I know your first thoughts were "spider dwc?....wtf?". I don't take credit for it's original design because i'm sure someone else out there has already designed something similar or is even selling something similar.

let me preface this with problems with dwc that i'm trying to overcome (this is not dwc bashing nor will it become a thread to bash any hydro system). When I say dwc i'm talking about the standard design. 1 tub(res) with a lid that holds the plants so the roots dangle in the water(along with all the accessories like air stones and what not). I've done this design(sort of) so these are problems i found first hand:

1. tangled roots - when ever males pop up, it's impossible to seperate it's roots from everyone else's roots with out damaging them.

2. water changes - this really becomes annoying and painful when the plants get big.

3. light efficancy - I'm not sure if this applies to other hydro setups but in the standard dwc if one of the pants, taking up a prime spot under the light, turns out being male and plants on the boarders are females you can't really move them to get better lighting. So that prime real estate is wasted.

4. upgrade - If you ever decide to upgrade the amount of plants your system handles. you essentially have to buy/build a whole new system. even if it's just a system for a couple extra plants.

*5. SOG - It's really hard to do SOG with the standard dwc. when every you move plants from veg to flower you'd have to move the entire res which would be a pain in the ass.

*i've never done a SOG, so this is just a possible/likely problem.

These are simply the problems that my design tries to overcome. Alright now for an explanation of my design.

The best way to describe it would be a system of pots. In the reservoir there will be air stones(connected to an air pump and a water pump. water will be pumped up a main tube that will splinter off and feed each of the individual "pods".

Each pod will be hold about 3/4 gal of water. the intake will be about half way up on side wall of the pod. There will be a second tube that is near the top of the opposite wall that act as an overflow drainage. This drain tube will then connect to a main drain tube that will go directly back into the reservoir(which will be under the table that the pods are sitting on). All the pods will be detachable. There will be valves on the intake to stop water flowing through that tube and so water doesn't flow out of the pod through that hole. I don't have valves on the drainage because they were expensive but since they'll be right at the water line, tipping it so it drains in to the main line before disconnecting it will ensure it doesn't spill. The tube that connects to the main water line will be plugged up with an improvised plug.

What problems do the pods solve?

problem #1 - the plants will have their own pod, so their roots will never tangle(or tango) with other plants' roots.

problem #2 - The res is completely independant so that's no longer a problem. But also becuase it's independant, i could use a smaller res when the plants are still sapplings, there by saving water and nutrient solution. Then change to a larger res when the plants get bigger. In other words better/easer customization.

problem #3 - The pods are only attached to tubes so they can be moved around and much as i want.

problem #4 - Everything is designed to be interchangable. If I want a bigger res, I can change it. If I want more plants I can add more pods. If I want less plants I can take a way pods. In fact I could do all these things in the middle of a grow with out missing a beat.

problem # 5 - I'm sure people who have done SOG, do something similar(which is why i don't take credit for the design). But if I were to make two of these systems, 1 for vegging and the other for flowering, when one plant is done vegging I could easily just detatch that pod and plug it into the system in the flower room.

I'm sorry for not having pictures. I'm waiting on some key components. If you like this design, feel free to use it. There i'm done. Remember this is NOT a bashing thread. The only system you are allowed to bash is my design. let the critisism begin

btw this was my 420 post W00T!

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One more thing i forgot to add: The intake line on the side of the pod is half way up the side for a reason. IF the pump should fail(burned out, power failure etc) OR a hose should leak or detatch OR anything that would result in a lack of water preassure, the water in the pod will drain out through the intake; BUT since it is half way up the side wall there will still be about 1/3 of a gallon of water in the space between the bottom of that intake and the bottom of the pod. This would should sustain a plant for a day or so, in the event of an emergancy.

ALSO: the constant flowing of water will stir the nutes up so they don't settle to the bottom like they can in standard dwc systems.

there NOW i'm done.

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sweet ideas, id like to see it when its done, and i might have to give it a try and build something like your building, how about small air stones in every pod, like say 1 gallon paint buckets, with air line coming from it, and now you have a totally indipendent pod and they all share airpump, and drip lines, with quick disconnects, and one way valves, to prevent back flow when disconnected? you could make a shit load of these, hmmmm. theres a lotta sweet thinks that can come from your thread, thxs for the ideas and i still wanna see pics. lol

I considered 1 way valves but they were expensive. I've got the supplies to for 4 pods. I'll incread the pod count if the design is successful. But all the tubing, containers (pods and res), drain pluggs and valves(valves are expensive as hell) cost about $50. So basically it's complicated system on a budget.

There are draw backs to the system. It's not the most space effecient. It's not wasteful but most people get res(or entire systems) that are sepcific to their spaces. The tubing in my design can get in the way sometimes. HOWEVER, when moving it it will fit other spaces easily whereas a custome dwc will only fit one space snuggly and not there spaces.

Another drawback is it requires some understanding and handywork to put together but it's fun.

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Im having trouble picturing this hope you post a picture so I can see as when picturing I see some issues but not sure if I am understanding the exact setup.I know the 5 problems you listed above dont ever seem to happen in DWC or aero tubs but I guess they could if you dont plan or tend to your plants as you should.

Forgive the crudeness of the drawing, it was done in ms paint.

this is the general view:


this is the pod:

the water line will drop to the dotted line in the event of a broken pump or tube connecting the intake tube. It'll leave about a 1/3 of a gallon of water(even if it doesn't look like it in the pic).

The 5 problems were ones i either heard or had.

I'm not sure this can be classified as dwc anymore...it actually sound more like an ebb and flow, i'll i'd have to do is put the pump on a timer. well I hope this clears things up.

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Ahh so its the basic NTF setup with a flood and drain backup to it.Only thing I can see is you would have to use a flow adjuster or during a few dry runs with each addition so you dont fill faster then you can drain and get an over flow but want the nutes to be in a perpetual stae of movement.

yeah i guess you're right, it pretty much an nft system. well it doesn't matter because it's flexible. the drainage won't be a problem because the tubing i'm using for that has a bigger ID then the intake.

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I know it's been a while but all the parts have arrived...well they came friday but i've been busy...anywho, i do have some updates to the system. First, the containers for the pod have been changed. the one i originally had laid out were too big for my grow room. well not so much big but big enough so that when the hoses where incorporated, too many of the hoses had kinks in them(that would prevent water flow). For anyone who wants to copy this design, tubes take up a LOT of space simply because you can't bend them too much so i would suggest getting L connectors, especially with anything tubing of 3/4" ID or greater. so i had to get smaller containers. the new ones are about 2/3 of a gallon and now both the intake and drainage holes are at the top of the pot.

DISCLAIMER: THE REAL PIX ARE NOT AS PRETTY AS THE MS PAINT IMAGES.


pod:


system with 1 pod detached:


full system:


i've tested the system. it works with any number of pods. The water pressure is a kind of weak with all 4 pods. I was using a spare pump that only runs at 106 gph. but it'll do for now. The other important note is I haven't light proofed the pods yet. I'm working on that now.

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Nice looks very cool

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