Yesdog
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I know a bunch got lost in some upgrade.
to the mods: Are the originals still backed up somewhere (and the 'associations' lost?) or they just gone?
How To: RDWC/UCDWC diy (advanced)
- Thread starter sqydro
- Start date
to the mods: Are the originals still backed up somewhere (and the 'associations' lost?) or they just gone?
Vumar
Well-Known Member
Inline water filter.
jensen71
Well-Known Member
You could also put the halo drippers inside thje bucket and youll get tons of DO from the jet streams being powered by a mag pump. Just thought of that when i was reading this. RIght now, im having trouble keeping the water levels in my tiny resevoir from bottoming out. it creates a situation where the water level in the resevoir is being pumped out through the rings faster than the outtakes on the return line can pull them through...any suggestions?
Jerseykushface
Well-Known Member
I use a shop vac
brewster81
Well-Known Member
Get bigger return lines or double them up so you have two returns coming out of each container.
brewster81
Well-Known Member
What size pump and return lines?
Berserkergrow
New Member
I am not new to science, I am a chemist and I have to ask, What is the point of a RDWC system? I cannot see any benefit whatsoever? Moving water is good. But could you not do the same with a say 125 gallon rubbermaid tub, making a custom top to hold say 6 or so net pots. Then just placing a water pump sideways and moving water? The main reason is to stop root rot? You need to simply control temps in the reservoir and you solved the problem. But with all the expense of bulkhead fittings and extra stuff. This seems to be some high school science fair stuff and not practical growing. I am new to this site, but my argument is why waste time and money, trying to reinvent the wheel?+Rep on your diy Uc sqydro!
I hope you'll post your grow here as well.
It looks like you typed a message before inserted a pic so the pic is off centered.
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Hope that helpes
Subbed +vote + rep
Uc~
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
If you're going to go to the trouble of managing temperatures, nutrients and pH in several buckets, why not simply circulate the same water throughout all of them?
A larger volume of water is always more stable, so that's another reason to have a larger interconnected system as opposed to a bunch of smaller separate ones.
Finally, connecting several tubs allows for more spacing options, especially as plant sizes increase.
Does that help answer your question?
jensen71
Well-Known Member
250 gph mag pump 2 5 gallon buckets 1 8 gallon return bucket with a return pvc of 2.5" to Tee reducing to 1" to 3/4" return hose line. From teh return bucket i had halo rings rainfalling nutes into the hydroton using 6 inch bucket lids.
Berserkergrow
New Member
Yes that does help. I appreciate your response. I agree that a larger volume of water is good. What do you think about 125 gallon tub. with 8 10 inch net pots, with a circulating pump? Would this not be similar to the RDWC? Some of my friends built these RDWC contraptions and I do not see any difference. They still have root rot issues. I just run a chiller in my res, I have never had root rot. I have grown in DWC many times. I use flood and drain table, Drain to waste and Stink buds areoponic NFT, My Yields are huge. I just want to see if this actually has helped others? I am always willing to help and give others respect. I am not a great grower, I am just having a little fun with cool stuff. I just have a hard time understanding what the point is to build the RDWC?
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I keep my nutrient solution chilled to about 65F and well oxygenated and I don't have root rot problems, either.
The only problem with a big tub and lots of growing sites in it is limited spacing, which limits the size of the plants.
By all means, start a thread and link me to it, I'd love to see what you do!
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
This is a simple answer.To chill the water effectively it has to recirculate.The purpose of the buckets is to have the proper spacing of the plants.Who the fuck wants a 500 gallon tub to fill everytime you do a nutrient change out.With 8 gallon buckets in a 6 bucket setup you are keeping your total gallons to a minimum.Less cooling required to get it down to 65 and keep it there.Recirculating DWC has been around for ages and its not reinventing.What you are suggesting would be going backwards.Nutrients are expensive and could you imagine loading up rapid start at 2.5ML per gallon in a giant ass tote for 6 plants.No thank you.Much easier to recirculate in a smaller bucket system that is spread out to give plants room.Also under scrogs of big grows,were talking 12 plants or better No one wants to lift each plant to do changes in the buckets.You need a control bucket to monitor the PH and EC in the entire solution.RDWC outshines everything in this situation because you will no longer need to get under the plants that are up against walls.Once your plants are scrogged out you can manage the entire system.I can tell when you wrote this you have never grown in hydro because these are the main obvious reasons anyone with experience would notice right away.
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
Also you dont need expensive bulkheads and all that other crap.PVC fittings are cheap.I build all my setups with $1.50 fittings and PVC pipes.I can build a 7 bucket system including the pump for 250 out the door.The cost of the buckets are the most expensive.I use a 17 gallon tote to start small plants and clones in and than move them to the buckets that sit on 21 inch centers under 6x5 scrogs.
here is a recirc system i built using cheap connectors 1 1/2 inch PVC and locking nuts inside the buckets than caulked with 5200 Marine caulk.I can pick up my whole system if i need to and move it.It holds 47 gallons total and NEVER leaks.
A scogged out grow i ran that did pretty good.
Here is one i built with cheap ass 5 gallon buckets that did the job.Cost me less than 100 dollars in parts to build it.
and the roots
here is a recirc system i built using cheap connectors 1 1/2 inch PVC and locking nuts inside the buckets than caulked with 5200 Marine caulk.I can pick up my whole system if i need to and move it.It holds 47 gallons total and NEVER leaks.
A scogged out grow i ran that did pretty good.
Here is one i built with cheap ass 5 gallon buckets that did the job.Cost me less than 100 dollars in parts to build it.
and the roots
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
heres a 2 bucket system i built.5 week veg and 3x5 closet scrog under a 600W HPS that got me almost a pound.very simple design but was very effective.ran through a 1/8 water chiller.I had looked at the under currents but there price was retarded.I built mine for about 95 percent less.the black hoses are the intake and return lines to the water chiller.The top off valve in the control bucket goes to another gravity fed tote that keeps my system topped off with solution.I always like to run my top off res around 50PPM higer than the buckets so i know my plants are eating more than whats being topped off.I always keep it regulated and only do a complete change out twice during the whole grow.
other plant was chopped.this was one plant
other plant was chopped.this was one plant
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
Ive since moved to a 3 bucket system in the smaller closet for a shorter veg time.I have a scotts OG clone grow going now that will be killing it in a bout 3 weeks.im on the 6h day of flower now.I have since completely wrapped my buckets up in R19 insulation and than wrapped them with foil bubble wrap.My chiller runs way less now and the water stays very cool.Before my 1/8 HP could barely get the water down to 66 and would run all the time when the lights were on.Now it runs only 10 minutes per hour.
Heres the Scotts OG pheno 12
Its ugly as hell but works amazing.This is my go to setup for shit i want to be epic on smell and appearance.
Some blue dream i just finished up in there.
Heres the Scotts OG pheno 12
Its ugly as hell but works amazing.This is my go to setup for shit i want to be epic on smell and appearance.
Some blue dream i just finished up in there.
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
and here is my top off float connected to the rez that keeps my water levels perfect.I can leave my system for a week and not have to sweat it.
heres the rez PPM setting'
and the main system,always slightly lower.If my system EC goes above my top off there is a problem so i always tune in my system to a stable EC than mix the res nutes accordingly.
You can see the auto float valve that refills the system when my water levels drop.I always keep 4ML per gallon of calmag in that bucket and only mix parts A and B in there.thats it.The other stuff i add straight to the control bucket in the system based on how many gallons ive used.I have a stick with marks on it for each gallon in my top off rez.It tells me exactly how many gallons they are taking in a day.right now my Scotts OG are eating 1 and ahlf gallons a day.
heres the rez PPM setting'
and the main system,always slightly lower.If my system EC goes above my top off there is a problem so i always tune in my system to a stable EC than mix the res nutes accordingly.
You can see the auto float valve that refills the system when my water levels drop.I always keep 4ML per gallon of calmag in that bucket and only mix parts A and B in there.thats it.The other stuff i add straight to the control bucket in the system based on how many gallons ive used.I have a stick with marks on it for each gallon in my top off rez.It tells me exactly how many gallons they are taking in a day.right now my Scotts OG are eating 1 and ahlf gallons a day.
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
its always funny to me people have so many calmag issues in dwc.If you always add 4ML per gallon of calmag in a top off res \like i have you will never suffer from brown spots and calcium problems ever.thats the first thing i always do is add the calimagic in first before i do anything.2ML for seedlings and 3ML for 2 weeks and 4ML for 3rd week and for the rest of the grow up untill last 2 weeks i cut it out.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Impressive!
What if I told you my cost of nutrients is about 2¢ per gallon of solution?
I like your systems, simple and effective.
I use 1" bulkhead fittings, irrigation parts and flexible tubing. This allows me to set up, break down or reconfigure in minutes.
Instead of undercurrent style circulation, my pump goes in the control bucket and supplies a manifold which feeds a waterfall in each growing site. Water then returns to the control bucket via the 1" hoses. The chilling circuit is in the control bucket, where it cools the nutrient solution just before the pump returns it to the tubsites.
The advantage to this approach is the elimination of the air pump and stones in every bucket.
Heisengrow
Well-Known Member
Yeah waterfall is great till the roots grow over the surface of the bucket and no.longer penetrate the surface.airstones work for me.i tried a waterfall test system and had an issue with the jets hitting the roots.worked perfect till 3rd week in flower.i grow in scrogs so I can't keep pulling lids and clearing the roots.stones under the roots have always worked for me and I don't see a magical solution or any more of a difference to change it.waterfall is great for some but I personally didn't care for it.also with the smaller 1 inch pipe roots would clog up the circulation process more which Is why I went to 1 1/2 pipe.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Yeah, wasn't trying to say any approach is wrong.
Your experience is interesting.
I went to big tubsites, which mitigated both the waterfall and the clogging issues you mentioned.
The other problem big tubsites solved was total system capacity, which you solved with an external reservoir and float valve.
Different solutions to similar problems, that's why it's such an interesting hobby!