The Official Dwc Cooler Club - Any Kind of Cooler Res

Don't hate me because VO hates me btw, we have our differences and I take it at that.

dbkick said:

I dunno, depending on how small an ice probe would work, 10 gals of uninsulated or better can be chilled, although an ice probe in conjunction with a cooler would be the shit.

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I have been curious about the IP ever since I found it 2yrs ago.
It would most def keep temps stable, up to a 120qt IMHO.

dbkick said:

Don't hate me because VO hates me btw, we have our differences and I take it at that.

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No worries there bruh !
I kinda got that between you two from a few very brief reads.
Besides, I go based on OUR relationship !

My previous post was for anyone popping into the thread, in general.

Flo Grow said:

I have been curious about the IP ever since I found it 2yrs ago.
It would most def keep temps stable, up to a 120qt IMHO.



No worries there bruh !
I kinda got that between you two from a few very brief reads.
Besides, I go based on OUR relationship !

My previous post was for anyone popping into the thread, in general.

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excellent outlook! look forward to our posts.

so i just made some temp lids out of insulation board with the one side white and one side reflective. looking for input on the lids that come with the 100qt igloo coolers w/ quick access lid. do they make good lids? im debating on cutting holes in them, then drilling holes for air lines. eventually would like to drill holes for a pump system for a RDWC setup.

Flo Grow said:

Welcome OlBlue. I too use the insulated styrofoam that you memtion, as do a few others. And there are others who tap right into the original cooler lids. Whatever works best for you really. If I ran the 5gal sport coolers then tapping the lid seems to be the best choice no doubt. BoomerBloomer57 uses 120qt with the insulated lids and one plant per cooler. I use the 48qt and run as much as 4 plants per cooler with no probs. The mnain benefit we are after as DWC growers is stable temps in order to get stable PH. At that point the grow is 2/3 in the bag minus PPM.

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yup... my rdwc was a massive failure even with 2 hours of my time every single day to cool the water temps with ice. so far the cooler dwc has been 1/2 the work and the single plant im growing is looking much better and healthier because of the even ph i have now cause the roots are not dying off in the soup with 75*+ water temps.

next grow i may use a larger cooler just because the ph will stay more stable and so will the water temps... shoulda just bought it the first time, but being my first dwc everything i learn now i'll be using it to keep my mother plant healthy.

cant thank the riu community enough.

I just don't like this technique and was looking into a alternative, maybe it was the foamboard I bought but I just did not like it so my plan was to buy normal styrofoam and these plastic sheets (1/8th of an inch think) and use a spray adhesive to laminate both sides of the styrofoam and lay them up with the plastic......after contemplating all this I just cut holes in the lids and silicone the insulation up. fuck I hate wake and bake grammar/spelling errors, not as bad as mr riu though, he's anal about it.

Flo Grow said:

Mine are 2 inch thick insulated styrofoam wrapped in ALUMINUM FOIL tape.

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so it just overhangs the edges of the cooler? I'm about to go buy another veg cooler, gonna get one with a uninsulated lid and just poke holes in it since I'll be running bennies in veg temperature really isn't a concern but should be easily controlled.

I've got a couple of integrated net pot lids I plan on fitting with foam board for a team jug. Even without the extra insulation it keeps temps perfectly. Looking forward to seeing what it does with the added insulation. I didn't want to cut holes in the lid in the unlikely event I ever want to use it as a cooler again. Plus, I don't think the insulation effect would work as well as a nice snug fitting foam board cut to size.

Cooler club forever.

Does anyone with a larger cooler scrog use an Active aqua to fill/drain your res? They can be submersible or used inline and I was thinking of using it inline for res changes.

Started off one in a 3 gallon bucket and fell in luv with the cleanliness with no soil and so far the simplicity I see. That could change as Im a soil grower but are defintley liking this. I'm a compulsive person and Now up to 2 5 gal coolers. If all goes well in no time I'll be up to 8 buckets and a RDWC system. I'm likening it and it was this thread that lead me to know that my 3 gal bucket wouldn't last long with out problems.

Thanks guys !

ok i have a question about this whole cooler thing.....could you drill into them and use uni-seals and create a RDWC? uni-seals are pretty thick but idk if they would fit

also, is there much difference between insulating 5 gallon buckets vs using a cooler? Im really struggling with temps...they are at 80F and when i throw the frozen water bottles in they melt within minutes.

I am starting my first grow with coolers. We have been having very unseasonably warm weather. I find that ice bottles help me keep the res at 65 when the room is at 72 or 73, which is really all I expected it to do. But if I let the room temp approach 80, the ice has a hard time keeping the res at 75.

At least in my environment, I have to use whatever AC it takes to keep the room temp low 70s so ice can keep the res below 70.

Another thing, the lights are adding heat to your res so it's the insulation on top that matters most. And, if you don't have an air cooled hood, that alone can be worth 4 or 5 degrees in the res.

That's my experience so far, and here's a question - My ice bottles float around and I want to keep them away from roots (which are just now getting into the water). Do most of you weight them down? or have any ideas for making an ice bottle holder that keeps it vertical in one corner?

put some rocks in the bottom of the bottles. The bottles wont dance as much.

I found my own solution. Since my coolers are rectangular, the bottles almost are a perfect fit the narrow way. So a piece of plastic as a shim makes a tight fit, and I can position the bottles anywhere.

Where's Flo Grow at these days??

What up DWC cooler club! This is my update on my first grow well a whole lot of stuff went on since my last post but long story short i started with 3 buckets and I ended up with this one plant(shit happens) anyways this plant is about 3 1/2 weeks into flower, i topped it about four times as a first timer so i assume thats why i dont have a main cola. My res temp stays between 64F-70F then i add my ice bottle when it gets 70F, as you see in the pic i added fish sinkers to the bottle so it stays away from the roots it works for me so far. 4x2x7 tent temp stays 77F-80F and RH is 38%-45%. Im using GH flora series added diamond nector from GH as well as rapid start. RO water ph stays and when i say stay it stays at 5.7-6.0 i haven't had any ph problems like i hear about so that's good, ppm is at 1300. I have a 4 inch exhaust fan with a carbon filter that's takes air out. No air in besides air in room but i do have 2 fans in the tent. My only question is why is this plant so small? I was in Veg stage for like 4 1/2 weeks and it was the size it is at now ? I got this as a clone from a dispensary which they labeled it blueberry diesel and from a fellow grower i know said that plant is usually tall he also pointed out the fact i don't have no fresh air IN or CO2. Is that the reason for the no big growth or is it that strain? any input will help thanks!!