Drip Drip Goes The Uniseal (Leaking!)

Cold$moke said:
The only ONLY way i would be comfortable running my res lower then my totes it would have to be able to contain ALL the water that gravity could provide ;)

Now a better option for a dropped ress would be to run a taller container and plumb the line in from the side .

At least it would guarantee no overflows

But if you post a drawing of your ideas id give it a looksi
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yup, i will do that when life slows down this week.
 
Sour Wreck said:
what if your control res is lower than your grow res, i kinda wanted to build it that way so i could drain the entire system from a valve at the bottom of the control rez.
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that's the reason i ran my drain lines on the bottoms of the totes. i used a 1.5" x 1.5" x 3/4" tee and ran the drain line off the 3/4" with a valve.
 
Cold$moke said:
Do you have the big ass pump?

If so you would need to make your intake manifold out of at least 1 inch pipe.

300 could work on 1/2 but a 3/4 main would be better imo or build it with 1inch then upgrade your pump if you want later. :)
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I have both the 1056gph pump and 300gph pump. (I'd prefer to use the 1056, more flow, and as you say the ph! I hate the guesswork, then coming back after an hour to see if it was correct...)

Going 1" manifold up top, would not cause any problems with 3/4" return below? If not then I will go with one inch manifold.

And, I was thinking of using flex pipe with slip "t's". The flex pipe is significantly cheaper, and easier to put together and take apart. Should I be okay, or do I need solid pvc for the manifold?


Sorry if I'm asking newby questions - It's about time for flower and I'd really like to get this down correctly before flipping them. I really appreciate everyones help! :peace::weed:
 
Well to be honest i cant say as i havent tried it

But i would think through displacment and waters self leveling properties would be ok.

But not having done it my self cant guarantee it in good faith

But i would definitely test it lol of course

I would have pilferd the 4 inch uniseal from your brute setup or order 2 inch uniseals but thats up to you budd :)

as now it will be harder to drill bigger holes but i can tell you how if you need :)
 
Cold$moke said:
But if you post a drawing of your ideas id give it a looksi
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here we go. red line is 1/2" pvc. green line is 1.5" return line. red square is pump. blue squares are cinder blocks to elevate the system. i will also add a drain valve on the 1/2" line to drain the whole system. return lines will be bottom mounted with these bulkheads

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002HBL9A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

control rez will contain 1 of the just listed bulkheads and one of these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DKANM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

what could go wrong, lol? bongsmilie
 

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Also youll have to be pretty spot on levle wise to make it flow evely like thay i would think

For the feed lines .... i like how its a spill over design ... i dont like that cross pipe that coects the four looks like a spot where water could favor the low side

Other then that looks good

But depending on the pump i might resize the lines
 
Cold$moke said:
What size pump ?did you already buy stuff or just design phase?
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bought the bulkheads. i have a 210 gph inline pump and a couple of submersible. we will see what i have and what will work. if not i will buy a pump, but i do want enough movement to element air pumps and air stones.
 
Cold$moke said:
Also youll have to be pretty spot on levle wise to make it flow evely like thay i would think

For the feed lines .... i like how its a spill over design ... i dont like that cross pipe that coects the four looks like a spot where water could favor the low side

Other then that looks good

But depending on the pump i might resize the lines
Click to expand...

i am not sure what you meant by this. where is it you are concerned about?
 
Sour Wreck said:
bought the bulkheads. i have a 210 gph inline pump and a couple of submersible. we will see what i have and what will work. if not i will buy a pump, but i do want enough movement to element air pumps and air stones.
Click to expand...
Just out of curiosity why do you want to eliminate air pumps/stones? Is it the noise? They have very quiet air pumps out now if that's the concern. A big part of the magic in RDWC is the oxygen to the roots. While you can probably get enough movement and water drop to keep them growing they won't be as explosive IMHO.
 
N.R.G. said:
Just out of curiosity why do you want to eliminate air pumps/stones? Is it the noise? They have very quiet air pumps out now if that's the concern. A big part of the magic in RDWC is the oxygen to the roots. While you can probably get enough movement and water drop to keep them growing they won't be as explosive IMHO.
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Just less maintenance. Have run dwc for over a decade. Tired of buying new air stones/pumps. Just like hydroton, eliminating that also hopefully. Gonna run 2” net pots with plants tied off to a low trellis for more support.

If I find yields to be low I can add air later.
 
Sour Wreck said:
Just less maintenance. Have run dwc for over a decade. Tired of buying new air stones/pumps. Just like hydroton, eliminating that also hopefully. Gonna run 2” net pots with plants tied off to a low trellis for more support.

If I find yields to be low I can add air later.
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Yeah I know that feeling. Having to replace stones every cycle gets old. Do you replace your hydroton every grow? Or just replace the ones you can't dig out of the roots? I like the idea of bulkheads underneath so you can get 100% flush. Are you putting in some kind of float switch or something so that if you have a pump failure you don't flood the controller? I think I might try to elevate my diy system and put bulkheads underneath as well.
 
Ok since you already have your bulk heads that squashes that shouldnt be much difference with 1.5 to 2 inch return lines but i have never tried runnin smaller then 2 inch.


Your intake lines are what i would bumb up to 3/4 or if you buy a bigger pump 1 inch


The way to eliminate air stones would be through your waterfalls

BUT BUT .... THATS ONLY IF YOU CAN GET THAT DO TO THE ROOT ZONE (not yelling)

So the limiting factors on your setup would be return line size
And pump size

Definitely go with a spill over setup if your running a small pump (400and below)

If your set on a bottom drain i would put your drains in the opposite corners of your feed waterfall

This way you get that WHOLE TOTE TO FLOW
With 0 dead spots (will help with draining as well)

I would advise airstones on hand as backup just incase you see something get froggy
 
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