Going to add DWC to my ebb/flow buckets. Any cautionary tales available?

So I read about a hybrid system in maximum yield last month about essentially adding airstones to a bucket based ebb and flow system and maintaining higher water levels in the buckets.

So essentially, I have a four gallon bucket filled with hydroton that sits inside another 4 gallon bucket that is connected to my water system. There is a space of about 2-3" between the buckets that the roots grow into.

This space, and probably the bottom 1" of the hydroton bucket will be filled with nutrient water with a single 4" airstone. The water will get swapped out every 4 hours with the ebb/flow cycle.

Anything to watch out for? My temps should be good. Do people run lower PPM in DWC?

Thanks for any advice.
LF

Make sure you have strainers on fittings in the buckets. Hydroton seems to love to flow into hoses and cause blocks. I'm not sure why the 4G in 4G, I use 6" net pots built into a bucket lid. I didn't see the article you mention but I'd rather have more roots in water instead of entwined in clay. I've always grown RDWC and I run my nutes about 50% of manufacturers guides. I used to go by the labels and had burn and other issues when solution got more concentrated by water usage and transpiration. On advice of a friend I dropped to 75% and then 50% and haven't seen any appreciable difference in bud size or quality. I use GH Flora, 3 part and Botanicare Cal/Mag only with RO water. I'm no expert but I'm getting no complaints.

I see what you are saying, I have a ebb and grow and you could do this by basically relocating the drain float valve to a higher position to keep water in the buckets at all times. What I'm wondering is if the oxygen being pumped in the individual buckets (being a bucket in a bucket) would be trapped in the bottom or if it makes it's way into the hydration filled upper bucket. Interesting none the less would like to hear some opinins on this topic as well and let us know how it works out for you.

In my 5 gal bubble buckets I run my nuts at 50% sometimes 75% depending on which strain I'm running of course.

E&F already gets massive amount of O2. DWC is a step down if ask me. Most all of that air pumped in gets lost through the surface.

Not sure about dwc being a step down. One of the fastest systems I have ever experienced. Plus the article had several good points. Plus I have seen rotten roots in the bottom of buckets before as it gets pretty stagnant. Not to
Mention heavy oxygen will fend off root disease and microbial issues. Air lost through the surface? I don't even know what that means.

Set up the system on wensday night. As with most things you start to experiment with... It was ugly. First I just ran the airline down between the two buckets using that plastic ice maker line so it wouldn't pinch. Turned the system on..oohhh I hear lots of bubbles. Turn the flood on... Shit shit shit. The air was blowing water out the gaps between the buckets.


Cleaned up all that water and pulled all the airlines out. Reasoning that it wouldn't leak if there wasn't a big gap I mounted the airlines through the bottom of the buckets with rubber grommets. Turned water on...looks good....glug glug glug. Water everywhere, still getting blown out between buckets.

So after 6 straight hours crouching in the grow room, fucking around with 7 week old plants I sat down to drink a beer and day dream of a time when you could get $300 for an ounce of kind.

Ahhh hah moment! Plugged the airpump into a timer. When flooding and draining the pump is off. All other times it is running.

Got pics ?

what if you ran the air line threw the hydroton and out the drain holes of the first bucket then to the "res" area . it would stop from having the big gap in the buckets and might seal better???

There are sealing pretty good now actually. Pumping air into the buckets kind of pressurizes them and eventually something has to give and the water kind of bursts out of the buckets. not really bursts but you know what I mean. It is only an issue when there is allot of water in the buckets. I think that having the air pump on a timer is thee answer.

I'm on vacation know (and hopefully the system is synced up and I won't come home to 18 mature dead plants) but I'll post some pics when I get back into town.

All I used to set up the system is this:

110 liter per minute airpump ($80 ebay)
40 feet of airline
two 10 outlet splitters
18 4" blue airstones.