RDWC Setup Idea

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BlueDiesel

Active Member
Any thoughts on why you couldn't direct the return water supply in a current culture type set up to the main/top off reservoir outside the tent instead of the epic center inside the tent? My thoughts are by directing the return into the topoff resistor sitting out side the tent, with the ambient temp year round at 60-65%, I could cut cost or even eliminate the use of a water chiller. Also by incorporating the volume of water in the top off res would help stabilize ph. I would have to set it up that the supply from the main/top off reservoir to the epic center was greater then the return supply into the topoff res. That way the float valve in the epic center would control water levels. My set up is a 4x8 tent with 1 nextlight mega.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
BlueDiesel said:
Any thoughts on why you couldn't direct the return water supply in a current culture type set up to the main/top off reservoir outside the tent instead of the epic center inside the tent? My thoughts are by directing the return into the topoff resistor sitting out side the tent, with the ambient temp year round at 60-65%, I could cut cost or even eliminate the use of a water chiller. Also by incorporating the volume of water in the top off res would help stabilize ph. I would have to set it up that the supply from the main/top off reservoir to the epic center was greater then the return supply into the topoff res. That way the float valve in the epic center would control water levels. My set up is a 4x8 tent with 1 nextlight mega.
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This is exactly how you do it^^^
No Airstones, no airpump, only the 1600Gph workhorse to feed the waterfalls and the chiller pump. If you use a submersible, you need a chiller. If you use an inline, you can maybe get away with out one. It is done on the mini system.

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Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
BlueDiesel said:
Wouldn't I be adding co2 into the water supply? I guess I do not know exactly how falling water adds oxygen. I assumed that water falling through co2 enriched air would add co2 to the water.
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Hell no dude. You'd be pumping from the reservoir to each bucket site. Look at the pics man.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
BlueDiesel said:
Wouldn't I be adding co2 into the water supply? I guess I do not know exactly how falling water adds oxygen. I assumed that water falling through co2 enriched air would add co2 to the water.
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Your airpump would do the same thing. It's not the supply of air that oxygenates the water, it's the breaking of the bubbles at the top surface tension that causes the gas exchange into the water. You just need to keep stuff moving, fast.
 
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BlueDiesel

Active Member
Airwalker16 said:
Hell no dude. You'd be pumping from the reservoir to each bucket site. Look at the pics man.
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Yeah I see your epic center is outside the tent... I guess my question is where does the extra oxegen come from when you are not adding even an air stone. I could definitely see it if you added the air stone in the epic center. Do you run a top off res in conjunction to your epic center?
 
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BlueDiesel

Active Member
Airwalker16 said:
Lol you act like the ambient air in a normal unenriched setup is zero and not a constant 3-500.
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For sure, I can see the levels rise just from working in the room. I get mine up to 1500 till week 6 of bloom. I just know you shouldn't run your air pump in the room if you are running co2 so I just was of the mind set of since I am running co2 to get my oxegen supply from outside the room
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
BlueDiesel said:
For sure, I can see the levels rise just from working in the room. I get mine up to 1500 till week 6 of bloom. I just know you shouldn't run your air pump in the room if you are running co2 so I just was of the mind set of since I am running co2 to get my oxegen supply from outside the room
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Do you even have enough PAR to warrant Co2?
 
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BlueDiesel

Active Member
Airwalker16 said:
Your airpump would do the same thing. It's not the supply of air that oxygenates the water, it's the breaking of the bubbles at the top surface tension that causes the gas exchange into the water. You just need to keep stuff moving, fast.
Click to expand...
Good to know. Thanks for the info. Props again to your set up. Definitely given me something to reconsider.
 
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BlueDiesel

Active Member
Airwalker16 said:
Do you even have enough PAR to warrant Co2?
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Yeah you should see what these Nextlight Megas can do. I have to have mine on a dimmer and be very careful of increasing the intensity when I do. I am currently running my old ebb & gro system and looking to make the transfer to dwc. Besides not needing to run an air pump. Why did you choose waterfall? More even water distribution/ levels? Fewer dead spots? Definitely something worth considering
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
This setup is just a backwards UnderCurrent H2O system, allowing you to ditch the airpump.
UC connects all the buckets with 2-3" pvc and tees to a smaller line of 3/4-1" through aan inline pump to the res. This one just pumps to each bucket FROM the res.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
BlueDiesel said:
Yeah you should see what these Nextlight Megas can do. I have to have mine on a dimmer and be very careful of increasing the intensity when I do. I am currently running my old ebb & gro system and looking to make the transfer to dwc. Besides not needing to run an air pump. Why did you choose waterfall? More even water distribution/ levels? Fewer dead spots? Definitely something worth considering
Click to expand...
Yeah those are cool but expensive lights. DIY over here. Everything DIY.
 
redi jedi

redi jedi

Well-Known Member
BlueDiesel said:
Any thoughts on why you couldn't direct the return water supply in a current culture type set up to the main/top off reservoir outside the tent instead of the epic center inside the tent? My thoughts are by directing the return into the topoff resistor sitting out side the tent, with the ambient temp year round at 60-65%, I could cut cost or even eliminate the use of a water chiller. Also by incorporating the volume of water in the top off res would help stabilize ph. I would have to set it up that the supply from the main/top off reservoir to the epic center was greater then the return supply into the topoff res. That way the float valve in the epic center would control water levels. My set up is a 4x8 tent with 1 nextlight mega.
Click to expand...
It would no longer be a top-off res? You would have a two part epicenter/control bucket.

The easy way to do what your trying to achieve is use a large control bucket thats outside your tent. Then you could plumb a top-off res to the control bucket.
 
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BlueDiesel

Active Member
redi jedi said:
It would no longer be a top-off res? You would have a two part epicenter/control bucket.

The easy way to do what your trying to achieve is use a large control bucket thats outside your tent. Then you could plumb a top-off res to the control bucket.
Click to expand...
You are absolutely correct! It would no longer be a top of res but rather a res that was a part of the system and essentially gave the water more time to sit outside the tent in the ambient air at 60%. I would then have the large res sitting outside the tent feed the epic center.
 
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BlueDiesel

Active Member
So the question is, would there be an issue incorporating and addition 40 gallons into the system that would help reduce water temps and and create ph stabilization?
 
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