AutoPot - 2Pot System

How the AutoPot 2Pot System Waters Without Power

This kit waters two pots with no pump, no timer and no power of any kind. Water leaves the reservoir under gravity and stops at a float valve in each tray. When the plant has drunk the tray dry the valve opens, refills to a set depth, and shuts again. That dry interval is the whole point, because roots that sit permanently wet behave differently to roots that cycle. The reservoir must be raised a minimum of 6 in above the highest valve. Below that height the valves will not fill reliably and the system looks broken when it is only badly sited. The kit holds a 12.4 gal reservoir with a lid, two trays with lids, two 3.9 gal pots and two root control discs. Plumbing is 3/8 in throughout: two inline taps, a cross connector, a top hat grommet, a filter and 6.6 ft of pipe. Two valves are included, one per tray. It extends by adding modules to the same reservoir, so the layout grows without a redesign.

Four Rules AQUAvalve5 Systems Live or Die By

The AQUAvalve5 is reliable and unforgiving, and there are four rules for living with it. Never let the reservoir run empty, and refill at around a third remaining rather than waiting for the bottom. Let new plants establish for seven to ten days before switching the system on, so roots go hunting for water first. Organic nutrients need a pump circulating fifteen minutes every two hours. The tank, pump and filter then want cleaning every time it empties, and the pipework flushed with plain water. And never clear a blocked valve nozzle with a drill bit, which AutoPot warn can ruin the valve outright. Beyond those, the failure modes are ordinary. A clogged filter starves both trays at once, so check it when growth stalls on every plant together. Whole kit weight is about 8.5 lb dry, which tells you the reservoir does the work once filled. Growers who want feed on a clock should look at a pumped system instead. This one waters when the plant asks, and not before.

Key Features

• Power needed: None: no pump, no timer, no mains pressure
• How it feeds: Gravity to a float valve that refills once the tray is dry
• The height rule: Reservoir at least 6 in above the highest valve
• Reservoir: 12.4 gal with a lid
• Pots: Two at 3.9 gal, with trays, lids and root control discs
• Plumbing: 3/8 in taps, cross connector, grommet, filter, 6.6 ft of pipe
• Never: Let the reservoir run empty, or drill out a valve nozzle
• Before switching on: Let plants establish for seven to ten days
• If feeding organic: Circulate fifteen minutes every two hours and clean each refill
• Expanding: Add modules to the same reservoir without a redesign

Technical Specifications