Drip Drip Goes The Uniseal (Leaking!)

Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
[tl;dr] Uniseal is leaking. :wall: .. [End td;dr].

Finally got my RDWC put together!

20Gal Rubbermaid Brute (x4) + 40Gal Rubbermaid Brute (x1 - Res).
4" PVC connecting each Brute
4" Reduced to 1" Pipe > 1" Pipe into Pump. > 1/2" Pipe from top of pump into top of Res.

Used a hole saw and did pretty smooth holes in the Brutes. Uses a razor blade and smoothed the burred/rough edges (making sure not to remove too much plastic and only the extra specs pointing out).
Used a "goo" based spray as lube and grinded down the edges of the pvc to help insert.

There are no bends or turns in the system. All the containers are in a straight line.
The floor is flat. All the containers are on the same level.

Water Check 1: Filled a few inches above the top of the unseals. Everything is perfect!

Water Check 2: Filled to where I would keep the water-line (just below net pot). Two of my Unseals are leaking! Did some adjusting... now..
..one is a very minor leak , like a drip... it drops to the floor, then another drop leaks out after a second.
..the other uniseal is leaking at a fair bit faster pace, drop-drop-drop-drop.. but not quite a river thankfully. There was still a fair bit of water pooling on the floor..

I feel like the Brute bows very slightly when full, compared to when empty and this might be causing a problem?

At this point, I'm hoping I can find some kind of outdoor water sealant/silicon that I can apply to the uniseals. If not I'm out a fair bit of $ and need new/better containers and maybe bulkheads instead of uniseals? :cry:

I am open to any suggestions! <3
 
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Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
Cool.. Yeah I'd really rather not take short-cuts or temporary fixes. Don't want a leak half way into flower because I cut corners.

I thought that Brute containers were high quality plastic.... which they are. I can fill it to the brim and not even slightly bowed... but once it had those huge holes for the unseals (4") .... wellllll... yeah, could not have really seen that coming? # dwc noob lol.

Light was shining today! New containers at half price! :blsmoke: They are thinner but much, much harder/stiffer plastic. Sort of like the HDX totes with yellow lids. (About the same price as the marine silicon would have cost me!)

Going with 3/4" Bulkheads this time.
 
firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Joint Monster said:
Cool.. Yeah I'd really rather not take short-cuts or temporary fixes. Don't want a leak half way into flower because I cut corners.

I thought that Brute containers were high quality plastic.... which they are. I can fill it to the brim and not even slightly bowed... but once it had those huge holes for the unseals (4") .... wellllll... yeah, could not have really seen that coming? # dwc noob lol.

Light was shining today! New containers at half price! :blsmoke: They are thinner but much, much harder/stiffer plastic. Sort of like the HDX totes with yellow lids. (About the same price as the marine silicon would have cost me!)

Going with 3/4" Bulkheads this time.
Click to expand...
I did 1" bulkheads for return an top feed half in lines off a 1" manifold. Works killer.

I have a mix of the Walmart and home Depot tough totes. The hdx ones are smaller footprint wise slightly, but taller. Which may be more ideal for rdwc. But it's only slightly.

I have a 6 site with 12 gal totes and another 6 site with 27 gal totes. I like the 27 gal better. Less maintenance between top ups. And less frequent top ups.

Going to keep the 12 gal tote system for veg and expand to one 12 site with 27 gal totes for flower.
 
N.R.G.

N.R.G.

Well-Known Member
You have two options really. You can drain it and pull the uniseal out and run a strong clear sealant around it and reinstall it. Something like Rubba Seal works well or you can use bulkheads which is the best option. I fought with siliconed uniseals for years and got them working but they were always a pain. Bulkheads are night and day difference but they come at a price in comparison.
 
H

HydroEnthused

Active Member
Joint Monster said:
[tl;dr] Uniseal is leaking. :wall: .. [End td;dr].

Finally got my RDWC put together!

20Gal Rubbermaid Brute (x4) + 40Gal Rubbermaid Brute (x1 - Res).
4" PVC connecting each Brute
4" Reduced to 1" Pipe > 1" Pipe into Pump. > 1/2" Pipe from top of pump into top of Res.

Used a hole saw and did pretty smooth holes in the Brutes. Uses a razor blade and smoothed the burred/rough edges (making sure not to remove too much plastic and only the extra specs pointing out).
Used a "goo" based spray as lube and grinded down the edges of the pvc to help insert.

There are no bends or turns in the system. All the containers are in a straight line.
The floor is flat. All the containers are on the same level.

Water Check 1: Filled a few inches above the top of the unseals. Everything is perfect!

Water Check 2: Filled to where I would keep the water-line (just below net pot). Two of my Unseals are leaking! Did some adjusting... now..
..one is a very minor leak , like a drip... it drops to the floor, then another drop leaks out after a second.
..the other uniseal is leaking at a fair bit faster pace, drop-drop-drop-drop.. but not quite a river thankfully. There was still a fair bit of water pooling on the floor..

I feel like the Brute bows very slightly when full, compared to when empty and this might be causing a problem?

At this point, I'm hoping I can find some kind of outdoor water sealant/silicon that I can apply to the uniseals. If not I'm out a fair bit of $ and need new/better containers and maybe bulkheads instead of uniseals? :cry:

I am open to any suggestions! <3
Click to expand...
Large uniseals will always eventually leak when installed in the side of a non perpendicular tank wall. The only solution is to spend a fortune on Hayward bulkheads of the same diameter if you insist on unnecessary re-circulating DWC.
But if you spent that much money on Hayward bulkheads (you didn’t , just hypothetically speaking) that would be another travesty as well. There is a way to have as many DWC containers as your heart desires without the threat of leaks or root clogs.
Because even 4” piping (regardless of bulkhead brand, uniseal is not even a bulkhead in the world of engineering and industrial facility management, a uniseal will never be seen in the real world of bulk material transfer) will be clogged with roots if anybody dared to link , for example , 36-20 gallon Rubbermaid Brute totes.
There is a level sensor that is eternally reliable for extremely agitated DWC containers. I use 54 of them. These level sensors completely eliminate the possibility of leak or root clog. No other level sensor can. Nobody except for me uses it.
Are you really open for suggestion? Do you want to be told an answer that you “want” to hear? Or the truth?
I’m not trying to sell you anything. Do you want the answer?
Although, I will admit that you don’t need my solution if you only have a few containers. For a few containers the 4” Hayward bulkhead will be golden. My “electrical” solution is only necessary when you scale-up to more than 20 or so containers.
 
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N.R.G.

N.R.G.

Well-Known Member
HydroEnthused said:
Large uniseals will always eventually leak when installed in the side of a non perpendicular tank wall. The only solution is to spend a fortune on Hayward bulkheads of the same diameter if you insist on unnecessary re-circulating DWC.
But if you spent that much money on Hayward bulkheads (you didn’t , just hypothetically speaking) that would be another travesty as well. There is a way to have as many DWC containers as your heart desires without the threat of leaks or root clogs.
Because even 4” piping (regardless of bulkhead brand, uniseal is not even a bulkhead in the world of engineering and industrial facility management, a uniseal will never be seen in the real world of bulk material transfer) will be clogged with roots if anybody dared to link , for example , 36-20 gallon Rubbermaid Brute totes.
There is a level sensor that is eternally reliable for extremely agitated DWC containers. I use 54 of them. These level sensors completely eliminate the possibility of leak or root clog. No other level sensor can. Nobody except for me uses it.
Are you really open for suggestion? Do you want to be told an answer that you “want” to hear? Or the truth?
I’m not trying to sell you anything. Do you want the answer?
Although, I will admit that you don’t need my solution if you only have a few containers. For a few containers the 4” Hayward bulkhead will be golden. My “electrical” solution is only necessary when you scale-up to more than 20 or so containers.
Click to expand...
I'm very interested in your system. It sounds very cool.
 
Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
Firsttime- That's sort of what I ended up doing. 27Gal HDX type with 3/4" bulkheads. Damn its freaking solid now!:bigjoint:
(I have no Idea why I was convinced through my reseach that a large uniseal was the way to go....)
I was slightly worried about roots with 3/4bulkhead, but I don't know... it's just water going through the pipes? I can always figure out something later, but hopefully it's fine.

NRG - Yeah... bulkheads turned out to be a SUPER SUPER SUPER big difference in a positive way!

Hydro - I'd rather take a punch and the correct advice.. too many "people telling people what they want to hear" in this world... imo that causes huge communication problems.
That solution of yours looks VERY interesting!
Completely over-kill for my tiny set-up and I wouldn't have the slightest clue what to do with that at this very moment haha. But I'm sure there are people here who could really use something like that.
You should considering building that for others who may be interested. It could turn out to be a pretty darn good "side-hustle". 8-)
 
Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
It's 3/4" Bulkhead, not Uniseal. (Although it's the same diameter so I don't think it matters..)

I'm hoping it won't ....but I will address it if it comes. It's built and running great now.

At this point I just want to have the system up and running and work for one cycle. After that I'll consider adjusments, or maybe passive uc and top feed like FirsttimeARE.

If it does maybe I can implement a screen or get something like this?...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/TubShroom-Revolutionary-Hair-Catcher-Drain-Protector-for-Tub-Drains-No-More-Clogs-White/128489091
 
firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Been running 1" bulkheads for a year now without any clogs. So not sure what hydroenthused is talking about.

Pressure switches? WTF ever man. I cannot see why pressure switches would be needed.

I have 4 outlets on my totes all running back to the control bucket.

Works out well. The undercurrent design im not a huge fan of. You can get the same effect by have a pump in a control bucket and top feeding. This solves aeration and circulation. UC system solves circulation.

Sure the system I use sucks roots in, but I just pull them out. They never clog even on my 12gal totes where the roots are practically filling the tote up.

Plus much cheaper. A 6 site was $60 for totes. $66 for bulkheads, $40 for pump, and $25 for poly tubing and fittings. Less than $200 for a 6 site is not bad. Same UC would be a grand at least.
 
N.R.G.

N.R.G.

Well-Known Member
firsttimeARE said:
Been running 1" bulkheads for a year now without any clogs. So not sure what hydroenthused is talking about.

Pressure switches? WTF ever man. I cannot see why pressure switches would be needed.

I have 4 outlets on my totes all running back to the control bucket.

Works out well. The undercurrent design im not a huge fan of. You can get the same effect by have a pump in a control bucket and top feeding. This solves aeration and circulation. UC system solves circulation.

Sure the system I use sucks roots in, but I just pull them out. They never clog even on my 12gal totes where the roots are practically filling the tote up.

Plus much cheaper. A 6 site was $60 for totes. $66 for bulkheads, $40 for pump, and $25 for poly tubing and fittings. Less than $200 for a 6 site is not bad. Same UC would be a grand at least.
Click to expand...
Everyone grows differently. I have clogged 3" uniseals in 13 gallon buckets many times but then again I've gotten 2.25 lbs a plant as well. YMMV.
 
Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
Two both replies above, that is reassuring! Although if you've been following my other threads you know I've been on a rollercoaster.

NRG .. 2.25lbs from a 13gal... very nice!

So far so good with the system being nice and water-tight!

So I hooked up my 1056GPH pump, and it fills up the Res so darn fast that it doesn't get enough time to drain.... Will try the 250GPH pump I have instead tomorrow. I have a 400GPH pump to but that might still be too fast.. (For now no pumps, but air-stones are keeping them alive.)
(It is about 110Gal Total)

FirsttimeARE I didn't completely understand the difference/importance between UC and Top Fed... but I'm definitely starting to. Unfortunately I am beyond maxed on budget, so this is what I have and I have to make it work!
...absolute worst case scenario I have a UC-DWC-Hybrid where it's just air stones with connected buckets.
 
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firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
I use a 1000gph for my 6 site 27 gal which they only fit about 15 gal in so thats about the same sized system you got.

I use a 550gph for my 6 site 13 gal which is about half the total volume.

This is how its setup

The blue lines are the return. The dark green line is the 1" manifold that comes out of the pump and top feeds, mine goes through a chiller first. The red rectangle is the pump. And the line green lines are 1/2" lines coming off the manifold and elbowing down near the netpot to splash the water up and cause turbulence. By having a 1" manifold it helps stabilize the pressure into the 1/2" lines as water takes the path of least resistance and to it the least resistance is filling up that 1" and then once its filled it then equally fills the 1/2". Well close enough to equal. If it was all the same diameter the buckets closest to the pump would fill up fastest.
rdwc.jpg

This just shows the solidness of bulkheads. I have 58 total between the two setups and not one leaks.
 
Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
I put a 3/4" fitting on the 250pump (Which is actually rated at 300GPH). And my last bucket half emptied after a minute or two and it was not filling back up fast enough.
^It's an Active Aqua pump. It's really tiny... would I be okay running it 24/7 or should I put it on a timer off-on-off-on? (I do have an air stone in each container under the roots.)

For now I restricted the pipe going to the pump partially, slowing the flow down. So I have maybe 30-50% of the full pumps flow. Enough to mix the water a little, but in this case, I feel it's still more of a DWC and not a UC (as the air stones are probably what's keeping the girls alive, and not the pump).

I have a Chiller.. opened the box and set it beside my rez, never hooked it up yet. My water is still on the chilly side 60.8F to 64.4F (16C to 18C). I actually had to add a bit of warm water to bring it up. I'm going to see if I really need it once it gets really-really-hot-outside... if not I will get rid of it and upgrade my system to something that actually works.. If I keep it, then I'll upgrade my system eventually. (A little bummed out I shelled out for a chiller and might actually not need it.)

I'm going to start extensively researching more setups now. I think I may want to upgrade to something like yours (top fed/manifold) in the near future! (I can probably just modify what I have and make it work... but my girls need a home for now, so they shall finish first.)
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Joint monster
Try spinning the uniseal around to where the thick side is on the inside of the container.

I have not tried this but it make sense to me having water pressure help seal the flange better
 
Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
Hmm that's an interesting idea! If I didn't disassemble that system already I might have given it a go.. but I switched it for the HDX+3/4"bulkheads. I may play around with that setup again in the future, but not any time soon.. It's taxing work.

It's just, every solution seems to be accompanied by an obstacle of it's own haha. No more leaks, but its not the greatest circulation which is what a RDWC is supposed to do.
..Trying to see if I can figure something out that won't cost me much more. (at least short-term.)
 
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