Leak insurance

So this will be my second time using dwc for growing. First time was kinda...meh. Once I got the nutrients tuned in it took off like a...you fill it in. Planted lagged at first until I used cal mag full strength. The whole grow was accidental so to speak and suffered a bit with light contamination from timers pulling out or getting bumped so the one hydro plant hermied on me. Long story short I'm attempting to run another system with different diy equipment, but in the cold months and in my attic. So it is impressive I have no leaks. What chemicals would any reader recommend for joint compound so I won't have a connection failure. I'm thinking I can elongate the bucket by adding onto it with more buckets with bottom half cut out if need to keep roots free from holes. This was and will be rdwc so that the cold can keep the reservoir cool but grow space warm. Does JB weld do alright on PVC?

Aapoo said:

So this will be my second time using dwc for growing. First time was kinda...meh. Once I got the nutrients tuned in it took off like a...you fill it in. Planted lagged at first until I used cal mag full strength. The whole grow was accidental so to speak and suffered a bit with light contamination from timers pulling out or getting bumped so the one hydro plant hermied on me. Long story short I'm attempting to run another system with different diy equipment, but in the cold months and in my attic. So it is impressive I have no leaks. What chemicals would any reader recommend for joint compound so I won't have a connection failure. I'm thinking I can elongate the bucket by adding onto it with more buckets with bottom half cut out if need to keep roots free from holes. This was and will be rdwc so that the cold can keep the reservoir cool but grow space warm. Does JB weld do alright on PVC?

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JB weld might work, but to be sure I'd use PVC cement, like for outdoor sprinklers. You could also use silicone seal (aquarium type).

Phytoplankton said:

JB weld might work, but to be sure I'd use PVC cement, like for outdoor sprinklers. You could also use silicone seal (aquarium type).

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Ok ok. I'm thinking about lining that floor with heavy plastic sheeting, multiple layers with packaging tape, just in case. Have rubber tubing at both ends of pipe to buckets for hopefully easier manipulation. But that will be a weak point too.

JB "Water weld" epoxy putty is actually food grade, approved for potable water use once cured, and won't leach anything into the solution. Its the only epoxy I can recommend for aquariums/hydroponics, even though I'm allergic to mixing 2 part epoxies..

And make sure if you use silicone on a hydro system, that it's 100% regular silicone.. Not the other versions like "silicone ii" that have fungicides and other stuff mixed in.

They charge way more for "aquarium" silicone btw. You know pet shops are! The glass and window kind is 100% silicone, and safe to use. Same price but comes in a caulk tube. Every time I got the overly expensive aquarium kind in the tooth paste looking squeeze tubes it cracks open and dries out, lol.

And with my bucket on a stretcher with shrinkwrap holding it down, walls and floor covered with heavy plastic sheeting I think we will be ready for anything. Fluid retention. Nice place to sharpen my knives too.

Drop That Sound said:

They charge way more for "aquarium" silicone btw. You know pet shops are! The glass and window kind is 100% silicone, and safe to use. Same price but comes in a caulk tube. Every time I got the overly expensive aquarium kind in the tooth paste looking squeeze tubes it cracks open and dries out, lol.

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Yes! 100%! Silicone that is...

@Drop That Sound are you recommending using both or one or the other? If both would you jb weld first or.....

I don't use either of them really.. for actually building or connecting the systems anyway. I keep those products around incase of emergencies though, that's for sure. I use special clear primer (I don't like the purple kind made for building inspectors to see) and regular cement to glue all the PVC pipes/manifolds/fittings together as normal, and use my own home made PVC bulkheads that have silicone o-ring seals to connect the containers (usually square, not round buckets) together for RDWC..

I can't really recommend using any sealants or epoxy products, unless I know exactly what you're trying to connect together. The regular metal types of JB weld are toxic btw, so make sure you would use the white color water weld version that is NSF certified if anything. It cures hard as a rock, and will adhere to PVC permanently yes.. but maybe not rubber or the HDPE plastic buckets well. It's not flexible like silicone is, which might be the better option, depending on what you are trying to do. It sounds like you wanna clamp rubber hoses to the ends of the pipes, and then stick them into round buckets (using barbed fittings at the least?) and just glue it all up?.. Are you wanting to just glue pipes with more rubber hose into the buckets without any other fittings?

All I can say is the best insurance is to construct a proper system, using the right fittings & bulkheads. Go big enough diameter that the plumbing lines won't ever clog up, at least 1-1/2 or 2 inch for the main manifolds. It can be done right without costing a fortune, and worrying about sealant joints giving out or any leaks.

I'm not the biggest fan, but uni seal bulkheads sound like a better option to make a semi permanent rdwc system, that can still break down later. Only if you have round buckets already though. And yes, I would keep a tube of silicone around just in case.

I grabbed some water sensor alarms from inkbird. It never hurts to have a secondary pan that can hold a whole reservoir. That doesn't protect a pump from burning out though;sometimes water goes an odd path

I have bullheads in round paint buckets with the barbed end out and double female threaded couplers linking them to the hoses. Rubber cement then jb weld. I have one larger container to put the bucket or reservoir in just need to collect another. I promised my wife I wouldn't spend any more money on this as she is against it period. Anywhere. But we know that's impossible, things always have to be bought. If I have to do some things over then so be it. The bulkheads are an inch the hose is the same, but outside diameter and the pipe is a little bigger. When I go into my local ACE and they want a stupid amount for a damn elbow it pisses me off and I compromise my grow stupidly. You guys are right. So glad I posted, I appreciate the guidance, it looks like I have to make some changes. Oh yeah that proper pvc glue is like 15 bucks or more here too. Unreal.

You technically don't need any primer first for gluing up low pressure joints like a DWC hydroponic system. But yeah, PVC pipes/fittings are designed to be joined with a tight interference fit, and the proper cement actually chemically welds it together as it expands. You definitely want PVC cement & primer for gluing PVC to PVC.

Trying to glue one material to another kind of material is a whole different story though, and depends on so many different variables.

There are plenty of tricks with heat forming PVC pipe with your wife's hair dryer to save you even more money from buying some of the extra fittings. Like bending your own elbows, or even slipping one pipe into another like a coupler..


Ace is a rip for sure, they jack everything up over 50%. I get all my PVC and other custom plastic fittings (that I don't already have in my stash) from zoro.com. Ends up costing half as much as the home improvement stores, as long as you buy enough to get free shipping. I only go to those stores If I need a length of pipe or a few other parts that actually are a decent price. They have multiple kinds of square buckets and containers that will work with the above DIY bulkhead video I posted.

Drop That Sound said:

You technically don't need any primer first for gluing up low pressure joints like a DWC hydroponic system. But yeah, PVC pipes/fittings are designed to be joined with a tight interference fit, and the proper cement actually chemically welds it together as it expands. You definitely want PVC cement & primer for gluing PVC to PVC.

Trying to glue one material to another kind of material is a whole different story though, and depends on so many different variables.

There are plenty of tricks with heat forming PVC pipe with your wife's hair dryer to save you even more money from buying some of the extra fittings. Like bending your own elbows, or even slipping one pipe into another like a coupler..

Ace is a rip for sure, they jack everything up over 50%. I get all my PVC and other custom plastic fittings (that I don't already have in my stash) from zoro.com. Ends up costing half as much as the home improvement stores, as long as you buy enough to get free shipping. I only go to those stores If I need a length of pipe or a few other parts that actually are a decent price. They have multiple kinds of square buckets and containers that will work with the above DIY bulkhead video I posted.

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Thanks man! Good info! Seen two square buckets at walmart.com for 50 some dollars. Sheesh! Nope. I will paint my free round ones from work before I pay that much for a damn bucket.

Walmart has these 5 gallon hyper tough square buckets for $10 a piece. They used to be $6, but you know how it is..

Lowes has 5g commander buckets like that with yellow lids, but they also jacked the price from 5.99 to over 10. Still a deal though!