DIY 6 pot RDWC system under $200

[bigbudz90]

Hey fellow 420 growers,
Ok so new setup is complete, under $200 with parts from the hardware & hydro store...
Good little setup for my money, runs well no issues with flow from return or send lines. Biggest pain in the ass building it was having to wrap all the buckets with PVC and Cloth tape and light testing every inch of the system...

If anyones interested in making one heres what i used:



Fittings:
25mm tank adapter (bulkhead) x 15
25mm x 25mm barbed thread x 15
25mm barbed joiner x 6
25mm cross barb x 2
25mm barbed tee x 2
25mm elbow x 7
19mm grommet top hat x 6
Teflon tape
PVC tape
Cloth tape

Bits and bobs:
Hydroponic basket x 6
25mm hydroponic tube x 10m
6mm air hose x 10m
20L food safe pale x 7

Tools:
Drill
Drill bits
Hole saw set
deburring tool ( or stanley knife)
Scissors

Pumps:
Water Pump existing - Medium - 3000L/PH
Air pumps existing - 1 x 4 outlet
2 x 2 outlet

Not going to explain the process, figured its pretty self explanatory.. just make sure all your holes for 25mm fittings are consistant on each pot.. measure and mark them, otherwise you may run into issues with water flow between pots.

Also having the 3 taps on the pump line made sure i could balance the flow from the pump, use a simple valve off the pump for easy water changes.

Happy designing and growing

 

[bigbudz90]

OK so some photos of the setup together..
No doubt you will notice their is only 4 pots in the photos, left the other 2 off with little space in the house to test everything.. when i get it all setup in the tent ill post some photos.

Would be great to see what everyone else has designed for their RDWC systems.

Buckets:
1 x 20L pale
1 x mesh basket
1 x 25mm joiner
1 x 25mm elbow
2 x treaded barbs
2 x tank adapters
1 x grommet
Hydro tubing

Have created little water fall elbows for inside the buckets, i could have run the tubing straight into the grommets but wanted to reduce the water noise in my grow area. Already loud enough with fans and pumps ect

Reservoir:
3 x threaded barbs
3 x tank adapters

Air pump:
Pump 4 outlet x 1
Pump 2 outlet x 2
6mm tube 10m
Air stones x 8

Running 2 air stones in reservoir and 1 in each plant pot

Water pump:
300l/ph water pump
25mm tubing
25mm taps x 3
25mm cross barb x 2
25mm tee barb x 1
25mm barb angle x 1

Added drain lines and 3 valves off the pump, 1 for water changes, the other 2 to help control the flow to buckets, pump is a little strong, closing the vavles controls the feed lines making sure their is even flow back to the reservoir... drain works really well after testing.. should make water changes very easy..

Any questions hit me up

 

[Dr Fish]

I'll follow along to see how it works for you.. Took a little different approach to circulate the water.. I eliminated the need for a submerged or exterior inline, high volume, water pump. No air stones either, they add their share of heat.. I got rid of both.. Heat was my biggest concern. It seems to be working for me..
What size is the basket? and I assume you'll be using hydroton.. A 12" lid basket will need to be top fed to get the roots out the bottom of the basket.. If you start a thread, link it in your sig.

 

[bigbudz90]

I'll follow along to see how it works for you.. Took a little different approach to circulate the water.. I eliminated the need for a submerged or exterior inline, high volume, water pump. No air stones either, they add their share of heat.. I got rid of both.. Heat was my biggest concern. It seems to be working for me..
What size is the basket? and I assume you'll be using hydroton.. A 12" lid basket will need to be top fed to get the roots out the bottom of the basket.. If you start a thread, link it in your sig.

Tubs are 20L each, will be using Hydroton in this system..
Starting a new journal when its all up and running.. have some incredible bulk cuttings and also Lemon Haze ready to go.. depending might add some other strains also from my seed collection...

Interested to see how your setup works with no air stones or pump, do you have any photos?

 

[bigbudz90]

RDWC Incredible Bulk & Lemon Haze Tent Grow

OK guys, back again... we finally got everything setup after a long wait.. first week in, root system has already stretched down into each of the pots.. I took clones from the Lemon Haze last week, unsure if I should wait for the Incredible Bulk to catch up a little and flower the whole lot...

www.420magazine.com

First grow using the new system Going very well