DWC'ers how do you measure H20 consumption?

[Gauge Steel]

I recently placed a small diameter hole in the top of my basin lid and placed a small plastic tube about 5" long with a set of rubber grommets on the top and bottom of the tube to hold it upright on the basin lid. I used a piece of natural cork and placed a small diameter dowel stick into the cork. lifted up the basin top and from the bottom inserted the dowel and closed the lid allowing the cork to float in my solution. I made sure the tube wasn't too deep into the basin as to prevent full travel of the cork by pulling it up and pushing it down. My tube was too deep so i rolled the grommets down the tube pulling it upward until the cork had travel up and down. I trimmed the top of the dowel so i had a couple inches on top and made a couple colored index lines.
I just need to know if my plants are drinking and if so how fast. I can replace solution based on EC and pH or just straight Distilled.THANKS TO RIFLEMAN AND HIS CHARTS AND FLOWSHEETS!
My rig seems too "country" and i am pretty sure you salty old timers probably are chuckling and have a much easier way than what i have concocted.
Yes i was medicated when i came up with this.
Pics when my girls wake up.

Guage.
Mr. Steel if your nasty

 

[Gauge Steel]

"Be a man not a kid, smoke pot by the lid".......Bucky

 

[phatz06]

Can't wait to hear more responses. I need a better way...my first grow and I drilled a hole in each grow pot and cut a long strip of a cheerios box that would fit through the hole. Filled it to where I wanted it to be...put the strip in plenty far for it to hit water, and marked the spot where the lid was. Removed strip and marked where the water line was.

So now I just put the strip in till the lid line, and retrieve and see where the water reaches.

 

[Gauge Steel]

Can't wait to hear more responses. I need a better way...my first grow and I drilled a hole in each grow pot and cut a long strip of a cheerios box that would fit through the hole. Filled it to where I wanted it to be...put the strip in plenty far for it to hit water, and marked the spot where the lid was. Removed strip and marked where the water line was.

So now I just put the strip in till the lid line, and retrieve and see where the water reaches.

Great idea! I couldn't find a medium that marked in a consistent way. Brilliant use of available material and measurement. BTW its been a couple days now and my rig is working great. No PH problems and the only thing i would do differently is move the hole more towards the right or left side center so when you lift the lid the indicator stick wont slip out of the tube. Or make the indicator stick long.

 

[Rifleman]

I lIke that. Too many people can't think outside the box anymore.

My buckets have a grommet in the side near the bottom. There is an elbow fitting going through the grommet. A clear blue hose is attached to the elbow and runs to the top of the bucket(outside the bucket), held in place at top by a loope(a zip tie would work).

Water finds its own level. So it was a simple task to measure out gallons and mark a spot on the tube matching 1,2,3, and 4 gallons. A quick glance and I know how much each has consumed since I fill them to the top, or 4 gallon mark at each reservoir change.