Plant Watering Manifold

I needed a way to keep some flats of plants watered while away on vacation. This manifold effectively waters a flat of 12 "six packs" when attached to a small fountain pump. I run the pump remotely for 2 minutes every few days. 

You will need to print two identical pieces that will be glued together to make the final unit. I found that a seam of CA glue along the sides of the main body was sufficient and that the outlet tubes were held together sufficiently by the tubing. This eliminated the likelihood of accidentally filling up the outlet tube with CA glue. Use of a CA glue activator spray made this an easy assembly job.

I used PLA for my prints but any filament would likely work. The the small tubing is aquarium airline tubing which is about 1/8" or 3 mm inside diameter. The big tubing is 1/2" or about 12 mm inside diameter.

The pump I used is rated at about 80 gallons per hour and is strong enough to provide flow from all 12 outlets but does not provide too much pressure. This particular pump is also adjustable. The box is pictured in the event you want to look for a similar one. Mine was purchased online for about $6.

Printing at 0.1 mm layer height and without supports made the small outlet tubes very clean and consistent. I did not have to clean them out for good flow. If you have poor bed adhesion on the long narrow bits in the first layers I suggest printing with a brim. You may find that you prefer printing this with supports on at least some areas.