Hey everybody I did a little DIY project.
If this is in the wrong section, blame it on me being new
Would this be considered a undercurrent system or recycling dwc? I think recycling uses small tubes and current uses a large pipe???I looked around and everybody’s prices for a system similar to this are around 950-1300 bucks . No thank you. I built this for 250 haha… I would say i win.
System items:
1" NPT male x 3/4" barbed
1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 1" NPT female
1-1/2" uni seal flexible bulkhead. Good for 65 psi
Active aqua AAPW250 GPH with air tube
3/4" vinyl hose
8 GAL buckets with lids
6" net cups
I 3/4" barbed EBB drain to throw water around
793 GPH eco plus air pump not in picture
Hope the pump is big enough for this system? I can feel suction when I put my hand by the hole. Maybe too Much?
I’m estimating the system holding around 30-35 gallons. Maybe somebody knows? I have yet to figure it out to the T, was just cleaning the system.
One thing I’m worried about, is the roots blocking the outlet holes leaving the buckets. Any of you clever fellas have an idea? I was thinking rubber coated chicken wire or something similar.
These are the girls going into the new system. Meet Crystal and Durban poison. Don’t look at the thermo pro it’s wacky. The now readings are correct but that’s because I opened the door. As you can see it never hit -0 RH lol. And yes I know I know shake one me, I’ll paint the walls white when the babies are gone.
@Snowman first of all welcome to the forum. I know nothing of hydro, but I’ve been watching on here on others systems, I’m not sure how they’ve solved the root issue. What about a funnel shape screen protruding?
Nice work… your idea of chicken wire is probably going to be your best bet… also once you put the air stones in , the roots will be attracted to the oxygen so that will help out also… the only other thing you might run into , is that pump making the water hot… so you will either have to cycle it on and off with a timer or your next investment or diy project might be some sort of a chiller… let us know how it go’s and good vibes…
Also welcome to ILGM…
@Snowman I wanted to build a setup like yours. Where did you get the buckets at? I would recommend that you put the pump outside the bucket. Your water could get to warm for your plants.
@Snowman, somebody else was just describing a sock you can buy to prevent root infiltration into your lines. I’m not a hydro guy but always interested!
@Covertgrower@peachfuzz@Myfriendis410
For the root soon to be problem i thought about making a cylinder with the chicken wire running across to each pipe and them making a net basket type set up to help hold the roots up. Bad or good idea? The only thing I would be worried about is the steel on the inside of the wire rusting ( ends where I cut )
A sock would be a good idea but I would still worry about the roots getting sucked onto the sock and clogging the flow. @Myfriendis410 unless it is bulged out?
@Rusty@peachfuzz
Here’s the inside as you can see the pump is inline not submerged.
As far as heat goes, I live in the cascades, and the shack isn’t insulated yet. The only problems I have had are water getting too warm in the summer at its hottest. Winter months it’s easy to control with a heater on the bottom of the tent. I found out keeping my tents around 75 when it’s -5° out the water is a bit cold still but not too bad. So if the pump heats the water up a tad I should still be ok till summer.
I go the buckets at the local hydro store. They just matched the prices I found online. These 8 gallon buckets are 15 bucks each. 20 for 13 gallon. Maybe try Midwest hydroponics. I think that’s where I found them. Amazon’s bucket and tote prices are outrageous
@Snowman a bulged out sock might work. I don’t think it would limit flow as long as the sock was long enough. You may want the ability to measure the water water temperatures that’s circulating just to be sure. I’m unfamiliar with other growers water temps when growing hydroponically. I know soil growers in green houses sometimes heat their beds. Just a thought. Happy growing everything looks great. What’s the approximate flow rate on your pump?
I think a sock would be a bad idea and i would find myself worried about it all the time…I think your best bet is going to be a removable lil chicken wire cage so that you can pull it out and cut the roots when and if they do clog the lil cage… maybe find something out of plastic so you won’t have to worry about rust… all in all your using 1 1/2 pipe it might never even be a problem , it just depends how long your runs are and how long the plants are in there… you could also turn the plants every day as long as your not scrogging and that would also keep the roots more contained…
I think the water temp should be around 72.l or close to that. I bet I could do both, use chicken wire inside a sock to create more surface area.
The flow on my pump is 250 GPH, so it cycles the system around 7 times a hour.
I will be low stress training. But not sog… Maybe not lol. I pre drilled holes on every bucket so I can tire down branches every which way.
My relationship with sog is love and hate. I love that you can keep them semi uniform. I hate that you can’t walk into the tent if I need to. Cleaning up branches and larf is a harder task since the nets in the way.
My sog was 2 inch squares. Might be too tight.
I’m just trying the tie down method in the tent to see what happens. My outside plant sure loves it. Opens her wide open for those good old sun rays!
So walked into the shack opened up the tent and found water. Apparently my zip ties are not pinching the 3/4" hose hard enough. Dripping maybe 16 oz in 12 hrs not too bad, getting metal clamps this week.
Here’s the systems I’m running… rdwc with built in chillers… all diy… but they really kick a$$… was a soil guy for almost 8 years… switched to hydro about a year ago … started with bubble buckets first and realized there’s gotta be an easier way… hence the rdwc… lol
Man that is one sweet set Up you got going there! I’m shooting for alot of plants just like you have going. I love the cloner system you have going. Seems better then my ice cream buckets
No I don’t keep mother’s… I usually take 7 clones from a plant that I like best after being in flower for about 3 weeks… then I pick the best 4 clones out of the 7 and give the rest away … I veg the 4 for however long it takes for them to fit my space and throw them into flower and start the hole process over again… I know people say that your strains get weaker by doing it that way , but I call bull$hit … that only happens if you let your plants get sick or full of bugs…
I have a strain that I’ve been cloning for almost 9 years and it’s still just as good as the seed I started 9 years ago…
But I run a perpetual grow with 3 flower tables and try to harvest every 3 weeks give or take a week…
Granted right now I have 10 strains running right now…
Thanks for posting that @peachfuzz I was kind of concerned about cloning clones, I figured someone HAS to be doing this already. This also makes me very glad I numbered plants with the same strain 1,2,3. Etc. I also numbered the clones accordingly. That way the one that is a heavy producer can be cloned again and more this time.
. No thank you. I built this for 250 haha… I would say i win.
