Description
Four pumps, one doser: automate pH and a three-part feed
The Bluelab PeriPod M4 is a wall-mounted automatic nutrient doser with four medical-grade peristaltic pumps, each delivering up to 120 ml/min. Paired with the Bluelab Pro Controller Wi-Fi (sold separately), it doses pH adjuster and nutrient stock straight into the reservoir whenever readings move off target, so pH and EC are held steady around the clock instead of being corrected by hand once a day. Out of the box pump 1 is set for pH and pumps 2–4 for nutrient parts A, B and C, and every pump can be reassigned and given its own ratio in the Edenic app.
Key Benefits
- Four 120 ml/min peristaltic pumps – one more feed line than the PeriPod M3, in a compact body about 285 mm wide
- pH plus a three-part feed from one unit, or a two-part base with an additive
- Link up to three M-series PeriPods for as many as 12 pumps on complex multi-part schedules
- Per-pump calibration to the viscosity of each nutrient, with individual priming
- Set ratios and pump roles in the Edenic app through the Pro Controller Wi-Fi
- Quiet and fan-cooled, and it can be mounted lower than the injection point
- Opaque nutrient tubing to stop algae, plus acid- and alkali-resistant pH tubing
pH and EC Drift Between Checks
Plants take up water and nutrients at different rates, so a reservoir's pH and EC move all day. Correct them by hand once a day and the roots spend hours in solution that is off target, which is where nutrient lockout, poor nutrient uptake and uneven growth begin. With the M4 the Pro Controller watches pH and EC continuously and calls a small dose the moment either drifts, keeping each part of a multi-part feed in the ratio you set. The fourth pump is what sets it apart from the M3: room for pH plus three nutrient parts from a single doser, with no second unit to mount or wire.
How to Use
- Mount the PeriPod on a wall within 2 m of the reservoir (and within 400 mm of the next PeriPod if you link units).
- Plumb the white acid/alkali-resistant tube from the pH pump to your pH adjuster and the opaque food-grade tubes from the nutrient pumps to each stock part; keep the outlet tubes apart where they enter the reservoir to avoid precipitation.
- Connect the dosing cable to the Pro Controller Wi-Fi and plug the 24 V power supply into the mains.
- Prime each pump, then calibrate each nutrient pump with the liquid it will dose (a pump set to pH is not calibrated).
- Set targets, nutrient ratios and pump roles in the Edenic app, and let the controller take over.
- Maintain: replace pump tubing and cassettes as they wear, and run clean water through pumps and tubing before any service or a month or more out of use.
Technical Specifications
- Pumps: 4 x peristaltic, up to 120 ml/min (4 fl oz/min) each
- Flow-rate accuracy: ±10% before pump calibration
- Default pump roles: pump 1 pH, pumps 2–4 nutrient A, B and C (all reassignable)
- Linking: up to three M-series PeriPods (M3 or M4), maximum 12 pumps; does not link with the PeriPod L3
- Controller: Bluelab Pro Controller Wi-Fi, or the earlier Bluelab Pro Controller (including the Pro Controller Connect); sold separately
- Tubing supplied: 4 m acid/alkali-resistant pH tubing; 3 x 4 m opaque food-grade nutrient tubing
- Acid limits: below 80% phosphoric, 35% nitric, 30% sulphuric or 20% citric acid by volume
- Service life: peristaltic tubing more than 750 hours of pump running; motors more than 1,500 hours
- Operating temperature: 5–40 °C solution and room
- Power: 100–240 V AC in; 24 V DC 2 A power supply included
- Size: about 285 mm wide (PeriPod M3: 220 mm), wall-mounted
- In the box: PeriPod M4, power supply, dosing cable, pH tubing, 3 nutrient tubes, mounting screws, getting started guide
- Certifications: CE, FCC, IC
- Warranty: 2 years (6 months on cassettes and tubing)
- Bluelab part code: PERIPODM4
Frequently Asked Questions
What else do I need to run it?
A Bluelab Pro Controller Wi-Fi, or the earlier Bluelab Pro Controller Connect. The PeriPod has no probes of its own: it only pumps when the controller calls for a pH or EC correction.
Should I choose the M3 or the M4?
Both use the same 120 ml/min pumps. The M3 has three (pH plus a two-part A and B feed); the M4 has four, for pH plus three nutrient parts or a two-part feed with an additive.
Can I link it to a PeriPod M3 or L3?
You can chain up to three M-series units, M3 or M4, for a maximum of 12 pumps. An M-series PeriPod cannot be linked with a PeriPod L3.
Can it dose straight into an irrigation line?
No. Bluelab designed the PeriPod to dose into a reservoir; it is not an inline doser. For very large reservoirs where 120 ml/min cannot correct quickly enough, Bluelab point to the PeriPod L3.
Works Well With
