Hey everyone, looking to build my own dwc tub out of 18 gallon tote. Will a chiller be necessary? If so I have no issues with buying one, just need to know how I would go about hooking it to the tub. Just a couple air stones in the tub, and a seperate pump to get it through the chiller? Or do they come with built in pumps? Thanks in advance Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
Bump No one? Trying to get this together asap. Just need to know whether or not I'll need a chiller Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
Decided to just run two 5 gallon buckets rdwc so I can run different strains. 20 gallon tote for reservoir I guess. Think I could use flexible hose for my return line instead of pvc? Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
Yes try and go a size up or two on the drain line compared to the feed line. And two strains may not be best based on two possibly different feed rates.
You're exactly right, didn't think about that for some reason. Mainly wanting to do rdwc because I run a scrog and it's a lot easier to change reservoir water without a plant growing out of it Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
For established root zones I'd go with 200gph per 5 gallon bucket plus about another 200 for the ress to keep everything therowly airated. As for water pump in thinking about 100 to 150 gph. Plus I'd get a tee and possibly a ball valve to control water level in your buckets. Oh and remember roots grow anywhere includind drain pipes
I was also thinking one air stone in each bucket into in the reservoir, should that be good? Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
So you put some kind of screen or mesh over your drain pipes I'm guessing? Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
No best to have a oversized drain hole due to possible root mass. Im in flower with 5 month old dwc sativas and there's so much root mass that it weights on the drain. And flooding will happen every now and then pending on the saftys put in place.
I just want to do it all right the first time. What all leaks, the bulkheads? Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
nothing is supposed to leak. I use bulk head fittings with barbed adapters. Teflon tape is a must for the threads between the barb and bulk. and I find if you cant get the bulk head tight enough to stop the leak use electrical tape as a added gasket. I've never had a leak, but I have had the buckets overflow countless times.
Do they overflow when the power goes out? Just curious how it happens Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
if the ress is lower then the buckets and you have more buckets then what the ress can handle then yes once the pump quits water will flow to the lowest point. what happens with flooding is that the pump is over sized or the drain is clogged/ blocked. for a oversized pump it can be remedied with a t and ball valve inside the ress to divert the water. the later could be from root rot, root die off, sediment, roots traveling down the drain( particularly during flowering stretch), or having the pumps go out and the root mass will collapse then once the water comes back on it has to seep through the roots causing a overflow.
Oh wow, there's a lot more that goes into this that I thought. Maybe I could have my res a tiny bit higher than my 2 pots and try to match my pump to my needs as much as possible? And is there a write-up or a video of some sort that you know of that can walk me through the process of putting all this together? Thanks again, you've been a lot of help Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
It's simple shit really. As for setup there are a lot of people on YouTube showing off their systems. As for the ress you want it to be lowest in the system so water returns to it. As for the pump that's where the t and ball valve come into play so instead of pumping 150 to a 50 bucket you can open the valve and send 40 to a 50 bucket and the 110 will empty into the ress and if worked well will also provide water current in the reservoir so there won't be as much problems with stagnent water.
Sounds good man I have a while before this next grow to figure it out. How's tge frozen water bottle thing working for you? Keeps temps pretty consistent? Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
Mmm depends on tent temperatures. Some nights I got to do 2 changes using a 2L and a 3.5L bottle each change and another change at lights out. the only saving grace this way, and with high temps, is by using a root inoculent like mycrohiziae. Or one could opt for a chiller both expensive on purchasing and running. To keep the water temps low enough to avoid root rot. Good temp is about 65 to 64 to no higher then 68f any higher and you run into problems.
I wonder if using an old cooler would work for a reservoir?? Might hold temps a little better Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk