Bluelab PeriPod L3 | Three 1200 ml/min Pumps, Pro Controller Driven

What the PeriPod L3 Doser Moves, and How Fast

Three peristaltic pumps, each rated at 1200 ml per minute, or forty fluid ounces. One pump carries pH adjuster and the other two carry nutrient stock solution. That rate is the number that matters most here, because the same pod is also sold with slower pumps fitted. The M3 runs at 120 ml per minute, a tenth of the flow, across the same three pump layout. So the real choice between the two is reservoir volume rather than features. A large tank that needs a correction applied quickly wants the faster pumps. A small one does not, and overshooting a target is easier with them. The unit is wall mounted through holes at the top and the bottom of the case. It measures 392 mm across, which is 15.4 in, by 154 mm or 6 in high, and 112 mm or 4.4 in deep. Power arrives through an external supply taking 100 to 240 V at 50 or 60 Hz and delivering 24 V DC to the pod. The operating range is 5 to 40 degrees Celsius, or 41 to 104 Fahrenheit. The manufacturer part number is PERIPODL3 and the published UPC is 9421024920883.

Pairing With a Bluelab Pro Controller, and a Warning on Tubing

This is not a standalone machine, and that is the first thing to understand about it. It has no sensors and no logic of its own. Dosing triggers arrive from the controller, which reads pH and conductivity and decides when a pump should run. Bluelab list two controllers that drive it. The older Pro Controller, part CONTPRO, is no longer available, and the current partner is the Pro Controller Wi-Fi, part BCTPRC02. Anyone working from older copy and ordering the discontinued one will wait a long time for it. Pods can be linked for more complex schedules, up to a ceiling of twelve pumps. An L3 cannot be linked to an M3 or an M4, though. Tubing is where the published figures disagree with each other. Bluelab's current listing gives one 13 ft run of acid and alkaline resistant tubing plus three 13 ft runs of food grade tubing. Older copy, including retailer listings still live today, gives one run of each instead. Peristaltic tubing is a wear part with a stated life beyond 750 hours of pump running time. Each pump wants calibrating every thirty days. Warranty runs two years on the pod and six months on the pumps and tubes.

Key Features

• Three pumps at 1200 ml/min: Forty fluid ounces a minute each, which is the L series difference.
• One pH, two nutrient: That is how the three pumps are allocated out of the box.
• A tenth the speed on the M3: The M3 is the same pod with 120 ml/min pumps fitted instead.
• Controller driven, not standalone: It has no sensors; the controller decides when a pump runs.
• Links up to twelve pumps: Several pods on one schedule, though not mixed with the M series.
• Wall mounted: Mounting holes top and bottom, 392 mm across the case.
• Tubing is a wear part: Peristaltic tube life is stated beyond 750 hours of running time.
• Two year warranty: With six months on the pumps and the tubes themselves.

Technical Specifications