Need fellow drippers input … 50 of 10 gal buckets

I am in the beginning stages of setting up a 50 bucket room, 5 buckets wide and 10 buckets long.

I would like please, some input in how best to set up a drip system for this size of room. What's the best way to go ?

How would you do it ?

Thanks

There are so many ways that will work. But I just started a drip system for 3 large plants in coco in 5 gal buckets and I used drip rings with 1/2" tubing in a loop. I have a 30 gal rez with a submersible pump that turns on for 5 mins 2x a day. The plants are in a large tray that empties back to the rez. I have the 1/2 line T'd at each plant, with a valve at each plant - and a final valve at the end before it dumps back into the rez. I have the feed line in a loop like that so that nothing stagnates and also so that the pump isn't cavetating pumping against a dead end. With each of the valves you can balance the drip rate and overall pressure.

You have the headroom - I'd put them all up on long 2' wide trays and do the same thing. Super easy and super effective.

For sake of failsafe, I'd recommend an individual rez, pump and loop for each row. That way if a pump fails or something it only affects 1 row. Also, you could more easily do discrete nute mixes for each row for a perpetual harvest or to tailor to different strains.

Hmm... You have a very nice clean slate to work with - so many options...

Great ideas, thanks for sharing Mike )

What medium are you going to use?

digging said:

I am in the beginning stages of setting up a 50 bucket room, 5 buckets wide and 10 buckets long.

I would like please, some input in how best to set up a drip system for this size of room. What's the best way to go ?

How would you do it ?

Thanks

View attachment 3971531 View attachment 3971533 View attachment 3971534

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First, you'll need a decent size ibc tote. Second a very strong (over 1000gph, atleast 1/2hp) water pump. Third is some octabubblers, they are pressure compensating therefore all your runs don't have to be the same length.

Little bit of pvc, elbow grease and some sweat and you'll be ready to go.

make sure all drip lines are of equal length precicely and that all dripper outputs from main line are cut precicely the same spot for each line everywhere. Also, the opposite ends of the line from the tank, do not just cap drip line at the end, wrap it all the way around having all the drip system at that end in rectangle/square shape path of water line.

| = main water line.

Not | with a cap
Do [] so it all wraps around. this will help all drippers to have equal flow.

And run drippers all the time low slow flow, rather than on a cycle, for stability of EC/pH in such a large system is my suggestion, always running during lights on, and on a cycle during the night, so the tank must stayu very cool with a pump running and the pumps must not make water too hot. If you cannot maintain cool water with pumps always running, then scratch this idea. running always drippers also will keep entire system cleaner. you must also have a way to clean and drain the whole sysytem, having a T connectio0n somewhere so instead of reciculating back to tank will shoot water right through to waste.

Also, you may want to have a second tank of water for easy emergency refill of main tank/s working off a float valve, so if you are not there and for some reason the water would of run dry, at least they will have fresh water and not die until you get back.. so a second tank with fresh water set to pump into main tank working off of a float switch inside the main tank if the water level drops below certain point.

Make the hole for the drip line over a plant, and use this drip line to feed the plant next to it. all of them like that for nice equal lines, and if it leaks right there at drip/main line connection will be over the pot and not between the pots for example if you made holes there.

Good Growing!

Nice setup!! I would connect all buckets with hard pvc pipe at the bottom bucket to bucket and run drippers 24/7 so when they drip inside this will create splashing and humidity and no need for air pumps individually inside, it will have this booster effect just from the drip and stability of EC/pH/temps/and clean this way recirculating constantly for such a large system.

I will be using either grow rock or hydroton. I am really hoping to go the grow rocks way to get away from the clay dust of the hydroton.

Thanks Carolina for the suggestion of octabubblers. Which colour of inserts to you suggest I run to control the flow of the drippers ?

Johnie, thank you so much for your reply. Your ideas are great and sound !

I will be able to cool the nutrient water as we will be using water chillers to cool the rooms and a bonus of water chillers are you can hook up cool coils on a thermostat to keep nutrient reservoirs cooled.

I am so excited with this build. So many great advancements with lights, buckets, everything in the last couple of years.

How many gallon reservoirs would you suggest given there will be 50 buckets to drip into.

Love your idea in letting the drips run 24 hours not just when lights are on. Any other benefits to running 24 hours of dripping other than to help prevent clogging? Could the dripper pump be one that's not submerged in the reservoir tank but rather on the outside of the tank to help prevent unnecessary heating of reservoirs?

Thanks again so much for your reply and help

I like the 6 gph inserts. Makes knowing how much you water very easy math. 10 minutes. 1 gallon.

digging said:

I will be using either grow rock or hydroton. I am really hoping to go the grow rocks way to get away from the clay dust of the hydroton.

Thanks Carolina for the suggestion of octabubblers. Which colour of inserts to you suggest I run to control the flow of the drippers ?

Johnie, thank you so much for your reply. Your ideas are great and sound !

I will be able to cool the nutrie

nt water as we will be using water chillers to cool the rooms and a bonus of water chillers are you can hook up cool coils on a thermostat to keep nutrient reservoirs cooled.

I am so excited with this build. So many great advancements with lights, buckets, everything in the last couple of years.

How many gallon reservoirs would you suggest given there will be 50 buckets to drip into.

Love your idea in letting the drips run 24 hours not just when lights are on. Any other benefits to running 24 hours of dripping other than to help prevent clogging? Could the dripper pump be one that's not submerged in the reservoir tank but rather on the outside of the tank to help prevent unnecessary heating of reservoirs?

Thanks again so much for your reply and help

Johnei said:

make sure all drip lines are of equal length precicely and that all dripper outputs from main line are cut precicely the same spot for each line everywhere. Also, the opposite ends of the line from the tank, do not just cap drip line at the end, wrap it all the way around having all the drip system at that end in rectangle/square shape path of water line.

| = main water line.

Not | with a cap
Do [] so it all wraps around. this will help all drippers to have equal flow.

And run drippers all the time low slow flow, rather than on a cycle, for stability of EC/pH in such a large system is my suggestion, always running during lights on, and on a cycle during the night, so the tank must stayu very cool with a pump running and the pumps must not make water too hot. If you cannot maintain cool water with pumps always running, then scratch this idea. running always drippers also will keep entire system cleaner. you must also have a way to clean and drain the whole sysytem, having a T connectio0n somewhere so instead of reciculating back to tank will shoot water right through to waste.

Also, you may want to have a second tank of water for easy emergency refill of main tank/s working off a float valve, so if you are not there and for some reason the water would of run dry, at least they will have fresh water and not die until you get back.. so a second tank with fresh water set to pump into main tank working off of a float switch inside the main tank if the water level drops below certain point.

Make the hole for the drip line over a plant, and use this drip line to feed the plant next to it. all of them like that for nice equal lines, and if it leaks right there at drip/main line connection will be over the pot and not between the pots for example if you made holes there.

Good Growing!

Nice setup!! I would connect all buckets with hard pvc pipe at the bottom bucket to bucket and run drippers 24/7 so when they drip inside this will create splashing and humidity and no need for air pumps individually inside, it will have this booster effect just from the drip and stability of EC/pH/temps/and clean this way recirculating constantly for such a large system.

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Open and look the 2 quotes. I already pre-answered that question.

Resevoir size, I don't know. The biggest humanly possible, I would say.

Inline external pump, this may work, but I don't think those are meant to run all the time. Size of pump, power etc. I do not know.

If you plan to use chiller then just put pump/s in the tank and have air stones in the tank bubbling at all times, good air pump, and lots and lots of air at all times bubbling in there.

Keep water temps no lower than about 64'F and no higher than about 68'F... 60ish and you'll cold shock the roots, 70ish and dissolved oxygen levels are reduced in the water(water hold more air at lower temps) and pathogens can grow.

This is all I can think of right now.

Im jealous...gonna be a nice big room!!!

I wouldn't worry about running the drippers 24/7 . The plants like to dry out overnight, and don't like having constantly wet feet. I've got my reservoir pump plugged into a 120v outlet that is controlled by the same timer that runs my lights, lights on pump on, lights off pump off.

All the other advice is pretty sound, my biggest concern in a system this size would be air locks and unequal pressures and flows through your drippers. If you can figure out how to keep the water flowing smoothly throughout the system your laughing.

^This is excellent advice, just popped in to say I agree; control the water pumps on the same timing of the lights timer is good idea. wERD.

Hey PK, thanks so much for dropping in.

You and your grow is what inspired me to what I am doing with my project.

I have mad respect for what you accomplished and done. I am doing the same as you have created, just on a tad bit bigger scale.

Please continue to share your experience and knowledge with us all here

Thanks to everyone for your contributions to this thread. Please keep contributing. I am reading everyone's suggestion and input. I am all ears, or in this matter all eyes.

Happy growing everyone

digging said:

Hey PK, thanks so much for dropping in.

You and your grow is what inspired me to what I am doing with my project.

I have mad respect for what you accomplished and done. I am doing the same as you have created, just on a tad bit bigger scale.

Please continue to share your experience and knowledge with us all here

Thanks to everyone for your contributions to this thread. Please keep contributing. I am reading everyone's suggestion and input. I am all ears, or in this matter all eyes.

Happy growing everyone

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Thanks man, you sure are upsizing things...I love it. I have just started back up again after a bit of a hiatus, so I should be around to throw in my 2 cents a bit more.

Question for you...whats your plans for root management? How are you going to prevent clogs of drain lines and what not?

Also, a bit of inspiration. Here's one from the new crop. 3 weeks into flower, and a few days after a heavy defoliation.

For root management to prevent pipe clogs, I was thinking of putting inside the slucket buckets, a fabric insert. See photo. What are thoughts on this ?

I love your inspiration, very motivating !!!

I have some amazing choice of strains now too.

Just have to figure out which one will work best grown vertical tree style ) GG#4 is one of my newly acquired strains

Hmm, I'm not sure the fabric pot would solve all the issues. It would definitely help, but I know roots will eventually grow through the fabric and being inside the bucket won't allow the roots to be "air pruned" so eventually you'd be running into issues. Are you going with the slucket system for sure? A few issues come to mind when I look at those buckets.

It has been my intention to go with the sluckets. Can you share your concerns please and make an alternative suggestion ?

There is a new bucket coming out called

www.thebucketcompany.com

What do you think of these buckets ?

Thanks