Setting up and running your IWS system is easy.

Here are some setup instructions below which will have you up and running in no time.

If you have any other questions about setting up your system please contact your local retailer.

Setting the Flood & Drain Remote Control Timer

The remote control timer unit consists of a mechanical timer, a second/minute selector switch and a feed time dial. The mechanical timer has segments that are in 15 minute intervals, and these are set to trigger a feed cycle.

Once triggered, the feed cycle is then determined by the time set on the second/minute selector switch on the right of the timer unit. As the feed pump is running, the feed pump LED will light up green.

Once triggered this cannot be changed until the next feed cycle. You can cancel a feed cycle when it is running by switching the second/minute selector switch from minutes to seconds and back to minutes. This will start the drain sequence. It will also cancel any times set on both timers and will not start again until the next fifteen minute segment is reached.

You can also manually over ride the system by switching the constant switch on the fifteen minute timer to the top. This will override the feed timer but will only work once. The switch must be put back to the middle setting once the feed has finished.

When the system is running, the top limit float switch in the brain pot will stop the feed pump running and re-start when the water level drops as the growing medium absorbs the nutrient.

When the feed cycle is complete, the drain pump will then set running (indicated by the drain pump green LED). This will continue to drain the brain pot and allow all the water from the plant pots to drain back until the bottom limit float switch is reached.

Each limit float switch has an added feature of dampening (prevents any false triggering caused by ripples in the feed water). We advise that when you have completely set up your IWS System (including adding your choice of growing medium), and before powering the system up, make sure the second/minute selector switch is in the minute position and no segments on the mechanical timer are pushed out. Then push one fifteen minute segment out, turn the feed time dial to 60 minutes, then turn the mechanical timer round by hand to the segment you have pushed out on the timer.

This will then turn the fill pump on. Time the flood cycle with a watch. When the system has flooded and all the growing medium is saturated, cancel the flood by toggling the second/minute selector switch to seconds and back to minutes, checking the time it has taken.

Set the feed time dial to the time recorded. This is so your plants are never sitting in water for too long, which can cause root disease problems. (Note different mediums have different flood times.)