Undercurrent DWC?

[Scinner]

Hi there fellow 420mag'erz, my first thread here!

Whats up with these undercurrent systems? Why would they be so much better than a regular DWC? If you grow one plant in a rubbermaid with lots of aeration, circulationpump and more than enough space for roots to grow in, I dont think we need an undercurrentsystem, do we?

I mean, what difference does it make? Please explain to me the benefits of an undercurrent system and why it's not the same as a regular DWC with good circulation/aeration.

"Swim calm" as we say in Sweden

[video=youtube;YSx7amRjS9Y]

[/video]

 

[oldman60]

Those are the same buckets kitty littler comes in. I've used them in the past.
Not sure if that set up is any better than others but it does look clean and simple.

 

[Scinner]

Those are the same buckets kitty littler comes in. I've used them in the past.
Not sure if that set up is any better than others but it does look clean and simple.

Pretty pricey kitty litter buckets!

I like his comment 01:57 in to the vid: "so as you make changes here you wanna be careful because obviously you gonna need alot more pH down, pH up, nutrient solution and things"

What is he trying to tell us? If we buy this system we need to buy more nutrients and pH +/-, and let's not forget "things"? My understanding was that, you need less nuts and.... "things" if you have good circulation/aeration, not more.

 

[JJ Bones]

They're recirculating so it's easy to change pH and nutes etc in all your buckets rather then going one by one.

I've heard mixed reviews from people in the industry on them, but that's how everything is heh.

 

[Scinner]

You're right.
If you got a big grow-op it would ease up your workload quiet a bit.
Anyways, it looks real cool! Probably wouldn't be that hard to make a DIY.

 

[Bassman59]

Call it undercurrent or RDWC (Recirculating), I feel like it's the proper way to DWC. Mostly because through recirculation I push my nutrient through a water chiller. Bad water temps are the bane of dwc. I learned the hard way with root rot.

After water chilling, the mixing of nutes is awesome easy for a multi plant grow. I add all the nutes to some ro water and add it to the main res. It circulates through and mixes very well quite fast. No more need to ph/ppm test each plant and make micro adjustments to each one.

More dissolved oxygen! I use a nice big air stone in each bucket but also benefit from the return feed to the main res adding d.o. to the mix.

My tent ready for the next batch of girls to go into flower:

Very easy to DIY inexpensively. Much better to use large pvc rather than lil ole 3/4" pipe/tubing also.

 

[Scinner]

Thanks for the input Bass!

Been reading your last couple of jurnals with great interest. I like your results of the hevy defoliation/bending technique. Awesome!

RDWC seems to be the way to go for a multiple plant setup.

How are those uniseals handling in round buckets? Have you had any leaks?

Edit: Tried to +rep you but got to spread it. You got some +rep for your Defoliation thread I think!

 

[Bassman59]

Thanks for the input Bass!

Been reading your last couple of jurnals with great interest. I like your results of the hevy defoliation/bending technique. Awesome!

RDWC seems to be the way to go for a multiple plant setup.

How are those uniseals handling in round buckets? Have you had any leaks?

Edit: Tried to +rep you but got to spread it. You got some +rep for your Defoliation thread I think!

Thanks Scinner.

The uniseals have had a cpl minor leaks. But each time it was when I tweaked them off center with the pvc. Once I straightened the pvc they sealed back up. It was just one bucket that I had this issue with, but generally I would say once installed and straight, just dont put offsetting pressure on them when in use.

 

[Scinner]

Thanks Scinner.

The uniseals have had a cpl minor leaks. But each time it was when I tweaked them off center with the pvc. Once I straightened the pvc they sealed back up. It was just one bucket that I had this issue with, but generally I would say once installed and straight, just dont put offsetting pressure on them when in use.

Ok, so one just needs to be careful not to touch them when dialed in.

What size pvc do you use?

What does your res. change procedure look like? How often do you do them and how do you get all the water out of the system?

Do you top of every day? Manually or do you have a floatvalve in the controll bucket?

Hope you don't mind me asking questions.

 

[Bassman59]

The thing I noticed is when I drilled the holes in the buckets I eyeballed it and subsequently some of the pipe does not make contact with the floor where the larger diameter 90 degree elbows are. These should be "rest points" on the floor. As a result, I've sometimes leaned on the pipe or stepped on it and slightly tweaked the pipe causing pinhole leak. Once lifted back straight the leaks went away. So just be careful with positioning.

I use 2" pvc.

I use the recirc pump to pump out the nutrient every 2-3 weeks. When the level gets so low the pump has no water flowing I use small towels rolled up like a cigar and soak up the water in the res bucket. Some water will be left in the plant buckets but it's not a large amount nor a big deal when adding back 16-18 gals of fresh. At end of grows I drain and flush the system with tap quite a bit and added bleach (not a lot of bleach). Flushing at least 40 gals through the system, about 10 gals at a time letting it run for a while each time. Then each bucket gets wiped down, with a final wipe with rubbing alcohol or white vinegar, both of which evaporate fast.

I top off mostly every day. I choose not to use a control bucket. At peak, it's only 2.5-3 gals per day for my grow. I top off with plain ro water let it run a while to mix up well and then check ph. I only check tds every 3 days after topping off. If ppm has dropped more than 60 then I mix up some nutrient. Usually, I end up making a 1-2 gal mix of of nutrients (meaning normal amount of nutrients for 1 gal of water) every 3rd day to bring the ppm back where I want it.

tip: Never check tds before level is topped off. The mix will be more concentrated and inaccurate measure of what's been used. They always uptake more water than nutrient so top off the water, let it mix, then take readings.

 

[Scinner]

Thank you, sir.

Very informative!

Just one more question, what kind of recirc pump do you use? Would a submersible pump work, although not submersed(outside of the bucket) or do I need a special pump?

 

[Bassman59]

yes that's what I use. They come with screw in fittings and rubber o-rings to seal the connection. However, I highly suggest you use plumbers tape on the fittings and don't over tighten. They are plastic and will break. Also suggest buying a couple spares, they're super cheap at $1-$2.