Super simple ebb & flow buckets

[Bonzo]

Hello Sysprog, you pretty much got it. I only went from 3" to 8" net pots to buckets cause my timing was off, when i get things dialed in better i will be going from starter cube to net pot ( or 4" rockwool cube ) to bucket, eliminating one of the "tranplants" if you will. Also the system drains through the pump, you want to avoid any syphoning effect by drilling 1/4" hole in the top of the overflow ( see photo ) Without this hole it is possible that the system will continuosly syphon without draining. I also recomend a small recurculating pump in the resovior to keep the nutrients constantly curculating. Let me know if you have any more Qs. Have a good day. peace,Bonzo

 

[Guest]

In a bubbler, how far down into nute solution does the net pot sit? Thx- MG

 

[sysprog]

Thx Bonzo, you solidified my concept. Sweet!
Mastergrow, it is my understanding that you want the nute solution to go about a 1/2" past the bottom of the netpot. At a minimum, do this until the roots grow into the nutes.
Sysprog...

 

[Guest]

Thx sysprog...will be building a 4 bucket bubbler set up next week. Four 4 gal buckets w/ holes cut in the lids, four 5" net pots, dual outlet air pump, airline tubing, two T connections, 4 airstones, small rockwool cubes, hydroton, ph test kit, ph down/up....did I forget anything? I am already using Earth Juice grow, bloom, and catalyst in soil grow... figured I'd just use that in the bubbler. May need to get some micro though. I do appreciate everyone's help! MG

 

[Bonzo]

Hey Mastergrow sorry i didnt get back to you sooner. I dont know too much about DWC, never used it. Im sure theres alot of info about it here and at OG. Good luck and keep me posted. peace,Bonzo

 

[sysprog]

mastergrow,
I suggest you attach the netpots to the lids. I didn't really notice this or didn't think it was important, but it is a PITA to lift my plant to observe the root mass since the plant is constantly falling over. My h2o is 150ppm and ph 7 so I only use a little ph down (to adjust after nutes bring ph down), never needed ph up. Plan where you are going to tie your plants if needed, I junk rigged something but my string was stuck on something and I ended up breaking a plant....bummer....crap, sorry Bonzo, not intending to hijack your thread.
I started assembling my 2 bucket bonzo system . I'm using those 4gal kitty litter buckets since I have an unlimited supply (5 cats)!!! Since when did the kitties begin thinking I was growing catnip???
hd- pvc pipe & elbows
wally- kitty litter 4g buckets, plastic paint, sterlite 18g res, dual outlet airpump (but may use old aquarium power head) 4 res circulation
harbor freight- submersible pump
My goal in chosing the bonzo bucket systems is to provide a setup for the non hardcore grower, something a grandmother can handle. Would a 250 mh/hps w/ floro side lighting be a good producer in c13 style cab? I figure this to be an excellent new grower hydro system for less than $500 complete (cab,lights,system,nutes,beans)
damn, I'm a rambler...sysprog :wink:

 

[Guest]

Sysprog...I think 250w + flouros would be ok for 2 buckets... will definitely be easier to deal w/ the heat that way. Sounds like you're on your way to a successful hydro grow (kudos to Bonzo for helping out us "hydro- newbies"- lol). Keep us posted. BTW- I'm going to use 4gal "Scoop Away" buckets too (3 cats here)... meooow! Good growing my friend! MG

 

[Bonzo]

Hey Mastergrow i would try to go with a 400 if you possibly can, they dont get that hot, 250 is sure a little light. How much room are you working with?

 

[smokey-cigars]

If your drain lines are big enough you wont ever have a siphoning problem...when you experience a siphon problem,it is because your drains are too small, and water is building up to quick... Ive got a top feed NFT system, and at first i had 1/2 inch drain lines, didnt work, so i switched to two inch drain lines, now i have got a water fall back into my rez! It adds lots of oxygen back into the water, and no need to add any recirculation pump,..they just add more heat to the water...if you have got a good pump, the water should be completely re-circulating every hour....hope this helps guys

 

[sysprog]

connecting pvc to bucket

connecting pvc to bucket

Bonzo,
How did you make the connection to from the pvc to the bucket? I was looking for a way that was easy to disconnect.
homedePOT:
4- 3/4" cut washers ($0.22 ea)
2- female sched 40 adapter (glue one side, std threads other) ($0.20 ea)
2- male sched 40 adapter (screw to female above) ($0.20 ea)
1- aquarium silicone sealant ($4)
~ $6.00

1. Drill 3/4 hole in bottom of bucket, sand/scuff around hole
2. 1 washer on male fitting, bead of silicone around hole, push male connector through hole
3. silicone bead around hole/male fitting on inside of bucket
4. 1 washer on male, thread female fitting to male, tighten. Allow to dry

The female fitting's stick about 1" up from bottom of bucket. You can either have an air stone in this standing water or drill holes in the part that sticks to allow drainage. A filter screen would ensure that no roots enter the tube.

ty
sysprog

edit:
Of course a water tight seal isn't really needed since these bonzo buckets sit over the res (if it open, if not a gutter could be rigged up).

 

[Bonzo]

Hey Sy, how are ya! I like to have the option of removing my buckets if i want to so i use grey, pvc plastic, electrical fittings. ( see photo ) you can just see the outer fitting on bottom of bucket. sorry i dont have a camera at the moment or i would take some better pics. Anyway these can be found in the electrical department at Home Depot. They are like a coupler, there threaded, one male one female and both accept 1" pvc. they come in all sizes to fit all sizes of pvc. I dont use any sealant of any hind, i use an "O" ring on both sides for a seal. As long as the hole you drill is not to big the O rings work great. All i have to do is pull the inner bucket out and unscrew the inner coupler and i can pull the bottom bucket off the pvc. Its good to have a spare bucket around to set the plant in while moving or working on the system. I think a water tight seal is a good thing, i dont want any water dripping anywhere it should not be. Also this is a small system, my next system is going to be 7 or 8 buckets and there wont be a res below all buckets so a water tight fit is a must. Also, as you mentioned i do drill small holes through the inner coupler just above the bottom of the inner bucket, it leaves allmost no standing water :smile: I hope i have described this well enough, i really need a camera. Let me know if i can help. peace,Bonzo one other little thing, you notice how i placed the pvc off-center in the bottom bucket? i did this because it allows me to turn the buckets away from each other if i want to space them out, with the O rings you can turn the buckets freely with no leaks :smile: peace again

 

[sysprog]

Heya Bonzo!!
Wake & Bake to ya :wink:

Yeah, I fiddling around with em last night and the sched 40 pvc fittings do not seat fully (they have tapered threads so they get tighter the more they are screwed together). Since the bottom of the male fitting is wider, the 3/4 cut washer doesn't seat fully. I was going to make a gasket out of some rubber material....I'l check out the o-rings and pvc conduit fittings. Gotta return some electrical plugs anyway today and hit harborfreight to see if they have any decent pumps. I like the offset holes, way to think ahead :wink:
It's going to be a beautiful day!!
sy

 

[Bonzo]

Possible new setup

 

[MsHerbalivation]

I'm definately following this thread closely. I ordered a premade hydro kit, but ultimately would like to build my own bubbler bucket set up. I like the simplicity of your system. I'm not very technically inclined, but I understood everything about your setup so I like the K.I.S.S. of it. I've got some GS that I'm going to be growing as well. This is my first grow, not counting the plant I grew years ago that got squashed in my mother in laws window...I'm hoping to have my grow started by the middle of the week. Keep up the awesome thread.

 

[Bonzo]

Thanks for comin by MsHerb. Your gonna love the GS peace,Bonzo

 

[Bonzo]

Hey Sy, let me know what you found at Harbour Freight. :smile:

 

[sysprog]

HF had a 400gph pond/fountain pump for $25. A little over kill for 2 buckets but is ok. They also have 66, 145, 250 & 550gph.
http://order.harborfreight.com/EasyAsk/harborfreight/results.jsp?ts=Sun Jan 16 16:22:39 PST 2005
I've used the 66 & 125 for fountains and drip systems. They also have a drip irrigation system (which has 1/4" black tubing, tees, & drippers). Online it's like $7, in store $13. The drippers are worthless, but it's often on sale for $5. The tubing & tees are worth more than that. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46095

Assembly starts tonight !!
ty
sy

 

[Bonzo]

Awesome info Sy :smile: I never thought of HF for these items thanks a million :friends: Keep me posted on your assembly. peace,Bonzo

 

[sysprog]

Forgot to mention that homedePOT has black nascar 5gal buckets now for $4 and lids for $2. Considering the cost of shipping from online sources and they are about the same cost.....or the cost of duct tape/plastic paint ($4 can) plus the time it takes to blackout....
for this 2 bucket bonzo sys, $20. (4 buckets & 2 lids). Of course, you could also go with those netpot lids and save even more setup time. http://www.hhydro.com/cgi-bin/hhydro/HH00553.html ($3)

 

[Bonzo]

update

update

Hello fellow ICers, its been awhile since an update cause i was going to get a camera but cant quite do it yet. I found a great deal on a FUJI 5.2 mega pixel for around 230.00 with macro and super macro ( 1" to 2.5") but it will have to wait another week. The buckets are working great, no problems with the system. The Golden Skush are about a week away from the axe :friends: My f2 experiment is holding things up. Since there are seeds scattered all over the plants i am waiting on them to mature. Nothing is worse smoking little green seeds, i would rather be able to find them ( and grow them :smile: ) So far they are nice looking seeds, i have pulled a few that are done and they are large and healthy looking :smile: As far as the buds themselves they are still showing mostly clear and clowdy triches so the timing seems to pretty good, everything seems to be maturing at the same. I am going to try to get a friends cam and snap some pics in the nexy couple days but i have to post a pic of something, let me see.... The first shot is Cali-O from a few months ago, the second is a young Golden Skush, mom of current grow, shes a beautiful gal! :smile: peace to all, Bonzo