Aero vs RDWC, lets talk about it

thenasty1 said:

forgot about that bit
clogging can be avoided with the right design, but it is definitely a concern. i have a few ideas that would involve way less plumbing than rdwc though (one good size control res, one good sized pump feeding into a manifold that goes into the plant totes, drains in the bottom of the plant totes that fall directly into the control via soft hose)

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This is kinda how i picture doing it in my head, 1 control feeding a manifold to each tote ect.... seems easy enough when i do it in my head lol

redi jedi said:

Well thats just it, the equipment needed for lpa is virtually the same as rdwc minus the spray nozzle. So how is there more things to go wrong? The point is mute as far as Im concerned...

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chiller failure, pump failure, leaks. the plumbing could be done similarly (soft hose, uniseals) but i built mine with pvc and bulkheads. a waterfall return line would probably be a pain in the ass to build too but i havent done one yet. i do agree with you about sprayers, they are also a pain in the ass. i suppose when you break it down, the two have roughly the same amount of points of failure. i just find rdwc to be a lot touchier than "lpa"

diggs99 said:

This is kinda how i picture doing it in my head, 1 control feeding a manifold to each tote ect.... seems easy enough when i do it in my head lol

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yeah, with the sprayer lines running along the perimeter of the top of the tote as high as you can get them with sprayers pointed either horizontally or downward. ive got to go run a couple errands, ill get some pics for you when i get back

redi jedi said:

But then again if you choose to aerate by waterfalls, you need the manifold so 6 of one, half dozen of the other...

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Ya i was planning to use waterfalls if i go RDWC, I am trying to avoid buying a chiller if possible.

I like both setups, both seem interesting to me and i think once dialed in will be a great way of growing. Its just a matter of choosing what route to take.

diggs99 said:

I just finished reading a pretty good article on exactly what your saying. HPA is true aero, but lpa works fine too.

This dude used tefen misters with these cool nozzles to achieve perfect mist.

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When I did HPA I uses this exact system

Axion42 said:

When I did HPA I uses this exact system

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How did you like it?, got any pics posted anywhere?
i obv know you have since built the RDWC setup, was it because you werent a fan of the aero or you just wanted to try rdwc?

I want to try them all, find out for myself which i prefer.

Just buy a bunch of waterfarms and be done with it...

diggs99 said:

How did you like it?, got any pics posted anywhere?
i obv know you have since built the RDWC setup, was it because you werent a fan of the aero or you just wanted to try rdwc?

I want to try them all, find out for myself which i prefer.

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Problem with HPA and cannabis is the roots eventually grow down to the bottom of the tote and end up sitting in a small puddle of nutrient solution,I think it slows down growth to some extent. I got epic growth while 100% of the roots were in the air though. And nope no pics on that system that I saved.

I started in Aero back in 99 and ran it for 6 years or so and I say this with nothing but love for Aero.....it's about the dumbest way to grow hands down. There are just too many points of failure and there are no real benefits other than the first week of veg. Stick with RDWC or even Drain to Waste. The simpler you keep your system the happier you will be in the long run.

rkymtnman said:

i thought i read that somewhere too. the micron size of the droplets have to be less than a certain size to be considered true aeroponics.

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This is true. And why I said I use my system for moms and new strains and that's it.
It works,but aeroponics is really called FogPonics and you better know you're gonna need more than a neoprene collar to hold up a flowering plant. 3" netpot with hydroton MINIMUM.

Axion42 said:

Problem with HPA and cannabis is the roots eventually grow down to the bottom of the tote and end up sitting in a small puddle of nutrient solution,I think it slows down growth to some extent. I got epic growth while 100% of the roots were in the air though. And nope no pics on that system that I saved.

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This seems counter I thrive as flood and drain tables are basically this all day long. The residual water is a fail-safe incase a pump dies or something goes awry.

diggs99 said:

Ya i was planning to use waterfalls if i go RDWC, I am trying to avoid buying a chiller if possible.

I like both setups, both seem interesting to me and i think once dialed in will be a great way of growing. Its just a matter of choosing what route to take.

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I think the deciding factor would be how many and how large of plants you grow. Aero of any kind doesnt suite large plants, once the root mass gets to certain size its difficult to keep it all wet.
Myself, I would only SOG in aero...if I had too

Axion42 said:

Problem with HPA and cannabis is the roots eventually grow down to the bottom of the tote and end up sitting in a small puddle of nutrient solution,I think it slows down growth to some extent. I got epic growth while 100% of the roots were in the air though. And nope no pics on that system that I saved.

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that's kinda what i thought too. becomes a SWC basically. but not allowing the roots to reach a bottom would be the way to go IMO.

@diggs99
i had to check out how that fogponics guy flowered.
i'm still a bit erect 2 hours later. lol.

@diggs99 here is my current "lpa" tote design. no control res, just a pump and manifold inside. 23 1 3/4" holes per lid with 2" neoprene collars. nothing fancy. if i were to replace them or build more, i have better designs in mind. i run five of them (plus an old, small ez cloner), and i use them for cloning, mom keeping, and light veg duty. when i am gearing up for a flowering cycle my own setup, i run 4 per tote and they sit in there for 2-3 weeks before moving to the rdwc veg.

rkymtnman said:

@diggs99
i had to check out how that fogponics guy flowered.
i'm still a bit erect 2 hours later. lol.

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How is the fog generated?

redi jedi said:

How is the fog generated?

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he never explains or shows it. i don't know how you could fill all those tubes at once. it must be a commercial fogger i guess?

I've seen the fog generators before, they really do look like the metal discs in your normal humidifiers. I remember people ran into failures with them and salt buildup. Perhaps what they have now is a lot better than what I saw 15 plus years ago.

redi jedi said:

I think the deciding factor would be how many and how large of plants you grow. Aero of any kind doesnt suite large plants, once the root mass gets to certain size its difficult to keep it all wet.
Myself, I would only SOG in aero...if I had too

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So we dont have these same concerns in RDWC? growing big plants compared to aero i mean?

The plan was to grow 4 monsters over the winter, just to keep the room running. Its either gonna be RDWC or Aero, at this point im no closer to deciding lol

One thing about RDWC , theres tons more vids and threads/journals out there compared to Aero and many growers around here using RDWC so getting help and troubleshooting would probably be easier. So thats a bigger plus for sure.

Ive never done anything because it was easier tho, im in it for the love of the game lol

rkymtnman said:

he never explains or shows it. i don't know how you could fill all those tubes at once. it must be a commercial fogger i guess?

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Ya it would have been nice to see some of the details on how he did it. It seems a common theme with the stuff ive seen regarding aero setups, its like a closely guarded secret or some shit lol

diggs99 said:

The plan was to grow 4 monsters over the winter,

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rdwc for sure. a 27 gal tote per plant=huge plants.