing towards the valve it might make for a slightly longer dry cycle. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[HemiSync]

@Hansbricks
Here is a picture of what the base looks like as it was filling up with water. You can see how the lean affects it.

 

[pop22]

IMO, because of how the valve works, level would be better. Probably work ok though

It's not a lot of lean, according to a level it is right at -2 degrees. It's not worse because the entire tent sits on a wooden pallet. In case of any flooding it gives me four inches off the floor. I noticed the lean when I watered the girls for the first time. When I placed them back in their bases the runoff that came out immediately went to the front of the base where the valve is located. Rotate them 180 degrees and the water flows back. Of course in a tent it only makes sense to face them forwards for easy access to the valve and other maintenance.

It might not be anything to be worried about, but I thought I would ask if anyone knew how much of a lean it would take to interfere with the wet/dry cycle the auto valve tries to simulate.

 

[pop22]

and you'll want the slope to be toward the pot so water doesn't pool under the valve