Refreshing your Flex Acre Water

Updated

Follow the instructions in this article to swap the water in your Tank for fresh. Your Panels, Root Chambers and Drip Lines all stay on your Flex Acre, so this is a drain and a refill rather than a teardown. The full reset, where everything comes off and goes to the sink, is the twice-a-year job that starts in Draining your Flex Acre (Part 1 of 7). Follow the steps in Keeping your Flex Acre Clean before you begin.

Gather Tools:

  • Garden Hose
  • TDS Meter
  • 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Clean Towels
  • Shop Vac

How Often to Refresh

Your Base Number is the PPM your plain tap water reads before any nutrient goes in, and it sets how often your water needs replacing. Harder water builds salt up faster.

Your Base NumberRefresh your water
0 to 100 PPMEvery 5 to 6 months
100 to 200 PPMEvery 3 to 4 months
Above 200 PPMMore often than every 3 months

NOTE: A Base Number above 300 PPM makes your water hard to control. An RO filter brings it down, and you can order one from the Fork Farms Store.

Step 1: Drain your Tank

  1. Unplug your Primary Pump.
  2. Remove your Lid Plugs and your Water Level Tool.
  3. Attach your hose to the Drain Valve and run the other end to a sink or a floor drain.
  4. Close the Main Send Valve, then open the Drain Valve.
  5. Plug the pump back in to push the water out.
  6. Unplug the pump as soon as it cannot move any more water.

CAUTION: Unplug the pump as soon as it cannot drain any more water. Running a pump dry damages it.

Step 2: Rinse your Pump Filter Bag

  1. Lift the pump and its pump filter bag out of your Tank.
  2. Rinse the filter bag under a sink until the buildup is gone.
  3. Set the pump and its filter bag back into your Tank.

The filter bag is what keeps root pieces and plant matter out of your irrigation line, so it collects the buildup your Drip Lines would otherwise catch.

Step 3: Wipe Out your Tank

  1. Shop vac any water left in the bottom of your Tank.
  2. Spray the inside of your Tank with 3% hydrogen peroxide.
  3. Wipe out any remaining water and plant matter with a clean towel.

This is a wipe-down, not a scrub. Your Tank gets the full clean, including the walls and the salt line, during the twice-a-year reset in Cleaning & Sanitizing your Tank (Part 2 of 7).

Step 4: Refill and Start your Numbers Over

  1. Close the Drain Valve and open the Main Send Valve.
  2. Refill your Tank with your hose until the level reaches the MAX line on your Water Level Tool, roughly 80 gallons.
  3. Confirm the water fully covers the top of your Primary Pump.
  4. Set your Lid Plugs and your Water Level Tool back in place.
  5. Plug the pump back in.
  6. Take a fresh Base Number reading of your plain water with your TDS Meter.

Your Tank is holding plain water again, so your Base Number and your Target Number both start over. Record the new Base Number and dose your Tank as described in Checking & Adjusting your Nutrients & pH (Part 3 of 4).

NOTE: You can refresh your water in the middle of a grow cycle. Your crop is fine with the pump off for the hour or two this takes.

Your Tank is holding fresh water and your numbers are reset. Well done!

Next: Flex Acre Maintenance Schedule, to see what is due next.