Favorite pre fab DWC system?

RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
As the title states, I'm wondering what recommendations y'all have for "DWC in a box." I realize there is a lot of pride here for DIY setups, but as a current soil grower with only a 2x4 tent, it would just be so much more effective to get one of these "plug and play" type kits. I don't have access to a hose indoors, so refilling the reservoir is also a concern I have. I definitely need a system with a pump to empty the reservoir as well. I'm looking for ease of use and less time spent in the tent as currently I have to water indoor soil every couple of days and I'm green with envy (Ha) of the DWC setups that only have to change their reservoir once a week or even longer. Anyone buy a DWC complete setup that they adore?
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
Pretty simple really,2 totes connected via bulkhead and hose. One in the tent one out. Small pump and a few air-stones. Done.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
myke said:
Pretty simple really,2 totes connected via bulkhead and hose. One in the tent one out. Small pump and a few air-stones. Done.
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By totes are you referring to like a 5 gallon bucket with the lid for the nets? I'm just trying to visualize what the completed setup would look like. How big volume wise would you suggest? I've seen a lot of these bucket type setups or plastic containers with drilled holes on top but I don't have the tools to cut them myself which is why I'm looking for a setup that includes everything that I just assemble and go. There are so many options...I just want to do it right the first time.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
2 totes. Not pails. One in tent could be 10-20 gallon and the res outside would be 20-30 gallon. Screw on bulkheads work better on flat surfaces
 
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myke

myke

Well-Known Member
Just a pic I found. Some flexible hose to run between the totes and your good. F1517877-1EFD-41CB-A66E-DD79F95958AF.png
 
T

Treesomewanted77

Well-Known Member
RuggedWombat said:
As the title states, I'm wondering what recommendations y'all have for "DWC in a box." I realize there is a lot of pride here for DIY setups, but as a current soil grower with only a 2x4 tent, it would just be so much more effective to get one of these "plug and play" type kits. I don't have access to a hose indoors, so refilling the reservoir is also a concern I have. I definitely need a system with a pump to empty the reservoir as well. I'm looking for ease of use and less time spent in the tent as currently I have to water indoor soil every couple of days and I'm green with envy (Ha) of the DWC setups that only have to change their reservoir once a week or even longer. Anyone buy a DWC complete setup that they adore?
Click to expand...
I see you have a 2x4 tent but what is your plant for plant count? If only 1 then simple 5 gallon bucket with air pump done but then filling and emptying is the PIA so with the 2 totes like stated that would make it so much simpler so you can just do all your testing and adjustments in the res outside the tent and would make it a hell of a lot easier to do weekly water swaps.
Are you stuck on DWC? If not maybe look at flood and drain. I know with those smaller tents if you have the height you can lift tent and have a res under the tent for ease of maintaining the system and water swaps.
Think about what you want to achieve with this setup then explore the options as there isn’t many tools needed to make a DIY kit.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
Treesomewanted77 said:
I see you have a 2x4 tent but what is your plant for plant count? If only 1 then simple 5 gallon bucket with air pump done but then filling and emptying is the PIA so with the 2 totes like stated that would make it so much simpler so you can just do all your testing and adjustments in the res outside the tent and would make it a hell of a lot easier to do weekly water swaps.
Are you stuck on DWC? If not maybe look at flood and drain. I know with those smaller tents if you have the height you can lift tent and have a res under the tent for ease of maintaining the system and water swaps.
Think about what you want to achieve with this setup then explore the options as there isn’t many tools needed to make a DIY kit.
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Funny enough I use the DG FP nutrient line and Homebrewer has an extensive thread about using with an ebb and flow system so it would be much easier to emulate what he did. I'm all about repurposing the wheel instead of reinventing. I'm also somewhat limited on space as this is a closet grow so whatever parts of the system are outside the tent can't sound and look like a spaceship taking off as it's the bedroom closet ha. I could probably do something around 2 feet long and maybe 3 feet tall? I also have to be cautious of power consumption as the lights and fans all source from the same outlet which could cause an outage.

I'm definitely prioritizing ease of use and maintenance. I don't need yields or anything crazy so my setup would probably look like Fisher Price level for a lot of folks here. :o
However it might make recommendations easier when scalability isn't a factor. I'm trying to make it more set and forget as my life commitments have been shifting (whose haven't). Soil has just been a pain so looking for more autopilot for awhile at least. I'll look more in depth at the ebb and flow design. The two totes idea does sound good though. This may sound silly but what would a visualization of what you're proposing look like?
 
M

MrFlatbush

Well-Known Member
There are some really good, proven, inexpensive, simple options out there. Check out Waterfarms and Earthboxes (SIPs). SIPs are great because they are silent and require no electricity. Waterfarms are great because reservoir changes are easy.
 
Just Be

Just Be

Well-Known Member
MrFlatbush said:
There are some really good, proven, inexpensive, simple options out there. Check out Waterfarms and Earthboxes (SIPs). SIPs are great because they are silent and require no electricity. Waterfarms are great because reservoir changes are easy.
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I'm fairly certain that General Hydroponics no longer sells their Waterfarms or Power Growers (both excellent units) but they can probably still be found at various retailers.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
So far something like this seems to be what I'm leaning toward. Ebb and flow seems to be expensive for a decent setup, and I'm a bit worried about having an open flood tray as I struggle with pet fur (2 Aussies) even with filters on the tent openings. It also seems like ebb and flow wouldn't be as efficient when height is a factor due to having the reservoir under the table. I like the idea of a single reservoir versus multiple buckets for DWC as I'm trying to save time on maintenance.

@myke is this similar to what you were saying? You would then just run a hose to the larger reservoir outside the tent and turn on the pump to drain it once a week or so? I'm still trying to find a how to for the two tote setup.
www.nosoilsolutions.com

How To Build A Simple DWC Hydroponic System - NoSoilSolutions

Deep water culture is a classic hydroponic method for its simplicity and effectiveness. Here is how to build a simple DWC hydroponic system!
www.nosoilsolutions.com www.nosoilsolutions.com

It seems simple enough; I would just need to watch a couple of how to videos. I also like how low it sits to the ground. I'd like to see some videos of the concept in action as far as feeding, draining, etc. I figure in a 2x4 I'd run 3 or 4 pots in a single low and wide tote with the larger reservoir tub outside the tent as suggested by Myke. Are there any good 2 tote builds that I can copy? Would this just be called a "2 tote dwc setup?" Need to start looking at some builds. So far all I'm seeing are single tote setups which would be a much bigger pain trying to get it out of the tent and leaving the plants hanging while I make the adjustments.
 
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myke

myke

Well-Known Member
The two tote would be Rdwc R for recirculating. So pump sits in the outside res with a rubber hose 1/2” to the tote in the tent. Making a waterfall. To drain you simply disconnect the hose on the pump to another hose that goes to a drain.
The issue is tent manufactures haven’t caught on and there’s no hole for your drain and feed lines so you’ll have to make one.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
myke said:
The two tote would be Rdwc R for recirculating. So pump sits in the outside res with a rubber hose 1/2” to the tote in the tent. Making a waterfall. To drain you simply disconnect the hose on the pump to another hose that goes to a drain.
The issue is tent manufactures haven’t caught on and there’s no hole for your drain and feed lines so you’ll have to make one.
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Ahh okay so the reservoir water rotates through both totes so I would need a third to drain the res into since I would need to transport it to a drain? Still much easier than mixing several gallons of water every 3 days though for watering soil. The waterfall negates the need for bubbleponics? Sorry if I'm asking elementary level questions here lol soil is all I've known.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
RuggedWombat said:
Ahh okay so the reservoir water rotates through both totes so I would need a third to drain the res into since I would need to transport it to a drain? Still much easier than mixing several gallons of water every 3 days though for watering soil. The waterfall negates the need for bubbleponics? I could run the hoses out of the 6 inch lower inlet hole on my tent with no issues...I just wouldn't have the vent cover but I've ran plenty of grows without it and the totes are largely sealed against Aussie Kush. Sorry if I'm asking elementary level questions here lol soil is all I've known.
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RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
What size would you suggest for each tote? My tent is only 5 feet high so I need to keep it fairly low. Are there any other considerations for size besides how long it takes to change the reservoir? Also how many plants can I grow in this one tote in the tent? I figured drill 4 holes in the top of the tote, but I would assume 3 would be about right? Worried the root balls will get giant and might run into each other. How much bigger does the control reservoir need to be to only need to change the water like once a week?
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
RuggedWombat said:
What size would you suggest for each tote? My tent is only 5 feet high so I need to keep it fairly low. Are there any other considerations for size besides how long it takes to change the reservoir? Also how many plants can I grow in this one tote in the tent? I figured drill 4 holes in the top of the tote, but I would assume 3 would be about right? Worried the root balls will get giant and might run into each other. How much bigger does the control reservoir need to be to only need to change the water like once a week?
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5’ really?? That’s nuts. Get a taller tent. Or cut the bottom out and make a riser.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
Another thing. What is the average temp where the tent is?? I always recommend in a bsmt on cement floor where the temp never gets much above 70f
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
myke said:
Another thing. What is the average temp where the tent is?? I always recommend in a bsmt on cement floor where the temp never gets much above 70f
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So far it stays pretty cold as it's in the master closet. In fact sometimes it wavers down into the high 60s which has been causing some purpling in the current grow. 3-4 5 gallon photos already make way more than I need; surely I can hold off on a higher tent for a bit. When I move houses later this year I'll have enough space for a 4x4 with a high roof, but for now it would just be easiest to work with what I have. I also only run 2 HLG 100s so trust me I know I'm leaving a lot of yield off the table already. I can always scrog as well. I've mapped out most of my RDWC build, I'm just not sure on sizes (reservoir and control size, air pump and water pump size). Also how loud are these pumps and what kind of heat production will we be talking about?
 
Rookieoftheyr

Rookieoftheyr

Well-Known Member
unreal1 said:
These guys make a reasonably priced kick ass system. https://shop.pahydroponics.com/fallponic-systems/
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This site is pretty good on prices. I book marked it.
I have another setup and wanna do two Dwc in roughly 20 gallon. Storage totes and external rez and 8inch net pots in a 4x4 for with a circulating pump. Just venturing off into diy stuff now. Think a shut of valve to the res on putting tent on home made platform so rez sit lower for complete changouts. Ph and ppm meter on res. Then I’d be more likely journal like I don’t.
Just trying to simplify my Dwc a little more and get a little more time between my water changes. I think I’d have to run sterile with this setup also though. Just gotta hunt down parts now.
I have two ph and ppm meters I was gonna put the in my five gallon Dwc buckets. But no matter what every two days I have to adjust something. Hoping a res will make it easier with less checking. I’d like to be able to forget my plants even exist for the most part. And get two weeks or more between changeouts.
 
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Greengrouch

Greengrouch

Well-Known Member
In a 2x4 tent I’d probably go with a 30ish gallon storage tote with 6-8 netpots and a couple air stones. If it’s standard 2x4 height(like 5ft) you won’t be able to veg very long cause shit grows fast af in hydro.
 
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