Leak proof totes as cloner

firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Was thinking of using a 12 gal tough tote from home Depot but remember the last time I tried to use a tote it leaked a lot. Wasn't this brand though.
 
JSB99

JSB99

Well-Known Member
firsttimeARE said:
Was thinking of using a 12 gal tough tote from home Depot but remember the last time I tried to use a tote it leaked a lot. Wasn't this brand though.
Click to expand...
I painted my lids using Plasti-Dip spray paint. Stuff works great, and it pretty much blacks out the surface. You can get it at Lowe's for a little over $5. It seems to be more expensive everywhere else though.

A couple other options would be to lay cardboard over the lid, or pour Hydroton on the lid a couple inches thick. I did that (Hydroton on the lid), before I painted mine, and it worked pretty good.

These are the 27-gallon HDX totes, with the yellow lids. The lids let so much light through that I could see it causing issues. I used a couple cans and sprayed 4 or 5 layers. Just be easy with what you paint for a few weeks, until the paint is cured.

Painted totes.jpg
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
I use the hdx from lowes or home depot 27 gallon it already has perfect squares for 2 inch nets lol.

Go to thw weather strip department
And get medium to large

Adhesive backed SILICONE RUBBER bulb

Other weatherstripping is made with open cell foam which will just leak it out.

I gota get my cloner up but its empty now ill get you some pics one moment
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Heres the outside nothing speacial excet i still need to paint the lid black as the yellow edge allows algae growth around the edge20180118_110201.jpg

Heres the inside pretty standard.
But it shows how i laid the weatherstripping
The important thing i need to do still is put some silicone right where the 2 ends meet...
If you dont water will get inside the bulb and be trapped.
20180118_110333.jpg

And here is the profile of the weatherstripping and how i thought would be the best way to place it.

It works VERY well 0 drips infact its almost too airtight as i have found since i added it.
It sealed so tight it would not let fresh air in lol
So i had to add airstones :)

Also if you close the lid too fast it will pop your nets out due to pressure lol20180118_110354.jpg

Edit to add. Of course it helps to have the height of the sprayers to where it doesnt pummel the lid lol
But i figure you probaly knew that :)
 
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JSB99

JSB99

Well-Known Member
MW7945 said:
Whats a tote like that run you? I need to get that exact one to setup my DTW and I'm trying to figure out the budget for the whole ordeal
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I got my 27-gallon totes for about $7 at HD. Walmart has them too. They aren't pricey at all for being some of the best totes for DWC.
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
You know those are geared towards weed growers lol why else would there be 3 inch squares perfect for 2inch cups ;)
 
JSB99

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Cold$moke said:
Heres the outside nothing speacial excet i still need to paint the lid black as the yellow edge allows algae growth around the edgeView attachment 4075157

Heres the inside pretty standard.
But it shows how i laid the weatherstripping
The important thing i need to do still is put some silicone right where the 2 ends meet...
If you dont water will get inside the bulb and be trapped.
View attachment 4075158

And here is the profile of the weatherstripping and how i thought would be the best way to place it.

It works VERY well 0 drips infact its almost too airtight as i have found since i added it.
It sealed so tight it would not let fresh air in lol
So i had to add airstones :)

Also if you close the lid too fast it will pop your nets out due to pressure lolView attachment 4075159

Edit to add. Of course it helps to have the height of the sprayers to where it doesnt pummel the lid lol
But i figure you probaly knew that :)
Click to expand...
I built so many aerocloners, back when! But I gave up, and stuck with bubble cloners. It was always a bitch trying to seal the totes, and mess with the sprayers to make sure they weren't pummeling the lids. I will say that I saw faster rooting with the aero over dwc, sometimes in just a few days! But it doesn't take all that much longer with the dwc. Everyone's got their favorite though!
 
Jypsy Dog

Jypsy Dog

Well-Known Member
Cold$moke said:
Heres the outside nothing speacial excet i still need to paint the lid black as the yellow edge allows algae growth around the edgeView attachment 4075157

Heres the inside pretty standard.
But it shows how i laid the weatherstripping
The important thing i need to do still is put some silicone right where the 2 ends meet...
If you dont water will get inside the bulb and be trapped.
View attachment 4075158

And here is the profile of the weatherstripping and how i thought would be the best way to place it.

It works VERY well 0 drips infact its almost too airtight as i have found since i added it.
It sealed so tight it would not let fresh air in lol
So i had to add airstones :)

Also if you close the lid too fast it will pop your nets out due to pressure lolView attachment 4075159

Edit to add. Of course it helps to have the height of the sprayers to where it doesnt pummel the lid lol
But i figure you probaly knew that :)
Click to expand...
Just use a straw to join the ends of the weather strip. I wouldn't worry about the paint. I use that same tote outside for DWC cucumbers, never had a growth issue,
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
JSB99 said:
I built so many aerocloners, back when! But I gave up, and stuck with bubble cloners. It was always a bitch trying to seal the totes, and mess with the sprayers to make sure they weren't pummeling the lids. I will say that I saw faster rooting with the aero over dwc, sometimes in just a few days! But it doesn't take all that much longer with the dwc. Everyone's got their favorite though!
Click to expand...
I agree it pisses you off when that sucker drips.
But i needed the extra heat from the pump so i kept building till it worked ha ha
Its all in the type of weatherstripping lol
Non wicking solid bulb :hump:
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Jypsy Dog said:
Just use a straw to join the ends of the weather strip. I wouldn't worry about the paint. I use that same tote outside for DWC cucumbers, never had a growth issue,
Click to expand...
Wierd dont know why i would get algae then, mabey its the kelp lol
Im going to slicone it but good idea :)

I have to paint the foil worked fine
But since i run a mix of nutes in my cloner
It made algae on the rubber. No Bueno for me

Controversially i have some cuts i bubbled in a folgers can with 0 light proffing and its been fine for weeks lol
I wonder if the yellow color contributes?
 
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firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Thanks cold smoke that's what I was looking for. Now I need to find some long skewers so I can stake up my seedlings. Some reason they stretched to much
 
JSB99

JSB99

Well-Known Member
I'm such a dork! I misread the original message as trying to fix light leaks, not water leaks! Can't believe no one asked me what the Hell I was talking about :lol:
 
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