Commercial RDWC
- Thread starter Jhef
- Start date
myke
Well-Known Member
Lots of talk about it but you never see it much. You’d have to break it up in to several systems as one big RDWC is really rolling the dice. Any root issues could bring the whole thing down. I’ve always thought it would be kick ass but it’s just less risky to run drain to waste in individual pots.
Jhef
Active Member
Different people monitor different boards
RoldUpAsOvrKs
Member
Wouldn’t say “commercial” but I’m dabbling on a larger scale (120 buckets - 6 systems). About half in DIY under current systems and rest in top fed RDWC.
Pros:
- A lot more fun to work on/with than soil/etc IMO
- Growth is insane so shorter cycles 2-3 wk veg
- Keeping things clean and bug free is a lot less of a headache
- More forgiving than you would think once you have grasp on it
- You actually use less water over a course of a grow even tho it might not feel that way
- Once built it doesn’t require as much day to day work and tear down/clean up/resupply way easier/quicker
Cons:
- Initial cost/time for setup
- During learning curve it can be very unforgiving...when things go wrong they seem to go wrong quickly
- Access to large amounts of water at one time (still less water in grand scheme but when doing multiple change outs in short period are tough if you don’t plan/store RO in down times)
- Power - On top of lights, you’ll be running quite a few more pumps/air pumps so more $$/limited to what you have access to
Not sure if this helps or what you’re looking for as these are kind of overview points but let me know if you want to go in depth on anything. By no means an expert but I’ve Fd up enough to pick up on some things and always learning so looking for feedback as well.
Pros:
- A lot more fun to work on/with than soil/etc IMO
- Growth is insane so shorter cycles 2-3 wk veg
- Keeping things clean and bug free is a lot less of a headache
- More forgiving than you would think once you have grasp on it
- You actually use less water over a course of a grow even tho it might not feel that way
- Once built it doesn’t require as much day to day work and tear down/clean up/resupply way easier/quicker
Cons:
- Initial cost/time for setup
- During learning curve it can be very unforgiving...when things go wrong they seem to go wrong quickly
- Access to large amounts of water at one time (still less water in grand scheme but when doing multiple change outs in short period are tough if you don’t plan/store RO in down times)
- Power - On top of lights, you’ll be running quite a few more pumps/air pumps so more $$/limited to what you have access to
Not sure if this helps or what you’re looking for as these are kind of overview points but let me know if you want to go in depth on anything. By no means an expert but I’ve Fd up enough to pick up on some things and always learning so looking for feedback as well.
Jhef
Active Member
Probably more helpful than you know lol That's a comfort! I decided to go ahead with stick with RDWC and continue to scale-up. I've got the waterfall RDWC tuned in pretty well.
Do you like the UC over the top feed? I figure it would be way less hassle then worrying about a line clogging.
What size are you flowering in?
RoldUpAsOvrKs
Member
I haven’t seen it out there but I actually run top feeds in the UC as well. I didn’t see the harm in adding them, only benefits. Clogs were the main reason for going to UC so I almost think of UC as a backup. I’ve also changed my top feed supply...instead of long runs of small supply lines, I ran 1/2 black tube w/tees at each bucket and then just a short run up to top to dripped. This doesn’t erase clogs from problem list but makes much easier to identify/fix if it does happen. Also in line filters after supply pump if you don’t have already. I will say I do turn off top feed on UC a couple weeks in bc the roots are plenty large enough but I’m just testing that at this point...there might be positives to running full cycle.
UC systems are 24 site ea in 8 gal...the rest are mainly 5 gal and messing around in other random totes.
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A large scale RDWC seems like a lot of moving parts to me. Why not use a bog standard flood and drain setup? You get all the aeration you need with the drain and you can bubble the shit out of the res. It's just a lot less things to break imo and a hell of a lot less water. I'm not talking about tables, though if you were going commercial, tables and SOG would be the preference, but the bucket type systems where it uses a brain or header bucket to fill the rest of the tubs.
Mr_Manny_D
Active Member
Rdwc in commercial set ups is a lot more common than you think and gaining popularity. IG is loaded with rdwc. I'm building my 7 garden, 12 bucket set ups now, but nothing like some farms I follow on ig.