How to drain a UCRDWC??

chadster152

chadster152

Well-Known Member
What way do you drain your UC/RDWC system?

I am currently building mine (check my sig for details) and i need to add a way to drain it. I'm thinking maybe a drain plug at the bottom of each site and res??

What do you think is the easiest method?

Thanks,

Chadster152
 
chadster152

chadster152

Well-Known Member
hotrodharley said:
Siphon hose.
Click to expand...
BigBuddahCheese said:
Another twenty dollar pump?
Click to expand...
:wall: I meant more like a specifically built in way to drain, like drain plugs for example or ??

I thought about getting a siphon hose or using the submersible pump in the res to drain, but that seems like a lil bit of a pain in the ass and i cant imagine it would remove *ALL* liquid from the system...

I think i remember seeing a design i saw here where a guy put an elbow fitting through the bottom of all his buckets, about ~1/4" up from the bottom, and then had some hose attached to the fitting and he used it to instantly see the water level of his buckets and if he turned the hose from straight up to pointing down and away from the bucket, it functioned as a drain...but i don't want light reaching any bit of water that is in contact with my plants. My entire system is *designed* to be light proof to avoid the possible algae/fungal growth associated with water and light.

Anyways thanks for the input guys :-D...Is it necessary to drain *ALL* liquid during a res change or is that just my OCD tendencies? :eyesmoke:

Chadster152
 
nitro harley

nitro harley

Well-Known Member
chadster152 said:
:wall: I meant more like a specifically built in way to drain, like drain plugs for example or ??I thought about getting a siphon hose or using the submersible pump in the res to drain, but that seems like a lil bit of a pain in the ass and i cant imagine it would remove *ALL* liquid from the system...I think i remember seeing a design i saw here where a guy put an elbow fitting through the bottom of all his buckets, about ~1/4" up from the bottom, and then had some hose attached to the fitting and he used it to instantly see the water level of his buckets and if he turned the hose from straight up to pointing down and away from the bucket, it functioned as a drain...but i don't want light reaching any bit of water that is in contact with my plants. My entire system is *designed* to be light proof to avoid the possible algae/fungal growth associated with water and light.Anyways thanks for the input guys :-D...Is it necessary to drain *ALL* liquid during a res change or is that just my OCD tendencies? :eyesmoke:Chadster152
Click to expand...
Hello Chadster.......I use 5 gallon buckets.....and I don't quite get all the nutes out of the buckets......There is about an inch of nutes in my buckets after pumping them out......then I just do a fresh water flush for 20/30 minutes....then I pump it out again and refill with fresh nutes.............works good for me.......alittle left over doesn't seem to be a problem for me.......nitro....
 
chadster152

chadster152

Well-Known Member
nitro harley said:
Hello Chadster.......I use 5 gallon buckets.....and I don't quite get all the nutes out of the buckets......There is about an inch of nutes in my buckets after pumping them out......then I just do a fresh water flush for 20/30 minutes....then I pump it out again and refill with fresh nutes.............works good for me.......alittle left over doesn't seem to be a problem for me.......nitro....
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Thanks for stopping by nitro, I've read through one of your journals and you definitely know your shit so I appreciate the input.

That's what I figured, about an inch or so of left over solution...and I was thinking of just diluting and pumping out and then changing the solution, I'm glad you confirmed that for me. That seems like a simple and easy way to do it...definitely easier than building a whole drain system.

Do you run H2o2 by chance? I'm thinking of using it to add extra o2 and to keep things sterile in case my res temps are higher than I would like (above 70*) as I don't have a water chiller (but i will be using frozen 2 liter bottles).

Chadster152
 
Soupsah

Soupsah

Active Member
my pump that returns water to the epic center has a bypass with ball valve and hose attachment. I turn the ball valve on and water drains through hose to sink. I use the wet vac if I want to fully drain and clean the inch or so of water that is left.
 
tallen

tallen

Well-Known Member
Inline pump and garden hose. Gets it all and easy to use (unlike repeated dumping of a shop vac)
 
UnderCurrentDWC

UnderCurrentDWC

Active Member
chadster152 said:
What way do you drain your UC/RDWC system?

I am currently building mine (check my sig for details) and i need to add a way to drain it. I'm thinking maybe a drain plug at the bottom of each site and res??

What do you think is the easiest method?

Thanks,

Chadster152
Click to expand...
Soupsah said:
my pump that returns water to the epic center has a bypass with ball valve and hose attachment. I turn the ball valve on and water drains through hose to sink. I use the wet vac if I want to fully drain and clean the inch or so of water that is left.
Click to expand...
^
What Soupsah said!

nitro harley said:
Hello Chadster.......I use 5 gallon buckets.....and I don't quite get all the nutes out of the buckets......There is about an inch of nutes in my buckets after pumping them out......then I just do a fresh water flush for 20/30 minutes....then I pump it out again and refill with fresh nutes.............works good for me.......alittle left over doesn't seem to be a problem for me.......nitro....
Click to expand...
^
What nitro said!


 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
My shop vac suggestion wasn't meant to be smart-alecky.

My grow is far from a likely place to dump the liquid waste, and a shop vac is imo a convenient way to service one bucket at a time. But if hose&pump or siphon work ... run with it. And use the shop vac to get that last inch. I don't know how necessary it is, but leaving a quart of old nute makes me feel like i just poured the last half-cup of old milk into the new gallon. cn
 
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