Leaks in hydroponic setup

ChronicKid007

ChronicKid007

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone. This is literally my third attempt at building an RDWC. The first two times I used bulkhead fittings, and this time I’m using Uniseals and PVC pipe.
Once about 6 gallons of water makes it in the buckets, the leaks begin.
I’m considering using some sort of waterproofer, but I really really wish it weren’t necessary.

Please, any advice or ideas or opinions are appreciated.

Cheers.
 

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I used to work at an old-fashioned (real) hardware store, and the general consensus was, after the third f*ck-up on the same job, it's time to call a plumber, lol.

But it seems like a job to screw up Uniseals They're pretty simple - one piece, pressure seal, should handle up to 65 PSI pressure, compatible with curved surfaces, et cetera.

Use the correct size Uniseal for your pipe. Cut the correctly sized hole for your Uniseal. Make sure edges of hole are smooth; jagged and/or inconsistently sized holes tend to leak. Insert Uniseal correctly (if I remember correctly, it's "wide part is on outside"), using liquid soap/detergent as a lubricant. Make certain the pipe to be inserted is cut clean and square, file or sand the edges so there are no rough or sharp edges to cut the Uniseal surface. Lubricate pipe before insertion! Again, liquid soap/detergent works. Insert pipe until an inch or so is protruding into the bucket. Go eat a sandwich, because this job is complete ;) .

I suppose you could choose to apply some Amazing GOOP Plumbing (or Amazing GOOP Marine) to things afterwards, but it shouldn't be at all necessary to do so.
 
Yea I gotta admit it sounds like you need a pro. A bulkhead fitting is a pretty fool proof way to make a water tight penetration. Uniseals are more prone to leaking because they can deform easier if you bump the hoses or buckets.

Maybe you should consider being a dirt farmer instead? Lots of pre-mixed water only soils available now. Literally just add water. Might be more up your alley than balancing a recirculating dwc setup.
 
TurboBucket said:
Yea I gotta admit it sounds like you need a pro. A bulkhead fitting is a pretty fool proof way to make a water tight penetration. Uniseals are more prone to leaking because they can deform easier if you bump the hoses or buckets.

Maybe you should consider being a dirt farmer instead? Lots of pre-mixed water only soils available now. Literally just add water. Might be more up your alley than balancing a recirculating dwc setup.
Click to expand...
I’ve gone the soil route for a few years and want to try to mix it up. 6 gallons of water is 48 pounds of pressure, so unless the seal is perfect I can see a small leak being understandable. I removed the two Uniseals that were leaking and smoothed out the bucket edges.
Adding a little plumbers tape and quik-seal hoping to add an extra layer of protection.
 
ChronicKid007 said:
6 gallons of water is 48 pounds of pressure
Click to expand...

Can you restate the above so that it makes some kind of sense, please, so I know what you mean?

If you descend 10 feet in water, the pressure you're experiencing has only increased, IDK, something like 4.4 PSI. So I haven't a clue what you were getting at - there'd be a lot more than six gallons of water in a body of water that's got 10' of depth.

The 65 PSI rating, BtW, is in regards to a pressurized water supply/system/etc. The pressures involved in RDWC systems probably vary a bit, but could likely be stated as "minimal" in comparison to that. Although... If my quick/rough mental calculation is correct, if your reservoir happens to be about 148 feet tall, is full of water, and you install a Uniseal near the very bottom of one of that reservoir's walls, then the pressure of that water against the Uniseal ought to be about 65 PSI (or just a fraction of a pound per square inch more than that). <SHRUGS> But that probably has little to no relevance for purposes of this discussion.
 
ChronicKid007 said:
6 gallons of water is 48 pounds of pressure
Click to expand...

Nice try but no. Haha As TS mentioned that's not how water pressure calculations work. Seriously though a bulkhead is far superior to a uniseal. It uses mechanical force to seal the inside of the vessel. Some bulkheads use two rubber washers instead of one so then your mechanically applying force with the screw threads to seal both sides of the vessel. A uniseal is just a well fit plug.

If you want hydro without the leaks run Coco DTW. You can even get crazy with it and do a top feed recirc. But you'll have far less leak problems.
 
ChronicKid007 said:
My logic was that a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. So for every gallon of water there is 8 lbs or pressure. But I clearly see that my logic is flawed lol.
Will let you know if the plumbers tape and quik-seal holds.
Click to expand...
Hey 420. r u using schedule 40 pvc pipe?? Gas pipe and schedule 40 pvc r both white but have different wall thickness. I have used uniseals for over two years in two different systems I’ve built and never had any problem. You need to use schedule 40 pvc with uniseals.
B38D79F0-2DC8-4875-9C2E-AC06EBA6D061.jpeg

B38D79F0-2DC8-4875-9C2E-AC06EBA6D061.jpeg

E1973A27-9FD6-40AA-8B1B-B88A66D5F9CB.jpeg

E1973A27-9FD6-40AA-8B1B-B88A66D5F9CB.jpeg

This is the pipe I use. The gas pipe(pvc) has red print on it and the wall thickness is to large and will tear the uniseals if not immediately in time. They make gas pvc with a larger wall thickness to handle heat. You c this pipe on furnaces and hot water heaters. Hope this helps
 
kind of off topic, but...
why does everyone use buckets for this?
even if you used the table as a rdwc instead of ebb and flo, wouldn't a table be much easier?
 
10gal said:
kind of off topic, but...
why does everyone use buckets for this?
even if you used the table as a rdwc instead of ebb and flo, wouldn't a table be much easier?
Click to expand...
Personal preference I guess I never thought about it. I veg on a flood and drain table and flower in my 8 bucket RDWC system. My RDWC system is simple I drop 8 vegged plants in buckets then scrog. I don’t lift them out until harvest.
There would be one hell of a root mass on a table under my canopy lmao.
2829A3C0-DF6F-4131-8831-64AEC9FE21E3.jpeg

2829A3C0-DF6F-4131-8831-64AEC9FE21E3.jpeg

I don’t even know that it could be done without constantly watching the drain so it never got plugged.
 
Chris Scorpio said:
Msybe try a simple dwc system....

What i do...real easy and not all the connection

Then perfect that and try the rdwc later
Click to expand...
its a pain to change water in a scrog with dwc chris
 
KCCO 77 said:
Personal preference I guess I never thought about it. I veg on a flood and drain table and flower in my 8 bucket RDWC system. My RDWC system is simple I drop 8 vegged plants in buckets then scrog. I don’t lift them out until harvest.
There would be one hell of a root mass on a table under my canopy lmao.
2829A3C0-DF6F-4131-8831-64AEC9FE21E3.jpeg

2829A3C0-DF6F-4131-8831-64AEC9FE21E3.jpeg

I don’t even know that it could be done without constantly watching the drain so it never got plugged.
Click to expand...
my bro does corrugated plastic sheet over a table, no media, and just cuts holes and lets them hang.
the only problem hes ever had was, you have to have air stones on the table and in the res, because the root mass that forms will eat the air stones, and yes you need 1 inch overflow atleast, not because media will clog it or anything, but the roots will if they cant grow down freely

I dont think his yeilds are any better than a hydroton set up flooding 10x a day, but he likes it.
 
A 23-gallon tote makes an awesome DWC container, and can easily support a one-plant SCROG of eight square feet. Takes a while, though ;) . An air pump and set of airstones is all well and good - but add a good aquarium power head, for best results.

A simple $3 hand siphon pump, like people use to transfer kerosene from the can into a heater, is adequate for removing the liquid from a reservoir. A few dollars more will get one that runs on batteries. Or, if you elevate the reservoir slightly, a length of basic rubber hose works just fine. Although if your plant is large enough (and with decently warm temperatures and great airflow), it will probably consume the nutrient solution rapidly enough that you don't have to do a lot of "changes," just refill the thing every morning when you see that there's just a puddle in the bottom because the plant transpired many gallons in the 24 hours since the last time you refilled it.
 
I love Uniseals. Luckily I have never had a failure.
As mentioned before use the proper sized hole-saw & deburr your hole. Use the proper size PVC pipe for the seal & dish soap for lube while assembling..

Plumbers tape is for threaded fittings it wont help one bit.

A good marine grade sealant would seal it up but I hate introducing possibly toxic chemical compunds into my DWC system. Keep it on the outside of the bucket if you have to smear some on.

Bulkheads are awesome...just pricey

Start with a quality bucket. 70mil or thicker. I've passed on some cheaper buckets in the past because they felt flimsy & cheap.

Good luck :thumb:
 
Chris Scorpio said:
Msybe try a simple dwc system....

What i do...real easy and not all the connection

Then perfect that and try the rdwc later
Click to expand...
I can get down with this. How do you suggest the best way to change the water is? I would guess just take off the lid and hand pump it out.
 
FatBeaverBuds said:
I love Uniseals. Luckily I have never had a failure.
As mentioned before use the proper sized hole-saw & deburr your hole. Use the proper size PVC pipe for the seal & dish soap for lube while assembling..

Plumbers tape is for threaded fittings it wont help one bit.

A good marine grade sealant would seal it up but I hate introducing possibly toxic chemical compunds into my DWC system. Keep it on the outside of the bucket if you have to smear some on.

Bulkheads are awesome...just pricey

Start with a quality bucket. 70mil or thicker. I've passed on some cheaper buckets in the past because they felt flimsy & cheap.

Good luck :thumb:
Click to expand...
Money shot. This is exactly how I install as well.
 

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