Which would produce more DO in a DWC?

JSB99

Well-Known Member
I'd like to imagine my setup would be that nice if i had something besides a filthy old tin shed in the southern heat! once we get away from here i want a nice little walk in lol
LOL

You know the guys who's cars are nicer than their houses? You could apply the same logic to your grow. Get a nice air-conditioned shed with a recliner and flat screen on one side and a nice spacious grow room on the other half. Who gives a shit about the house, right! LOL :)
 
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JSB99

Well-Known Member
I follow the KISS rule most of the time, but some projects are too fun and challenging to pass up :razz:

Yes, the blue bucket is the controller. The color is just for asthetics. 2" pipes will help prevent root clogs as well as maintain a good flow.

I agree that there are an increased amount of failure points, but if done correctly, I think issues can be avoided.

We shall see :grin:
I take that back. I don't do anything easy. I modify a lot of things to work the exact way that I want it. And if I don't like the way something turns out, I adjust it until I'm absolutely happy with it. Such is the life of an engineer. Always looking at ways to improve things :)
 

Cx2H

Well-Known Member
I was looking for square totes that would leave me enough room for 2" pipes in my 4x4 tent, but haven't seen any. The actual DWC square buckets are around $14 + $3 per lid. Way too much for my actual budget, so I'm going with black 5-gallon buckets at HD. Yep, the have black buckets now! And, because of budget constraints, I'm not able to build the LED grow room I had initially designed. But what I've got going right now is pretty similar. I'm using a 600w HID instead of LEDs, and I've also isolated my reflector air from the room, which makes it so easy to manage temps!

The RDWC/Under Current I'm piecing together right now will have 2" bucket pipes/manifolds, and 3/4" return pipes, but again, not as elaborate as what I had designed in the virtual LED grow.


My 4' x 4' grow tent. The duct hose on the left side of the tent is the air intake for the hood. After removing the carpet I laid a couple layers of 3 mil poly on the plywood floor , just to help with small spills. But I've also got a 7x10 pond liner. I'm going to frame in the tent and area just to the right of the tent, 4" high for the liner. The reason I'm doing that is because my UnderCurrent controller will be outside the tent, as well as valves, y-filter, pump, etc. The capacity will be 15 gallons over what my system will hold.


I am a wiring fanatic! I hate loose wires and will spend hours, and sometimes days, organizing cables! LOL


One of two 4" exhaust fans. This one serves two purposes. It exhausts the mothers/clones closet, and brings in filtered air from the hallway next door. The room, as well as the closet door, are really sealed well. I also have a vent in the ceiling which is a passive exhaust for the room. I can feel a decent breeze passing through the ceiling exhaust from the 4" fan bringing air into the room and creating positive pressure.


Tent and hood exhaust fans. Tent is 4" and the hood is 6". Even with all the fans maxed-out in the room, I can't hear them on the other side of the wall. My bathroom fan is louder than the whole room. I got a really robust exhaust fan (440 cfm) for the hood so that I could run it at a much lower speed, bringing the noise down considerably. There are a few things I've got going on that isolate the sound so much you can barely hear the fans right on the other side of the door, but that's a lot to get into here. If anyone's curious, I'll post the things I did to soundproof the room.

Also notice that the closet/room's air intake fan blows air towards the floor, while the tent exhaust hose is at the highest point of the room.



The insulated hood exhaust ducting prevents any heat from bleeding into the room. Without that sleeve, that ducting would get pretty warm. I just bought a duct sleeve rather than insulated duct because the sleeve is really cheap at HD. Insulated ducting can get pricey. Just one more step to make controlling temps a breeze. Also one of the steps I took to isolate sound.


Inside the tent. Scrubber in the upper-right. I'm not thrilled at all with the hood that came with my light package. The footprint sucks, and there are lots of gaps in the welds where unwanted smelly air can get exhausted! I'm in OR so it's all legal here but still, I'd rather not advertise that I'm growing. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised at the quality, being a package and all. In a couple months I'm going to get a Blockbuster Hood. I had one before with a 1K, and I really liked it. Heavy as all Hell, but an awesome footprint!


2' x 4' mothers (Bonsai Mums) and clones closet.





The mothers hood is a CFL hood I made with 8 CFLs. I think it'll do okay for the mums, being so small.


My newest DIY bubble cloner. I'm going to cut out a few more spots in the lid, and I've got 2" netpots I'll put in after these clones. I just cut off the bottom of the netpots and let the roots hang in the air. They just hold the clone collars better than just using cut 2" holes. The lights are 2 x 24" T8, 6500k lights mounted to a mylar-wrapped piece of plywood. Really cheap and perfect for clones!

I took some Headband cuttings, which are starting to root after only 3 days. I find the bottled Natural Spring Water for the reservoir works really well compared to other sources I know that a hood isn't necessary with a cloner, but it keeps them from flopping over after a few hours of being cut. First day I leave the lights on for 24hrs, mist the cover and cuttings with purified water then cover, and close the hood vents. Day 2 I start leaving the cover off for a few minutes a few times a day, and open the hood vents so some air is getting in, but still retaining a lot of moisture. Also set lights to 18/6 (I believe dark periods help clones). Day 3, remove hood and let 'em root :-) I've always had great success getting roots after only a few days with DIY bubble/aero cloners!


The duct on the left of the cloner is the air intake for the room. It's a short piece of 6" duct that points away for a little light control. It's actually not even necessary. The closet is light and air tight from the room.



Air intake vent on the other side of the closet
Looks great man real clean. +1

I use a 35w with a 6 out Mani into 4 inch round stones, so many bubbles plant is rocking in its bucket. Roots have engulfed it though.

SideNote I get big bubbles with the 4's but regular old mini stones built in a T shape with 2 stones shoot water over the top of the buckets.

#Random
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Looks great man real clean. +1

I use a 35w with a 6 out Mani into 4 inch round stones, so many bubbles plant is rocking in its bucket. Roots have engulfed it though.

SideNote I get big bubbles with the 4's but regular old mini stones built in a T shape with 2 stones shoot water over the top of the buckets.

#Random
Thanks Man! I've got 4" cylinder air stones right now, but as time goes on I'll probably research better ones. For right now they're working really well, but we'll see how they look a few months from now.
 

Cx2H

Well-Known Member
Thanks Man! I've got 4" cylinder air stones right now, but as time goes on I'll probably research better ones. For right now they're working really well, but we'll see how they look a few months from now.
Cool, I have those type as well, last about 6-12 month if you get a cheap nylon brush and brush them every few months.

Good luck. :-)
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Cool, I have those type as well, last about 6-12 month if you get a cheap nylon brush and brush them every few months.

Good luck. :-)
I use those 12" long, blue aquarium airstones and often can reuse them but any bacterial growth in the tubs seems to plug them right up. Scrubbing with a wire brush doesn't seem to help either. Also tried soaking in bleach, caustic soda and dilute acids to no avail. $5 each so it's no big deal to toss them out and use new ones for each grow.

I've seen micro-pore ones that are pretty pricey but supposed to never plug up so may look for them but bought a dozen of the blue ones so good for a while.
 

Cx2H

Well-Known Member
I use those 12" long, blue aquarium airstones and often can reuse them but any bacterial growth in the tubs seems to plug them right up. Scrubbing with a wire brush doesn't seem to help either. Also tried soaking in bleach, caustic soda and dilute acids to no avail. $5 each so it's no big deal to toss them out and use new ones for each grow.

I've seen micro-pore ones that are pretty pricey but supposed to never plug up so may look for them but bought a dozen of the blue ones so good for a while.
Yeah, if slime is clogging the pores good I soak them in straight h202 for 24 hrs. That usually cleans them up pretty good. I get cheap so I try and reuse them as long as humanly possible, even though I have a drawer full of them. When they are out of service they become weight hold down the new ones if needed.

Yeah I hate to waste. :-)

The blue ones are hard to clean and get Kia easy. Mine are grey
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
I tried peroxide too and no joy with that either. Diluted the 35% about half and it fizzed a lot but the stone didn't work any better. I got some of that 3/8" black tubing they use to aerate large aquariums but getting it to stay on the bottom is a bitch. I use the same stuff that's watering hose for the garden to aerate my dugout. Just cut the connection off a 25' roll of it and use a hose clamp to attach it to the 1/2" airline that is out in the dugout. Tie a weight to one of the twist ties that are on the roll of hose and drop it to the bottom. Works way better than the large airstones they sell for dugouts and at $15 is a lot better price than the $60 or so for the other ones.

I bought some repair kits for my older Elite air pumps but the new pieces don't seem to be the same as the old ones so they're no use. Gonna get a decent piston drive air pump with a dozen outlets and stop using those cheap aquarium ones. The Maxima ones are pretty good tho and I have a couple of those. For what two more would cost I can get the better pump tho and save the Maximas for back ups. I just rebuilt those and they work fine.
 

Shag Pile

Active Member
I follow the KISS rule most of the time, but some projects are too fun and challenging to pass up :razz:

Yes, the blue bucket is the controller. The color is just for asthetics. 2" pipes will help prevent root clogs as well as maintain a good flow.

I agree that there are an increased amount of failure points, but if done correctly, I think issues can be avoided.

We shall see :grin:
Nice clean build bro! Im in the planning stages of my own rdwc and I'm trying to found some square containers with lids just so i can seal the tubing into the sides condifently.

I see you've stayed with the round buckets and seem confident with your seals inbetween buckets. How exactly will you plumb it together if i may ask?

Bulkheads with plenty of silicon sealant?
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Nice clean build bro! Im in the planning stages of my own rdwc and I'm trying to found some square containers with lids just so i can seal the tubing into the sides condifently.

I see you've stayed with the round buckets and seem confident with your seals inbetween buckets. How exactly will you plumb it together if i may ask?

Bulkheads with plenty of silicon sealant?
Square buckets are more convenient, but round ones will still work.

If you're set on square buckets and don't mind the cost, you can get 8 and 13 gallon buckets and lids from here

The round buckets will flex and flatten when the bulkheads are tightened. To make your own bulkheads, here's what you use (2" for example):

Male bulkhead adapter (Male PVC conduit adapter) $1.16


Female bulkhead adapter (Female PVC conduit adapter) $1.26


20-pack union Washers $16.63


2" hole saw $13.97


Black 5-Gallon buckets $3.98 ea at Home Depot (lids available too)


Black netpot lids $6.25 ea


  1. Cut the 2" holes using light pressure
  2. Sand the sides of the holes to remove burrs and allow the male fitting to easily pass through
  3. The male adapter can be used either inside the bucket, or outside. It doesn't matter. What does matter is where you place the washer. The washer should always go on the male adapter. This is because of the threads. Water will leak through the threads if the washer is placed on the female side. Having said that, you may have to use a washer on both sides because the fittings really tighten up the more you screw them together. The extra washer will act as a spacer.
  4. Hand tighten the adapters, but do not over-tighten. You want to tighten them so that a little water might drip out when the bucket is filled. At that point, hand tighten until the water stops dripping. This means you have to do this once the system is in place.

Note:
You can cut the female adapter in half so that it only has the threads. This frees up room in the buckets.



Original DIY concept here

Hope that helps


 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
With those fittings I can see where square pails or tubs would likely be better to get a better fit.

Wouldn't 1 - 1 1/2" work just as well? Some screen over the inside should keep roots out of the pipes tho from the roots I get in mine they would likely block the screen eventually I bet.

With RDWC those deep net pots are fine but I wouldn't want them that big in a single pail as there wouldn't be enough room for nutes IMO and a large plant would need twice daily top-ups.

I'm still debating whether to go with RDWC or stick with single tubs. With single tubs I only need to top-up every 3 days or so and only lose a part of my crop if something goes wrong as it invariably does eventually. Murphy never sleeps. :)
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Completed pump manifold:






I use galvanized screws on my spray bar (waterfall) to hold the bar in place. I do this because I want the ability to disassemble it for cleaning, or swap it out with other ones. The screws going through the fittings are only deep enough to grab the pipe.


I made a few different sprayers and ended up with this. This produces great jets and should create a good amount of DO.
 

dstroy

Well-Known Member
Have you done a wet run with a fully topped off system yet? Read the thread and didn't see one.
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
With those fittings I can see where square pails or tubs would likely be better to get a better fit.
Yep, I hear ya. Ultimately, if I have issues with the round buckets, I can swap them out for squarish totes for cheap, and without losing too much money on the buckets I'd be replacing.


Wouldn't 1 - 1 1/2" work just as well? Some screen over the inside should keep roots out of the pipes tho from the roots I get in mine they would likely block the screen eventually I bet.
It'll work for any size. The point of going larger is to help avoid root clog. It's still not a guarantee though, and trimming the roots is sometimes required.There are UC systems out there with 3", and even 4" pipes.Things start getting really expensive after 2" pipes though.

I've looked for screens, but really wasn't finding too much. If you happen to find some, post 'em so I can check them out. I do want to have screens if possible.

With RDWC those deep net pots are fine but I wouldn't want them that big in a single pail as there wouldn't be enough room for nutes IMO and a large plant would need twice daily top-ups.
I'm glad you brought that up! The day I got those lids I wasn't happy about how big the netpots were. It's much better to use small ones like 3". So I'm going to make my own lids and try to sell what I've got.


I'm still debating whether to go with RDWC or stick with single tubs. With single tubs I only need to top-up every 3 days or so and only lose a part of my crop if something goes wrong as it invariably does eventually. Murphy never sleeps. :)
When I first started out, I used 2 tubs for 6 plants, and it worked great! I had really good results. The only real downside I saw was having to maintain 2 systems instead of 1, as far as feeding, adjusting pH, draining, etc...

I ended up building a top-feed RDWC with 3/4" pipes. That worked really well too. It was much easier to maintain, but it did create many more points of failure. I had to chase down multiple leaks for a while, and had to fight clogging. Because of those issues, I went to aero, and hung my roots in the air. That too worked really well, but I did have to face issues with clogged sprayers. Under Current is just too cool of a set up to not want to try to build :-D
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Have you done a wet run with a fully topped off system yet? Read the thread and didn't see one.
Yes on the manifold, and no on the buckets. I don't have the washers yet. Took forever for them to get shipped. Should have them early next week. I'm probably going to do a wet test in the grow room instead of outside. I've got a pond liner in there and I won't have to fill the buckets up much to trouble shoot. The manifold has a hose input where I can vacuum up water anywhere in the room and pump it outside
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
With the lid on will it get enough fresh air in there to add extra O2 tho?

Be great to have an O2 tester to see just how efficient different methods work.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
I've looked for screens, but really wasn't finding too much. If you happen to find some, post 'em so I can check them out. I do want to have screens if possible.
I just use plastic window screen and a SS hose clamp. Could make a large cone to fit over the end of the fitting inside the pails so it might not plug up enough to restrict water flow at all. I use a small drill pump to drain my DWC tubs especially if they are ScroGs and clamped some screen over the end of the 3/4" tubing that goes into the tub to extract the nutes. I usually only do one drain and refill after the stretch so it's not like it's every week. For my little fountain pump that sits in the bottom of the tub to circulate nutes thru the cooler I hot-glued some screen over the holes on them. I didn't have any plugging problems with that.

Chiller02.jpg

I use the 5" for tubs with 1 - 4 plants and made a SoG lid with 12 - 3.5" net pots. Need a lot less hydroton to fill them too but I have two large bags of those. I drilled a bunch of 3/8" holes in a tobacco can to use as a filter to get the tiny balls out of each batch that I'm going to use as the little ones plug up the holes in the net pots or fall thru into the tub.

12hole.jpg

When I first started out, I used 2 tubs for 6 plants, and it worked great! I had really good results. The only real downside I saw was having to maintain 2 systems instead of 1, as far as feeding, adjusting pH, draining, etc...
I'm looking to have up to 6 tubs going at once. Four in the flowering room and 2 vegging in readiness to move into the flowering room as one gets done. I expect to be running 3 or 4 strains at once so that's another reason to have separate tubs as they will have different nutrient needs according to strain and stage of flowering. With the pH perfect nutes I won't be bothering with checking that. Quick top-up and ppm check so 5min each every 3 days or so isn't a lot of work. Hopefully be cropping one tub every couple weeks once it's all up and running.

I'd be getting a lot of prep work done now but taking off to BC at the end of the month for 4 or 5 weeks is complicating things as the wife would need a lot of training to run things in my absence and her track record isn't that great. :)
 
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