simple way to convert a ebb table to a DTW table

here we have a basic flood table drilled and plumbed for ebb & flow.

And the res under the table.

now pull out the 3/4 drain fitting and slide a peace of
1/2 hose through it.

should end up looking like this.

then go ahead and re attach it to the table

and what it should look like from under the table.

then go ahead a install a 1/2 90

then add a 1/2 on/off valve

now its time to lay out the 1/2 supply hose.
you can do this anyway you feel best suits
your table.


then you will need to cap off the ends.

from here its time to start running 1/4 dripper lines, before
you do setup how and where you want to punch the hole. sucks
to plug holes if you end up with some longer lines then others
then you can put a 1/4 valve to slow flow on the shorter ones
to even out flow.


now the dripper end you can use drip emitters or drip stakes
but i like this method of a 1/4 tee helps spread out the water
for a better soak.

smart pots and coco = nice root growth

the 1/2 flood side fitting is now the 1/2 drain side
and can be plumbed however you like.

i just run mine to a 5 gal bucket, yah you got to watch
it so it dont flood! but its better to drain it more often
and give you a chance to test run off.

I setup by res like this you can however you like.




and now its time to get the table going

Thanks for the right-up Hellraizer.

Moebius said:

Thanks for the right-up Hellraizer.

Click to expand...

No problem moebius hope to do a few more here real soon

great tutorial but why do you want a DTW ? Seems like a waste of nutes.

PurpleBuz said:

great tutorial but why do you want a DTW ? Seems like a waste of nutes.

Click to expand...

Its not anymore wastefull than running recycle, when you do a weekly res dump on a recycle theres leftovers
that you get rid of! Well that amount is about equal to the run off in drain to waste. And in this system you can
add about anything you want without fear of bactiria outbreaks in your res! Plants feed on one level of nutes
and ph is solid as it come with very little if any drift! And by using coco the medium has the ability to drain out
faster = more feed times and a much faster growth!

hellraizer30 said:

Its not anymore wastefull than running recycle, when you do a weekly res dump on a recycle theres leftovers
that you get rid of! Well that amount is about equal to the run off in drain to waste. And in this system you can
add about anything you want without fear of bactiria outbreaks in your res! Plants feed on one level of nutes
and ph is solid as it come with very little if any drift! And by using coco the medium has the ability to drain out
faster = more feed times and a much faster growth!

Click to expand...

Mostly valid points except if I ran dtw I would end up throwing away a lot more nutes than in my recirc. I grow in coco chips\stones and water several times a day during light period. For 4-6 plants under a 4 foot bed, I would throw away about 5 gallons everytime I turn on the water.

PurpleBuz said:

Mostly valid points except if I ran dtw I would end up throwing away a lot more nutes than in my recirc. I grow in coco chips\stones and water several times a day during light period. For 4-6 plants under a 4 foot bed, I would throw away about 5 gallons everytime I turn on the water.

Click to expand...

Hard to picture that you could not dail back the flow to lessen the run off! For every 25gal of water i mix weekly i get
5gals of run off and thats 3 feeds during lights on for 1 min. And that feeds 18 girls, here soon im going to 4feeds starting
on week 3

hellraizer30 said:

Hard to picture that you could not dail back the flow to lessen the run off! For every 25gal of water i mix weekly i get
5gals of run off and thats 3 feeds during lights on for 1 min. And that feeds 18 girls, here soon im going to 4feeds starting
on week 3

Click to expand...

But I want a lot of hydro flow. Rather than providing a strong nute solution, I provide a weaker solution and refresh it with volume to ensure that no localized nute imbalances occur. I guess its just different in how we feed.

I keep Wayne auto sump pumps in my drain reservoirs when they hit about 8 inches it pumps it to the yard.
20 percent or so runoff keeps nutrient levels from building up.

How would you recommend it if you had to do this to 4 4x8 tables and wanted to use just 1 res for feeding?

Lucius Vorenus said:

How would you recommend it if you had to do this to 4 4x8 tables and wanted to use just 1 res for feeding?

Click to expand...

First i would get with a water company and get a 200 gal tank and plumb each table to it...
start off filling it 50gals and see how long it lasts and dial your feeding in, once you ready
fill it up so it will last 1week and your set!

You could go on vacation for as long as your water reserve last

Looking a bit more into it i would say a 650gph pump would do it! As long as your not lifting water more than 3ft.
run it 3/4 lines with 1/4 drip lines. You will need 1/2 in and 1/4 in inline valves to controll flow. Something that large
will take time to dial in.

hellraizer30 said:

Looking a bit more into it i would say a 650gph pump would do it! As long as your not lifting water more than 3ft.
run it 3/4 lines with 1/4 drip lines. You will need 1/2 in and 1/4 in inline valves to controll flow. Something that large
will take time to dial in.

Click to expand...

I agree. Where would you put valves? I was thinking just soft hose running down the middle of the tables and 1/4 hose punched into the sides of the hose and into the stakes in each pot. We run approx 40 plants per 4x8 table.

The 1/4 valves i would put at the start of where the 1/4 leaves the 3/4 soft hose. And the 3/4 valve i would put as close to the res
as you could

hellraizer30 said:

The 1/4 valves i would put at the start of where the 1/4 leaves the 3/4 soft hose. And the 3/4 valve i would put as close to the res
as you could

Click to expand...

So if you had 48 plants in a 4x8 flood you would have 48 1/4 valves? Maybe im confused by what you mean by valves. Got a pic?

The 12th pic shows the vavle im talking about, you dont need 48 of them! You only use them on the short lines
so you can compansate for the long lines being slower feeding.

pic 8 show the 1/2 in valve that controls the overall flow/pressure to the feed lines

I have a simular setup on 4x8 trays tilted at an angle by bricks and supported by play wood and 2x4

How do you make runoff tables with the lowest possible clearance?For us 6.5 foot Michigan basement setups? Them bulkheads take up valuble real estate. Plus the table on bricks. Shopvac? Corrugated roofing plastic to rain gutter to sump? Blocks in runoff saucers with shopvac? Been trying different things for awhile

thecoolman said:

I keep Wayne auto sump pumps in my drain reservoirs when they hit about 8 inches it pumps it to the yard.
20 percent or so runoff keeps nutrient levels from building up.

Click to expand...

Is the res waste good for your back yard?

I

since1991 said:

How do you make runoff tables with the lowest possible clearance?For us 6.5 foot Michigan basement setups? Them bulkheads take up valuble real estate. Plus the table on bricks. Shopvac? Corrugated roofing plastic to rain gutter to sump? Blocks in runoff saucers with shopvac? Been trying different things for awhile

Click to expand...

Would say build a frame of 2x4's on caster wheels. On one side, use 6" in wheels, the other, use 4". You may be able to get away with using 2x3's which will be cheaper and much lighter. Problem with this design is that you can't put your reservoir or drain bucket under the tables and thus, what you save in verticle space, you will lose in lateral space. I was about to try the wood frame method as I described, but I realized it seemed lime a hassle when I was putting one together. I have yet to get my tables but I am thinking of just putting them on cinder blocks so I can fit a small reservoir underneath, but if you don't have the verticle space, I could see why the wood frame method would have to do.