Waterfarm Mods & Tips

thats actually what i was trying to find out.. i dont know if it is better than the liquid... i was just asking if anyone has ever used it ... to give us a little info about it.. i just started using it now but i have a feeling it is less stable than the liquid form given the same conditions of res.... just hoping 4 a little feedbck from guys who have tried it..

The only issue i could think that the powder would have is dissolving time.

Hey guys, I was just wondering, what is the best way to check PH and PPM using a waterfarm or power grower? The top container is a bit heavy filled with hydroton and it seems like a bad idea once the roots reach the water in the res. How do you guys do it? Is it safe to lift it while the roots are hanging down? Also, doesnt light harm the roots? Or does it not matter if its just for a short period amount of time. Thanks!

sativahigh said:

Hey guys, I was just wondering, what is the best way to check PH and PPM using a waterfarm or power grower? The top container is a bit heavy filled with hydroton and it seems like a bad idea once the roots reach the water in the res. How do you guys do it? Is it safe to lift it while the roots are hanging down? Also, doesnt light harm the roots? Or does it not matter if its just for a short period amount of time. Thanks!

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its ok to expose the roots for a short period of time.. there is another way if ur using a single unit.. use the blue water level tube to drain a little water just to test, by rotating it downwards.. but i suggest draining the whole tube to get water from inside the resevior instead of testing the water that has been in the tube for a while.... another way which is probably the best is if you have a T or elbow fitting with a valve connected to the bottom so u can easily drain the water out ...

li0n said:

its ok to expose the roots for a short period of time.. there is another way if ur using a single unit.. use the blue water level tube to drain a little water just to test, by rotating it downwards.. but i suggest draining the whole tube to get water from inside the resevior instead of testing the water that has been in the tube for a while.... another way which is probably the best is if you have a T or elbow fitting with a valve connected to the bottom so u can easily drain the water out ...

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Thats actually a really good idea man!
Thanks for the info

li0n said:

its ok to expose the roots for a short period of time.. there is another way if ur using a single unit.. use the blue water level tube to drain a little water just to test, by rotating it downwards.. but i suggest draining the whole tube to get water from inside the resevior instead of testing the water that has been in the tube for a while.... another way which is probably the best is if you have a T or elbow fitting with a valve connected to the bottom so u can easily drain the water out ...

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cool. thanks. Ill have to check to see how easy it would be to connect a T fitting. So when you fill the res, do you use a funnel and pour it down the blue tube? Or do you just pour it on top of the hydroton and let it drip down to the res?

Also, how long do I have to wait before I check the PPM after adding nutes? No I have to wait a while to let it all mix in? I used to just stir it with a spatula but wont be able to without taking the top bucket off.

sativahigh said:

cool. thanks. Ill have to check to see how easy it would be to connect a T fitting. So when you fill the res, do you use a funnel and pour it down the blue tube? Or do you just pour it on top of the hydroton and let it drip down to the res?

Also, how long do I have to wait before I check the PPM after adding nutes? No I have to wait a while to let it all mix in? I used to just stir it with a spatula but wont be able to without taking the top bucket off.

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Can anyone offer any tips??

i take off the top bucket and set up on the side/corner on the botton bucket, there's a nice fit. i mix everything very well then check ppm, i then check pH and make adjustments. your plant will drink a lot of water, so use that blue thing on the side a gauge as to when you need to top off. always keep the res level about two inches from the top bucket. if the water level drops and you don't top off the ppm will shoot up.

I've been growin aero for the last year and just started 4 individual water farms with no common res. I've added an extra airstone to each res but my water temps are getting to high 70's and even the low 80's when lights are on. I added ice packs in the morning. So question. What temps are you guys finding acceptable with the buckets that don't cause pathogens. Does the air pumping water allow for higher temps? Any tips on lowering temps other than insulating the buckets??

I just transplanted a plant from veg into a waterfarm and the next day it was wilting. The root system is in the water and there is an extra airstone in there. ph5.8-6.2 ppm's 1150, hps600 light, co2. Any ideas?

Knally said:

Same as you so far; take out the pumping column and air line, clean it up from clogs and put it back.

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vinegar makes it easy

mountaingirl2 said:

I've been growin aero for the last year and just started 4 individual water farms with no common res. I've added an extra airstone to each res but my water temps are getting to high 70's and even the low 80's when lights are on. I added ice packs in the morning. So question. What temps are you guys finding acceptable with the buckets that don't cause pathogens. Does the air pumping water allow for higher temps? Any tips on lowering temps other than insulating the buckets??

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dude they call it weed for a reason it will survive in heat just not constant and above 90 but my plants outside in tx gets 100 degrees and they are fine

There is a very small aquarium chiller that you can drill through the side of the waterfarm that is powerful enough to chill one bucket. They are about $65. I have some hooked up to a common res and then can attach a chiller to that. Water temps are pretty important. I try to keep below a 75degree threshhold.

I have 10 waterfarms setup with the recirculating kit, controller and res. The recirculating time is way too slow with just one air pump forcing air down the tube creating suction in the controller bucket. Can anyone recommend a specific air pump that would work? My thought if that the air power was too powerful it could actually reduce the flow of water.

Anyways, i hooked up a small Durapump to the return line that is normally hookedup to the pumping column with the air pump in the controller bucket. The waterflow was way too fast and the control bucket filled up faster then it could drain back out to the other buckets. So i tried again and this time put a 1/2 inch shut off valve in-line but even with it barley open it was filling the controller too fast. Does anybody have a solution for either option as i am looking to increase the speed it recirculates.

I have a rio 800 pump hooked up to my 8 bucket system. I had to crank it down very low so it would reduce flow but it does the job better than the pumping column. I had to experiment with the opening of the pump a bit but now I have about 4 inches higher water in the first bucket than the last and the circulation is pretty good. Cheers

mountaingirl2 said:

I have a rio 800 pump hooked up to my 8 bucket system. I had to crank it down very low so it would reduce flow but it does the job better than the pumping column. I had to experiment with the opening of the pump a bit but now I have about 4 inches higher water in the first bucket than the last and the circulation is pretty good. Cheers

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Yeah that's the problem i was having. I guess that's just the nature of having skinny 1/2 drain tubing. So you are running the pump submersible hookedup to the return line in the bottom of the bucket and just removed that little pumping column? I'll give it another shot and tinker around with it some more i guess. The disparity between how fast the the controller would fill and drain was making me a little uncomfortable. I didn't wanna have a massive overflow issue in there. The air column does work but its just pathetically slow! If i hadn't already set it up i would have increased the size of the drain lines.

This is what you need to do to increase the recirculating speed of the water. Remove the pumping column setup that goes in the reservoir. You need to install in its place a 1-1/4" stand pipe that ends above the surface of the water in the reservoir. Much like the one in this picture.. This reservoir set up is for a one plant grow..
With a standing 1-1/4" water column you can drop in 3 WF pumping columns.. 3 times faster. .Also they are removable by simply lifting the pumping columns out for cleaning. Thats not possible with the WF system.. The one shown is 3/4" thin wall PVC, with 1 pumping column.. Its not shown, but the top of the stand pipe needs some stabilizing support. I'll dig up a pic of what I mean..

mytwhyt said:

This is what you need to do to increase the recirculating speed of the water. Remove the pumping column setup that goes in the reservoir. You need to install in its place a 1-1/4" stand pipe that ends above the surface of the water in the reservoir. Much like the one in this picture.. This reservoir set up is for a one plant grow..
With a standing 1-1/4" water column you can drop in 3 WF pumping columns.. 3 times faster. .Also they are removable by simply lifting the pumping columns out for cleaning. Thats not possible with the WF system.. The one shown is 3/4" thin wall PVC, with 1 pumping column.. Its not shown, but the top of the stand pipe needs some stabilizing support. I'll dig up a pic of what I mean..

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Ah clever! Seems pretty simple but unless i'm missing something when you shove multiple pumping columns down the larger pipe you added they are not exactly sealed in down there? It still works though?

The pumping columns only need to be dropped into the 1-1/4" water column to work.. Of course they each need air. It's that simple. The water in the column is from the last container in line. It refills as fast as it's pumped out..

mytwhyt said:

The pumping columns only need to be dropped into the 1-1/4" water column to work.. Of course they each need air. It's that simple. The water in the column is from the last container in line. It refills as fast as it's pumped out..

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Cool, i just bought 2 more pumping columns on ebay. I experimented with various pumps i have, but even dialed all the way down the control bucket would still fill faster then it would drain back out to the 1st bucket. This skinny 1/2 inch tubing doesn't allow the water to circulate fast enough so I hope with a few more pumping columns it should help but not be overkill.

Also, i hookedup a 1/10th hp chiller in line between the control bucket. The problem again is that the water in the control bucket is real cool (66 F), but the system circulates so darn slow, by the time the water makes it's loop and gets to my last bucket in the series, the water in that bucket is 10-15 degrees hotter. The cool water can't be dispersed quick enough by the pull of the single pumping column. And with a pump hookedup pulling water into the res from the last bucket in series, the control bucket fills faster then it can flow back out to the 1st bucket!!

Is anybody else out there successfully running an inline chiller with an 8 pack? The only thing the chiller is cooling right now is the control bucket!! The way i have mine hookedup right now is the usual way with a submersible pump in the res matched to the chiller, which is pumping out to the chiller, then it is being luffed back into the control bucket, and then dispersed like a waterfall with a 3/4th inch T. The problem is the cool water can't get to the buckets fast enough to keep bucket temps down under the 2 1000's i have going. Anybody have any solution besides gutting the whole damn thing and modding it with either 3/4th or 1 inch tubing? (this isn't something i can't do now because I'm already in veg.