Submersible pump for RDWC.
- Thread starter Ammastor
- Start date
Ammastor
Active Member
I am just going to use buckets for each plant. So they have there own space. I did contemplate using totes. But like I said I wanted each plant to have there own space.
I really dont want to use airstones. There are many people who have problems with them. Or there pump stops working. Would rather eliminate the headache. Plus less stuff to replace and less hoses ran in the grow room.
Ammastor
Active Member
I like the first system you posted. Clean and easy. Plus looks like it would be cheaper to uild because of the PVC not being there and they are using what looks like vinyl hose. I like this system. PLus it not being PVC alows you to move the buckets a little here and there if you need to.
They have the water fall effect in all buckets. I would remove the pump and airlines to make it simpler. Looks like a pretty good system. I wonder how many times the water is exchanged within the system (each bucket an hour)
They have the water fall effect in all buckets. I would remove the pump and airlines to make it simpler. Looks like a pretty good system. I wonder how many times the water is exchanged within the system (each bucket an hour)
I have all my stuff I need now to build and have next week off starting on Friday. Just have a few things I need to figure out or make up my mind about .One is if I can connect my buckets all together at the bottom and just have one feed line coming out of the rez or if I have to loop back and put another hole in the rez . Two, is how many sites I should run in my 5X5 . I started off thinking nine but once it gets full it will be a pita to get in there when needed . Then I was thinking 7 around the outside with leaving a pathway down the center but then I got to thinking about 4 big ones in just the corners, tough decision. I like to run a variety and have some stuff I really want to get thru. I'll probably run 7 on the outside and a few soil pots I can move in the center unless they get drown out. I can just put them outside then.
Ammastor
Active Member
Personally I would run feed lines to each bucket. So that way they are all receiving from the res. Or I wouldn't worry about feed lines and use the pump to pull threw the buckets from the rez. That is what I would do if I was reading your post correctly.
For the amount of plants I like to use the 2 sq foot rule. 1 plant per 2 square feet. That way there is always room for growth. However some people like to use 1 square foot rule. Just think more light gets around with the 2 square foot rule. As it does allow for more plants to grow and cover a larger surface area. More light to each plant.
But that is just me. You can fit a load of plants in a 5x5 depending on how you want to grow them.
lol, my math sucks . That would be twelve ? I have ran that many before in soil but I know the buckets will overgrow it at that many. I like to do 2-4 footers. On the set up I would have top feeds for sure fluming but my question is on the bottom return lines . Wondering if can plumb all the buckets in a loop and just poke one hole in the bottom of my rez to feed them or if I should do it like the Video shows with two sperate lower lines going out to the buckets ? Hope I explained ... lol I building tomorrow
Single buckets are cost effective and less chance for huge leaks but you have to check each one everyday . If you want to run a chiller you have to connect them anyways. When I ran single buckets in flowering they would drink 1.5 -2 gal a day . I'm looking for something I won't have to check or adjust every day or just one central res to do it from. All so you should be able to do it with out air stones if you flume your buckets.
Ammastor
Active Member
This would prolly depend on what size pump you use. The extra lines may have been a sort of a pressure control. Maybe they had a 2 outlet pump. Dunno.
However as long as your pump can pump enough to completely fill the lines that are feeding your setup all plants should receive around the same amounts. Either way if your using a RDWC then it really wouldn't matter. As gravity will always keeps your plant levels even and refreshed with new nutes because the water is always flowing anyways. So to cut down on cost I would run one line and not worry about it as long as you are getting enough flow at each bucket. Which you would have to be the judge of. There may be something to using 2 lines that I am missing. Plus im overly buzzed at the moment so......
Anyway I would like to see what you get built. interested at looking at everyones setup and see what works for them. Seems like some people add a new device or something everyonce and a while to there system or there is one special thing someone did to theres that makes it unique. Some are just complete remakes of plans but I have seen some pretty awesome setups that if you seen you would not forget. I personally like to go with what works and what has been proven to work. RDWC if tuned in correctly has been proven and you can have some really amazing plants. I have has some higher then top shelf homegrown bud. Grown in soil. Soil is great and some nasty bud has been grown in soil. But the growth rates and size of RDWC has surpassed soil in alot of strains. RDWC makes some pretty killer bud and I would rather grow hydro over soil any day. I do believe though everyone is different. When it comes to there setups and how they run it. Some people have the touch and some people don't. Im kinda in between. I have grown some kick ass bud and I have had some complete tastes like crap bud. All about how you run you ecosystem. I think anyways.
Hope this all makes some kind of sense. I am seriously buzzin right now. I have to reread this in the morning to make sure I can understand what I said. LOL.
No leaks. So my system is RDWC and will use air stones too . The 250 gph pump fluming out the top will most likely not be enough Do. It was easier to plumb the chiller separate with less holes thru my cab on it's own pump . My Res only holds about 2/3 to 1/2 of it's 50 gal capacity at bucket level ad the buckets hold about 3 gal to the bottom of the net pots. So it might be a 35 gal system not counting the chiller. I used 3/4 " vinyl tubing and grommets with barbed fittings. 4 bucket system .
