Sometimes nature knows best. The revolutionary ALIEN RAIN hydroponic system mimics rainfall to create a near-natural environment for the best possible plant growth, utilizing your choice of growing medium. Flexible, modular and scalable, RAIN is a fully automated watering system designed to help you grow the healthiest crops every time.
The patent-pending RAIN lid delivers nutrients evenly to the surface of the growing medium, just as rain would in nature. This washes away any salt residues and enables the plants' roots to use all of the growing medium right up to the surface for a larger root mass.
RAIN eliminates issues with top-surface algae growth using light-masking technology. Air channels on the sides and bottom of re-usable fabric pot inserts ensure optimal oxygen delivery to the root zone and allow the medium to dry uniformly between feedings. This encourages even root growth, prevents root rotting and nutrient lockout, while enabling the optimum amount of nutrients and minerals to reach the plant without waste.
Fully adaptable, the RAIN system can be used with soil, coco, rockwool, clay pellets or any other medium. Two pot sizes are available so you can choose the size plants you want to grow. With the ability to be configured as a recirculating or drain-to-waste system, RAIN gives you the power to grow how you want to and get the best out of any strain.
Explore the RAIN system
RAIN system features
The patent-pending Dual-Flow™ fittings are an oversized 2" / 50mm for a more free-flowing system. Slots located on the sides of the fitting allow water to pass through and enable total drainage of the pot.
Heat-reflective silver 2" / 50mm pipe for better flow and less heat introduction.
Copper-plated drain covers deter the roots from entering the pipework.
The 8 gallon / 30L or 4 gallon / 15L outer pots and lids are made from heat-reflective silver polymer, keeping soil temperatures cooler.
Pots have a raised drainage grid and sloped base to allow complete drainage.
Re-usable fabric pot inserts contain media, ensure even dry-back, and make cleaning easy.
ALIEN RAIN Advantages
The ALIEN RAIN system has many benefits over other top-feed systems on the market.
| Feature |  |
Other Top-Feed Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Set up without gluing | ✔ | ✘ |
| Configurable as recirculating or drain-to-waste | ✔ | ✘ |
| Silver reflective polymer pots and pipe to reject radiant heat, keeping nutrient solution cooler | ✔ | ✘ |
| Easily-cleanable nutrient solution filter | ✔ | ✘ |
| >60 nutrient solution distribution points for each plant / pot | ✔ | ✘ |
| Breathable fabric pot inserts to contain media | ✔ | ✘ |
| Does not require trays to handle run-off | ✔ | ✘ |
| Customizable pot / plant spacing | ✔ | ✘ |
| Header can be placed up to 39" / 100cm away (such as outside a tent) | ✔ (option) | ✘ |
| Can be configured to prevent cross-contamination of pathogens in the root zone | ✔ | ✘ |
| If configured as drain-to-waste, automatically pumps waste to a drain for you | ✔ | ✘ |
| Sloped pot base to allow complete drainage and prevent roots from sitting in water | ✔ | ✘ |
| Patent-pending Dual-Flow™ fittings | ✔ | ✘ |
| Drain line diameter | 2" / 50mm | do not handle run-off / waste |
| Reconfigurable / expandable | ✔ | ✘ |
| Flexible location of nutrient reservoir | ✔ | ✘ |
| 144 kit configurations available to best fit your space (1-4 rows, 1-36 pots, 2 pot sizes, compact or remote header) | ✔ | ✘ |
| Custom configurations available (contact us) | ✔ | ✘ |
Recirculation Method
Watch RAIN in Action
RAIN Kits Include
- 4 gallon / 15L or 8 gallon / 30L pot holders with RAIN lid
- Fabric pot inserts to hold growing media
- 5 gallon / 20L header (9.5 gallon / 36L header for systems with 21 or more pots)
- Heavy-duty filter and flow control valve(s)
- Water pump for distributing nutrients from reservoir to pots
- JET-STREAM DRAIN pump for drain-to-waste or recirculation back to reservoir tank
All pipe and fittings required for the main system:
- No gluing required!
- 50mm drain pipe
- Water distribution pipe
- Remote header kits give the ability to have the header up to 39" / 100cm from the growing pots (such as outside a tent)
- For 3 and 4 row systems with more than 2 pots per row, enough pipe to allow one 39" / 100cm aisle between rows
- Copper drain covers to deter roots from entering drain pipe
Layout / Configuration Options
Explore RAIN layout configuration options in the ALIEN Kit Configurator!
RAIN kits are available for 1 to 4 rows of pots, with 1 to 9 pots per row (1 to 36 total pots per kit). All ALIEN North America RAIN kits are available in compact-header or remote-header configurations, to keep the header as compact as possible or to allow the header to be up to 38" / 97cm from the growing pots, making it easy to place the header outside of a grow tent. All 3- and 4-row kits with more than 2 pots per row provide enough pipe to create a 39" / 100cm aisle in the middle of rows for easy plant access.
15L RAIN kits allow placement of pots on 13⅜" to 23⅝" (34cm - 60cm) plant centers along rows, and 15" to 23⅝" (38cm - 60cm) between rows.
30L RAIN kits allow placement of pots on 16½" to 29½" to (42cm - 75cm) plant centers along rows, and 18⅛" to 29½" (46cm to 75cm) between rows.
RAIN kits do not come with a water/nutrient holding tank, but a tank is required for operation. Collapsible ALIEN GardenTank tanks are available; the recommended minimum size for pairing with RAIN kits are:
| Total RAIN pots in kit: | Minimum Recommended Tank Size |
|---|---|
| 1 - 10 | 30 gallons / 120 liters |
| 11 - 18 | 70 gallons / 280 liters |
| 19 - 36 | 145 gallons / 550 liters |
When running RAIN as a recirculating system, a water chiller is recommended for maintaining the nutrient solution temperature between 66-69 °F (19-20 °C) to prevent growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
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