Lets Build a Bubble Bucket *Step by Step*

[fdebozo]

Originally Posted by Rumpleforeskin

I feel it's a big mistake to patch a hole or rig it so it wont leak. A new bucket will cost you $5 bucks and you probably have enough tape to do another bucket. Dont risk it to save $5 bucks. I had a bucket leak while trying rubber washers insted of O-rings, It was 30 days into flowering. With no way of removing the whole plant to work on the bucket, I had to kill her. Very sad day for both of us.

Best to do it right and clean. R.

yeah, I really fell you on the princniple of it all, but i think i didn't explain it correctly. I didnt use the sealant on any of the holes that i used. I only completely sealed a hole that i screwed up when drilling it, so there's no sealing tactic used at all on any of the holes w/ pvc going through them.

gonna see if i cant post a pic of this :P brb

ok, the hole in question is circled by pink. it used to be the hole where the bottom connection of the sight reader was. underneath the tape, inside out, there is a penny which is encased by marine adhesive which is completely covered by the black tape on both sides. in my experience, the tape would had been enough to make the seal, but the adhesive was for a little extra insurance and so was the penny.

granted, if you someone comes in w/ the intention of breaking that seal, it's gonna get broke! but that's just not the case






the hole circled by green is the former top hole of the sight reader. it will also be patched in this way. and nevermind the black tubing that's just for testing and i'm gonna pick up some clear tubing in a couple minutes hehe.

i have tested it for leaks and it performs well. that isn't to say it might leak in a month or 2. i cannot tell the future (shit happens eh?) but i'm pretty confident it wont. and in any case, if it does ill just have a freshly made bucket on hand (seems like it's good to have one ready for added insurance anyway)

[Rumpleforeskin]

I don't like using any sealer or silicone because if you happen to rotate one of your fittings after that stuff dries, it will break up and cause gaps that will leak. If you plan on using it, then my advice is to be real careful when using your valves, not to rotate the fitting at all. Remeber, the plastic pail is real flexible. Your fitting has to adjust to the bucket flex when applying torque to your valves.

The cool thing about an O-ring fitting, is you can spin it around and it will still stay water tight.

R.

[fdebozo]

lol forgot to say that the hole im talking about is the pink circled ones in the pics. im not putting ANYTHING through that hole that is sealed w/ sealant and tape.

put it this way. i drilled the hole and messed up by tearing some more material than i wanted, so i just sealed the entire drilled hole up and drilled different holes on the other side of the valve to use as the sight reader. as a result there are no holes that use any sealant.

does that make better sense? take a look at the pic again

[Rumpleforeskin]

The pictures don't work for me here in this forum. I did see them but I had to follow it to the host url . Your host for the photos would be better if it was here.

I would start over on a new bucket. You have five bucks. Tape it before you drill next time. So much love will go into your grow, don't let it fail due to some sealer and duct tape. I have failed doing the same kinda thing, it really sucks.

[iaintu72]

so how many buckets do u run off each pump ? i think i may be leaking light im using yellow buckets with no tape or paint .your post is one of tha best ive seen cant get much simpler than that. i never would have thought of tha sight level and tha drain plug i usauly got a sprare bucket refill and swap them one at a time by lifting the lid and putting it on new bucket so i would be getting light leaking all over tha place im feeling a bit amateurish now

[Rumpleforeskin]

so how many buckets do u run off each pump ?

My rule of thumb is; one air stone off each pump outlet.

In a dark closet or room, place a flashlight in an inverted bucket and see how much light gets out. Without tape it will look like a jack-o-lantern.

Good luck, R.

[Dreamakah]

Anyone that's still on the fence on this one should get off the fence, and had immediately to their local hardware/pet/hydro store with a shopping list cut and pasted from the first page of this thread.

We've done two so far, with six more coming, built exactly to spec down to the brand names for the air stones and valves. Once you get one done they go together really quick, we've been letting them run for a few days just to make sure they're water-tight, no leaks so far (the rubber o-rings seem like a simple thing but really are key).

They were supposed to wait a month or two while a soil grow finished, but impatience got the better of use so a 6" White Widow was transplanted from soil. Now, I was thinking this was a bit of a gamble, as excess dirt coming out of the root system may clog the plumbing. So when I took it out of the dirt I tapped off as much soil as possible, then gave it a thorough rinsing under the tape, then flushed it with distilled water. This left me with a mat of filthy looking roots, and I wasn't sure the whole idea was all that great anymore.

However, it was only one seedling, so I went ahead anyway and sort of spread the matted roots over a thin layer of pebbles in the bottom of the basket, added more pebbles, spread out more roots...you get the idea. After a few days of droopiness it sprung back up, and there is now some serious root development happening below. The water will be changed every few days until it no longer shows signs of dirt from the transplant. If growth continues to go as well as it has for this experiment, there could be a mass transplant in the near future for the rest of the crop. I'm now a converted bucket-head.

Note: made the mistake of using organic 'nutes meant for soil in the water, big mistake, caused a foam that prevented bubbles from breaking the surface which caused the roots to dry out...new 'nutes were acquired, all is now well.

Anyway, 10/10 on this design, I'll get some pics up shortly...

[Rumpleforeskin]

Now thats what its all about, Dreamakah just made it all worth while.
Thank you.

I am building a new three bucket series, that will have coolers built in. I just completed a great grow, I'm going to shut down the cycle until I can get this new idea built and working. I had all the buckets connected in series on that last cycle. Working with the buckets all hooked together was the best ever. Made it super quick to fill and drain. I just want to compact the fittings and make it clean. I will be installing the sight indicator on only one unit. Hooked in series they will all fill to the same level.

Another reason I need to stop the grow cycle for R&D is, that last harvest put us way over our legal limit of possession. Supplying other medical users (free of charge) made it possible to keep a constant grow cycle going. But they just can't smoke it as fast as I can grow the damn stuff. As I get better at growing, the weed gets stronger and the plants yeild more. Good problem to have I guess, and alot of fun as well.

Post some new pictures as soon as I can get it together.
Peace, R.

[Dreamakah]

Here's what root system looks like five days after being transplanted from soil:



And this shot was taken a few days ago now...

So the soil transplant experiment is looking encouraging so far.

The linked drainage/feed system did seem like the next logical step for the buckets.

I'm also working on a lighting experiment that would work well with these, high output led spotlights, 1 per bucket, with the end goal of only needing those as a light source. I'm waiting for some parts that should be here before the new year, I'll keep everyone posted.

R: Your problem has now become my goal...

[ElDust]

Hmm I accidently bought threaded PVC tees, do you think I can work with them still or should I return them?

[Rumpleforeskin]

You can switch just about every part on my list for something of your own design. If you can make it work, then it's worth a try.


Here is a sketch of the new bucket series I am making:



It should have been done by now. I thought I would be smart and go with real aquarium bulkhead fittings insted of the O-ring set up from this thread. They cost $6 each and every single one leaked. I have all the holes drilled in the buckets, so it's kinda late to back out of the bulkhead fittings. I'm going to have to use a sealer. Not real happy. A picture of the fitting below:



Will show real pictures as soon as they all dry .
R.

[sikabuyin]

Originally Posted by Rumpleforeskin

I can't help much when it comes to pond scum issues. I have never had it come up yet. I cant remove my buckets and clean them between nutrient changes because the plants are fixed in a screen. Yet I still have no scum. I do clean them with bleach and water after harvest. I drain and change nutrients every ten days or so. It could have alot to do with my method of feeding. I use the Lucas Formula. Very simple and seems to work good.
Best of luck, R.

If your plants are in a fixed location how do you drain the nutrients? Do you have a pump to get it into another bucket or some sort of drain in your floor?

Great post man. I've gotta try this in one of my future grows.

[Rumpleforeskin]

If they are hooked up in series (together), you just attach a hose to the bottm drain valve on any bucket and drain it into a to a waste bucket. If they are not in series, then you have to hook a hose to each bucket's drain valve and drain it into a waste bucket.

I do use a small pond pump to speed up draining, filling, and recirculating.

R.

[smokingjoe68]

very nice post. I can't wait to have that problem, more weed than I can use. it's ok that bubble bucket construction was already posted, I get much more by reading a number of directions for same procedure. + rep ty.

[Mork]

One more bout of applause for you R, awesome step-by-step DIY thread. Without it I might not have a DWC bush taking up closet space right now

Not sure if I understand your cooler design though, never used one. How are you planning on installing and running those? Sorry for the impatiens, but I'm thinking ahead so I can have all my supplies ready for the next crop before it's too late.