DIY RDWC planning in 1.2x1.2x2 tent

HI, I have a 1.2x1.2x2m tent with 600w lumatek digi ballast and shade coming.

I have got all needed for a soil grow minus the pots which are easy to come by but I am interested in a RDWC setup. I have drawn together a SketchUp model of what I would like it to look like. I have a few changes I would like to make to it but before I spend much more time on the design I would like some of you experienced professionals to comment on my design.

So below is the 2 images I have exported from SketchUp. The buckets are 20L black food grade buckets with a 40mm pipe at the bottom of them for draining back to the control bucket... If you look at the middle control bucket, the thinner pipe will connect to a water pump, I have estimated a 500 lph pump should be sufficient.



One of the questions that is most important to me is the supply line from the water pump. Does it have to run on a waterfall effect into the plant buckets or can I have the supply line submerged in the plant buckets so there is no sound of water flowing as that noise of water is a problem for me. I will be working on silencing the extraction as much as possible also so that I can still sleep in the same room as the tent. I heard acoustic ducting and some diy boxes with insulation can do wonders for extraction system entry and exit points.

I have yet to draw in the air pump and air lines into the buckets but each one will have 2 air lines and 2 air pumps to use the 8 line outputs on the air pump most efficiently.

So to point out the main questions I have:

1. Can the supply of water to the plant pots be submerged below the water line so there is no sound of flowing water?

2. Does my system look like it has any major flaws?

3. Would you think that more than 4 plant pots in a 1.2x1.2x2m tent is too much? I am aiming to grow enough to not have to grow all the time. So as large a crop as possible then a large break is what I would prefer.

4. Will the return drain pipes cause any problems with clogging from the roots as I do plan to veg for as long as possible to fill my space as best as possible.

I do believe that vegging the plants to fit my grow space then flowering is the best method to produce the right amount from the light I am giving it.

I can provide any other information or pictures at any angle of the model if you would like to see anything...

Oh and first estimates of cost for the whole system including air pump and water pump is £150. That is current prices locally sourced between a few grow shops and 1 big well known hardware store.

Thanks for any input or criticism

1. This depends on the level of dissolved oxygen (DO). Sometimes the air pumps are sufficient for this and other times it can introduce disease in the plants. I tried RDWC and this happened to me. I have just ordered a DO meter and it should be in tomorrow (Thursday). I am going to run several tests to see what produces the most DO. The amount of DO is directly related to the temperature of the water. Do you have a chiller for the water? Insulation for your pots? Try to keep the water between 61 - 63 degrees F. This will allow you to get a PPM for DO of 9 in the best conditions. This is a trial and error method but produces amazing results if done right (google heath robinson tree grow).

2. Water cooling.

3. Depends on the lighting. Are you using a hood or a vertical bulb? Is there cooling? What is it?

4. If they do then you should be able to pull up he plants and put them back in (net pots I assume) or cut back the roots (I hate this idea). You can also put in a plastic dam or sponge filter to prevent them from going into the return.

Everyone will tell you that yield varies from too many variables to count. I prefer to do a perpetual grow where you can harvest x plants every y week(s).

Thanks for the reply computergroove. I have seen a post I have been following where the dude claims to have a DO meter but is always too 'lazy' to use it and give its readings. I would love to know what benefits an air stone has on the level of DO as I have read that the larger air bubbles that an air stone puts out just don't oxygenate the water the way one would believe it would. I have heard that the waterfall effect actually puts more DO in the water as the agitated surface water is where the magic happens.

But now to answer your reply. I don't have a chiller or have on in my plan yet but after testing the temps with an empty tent I am just able to keep it at 26c / 78.8f and that is as hot as it should get as that was a hot day for my climate.

I have a 600w horizontal non air cooled hood but am looking to upgrade to an air cooled hood as soon as possible.

I get what your saying about just lifting the net pots to re-position the roots, I had planned on cutting the roots but would rather keep them as big as they are as I don't want to stress the plants much.

I think I will just buy bit by bit till I have everything including a chiller as the water temp will be the same as the air temp or possibly higher and you say that it needs to be cooler for the best results.

I will have a think about whether a chiller is worth it for what I am looking for. What water chiller would you recommend for a system that holds no more than 100L of water?

chemtrailsrbad said:

But now to answer your reply. I don't have a chiller or have on in my plan yet but after testing the temps with an empty tent I am just able to keep it at 26c / 78.8f and that is as hot as it should get as that was a hot day for my climate.


I will have a think about whether a chiller is worth it for what I am looking for. What water chiller would you recommend for a system that holds no more than 100L of water?

Click to expand...

LOOK OUT! water temp's over 70F can kill your plant in less then 24hrs! Many breeds are not tolerant to heat in their root systems in any DWC style.

using a silica supplement can help plant heat tolerance but I wouldn't trust that alone!

Your looking at 300 American dollars to start in a manufactured unit that will Chill 90 Gallons by 10°
or 10 Gallons by 30°

If you can control room temp to 68F and put a fan to move the air around the res. You should be ok.

Other quick/low cost solutions are to put frozen water in pop bottles or milk jugs into the res. , but you can get them too cold also so be careful.

you will need a good size reservoir