RDWC design assistance
- Thread starter Lilmink
- Start date
MustGro
Well-Known Member
The pump outside the res is a good idea and a bad one at the same time. A good one because it won't put heat into the solution, but bad because it'll run the fluids out the top of your pots. The GH 8 pack waterfarms and powergrowers don't use a pump, they just use gravity feed. So if you put your reservoir at the right height; it'll keep all the pots topped up to that level.
One thing that's kinda messed up with the GH system is there's no way to check the PH of the individual pots. That's important, and I'm gonna suggest you include a way to do that with your design.
The way you run the lines into one pot and then into another is off as well. GH did that with their first version and then realized that every pot downstream was getting filled up from the previous pot; not the reservoir. the reservoir in their design (and yours) filled up the first pot only. They wound up running a line all around the outside of the pots and teeing off of that to feed individual pots.
One thing that's kinda messed up with the GH system is there's no way to check the PH of the individual pots. That's important, and I'm gonna suggest you include a way to do that with your design.
The way you run the lines into one pot and then into another is off as well. GH did that with their first version and then realized that every pot downstream was getting filled up from the previous pot; not the reservoir. the reservoir in their design (and yours) filled up the first pot only. They wound up running a line all around the outside of the pots and teeing off of that to feed individual pots.
Major Blazer
Well-Known Member
GH Waterfarms are not RDWC. That said I'd rather have have Waterfarms with a shared res than deal with RDWC.
Anyway @Lilmink your design is missing a control bucket and your flow pattern will lead to uneven water levels. Look at photos of different 4 site rdwc systems available and you'll get a better idea of where to place the pump and how to route your lines.
Anyway @Lilmink your design is missing a control bucket and your flow pattern will lead to uneven water levels. Look at photos of different 4 site rdwc systems available and you'll get a better idea of where to place the pump and how to route your lines.
MustGro
Well-Known Member
Yeah @Major Blazer is right; Waterfarms aren't RDWC. I got confused by the drawing; it looked like you were using tubing like GH does in their waterfarms and powergrower 8 packs.
Just do a search on here for RDWC and you'll get lots of ideas. The way GH does it is limited. The PH and PPM in each bucket can be different depending on the size and variety of the plant. But there's no circulation; just topping off. You see how in the pic you posted that the hoses go around the outside? That's so the buckets don't feed from the previous bucket like in the original design. They feed from the reservoir not the previous bucket. It's not a great design in my opinion. The RDWC is way better because the solution is the same in all pots since it circulates. My 2 cents anyway.
Just do a search on here for RDWC and you'll get lots of ideas. The way GH does it is limited. The PH and PPM in each bucket can be different depending on the size and variety of the plant. But there's no circulation; just topping off. You see how in the pic you posted that the hoses go around the outside? That's so the buckets don't feed from the previous bucket like in the original design. They feed from the reservoir not the previous bucket. It's not a great design in my opinion. The RDWC is way better because the solution is the same in all pots since it circulates. My 2 cents anyway.
Thanks for your help! I ended up going with this. Set it up last night and it's been running smoothly.
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What do you think?
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Space is 5x6 each plant site at minimum a 2x2 space. How much wattage should I be aiming for, for ultimate yield ?
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
if leds, 30 sq ft x 40 w/sq ft= 1200 watts actual
MustGro
Well-Known Member
I used the smallest one of these in my 40 gallon and split it into two circular 4 inch air stones.
The bitch is if it's hot in your grow you wind up injecting hot air into your res. I only used it intermittently, maybe an hour a day and a good run on mixing a new tank day. I'm not using it this run. I've got a slight waterfall effect when my solution goes back to the reservoir and that's gonna have to be good enough for summer.
This will be able to handle what I have? What about air stones? What kind should I use? How can I keep the water levels the same in every tote?I used the smallest one of these in my 40 gallon and split it into two circular 4 inch air stones.
The bitch is if it's hot in your grow you wind up injecting hot air into your res. I only used it intermittently, maybe an hour a day and a good run on mixing a new tank day. I'm not using it this run. I've got a slight waterfall effect when my solution goes back to the reservoir and that's gonna have to be good enough for summer.
MustGro
Well-Known Member
I used this type https://indoorgrowingcanada.com/collections/pumps-air-stones/products/ecoplus-hydrovescent-air-disc-4-inch
But I ran it with the big air line to the 4 inch stone in one reservoir. You could do that too with your reservoir.
Look at the air pump kit. It comes with a manifold that you can split into six 1/8 lines. In your setup you could also get 4 of something like this https://indoorgrowingcanada.com/collections/pumps-air-stones/products/ecoplus-medium-round-air-stone
You don't need a ton of air but you could do it either way.
I'm not so sure how you go about keeping the water levels the same in RWDC.
But I ran it with the big air line to the 4 inch stone in one reservoir. You could do that too with your reservoir.
Look at the air pump kit. It comes with a manifold that you can split into six 1/8 lines. In your setup you could also get 4 of something like this https://indoorgrowingcanada.com/collections/pumps-air-stones/products/ecoplus-medium-round-air-stone
You don't need a ton of air but you could do it either way.
I'm not so sure how you go about keeping the water levels the same in RWDC.
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redi jedi
Well-Known Member
When the buckets are plumbed together they act like one container. They only way you could have different levels is if the pump is drawing water out faster than it can return.
I like the air disks myself.
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