help! rDWC bucket failure

[cannabineer]

I had a bit of a growroom disaster. I made rDWC buckets with hose barbs for nutrient in and out. Last night I went to bed, fat, dumb&happy. While I was dreaming about bounteously-appointed maidens with special skills, two of my barb ports developed leaks, spilling at least 20l of nute into the carpet. I also discovered that the floor of a Secret Jardin is NOT watertight.

So the question: HOW do I rig together a *safe, solid, strong, watertight* way to have hose barbs in my bucket? Especial consideration given to things I can fabricate/repair *today*. Help - !
- ?
cn

 

[tellno1]

hot glue gun ... or get different connections like this with rubber washers and plastic nuts

 

[massah]

aquarium sealant makes things water tight, I'd also recommend putting a pond liner down on the floor with a lip around just in case of spills

 

[cannabineer]

The offending barb ... it split the bucket! How?

A top barb (outside). I discovered that it is easy to freely slide and rotate it, speaking poorly for the adhesive powers of silicone shower sealant.


Same barb, inside view.


In the meantime my plants are high and dry ... cn

 

[cannabineer]

hot glue gun ... or get different connections like this with rubber washers and plastic nuts

Where (locally, NOW) do i get those fittings?
<edit> And what is the procedure for installing them in curved, surprisingly brittle plastic? The bulkhead fittings I've seen online don't accommodate the smallish radius of a bucket very well.
Hot glue ime doesn't adhere well to bucket plastic.
I'd originally purchased 1/2" Uniseals, but they're useless. The o.d. is 1 1/2 inches! The i.d ranges from .6 to .8 ... meaning my 1/2" barbs rattle in them. cn

 

[tellno1]

i always sand the pail where i want to use hot glue .. sticks better i think ..


where i live .. hydroponic stores sell them, canadian tire stores , awkland/grainger, most industrial hose suppliers all carry the fittings .. sorry couldnt be more help

 

[cannabineer]

i always sand the pail where i want to use hot glue .. sticks better i think ..


where i live .. hydroponic stores sell them, canadian tire stores , awkland/grainger, most industrial hose suppliers all carry the fittings .. sorry couldnt be more help

Dang. I live out in the boonies.

AND WHY did my bucket split!?!? cn

 

[VoidObject]

My guess on where to get fittings/rubber washers would be either a pet store or hardware store.. i.e. Petland or Home Depot. Like I said, that's a guess.. I don't RDWC.

It makes sense that either would have them, though.

 

[massah]

bucket split because its a brittle plastic and it probably got some microcracks from the drilling of the hole that the humidity/water/pressure/heat/etc eventually made it expand...or did you happen to kick a hose by mistake? Or have some drunk monkeys running a muck?

But yeah...hotglue doesn't stick well to hard brittle non porous plastics...I'd avoid it and get some sort of glue thats for plastics, like aquarium sealant, and the the softer the plastic of the bucket makes easier drilling and easier for glues to bond with.

 

[tellno1]

ummm did you drill your holes a little smaller then your barb? that would cause it to slowly fatigue and crack ( the pressure on the hole from the barb) i had failures the same way , i drilled the hole so that the barb slid in and then used hot glue till i could go out and get the ones i showed you ..

 

[massah]

oh there are also rubber gromets you can get to put in your holes then stick your connector in.

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Grommet-1-2-in/dp/B003AL9AYI

Most hardware stores should carry the size you need!

 

[massah]

This video gives you an idea of what I'm talking about with the rubber gromets when you look at this guys drain hoses:

[video=youtube;VjSukG1k7G4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjSukG1k7G4&feature=related[/video]

 

[cannabineer]

ummm did you drill your holes a little smaller then your barb? that would cause it to slowly fatigue and crack ( the pressure on the hole from the barb) i had failures the same way , i drilled the hole so that the barb slid in and then used hot glue till i could go out and get the ones i showed you ..

I did actually. I only had a 1/2" drill bit which was a little small. i used a reamer to get the barb to fit tightly. I figured a bit of mechanical grip/seal would be good. i didn't figure the fatigue-prone "grained" properties of this plastic in. Live and learn, but oy! such suffering!
Next set of buckets, i'll use a rat-tail file to relieve any tightness, oh yeah. cn

 

[tellno1]

still hate the mess it makes lol .... i was suprized when you said the secret jardin wasnt waterproof .. mine came with a seperate waterproof bottom that you put down when the tent is assembled ..

 

[cannabineer]

still hate the mess it makes lol .... i was suprized when you said the secret jardin wasnt waterproof .. mine came with a seperate waterproof bottom that you put down when the tent is assembled ..

Oh my goodness. i just looked through my assembly "leftovers" ... that bottom was still in the bag. ... cn

 

[tellno1]

lol been there done that lol

happy growin

 

[cannabineer]

So what I've done for now is patch my buckets, remove the barbs and run straight DWC in the interim. Without a central res to level out nutrient and pH levels, I feel ... naked. Like driving blind. My sphincters clench. Live, my little green charges ... live!! cn

 

[tellno1]

may the ganga gods smile on you ... all you can do is keep an eye on your ladies ... im sure you will do fine .. but a lot more labour checking all the buckets instead of the rez lol good luck brother

 

[kushnotbush]

When you drill your holes go slow and I recommend starting with a pilot hole first, also make sure that when you drill your hole that the bit does not "wobble." The reaming is probably what caused the bucket to crack. For me to feel comfortable with my seal I used the bulkhead fittings as suggested but added the rubber grommets on each side. I put my sealant between the grommet and the bucket on each side, the grommets work to keep the seal tight and the sealant solid. I then added more sealant around the grommets for extra measure. You also want to tighten the fittings to the point where the sealant starts to seep out but not so tight that you completely smash the grommets because that is when your bucket will eventually crack. Also I tried two grommets on the inside and for some reason I never could get it to seal right, YMMV with all of this but I hope it helps get you out of DWC and back into RDWC. I myself prefer DWC since I only run enough plants now for medicine for 2 which allows me to run multiple strains in different stages. Good luck and happy growing.
KnB
Forgot to mention good for you for finding the removable floor!
If you are worried about large spills or leaks a cheap flood tray the same dimensions of the tent work really well or as mentioned a pond liner.

 

[nitro harley]

I let the hole saw wobble a little bit and it made the hole a little lose and it leaked I just put black tape on the barb to make it bigger and no leaks...I also put just a little lube on the rubber....helps it slide into the rubber...and it helps if you want to take it apart....

I don't think I would use a white bucket....notice my hole is fairly close to the bottom...it helps to pump out all the nutes when you change the barrell....here's some pics