DIY 3 Gallon Rubbermaid DWC

trains strain

Well-Known Member
this setup as been a huge help for me starting my own first dwc. thanks diggs for the great setup plans, lookin good.
 

goodxxxgirl

Active Member
I am confused;
I dont understand how water gets from one point to another.
I am very new at this

do you water the plants manually and you reclycle what comes out of the plants?
 

JanecommaMary

Well-Known Member
ooh my friend made a very similar setup to yours. one addition that you could put in your v3 of this is a spigot: http://hairdryer.chinese-suppliers.com/a_plastic_tap01.htm to make emptying out the container hassle free. just put it over the sink and "flush" lol. looks great man. what did you use to house the plants? im thinking of going hydro from soil but i want to get it all figured out first. any good resources anybody can point me to?
 

diggitydank420

Well-Known Member
ooh my friend made a very similar setup to yours. one addition that you could put in your v3 of this is a spigot: http://hairdryer.chinese-suppliers.com/a_plastic_tap01.htm to make emptying out the container hassle free. just put it over the sink and "flush" lol. looks great man. what did you use to house the plants? im thinking of going hydro from soil but i want to get it all figured out first. any good resources anybody can point me to?
I housed my plants in my closet. First I just blacked out the windows in my bedroom which was better for me at the time while working nights. Eventually I built a tent out of 1/2" PVC pipes and plastic sheeting. In retrospect I should have made a DIY for it, but I was high.

Anyway... I built the whole thing for less than $50 and got the maximum amount of space I could use. My closet is 64"H x 48"W x 22.5" the biggest tent that I could find to fit was 60 x 20 x 36 so I ended up gaining almost 2.5 square feet and saved over $60. Most of the expense went to the 6mil plastic sheeting at $26, but it was the only size they had in 6 mil so there's A LOT left over. Plus the PVC cutter at $10, which is NECESSARY! If you tried cutting all the PVC with a hacksaw it would take an entire day. And I got everything at Lowes.

So get one of THESE:

 

Swale84

Well-Known Member
ooh my friend made a very similar setup to yours. one addition that you could put in your v3 of this is a spigot: http://hairdryer.chinese-suppliers.com/a_plastic_tap01.htm to make emptying out the container hassle free. just put it over the sink and "flush" lol. looks great man. what did you use to house the plants? im thinking of going hydro from soil but i want to get it all figured out first. any good resources anybody can point me to?

What if you have plants that are, say 2-3 ft tall. How is that practical?
 

chippa17

Active Member
Just gotta say guys - i am loving this.

I am a totally new at this, its summer down here, so i had my first crack at growing outdoors, both plants are coming along sensationally. However the upcoming winter scares me, as i need this hobby to continue, hence joining up to RIU. Was looking at all the different ways of growing under light etc, then i come across DWC, and have been reading a few threads, and i cant wait to have a crack, the info you guys have been supplying is Grade A. You make it so simple.

Keep up the good work fellas!! I look forward to learning more!!!

PS: ill try search more before i hound you with annoying q's :)
 

JanecommaMary

Well-Known Member
diggity you say you fill it about 1/3, but should you fill it up higher when the plants are just starting? should the roots actually be in the water or above it? and once again, nice tut/diy thread!
 

JanecommaMary

Well-Known Member
if you want to make a grow tent for real cheap i found a piece of plywood, cut out holes for power chords and exhaust fans, ran a chain to hang it, and created a curtain out of black trash bags (the thick ones not kitchen bags). i had everything i needed, but if you need to buy stuff for it, plywoods like 7 bucks a sheet, and you can find cheaper scrap pieces. i dont know how much those trash bags cost, but if your real cheap you can steal them out of a trash can. anyways i digress. thanks for the info diggity +rep
 

diggitydank420

Well-Known Member
if you want to make a grow tent for real cheap i found a piece of plywood, cut out holes for power chords and exhaust fans, ran a chain to hang it, and created a curtain out of black trash bags (the thick ones not kitchen bags). i had everything i needed, but if you need to buy stuff for it, plywoods like 7 bucks a sheet, and you can find cheaper scrap pieces. i dont know how much those trash bags cost, but if your real cheap you can steal them out of a trash can. anyways i digress. thanks for the info diggity +rep

You misunderstood what I was saying, let me clarify...

I don't fill the tubs up 1/3 of the way, I have the water level about 1/3 up from the bottom of the net pots. Which is little higher than 2/3 of the tub itself.

They are 3 gallon tubs and I fill them with 2 gallons... and if I have to explain displacement I'll spit.
 

skitzo

Well-Known Member
I housed my plants in my closet. First I just blacked out the windows in my bedroom which was better for me at the time while working nights. Eventually I built a tent out of 1/2" PVC pipes and plastic sheeting. In retrospect I should have made a DIY for it, but I was high.

Anyway... I built the whole thing for less than $50 and got the maximum amount of space I could use. My closet is 64"H x 48"W x 22.5" the biggest tent that I could find to fit was 60 x 20 x 36 so I ended up gaining almost 2.5 square feet and saved over $60. Most of the expense went to the 6mil plastic sheeting at $26, but it was the only size they had in 6 mil so there's A LOT left over. Plus the PVC cutter at $10, which is NECESSARY! If you tried cutting all the PVC with a hacksaw it would take an entire day. And I got everything at Lowes.

So get one of THESE:


omg i used a hacksaw! slightly difficult, less than 2 hours of construction of the cabinet. i saw those on the way out buying the pvc, i knew i should have bought it.

rep me for that <3 :p
 

diggitydank420

Well-Known Member
omg i used a hacksaw! slightly difficult, less than 2 hours of construction of the cabinet. i saw those on the way out buying the pvc, i knew i should have bought it.

rep me for that <3 :p
Yeah man, those things go through PVC like a hot knife through butter.

Funny story though, the guy at Lowes who looked like member of ZZ Top asked me what I was trying to do. So I told him that I was trying to build I light-proof enclosure. His face lit up and he said, "ohhh, I know exactly what you need! I've built one of those too!" He then went from total asshole to cool guy in no time flat and started showing me everything he used to do it.

I would have been in Lowes for hours trying to find all the stuff I needed without that guy's help.
 

skitzo

Well-Known Member
Yeah man, those things go through PVC like a hot knife through butter.

Funny story though, the guy at Lowes who looked like member of ZZ Top asked me what I was trying to do. So I told him that I was trying to build I light-proof enclosure. His face lit up and he said, "ohhh, I know exactly what you need! I've built one of those too!" He then went from total asshole to cool guy in no time flat and started showing me everything he used to do it.

I would have been in Lowes for hours trying to find all the stuff I needed without that guy's help.
i definitely recommend these cutters/scissors to anyone who is planning on building something with PVC that requires cutting.

screw the hacksaw method, it saves you a few extra bucks but it requires some effort.
 

smithb63

Well-Known Member
i had to comment on this so i can go back to it again when i get some more money......... great job man thanks!!
 
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