How would YOU set this (kinda) RDWC up?

First drainage setup was a failure..... BUT, this is why we test. I didnt look enough before I bought some stuff and ended up with a drain system that was way too small and my reses started filling up.
All I am going for is essentially 12 bubbleponic boxes with a little recirculation to keep the water levels the same so I dont have to top them off or feed them individually. I want to only pump water in to the boxes, dont want to have to pump anything out.
Boxes are 17 gal HDX boxes.
~40 GPH flows to each box (around 500 GPH recirculates for the whole system)

I was looking at doing 1" tubing this time around, but that and all of the fittings adds up quick and I wasnt sure if just running a 1" hose between the boxes like in the first picture would be enough. 4th picture was what I first drew out looking at hoses, but i think option 2 would do well with hoses too.
I could do 1" pvc or 1 1/2" abs cheaper and im at the end of my budget here so that is appealing.
The bottom of the picture is the only entrance to my room. I like the first option because it keeps the "isles" a clear as thats usually where I walk up and down, there's less space between the ends of the boxes.

With the flow I am using, Which setup, and what size pipe/hose would you use? Or would you do something different?

You need at least 1.5" returns. Mini uses that but the bigger one is actually 2".

arent you pushing a lot more water to each bucket than I am? I have 1/4" tubing with a small stream of water going into my pot.
I figured out a way to do option 2 for like $90 with 1" tube. I can do option 1 in 1.5" abs for around $100, option 2 around $130. But the abs will take up more room in my already cramped space.
If I do option 2 like this picture and dont combine the tubes on the right side of the tent, I can just run all 4 out to the res and ill essentially have the same as 2 2" drains.

fragileassassin said:

arent you pushing a lot more water to each bucket than I am? I have 1/4" tubing with a small stream of water going into my pot.
I figured out a way to do option 2 for like $90 with 1" tube. I can do option 1 in 1.5" abs for around $100, option 2 around $130. But the abs will take up more room in my already cramped space.
If I do option 2 like this picture and dont combine the tubes on the right side of the tent, I can just run all 4 out to the res and ill essentially have the same as 2 2" drains.

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You don't need to connect them on every side man. See the pics? Just one Hoke on the end sites and through holes go the res. Straight through, not off to the side.

Straight through the middle of each of the 3 lanes, 2 90's and a Tee and you're done.

Up your line size to 1/2" and use a 3/4" manifold so you have equal pressure on each site. Up your pump size to over 1000 gph. This one uses 1600. You eliminate the need for air stones this way.

This relatively new/unknown version seems to solve several issues

https://greenenvysupply.com/brand/oxygen-pot-systems/

I already have 1" holes in the ends of my boxes and I dont really want to put pipes across the rows as that's my walking space. With that I'd want to do the first picture I made if doing 1.5 or 2" pipes.

I either have to spend a little bit more money or pretty much take everything apart to rotate my tent. I have light wires run out the top and drivers mounted to joists and stuff, I dont really want to do that.

The drawing on the grid paper is pretty close to scale. End to end theres about a foot between the ends of each box and just under 2ft side to side with about a foot of room around the outside edge of everything. My door would be on the left of that picture with the top and right sides against concrete walls. Theres not room to pull the tent out and put the res behind it.

Water runs in a 1/2" line to a manifold then through equal length tubes to the pots, they have nice equal flow. I already plan to make a bigger waterfall manifold made, but I gotta get this all going first before i can buy more pumps. Doing the drains with this in mind.

PetFlora said:

This relatively new/unknown version seems to solve several issues

https://greenenvysupply.com/brand/oxygen-pot-systems/

Click to expand...

I'm essentially making my own of that but bigger. Everything else is working just how I wanted it. I just underestimated the drains. Even have the collapsible tank lol

Edit: nvm I missed the part about the fabric pots lol. I guess I'm doing more of this.
https://greenenvysupply.com/product/current-culture-under-current-double-barrel/

to clarify, you have the feed lines figured out but not the drains?

i would use one drain (think shower drain: it's really a bulkhead fitting with a grate to keep out stuff ie hydroton) in the bottom of each HD tote. it uses 1.5" pvc fittings. connect all the drains together and run back to the control res.

fragileassassin said:

I already have 1" holes in the ends of my boxes and I dont really want to put pipes across the rows as that's my walking space. With that I'd want to do the first picture I made if doing 1.5 or 2" pipes.

I either have to spend a little bit more money or pretty much take everything apart to rotate my tent. I have light wires run out the top and drivers mounted to joists and stuff, I dont really want to do that.

The drawing on the grid paper is pretty close to scale. End to end theres about a foot between the ends of each box and just under 2ft side to side with about a foot of room around the outside edge of everything. My door would be on the left of that picture with the top and right sides against concrete walls. Theres not room to pull the tent out and put the res behind it.

Water runs in a 1/2" line to a manifold then through equal length tubes to the pots, they have nice equal flow. I already plan to make a bigger waterfall manifold made, but I gotta get this all going first before i can buy more pumps. Doing the drains with this in mind.

Click to expand...

Oh your rather just have over double the piping going throughout all the space in the room instead? I don't know why to tell you man. Seems to me you already know what you're wanting.

Airwalker16 said:

Oh your rather just have over double the piping going throughout all the space in the room instead? I don't know why to tell you man. Seems to me you already know what you're wanting.

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It actually comes out to just a few more feet of pipe. If I do it like this, I can even put 2" pipe on the ends with 1 1/2" run between the box ends.
I get that doing what you said is cheaper, but that comes at another cost. Pipe on the ends isnt in the way, It'll be near the walls of the tent. Pipe going through the middle of everything will just clutter my room and make it difficult to move around. if everything was rotated 90 degrees, that would work, but it would take me days to change everything at this point. I can do to home depot today and do this for under $100

rkymtnman said:

to clarify, you have the feed lines figured out but not the drains?

i would use one drain (think shower drain: it's really a bulkhead fitting with a grate to keep out stuff ie hydroton) in the bottom of each HD tote. it uses 1.5" pvc fittings. connect all the drains together and run back to the control res.

Click to expand...

Yeah im happy with the feed rate, I just ran my main res dry in a few minutes because everything was only trickling back in.
I had considered doing this, but id have to raise everything off the floor. Ill probably do this with the next setup if there is one lol

fragileassassin said:

Yeah im happy with the feed rate, I just ran my main res dry in a few minutes because everything was only trickling back in.
I had considered doing this, but id have to raise everything off the floor. Ill probably do this with the next setup if there is one lol

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i put mine up on cinder blocks. and then on the line that ran back to the control tub, i plumbed in a drain line that runs to the floor drain next to my water heater. turn a valve and it emptied out lickety split.

fragileassassin said:

Yeah im happy with the feed rate, I just ran my main res dry in a few minutes because everything was only trickling back in.
I had considered doing this, but id have to raise everything off the floor. Ill probably do this with the next setup if there is one lol

Click to expand...

Bro, it comes out to over DOUBLE MAYBE TRIPLE the length. You must have misunderstood me

And you must have misunderstood me when I said theres 2 feet between them side to side and 1 foot between them end to end.
I can do all of the 2" stuff with 2 10' pipes that cost $6
I can do all of the 1.5" with 1 10' pipe. That's $5
Your way I'd need 3 10' pipes to get enough.

The Ts and Elbows are $1.50 each so your way is around $15 cheaper there.
The fittings I'm using in the totes are $1.30. My way uses 8 more than your way.
So your way saves me $25 and puts a bunch of shit in my walkways. I'll pass

All in my way has like 4 more feet

So TURN the damn things and use a Cross on the res connection, man.
Or even easier, leave them the same and just buy 4 new totes for the furthest of each lane that need only 1 hole and put your res to the right or left of it all using 2 90s and 3 tees to feed back to the res.

With your mock up you need 6-90's & 6-tees and more pipe.

And your original would take 6-90's, 9-tees, and 6 crosses. Fittings are expensive man.

Water only needs to flow one way. Adding outlets on both sides to all of them accomplishes nothing.

I said why that wont work too =)
If I turn them in place theyre end to end and would block my door.
If I rotate the whole setup Ill have to move all my lights and the drivers and exhaust thats mounted to joists outside.
I went ahead and did it. I did at least go 2"
Its not that I dont value your input, i wish I would have had it before I started at all. I'd just have to undo a LOT to do it differently.
6 2" Ts and 6 2" Elbows was all of $18.60. I'll pay $9.30 to make it look nice and symmetrical.
Im good with what im spending. Initially it was looking like it was going to cost twice as much.

Maybe these will help make some things make sense? Im still a bit paranoid about pictures even though this is within my state laws.




This is the only door that is accessible. Once anything grows id be having to climb through plants.


If I do it like this, I only have to step over 1 pipe going in and out.. I could even extend that end a bit to put it up against the bottom of the door and get it out of the way more.

At least you took my advice on going through them rather than around. One way water flow.
You'll be glad you went with 2".
Now you can pump through those waterfalls with some force and get the DO you should be with a setup like that.

Airwalker16 said:

At least you took my advice on going through them rather than around. One way water flow.
You'll be glad you went with 2".
Now you can pump through those waterfalls with some force and get the DO you should be with a setup like that.

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I want to keep the small "drip" tubing in, everything's going seed to flower in the same pot. With this ill probably just use one air pump and drop a few stones in my outside res early on. But I do plan on making a system for waterfalls that I can switch to once the water to the basket isnt needed. I'll do something fairly similar to yours. I need it to be out of the way so ill probably run it along the sides of the boxs right under the lid lip.
I was thinking do a 1" pvc T across the back and either T out some 3/4" pvc up to the boxes or just some barb fittings and hose up to 3/4" pvc run down the edge of the boxes then pop a half inch elbow fitting into each one. Shouldnt have any issues going in the side as each one will only be half full. While I remember..... water level below the pots, ive seen everything from touching the pot to like 5" below it. What do you suggest?
The whole system is around 120 (give or take 20 either way) gallons total, what should I aim to recirculate at? May be easier to do a pump for each side like I have now.

I'd recommend 1" manifold to 1/2" on the waterfalls and use like a 2000gph pump.
Kinda sucks you can't just use 2 lines and cross off onto each site. Itd be in your walkways.