How To: RDWC/UCDWC diy (advanced)
- Thread starter sqydro
- Start date
Doer
Well-Known Member
NO.
I was thinking you might have thought that.
The pump constantly circulates as you say, but the float is for keeping the pond full of water as the plants drink.
I even had a computer set up to mix up the correct dose of feed, to sit atop that float valve. So, instead of just water it would be food also. The weak link there was Windoz, and too many moving parts adding heat.
I mention that I moved away from all this. But, I think one of the keys to it is the square buckets. Round buckets, I don't know. It didn't seem to work well for me but I had other problems. Having roots in water is a constant migration of root pieces to clog pumps, and contaminate the living roots.
Pythium root rot is always present and can only be defeated by cool, oxygenated water. That is very hard to keep in buckets. It loves those warm air stones. Perfect foot hold.
Listen, many of us love to tinker. And I know small part sailboat plumbing,as well as house plumbing, etc. But, still, they say, water pond is not the place to start. So, of course, I started there.
But, besides tinkering, why do we even want a complicated, rig where the plants can't move? It is all the eggs in one basket and I lost plenty. All 12 of them at once, one time.
For me, now. I keep 4 pairs at 4 stages of growth. So I harvest about 1 time per month, and I root out a pair of new clones every month. 4 reservoirs at 5 gals each.
All the same food, but different strengths. No switch to bloom nutes. Just 16-16-16 Sea Grow, with some added Cal/Mag and Silica. I throw in some AquaSheild against the root rot and good to go. I just nug the tots on the floor with my foot to see if they need a fill.
So, still hydro. I feed 2 x a day 540ppm now for the ones that just began bloom. And I start the clones at 120 ppm.
For me just the ability to take all the plants out of the bathroom and tent for an afternoon of maintenance makes all the difference.
The plants go into 2.5 gal rose buckets at the beginning of week 3. They had 2 rooting cups, 16 oz SOLO first week, 6" azalea pot, the second week.
The 3rd week they go into the bucket with 50/50 coir and hydroton. Then they begin daily at about 240ppm.
From there they move through the system in the bucket.
Just another way to do it, that is much more simple for me.
I was thinking you might have thought that.
The pump constantly circulates as you say, but the float is for keeping the pond full of water as the plants drink.
I even had a computer set up to mix up the correct dose of feed, to sit atop that float valve. So, instead of just water it would be food also. The weak link there was Windoz, and too many moving parts adding heat.
I mention that I moved away from all this. But, I think one of the keys to it is the square buckets. Round buckets, I don't know. It didn't seem to work well for me but I had other problems. Having roots in water is a constant migration of root pieces to clog pumps, and contaminate the living roots.
Pythium root rot is always present and can only be defeated by cool, oxygenated water. That is very hard to keep in buckets. It loves those warm air stones. Perfect foot hold.
Listen, many of us love to tinker. And I know small part sailboat plumbing,as well as house plumbing, etc. But, still, they say, water pond is not the place to start. So, of course, I started there.
But, besides tinkering, why do we even want a complicated, rig where the plants can't move? It is all the eggs in one basket and I lost plenty. All 12 of them at once, one time.
For me, now. I keep 4 pairs at 4 stages of growth. So I harvest about 1 time per month, and I root out a pair of new clones every month. 4 reservoirs at 5 gals each.
All the same food, but different strengths. No switch to bloom nutes. Just 16-16-16 Sea Grow, with some added Cal/Mag and Silica. I throw in some AquaSheild against the root rot and good to go. I just nug the tots on the floor with my foot to see if they need a fill.
So, still hydro. I feed 2 x a day 540ppm now for the ones that just began bloom. And I start the clones at 120 ppm.
For me just the ability to take all the plants out of the bathroom and tent for an afternoon of maintenance makes all the difference.
The plants go into 2.5 gal rose buckets at the beginning of week 3. They had 2 rooting cups, 16 oz SOLO first week, 6" azalea pot, the second week.
The 3rd week they go into the bucket with 50/50 coir and hydroton. Then they begin daily at about 240ppm.
From there they move through the system in the bucket.
Just another way to do it, that is much more simple for me.
DrWatson
Well-Known Member
oh so really I could just top off the system and this could be done without the ballcock/float valve? and the continual circulation/waterfall gets rid of the need for airstones...I wonder if adding an air pump along with the waterfalls and continuous flow would go even further in preventing root problems? I'm currently experimenting with making an old mini fridge into a water chiller...
Soooo...in the pics the clamp that he used at the far side of the system from the res would be hooked up to the input on the pump?
Sorry if I seem dense just rying to have 100% grip on this bf I start buying sh*t...I have grown before but its been years and at the time I had more money so I just bought an ebb and flow setup off ebay, which I now really wish I hadn't given to my partner. I was diagnosed with crohn's disease this last year and can't afford to keep getting mediocre bud at a huge mark up bc I'm smoking an oz every 2 weeks by myself and its allowed me to avoid the awful scrips my doc is trying to force on me (humira, mercaptopurine, remicade, etc) all of which have cancer as a possible side effect. Thanks for the info Doer...
Soooo...in the pics the clamp that he used at the far side of the system from the res would be hooked up to the input on the pump?
Sorry if I seem dense just rying to have 100% grip on this bf I start buying sh*t...I have grown before but its been years and at the time I had more money so I just bought an ebb and flow setup off ebay, which I now really wish I hadn't given to my partner. I was diagnosed with crohn's disease this last year and can't afford to keep getting mediocre bud at a huge mark up bc I'm smoking an oz every 2 weeks by myself and its allowed me to avoid the awful scrips my doc is trying to force on me (humira, mercaptopurine, remicade, etc) all of which have cancer as a possible side effect. Thanks for the info Doer...
Doer
Well-Known Member
I got ya man. I am not answering for the picture. And if you are intent on buying into dwc, I know it can be done. I don't suggest it, is all, but for the fun of it. It is fun.
But, I will tell what I have done after all that. I put two rose bucket on each 5 gal res tub, in some various way. But, all 4 sets are pump up drain back. The coco will not hold water, only stay a bit moist. This stuff loves to be get O2 in the root zone. When I let it drain, O2 is pulled in.
In each res, I have a tiny, 60 size aquarium pump of the lowest wattage I can find. That sits on the bottom pointing up without an adapter screwed in. It lifts water constantly with very little heat, and spreads it on the surface to saturate. It's Flooming and is better for O2. I have posted my results so, you can refer to it elsewhere.
Keep it simple. You might be glad you did. It just grows better in a coco matrix seems to me vs hanging in fragile ecosystem of a dwc pond. Not for me any more.
But, I will tell what I have done after all that. I put two rose bucket on each 5 gal res tub, in some various way. But, all 4 sets are pump up drain back. The coco will not hold water, only stay a bit moist. This stuff loves to be get O2 in the root zone. When I let it drain, O2 is pulled in.
In each res, I have a tiny, 60 size aquarium pump of the lowest wattage I can find. That sits on the bottom pointing up without an adapter screwed in. It lifts water constantly with very little heat, and spreads it on the surface to saturate. It's Flooming and is better for O2. I have posted my results so, you can refer to it elsewhere.
Keep it simple. You might be glad you did. It just grows better in a coco matrix seems to me vs hanging in fragile ecosystem of a dwc pond. Not for me any more.
Mt Doo
Active Member
Yes I just found this like a month ago and I've been dying for you to come back with any details or modifications on the system.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Rollitup mobile app
bassman999
Well-Known Member
After this run with EBB n GRO I might look into this
sqydro
Active Member
theres some people who are running this with spray bars inside each pot and double returns, IMO the performance of the system is no different , you cant put more DO into a your nutes becoase of a different method of waterfall/bigger air stone/fluming method, once u have the water saturated in DO then the simplest way to do this is the way id always go, keep it simple less to go wrong, as long as you have enviroment dialed and ur res temps kept in check these systems are almost to easy, check and adjust my PH and EC every few days and fill up my top off res once every week or 2 pending size and that was it, taking pics of the huge buds was the most strenuous part lol
bassman999
Well-Known Member
I have looked at your 1st post several times.
I am still a little confused...
All the bins are connected by both white lines bottom , and black hoses tops.
My question is, are the white drains passive or active?
I am still a little confused...
All the bins are connected by both white lines bottom , and black hoses tops.
My question is, are the white drains passive or active?
sqydro
Active Member
yep the white 1.5" pipe on the bottom are return lines, the pump, pumps through the 19mm feed lines (black) into the tops of my tubs, dropping about 7" into the water creating the waterfall in each pot and masses of DO right at the root ball and as this happens the level in the res resets via gravity and returns through the white pipes to restore ballance so to speak..
bassman999
Well-Known Member
Thanx for the reply!
I am following you so far, but then what does the valve for in the white return line?
caligreen420
Well-Known Member
How necessary are watercoolers for these rigs?
bassman999
Well-Known Member
sqydro
Active Member
there as nessesary as you want them to be, if u have them youl have 100% 0 chance of water temps being anything other than what u want them to be, there expensive...prob bout $500 for a decent one , but not as expensive as losing 50oz worth of bud half way in due to root rot or other related hig res temp diseases...so in short id always have one just in case
oh yeah you that was for the undercurrent type set up there would be pipe goign from clamp to the inline pump and back to res, i find the other way normal RDWC is alot better for me anyway no airstones etc much more efficient and leess heat equip etc and air stones are like a sponge for bad pathogens if they arrise
Self clamping valve.
I was thinking its for flushing??
bassman999
Well-Known Member
So airstones should get boiled and or replaced often I guess
sqydro
Active Member
not nessesarily mate just slap some bennificial bacteria in there, ive used bennies, chillers, and nothing, and in all stones and stoneless, lost one grow it had air stones no bennies no chiller, lost a plant no air stones, but no bennies or chiller, then used a chiller and bennies got my best grow ever the bennies prob were t needed cos chiller was all good but...they dont harm the plant infact they help it take up food and feed on any bad pathogens in the water...just keep res at 18-20deg and u should have 0 problems
sqydro good to see you still fling the flag for Rdwc, I've read many of your articles over the last few years! With regard to bennies, I run a flash-chiller & canna aqua feeds. Do you rekon the cannaZyme is enough bennies on it's own, I've seen people adding all sorts of other brands to a CANNA lineup - I swear by the Canna line, in Veg I use them & SuperThrive - at the end of Flower & I add in A.N Carboload, Bud Candy & Big Bud. This works VERY nicely, & I can hit a key-a-plant easily, just thinking I may be missing a trick here.
For anybody putting their system together, I would say DON'T bother with aquarium chillers, or Peltier plates, find a good pub/brewery stockist & get a Flash Chiller, a stainless coil & John Guest (jg) speedfit 8mm fittings to link it all up - try & get the chiller out of the growroom, as these put out a LOT of heat on their own. & Try & put a Guardian in your growroom also, so you know you aren't pulling the temps down too much (I had a day of res temps at 15-16°C, & this shocked my girls a bit).
Also, from earlier in this thread, I reccomend GHE aqua / water farms, square is the way to go - MUCH easier to get a proper, permenant seal from tube - to bucket - back to tube. I've acrued a fair bit of knowledge, specifically in UC - Rdwc, thx in no small part to sqydro.
For anybody putting their system together, I would say DON'T bother with aquarium chillers, or Peltier plates, find a good pub/brewery stockist & get a Flash Chiller, a stainless coil & John Guest (jg) speedfit 8mm fittings to link it all up - try & get the chiller out of the growroom, as these put out a LOT of heat on their own. & Try & put a Guardian in your growroom also, so you know you aren't pulling the temps down too much (I had a day of res temps at 15-16°C, & this shocked my girls a bit).
Also, from earlier in this thread, I reccomend GHE aqua / water farms, square is the way to go - MUCH easier to get a proper, permenant seal from tube - to bucket - back to tube. I've acrued a fair bit of knowledge, specifically in UC - Rdwc, thx in no small part to sqydro.
STLbudz
Well-Known Member
Hey i was gnna open a thread but thought i could just ask here ,im building a rdwc system,n going to do a indoor run with it soon,my q is ,when the plant starts to drink up, do i add the nutes and water back into the res/controller bucket/tub? Also is hydroguard good ?