Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have an 8 port 1" indexing valve. I installed the 4 port cam. When running is the water from the valve supposed to come out of the other 7 ports (just dribbles out of them? So when setting it up for 4 zones I would need to cap off the other 4 unused zones? Is there a specific way I should orient the valve, facing down, sideways, etc?

Preferably facing down... and although supplied with a #4 cam... it's not really a supported configuration.. as it's assumed that if you only want 4 ports in operation... you would buy a 4 port, or perhaps a 6 port model...

So it may "dribble" a bit... and should be capped... or you can run a second line to each grow bed... and have them fill twice per rotation...

When you need the extra ports... just replumb to the new grow beds...

So even in it's normal application with 8 ports plumbed, the other 7 still dribble while the main port is running full speed?

Sorry to barg in here native, but rupe is it also necessary to stop and start the water flow to trip the valve? and have you found a way of doing this with a constantly flowing pump?

You'd need some sort of flapper valve, maybe actuated by a car door lock mechanism...also the ports do leak, even with a high pressure pump pushing on them.

My 4 port valves leave a constant trickle out of the 3 non actuated ports.

Okay so it is operating normally. I figured as much but I just wanted to be sure.

About the valve interrupt, you can do it with a repeat cycle timer. So if you ran 9 min on 1 min off, then your pump is running 90% of the time. The 1 min off might even be good for the pump as it backflushes and cleans it.

I know there are some other methods, but I don't know that much about them.

Yep, you can acheive the interruption with a "flout", solenoid, some sort of "flapper"... or a repeat cycle timer...

Not a bad idea with having two ports going to each gb. Water can go into different areas of the gb.

Yeah, overflow the GB twice as fast
Just Kidding

Nah, justs fills them twice per sequence rather than once...