where to get DWC bucket?

Ok I was thinking lowes or home depot but they don't have black. Would it work if I painted them with black satin paint? (Satin so I can wash them..)

Or should I buy black buckets online? And if so where? Id like them to be as cheap as possible because I've found them to be around $100 for buckets and most of it is shipping.. I just feel like that's a huge rip off..

Btw, I need 5 gal buckets..

Why do you need black buckets? You only need light locked buckets...so those cheap buckets from home depot are fine if you paint the outside with a light locking paint

Exactly my thought, would satin black work? What spray paint is light proof?

i'd recommend using a 5gal cooler. stabilizes water temps and is lightproof. more $ than your average bucket but worth it IMO

they run from $20-30

That would cost me $160, thanks for advice but no thanks. I want to spend $50 max

So back to my question would satin black work for light proofing? Or which spray paint should I buy that I can wash?

you'll wish you had the coolers . 20.00 bucks a piece and if you did some shopping I bet less. and yes paint will work as long as you dont bend the bucket to crack the paint. Maybe laytex is pretty fexible. If you have a hydro store they have buckets. 10.00 for bucket, 3.00 for lid cooler = 20.00 a 7 dollar diff.

Get a waterfarm they grow some huge ass plants.

I bought my buckets from lowes. If your worried about light getting in, get a roll of duct tape and wrap the ouside of your bucket with it.

Yeah man just paint that orange home depot bucket black.

I have used Lowes for years just by themselves no taping to black out and NEVER an issue. The GREY is fine.

$2 bucks a bucket is FINE too!!!

I get the buckets at Lowes for 2.29 or something and the lids at home depot as Lowes does not carry lids but Home Depot has black lids for like $.98 so for little over $3 I have bucket and lid setup, compare to hydroshop rip offs for $10 bucks. I do use 3.75" net pots on them as well, plants never get over 3.5 ft.

Never a light issue what so ever, no paint, no tape no bull shit.

n0thing said:

That would cost me $160, thanks for advice but no thanks. I want to spend $50 max

So back to my question would satin black work for light proofing? Or which spray paint should I buy that I can wash?

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i'm recommending this for a reason

hope your buckets work out

if you've never done bubbleponics or 'DWC' then i'd also recommend to KISS and not run 8 buckets until you have the hang of things.
just my advice... but wtf do i know

Thanks everyone, home depot it is. Might get paint just in case I'm sure they'll point me to the right paint..

To markybuds, I understand your advice and I appreciate the offer but I just don't have the money to spend $160 on buckets otherwise id buy them. I do understand that its much easier to keep temps with them, and they have spigot for draining, basically all in one setup but $ is the issue.

also marky I plan to use 8 buckets but have them split up, 4 flowering 4 vegging..(perpetual). my first go at DWC ill have 2 plants veg (I will have 2 strains going) then when I move them to flower ill take clones and start vegging. then top the clones mid through veg, use those tops as clones. Then when I move those 2 I topped to flower ill clone them and get the ball rolling using all 8 buckets. 4 week harvests. That way I can get the feel for my 2 strains before I go all out, and get the feel for DWC.

And I didn't mean any disrespect marky, I do appreciate the advice.

A little light won't hurt. I spray mine white for heat not light. You can get spray paint meant for plastic.

ps I question that coolers help with heat. It's simple physics that everything in the environment, given time, will equalize in temp, unless there is an outside energy source acting (eg a chiller).

BigBuddahCheese said:

I get the buckets at Lowes for 2.29 or something and the lids at home depot as Lowes does not carry lids but Home Depot has black lids for like $.98 so for little over $3 I have bucket and lid setup, compare to hydroshop rip offs for $10 bucks. I do use 3.75" net pots on them as well, plants never get over 3.5 ft.

Never a light issue what so ever, no paint, no tape no bull shit.

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Question, why do you need that much rootspace for a plant that doesn't get much over 3 ft? I've never tried buckets because I always considered them to be for huge plants.

Illegal Smile said:

Question, why do you need that much rootspace for a plant that doesn't get much over 3 ft? I've never tried buckets because I always considered them to be for huge plants.

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I really don't and I have noticed this but I let you on a little secret. The force from my air pumps allows the smaller root mass to like float in the air bubbles water, causing I believe much more air then water ratio. My roots thrive in there and always white as rice. I use Dutchmasters Zone and bit of H2O2 in flower only. Also for some that get a tad bigger then I expect its nice to have room to spare.

As well as I basically change my rebucket out once or twice during flower max. I add nutes and adjust as plant dictates but as far as changing the whole bucket never, unless something is wrong (which is rare).

Illegal Smile said:

A little light won't hurt. I spray mine white for heat not light. You can get spray paint meant for plastic.

ps I question that coolers help with heat. It's simple physics that everything in the environment, given time, will equalize in temp, unless there is an outside energy source acting (eg a chiller).

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Yeah maybe but better to be safe than sorry. I don't like algea.

I too have my doubts on gatorade coolers because doesn't the water warm up from the air of the pump, which is usually kept in your grow room so your keeping your water at room temp. I think it'd be easier to keep the temp down for the fact a block of ice would be insulated from the hot air, therefor stay ice longer?!

I could be wrong but either way its easy to cool a plastic bucket and a lot cheaper

If you want FREE buckets go to the back of a resturant they toss out alot of buckets I have over 50 now Gonna be a great summer!

LIVID said:

If you want FREE buckets go to the back of a resturant they toss out alot of buckets I have over 50 now Gonna be a great summer!

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Wanna hook a brother up? Haha 42 sounds like your kind of number