Anyone seen one of these modded for ease of use. I was thinking about getting one and putting 2 valves on it to add water and nutes and another that I can drain into a small bowl to test Ph and Ppm. I was thinking of it while I was driving. I will draw and post when I get home.
2 Likes
I think that the site tube on the bucket will do what you’re wanting to accomplish with the valves. Would definitely be able to check ph by bending tube over just not sure about adding through it. @peachfuzz
1 Like
You want to make an rdwc system … like this…
One 5 gallon bucket and one 3 gallon bucket…
Simple setup… 
2 Likes
Badass, where’s the nute flow line, I see the pumps?
1 Like
No pumps. Just want to be able to add water and nutes from top with a funnel. Read ph and ppm in the bowl at the bottom. The nute flow line is the line already built in the bucket right? I can adjust ph from there ? Or I can put a hole in lid with plug at the top to adjust Ph. Also I edited the picture wAs going to drill a hole and put a plug on top to be able to drop a syphon in and change the water out. My plan was to drain water and add new once a week. I can do that right? @boardsbird
1 Like
No… it’s just a little pond pump that pumps water in to the 3 gallon bucket and than recirculats back to the 5 gallon bucket by gravity…
I use the 5 gallon bucket for my control bucket and add and check ppm and ph from there and add frozen water bottles if necessary…
2 Likes
The larger (within reason) the reservoir, the better. Especially in late flower you can be adding a gallon of water a day with a lot of salts being exchanged. If the reservoir is too small you will be very busy trying to maintain PH and nute load. Having a res outside the grow space can help to keep temps where they should be. (cool)
2 Likes
I really don’t have the space inside my tent to have a separate reservoir. That’s why I want to mod the hydro bucket I posted. My tent is 20x36x62. And eventually would like to move up to 2 plants after I get a couple grows under my belt. My plan is to drain weekly and add new water and and nutes. I read somewhere maybe an amazon review that the bucket can be hard to maintain especially under a scrog. That’s why I was going to add 2 valves for easy access. One for adding water and nutes and the other to drain into a small bowl to check ph
3 Likes
Yes, exactly.
Don’t worry; it will work. It simply requires more diligence on the grower’s part to stay on top of PH etc. I’m just starting my first run RDWC: I need to get the journal going.
3 Likes
@peachfuzz ok so I’m thinking about making one. So basically I need a water pump for the reservoir and connect the 2 tanks via some pvc piping?
3 Likes
Is this correct? How powerful should my air and water pumps be. Does the reservoir bucket need to be taller than the grow bucket? @peachfuzz what’s the tube in the middle sticking up between your buckets
Getting ready to build a couplebubble buckets myself. Already watched some videos and figured out how I want to build it. It’s pretty much like your posted Amazon bucket. With the blue tubing to easy check water levels. Thanks guys for the added info✌️
The tube that you see sticking up is just to see how much water is in the system without messing with the plants or res lid…
My res is a 5 gallon bucket and plant bucket is a 3 gallon… res bucket is 5 gallon for 2 reasons…
#1 is so I can put frozen 2 liter bottles in there and still be able to close lid tightly…
#2 is so that I can pump water out of the side of the bucket and still drop the water into the 3 gallon bucket without disturbing anything when checking ph and ppm in the control bucket… I will get you some better pictures…
The return line that runs from bucket to bucket is 3/4 inch and the line that pumps the water is 1/2 inch so it will never overflow…
The little pond pump that I use , I get them from lowes for $20 bucks … I like them because they move more then enough water and they come with a built in filter which is huge when it comes to pump life…
This is the air pump that you would want … 951 gph and will run 6 of these systems if you wanted…
These are the medium air stones that I use and I love them because they are easy to clean and dont fall apart at all…
Here’s a better picture to show what’s going on…
Water is pumped from the white bucket into the black bucket and then gravity fed back to the white bucket and starts all over again… the pump only runs for 30 minutes every 4 1/2 hours… not constantly…
And here’s a picture of the little pond pumps that I love and use in all of my systems… notice the filter and plastic cage to keep the pump safe…
5 Likes
@peachfuzz is your water pump connected to your tubing at both in and out and only apart at the grow bucket? Also is it necessary to feed water from the top to the grow bucket or can the tubing be routed anywhere
1 Like
No you don’t have to feed it though the top just are u buckets
1 Like
Lol holy pineapple that’s a huge air rock man what u growing in there Muskie and how loud is the Heavy duty air pump ??? @peachfuzz love it though it’s a nice set up
1 Like