Hi there
When it comes to the redesign of FB for the next iteration, can I recommend that the water control valve is moved OFF the gantry and onto the side of the veg bed at the end of the cable snake.
It would make more sense to put it there then have the extra weight of the valve and it would improve ease of maintenance. You would only need to run a power feed through the primary cable snake to make the change.
I wanted to get off mains water and switch to a 12 V pump and value. This made the equipment on the gantry messy. I will be moving the water pump and valve off the gantry and relocating it close to where water enters the FB system. The secondary issue with it being gantry mounted is priming the pump. If you have gone off mains water and to a 12 V pump, then the pump cannot be primed when on the gantry. It is really difficult to bleed the air out the system so the pump can work.
I moved off mains water as I did not want FB to either burst or leak from the mains pressure it would have to withstand. By having it on a pump, it solves both problems.