Your thoughts on my DIY RDWC hose/pump sizes and plumbing methods pls

[Sweetgreen]

I've been doing research and reading guides on RDWC, but I've come across some inconsistencies that I'm hoping to clear up here. Basically to do with hose and pump sizes and plumbing methods. I want to avoid unequal flow rates(drain and fill) among my buckets, as well as them overflowing due to too big a pump or too small return lines.

I've heard a few people say 1/2" return lines are too small, and caused their buckets to overflow. I've also heard people complain about uneven nutrient distribution because they plumbed it wrong.

I've seen some videos online where people have a 10 or so line manifold thing that connects to the water pump(sticking up out of rez), and gives equal flow out of each line. I can't seem to find those online, so if anyone could help me find those, that would be sweet. If I can't get one of those, then this is what I'm thinking of doing;

Water pump will feed a 3/4" hose out(my supply manifold) which will have T's connecting to 1/2" lines running to buckets. I'm hoping the 3/4" manifold will hold higher volume, causing all the 1/2" lines to flow the same amount, even to the buckets farthest from the pump? How big should the pump be for that?

Then I'm thinking the return lines should be 3/4" feeding into a 1" return manifold? Will gravity cause them all to drain equal, even the buckets farthest from the rez?

Or should I put the pump on the return lines, and let gravity feed the supply? That might create a more even flow?

All thoughts and ideas wanted! Thanks guys

 

[Heks]

not sure what GPH pump or size tubing to use. Very interested in this type of system though, still working on my basic DWC first

Have you seen this video?

YouTube - Under Current Deep Water Culture Hydroponic System: animated walkthrough

 

[Hydrologist]

Hey sweet green. You know it really sucks that only myself and Heks have been curious in the same growing technique as you as it seems at the moment. i'll try to post this and find more info and get back to you if I find anything because just today my growing mentor gave me a fucking 500 dollar chiller! So I gatta take advantage of some dope shit like that. Though I am planning to try and recirculate through only one bucket which is ganna be kinda easier than what your doing I would imagine but I have the same damn questions as you. If some how you've already completely figured this ish out please get back to me asap!
best,
pg

 

[Hydrologist]

I've been doing research and reading guides on RDWC, but I've come across some inconsistencies that I'm hoping to clear up here. Basically to do with hose and pump sizes and plumbing methods. I want to avoid unequal flow rates(drain and fill) among my buckets, as well as them overflowing due to too big a pump or too small return lines.

I've heard a few people say 1/2" return lines are too small, and caused their buckets to overflow. I've also heard people complain about uneven nutrient distribution because they plumbed it wrong.

I've seen some videos online where people have a 10 or so line manifold thing that connects to the water pump(sticking up out of rez), and gives equal flow out of each line. I can't seem to find those online, so if anyone could help me find those, that would be sweet. If I can't get one of those, then this is what I'm thinking of doing;

Water pump will feed a 3/4" hose out(my supply manifold) which will have T's connecting to 1/2" lines running to buckets. I'm hoping the 3/4" manifold will hold higher volume, causing all the 1/2" lines to flow the same amount, even to the buckets farthest from the pump? How big should the pump be for that?

Then I'm thinking the return lines should be 3/4" feeding into a 1" return manifold? Will gravity cause them all to drain equal, even the buckets farthest from the rez?

Or should I put the pump on the return lines, and let gravity feed the supply? That might create a more even flow?

All thoughts and ideas wanted! Thanks guys

Yo sweetgreen i reposted the question here: Help me and a friend figure out RDWC? recirculating deep water culture

hope it helps get us where we need to go!

 

[Sweetgreen]

Awesome dude, that thing looks like it kicks ass!... you got more shit going on than I do, so I'm pulling up a chair and following you

I think I might be able to get by without a chiller as my room temps should never go above 20c/68f and I'd like to run an external pump ...what does anyone think?

 

[willoby]

I'm having a huge issue with this right now so I will tell you what not to do...I have a 6 bucket (5 gallons each) all tied together with 1/2" pipe. I just bought the 2200 series pump which pumps 581gph and that is what returns my water to the res and pulls water from my buckets...I just hooked the system up to test before moving forward and the pump is draining the fuckin buckets faster than the water can return to fill them....I'm going to try to put a valve on my return line and turn it down to see if it helps but I'm up too early and Lowes isn't open now....I will let you know what my results are later but from what I have looked into since this mishap I'm sorta thinking that you lines going from the res and to the buckets(also connecting lines to buckets) should be 1" to 2" with a return line 3/4" or smaller if you will be using a pump that does around581gph. I'm just irritated with mine and rambling but I hope it will help you with some info you are needing...I will be cutting and installing a valve later today to see if it helps and I will let you know if it does the trick(it may put too much strain on the pump and burn it up) who knows!!! Trial and error...I thought my system was dialed in after doing a month of research and look where I'm at....Should have asked first like yourself!!!!

 

[Hydrologist]

Awesome dude, that thing looks like it kicks ass!... you got more shit going on than I do, so I'm pulling up a chair and following you

I think I might be able to get by without a chiller as my room temps should never go above 20c/68f and I'd like to run an external pump ...what does anyone think?

Thanks for the following sweetgreen Im sure there is MUCH we can learn from each other . Thats killer that your room temps are nice and low you should be in a good place with that-also I have another plant thats actually just about to be harvest-its a co-op between my room mate and I though he controlls the grow's thread he's out of town for the next week and a half so i've been posting for him. Anyways you should check out how big this plant is because your going to freak when I tell you that average room temps for this girl is aprox 78-81 deg/F but I keep her res temps under 70 deg/F he entire 12 hours of light! Number one her giant canopy doesn't hurt she's a big plant and those two factors keep the resi far from heat and shady from it, plus reflective tape helps too.

But the big thing I do to keep the temps low-and I actually just started doing this after I installed my chiller on my personal grow- But I started freezing a regular sized bottle of water and putting in the rez under her root ball to keep it planted at the bottom (though im sure u dont have to do this) After placeing the water bottle temps jump down to aprox. 63.5 deg/F in about 15 minutes and then slowly creep there way up once temps hit about 68-69 deg/F is my cue to swop out bottles, I take another one out of the freezer replace the bottle with melted contense and throw that one back in the freezer and repeat. Its been doing the trick.

Only down side
if your not home to switch out bottles eventually your temps are going to rise to ambient temperature THOUGH one bottle actually lasts me about half the time that the light is on-6 hours so even if your at work for 8 hours you'll be home soon enough to change bottles out and make the technique effective in the battle against bad nutrient uptake, deficiency's, and above all disease and FUNGUS!
As far as running an external pump goes do it! But might I ask is it because your apprehension about mixing water an electricity? Regardless I suggest useing the pump I used it can be used as a submergable but also as an Dry Land inline pump and it was only 18 bucks and pumps 264 GPH (gallons per hour)

The link to the grow i've been referencing is in my signature under the title: "co-op with Heks DWC -bubba KushXDeep Chunk- grow journal"
I hope that helps
PG

 

[Hydrologist]

I'm having a huge issue with this right now so I will tell you what not to do...I have a 6 bucket (5 gallons each) all tied together with 1/2" pipe. I just bought the 2200 series pump which pumps 581gph and that is what returns my water to the res and pulls water from my buckets...I just hooked the system up to test before moving forward and the pump is draining the fuckin buckets faster than the water can return to fill them....I'm going to try to put a valve on my return line and turn it down to see if it helps but I'm up too early and Lowes isn't open now....I will let you know what my results are later but from what I have looked into since this mishap I'm sorta thinking that you lines going from the res and to the buckets(also connecting lines to buckets) should be 1" to 2" with a return line 3/4" or smaller if you will be using a pump that does around581gph. I'm just irritated with mine and rambling but I hope it will help you with some info you are needing...I will be cutting and installing a valve later today to see if it helps and I will let you know if it does the trick(it may put too much strain on the pump and burn it up) who knows!!! Trial and error...I thought my system was dialed in after doing a month of research and look where I'm at....Should have asked first like yourself!!!!

I feel your pain on wishing you asked first but at the same time right now you're enjoying one of the best parts of growing! Pioneering through your system so that when it is working properly you're ganna glow with the feeling that you concurred that shit and when your smoking those nugs you'll know theres as much weight as their is and their as bomb as they are BECAUSE OF YOUR ENGINEERING SKILLZ. You'll get it dude! As you can see from the pic I posted above and if you check out my current grow journal you'll see that im recirculating through a chiller back into my single bucket so my set up is MUCH more simpler than yours. Im only useing a 264 GPH pump as my chiller only required I use at least 240 GPH. BUT I Plan on expanding it to another plant so a total of two buckets and a chiller. So Please hook me up with a link to your grow journal if you have one! If not im definetly going to need to get some specifics from you when the time comes. In the mean time keep up the fight man I can't wait to see what you have when its finished!
PG

 

[Fennario]

It's probably too late for this post but I'm looking to make my DWC into an RDWC and am considering the very same issues. Restricting the flow on the return line will cause a high negative pressure on the pump impeller and will wear it out much quicker than otherwise. An inexpensive way to do this would be to put a small shunt with a valve between the pump input and output. This way you can open the valve a little and it will allow some of the output to go back into the input, reducing the flow rate without stressing the impeller.

What did you end up doing and how's it working?