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Connecting DWCs?

GuerrillaRed

GuerrillaRed

Member
Hey guys,

I apologize for asking a potential dumb question but I wasn't sure what to search for and after looking around for a little while I just thought I'd ask. I'm currently preparing to build a new grow room but I'm having trouble designing a system. I absolutely love DWCs and want to keep the same principal. However, I'd really like to have a system where I could feed all my buckets from one place. I don't want to do a RDWC as I feel that's way too complicated for me. I just want to use DWCs that I can connect to one another. Anyway, I appreciate all your thoughts.

Thank you
 
T

Technique

Active member
rdws's use water pumps, air pumps and so..

i guess you could connect them all together, but whats the point, if you dont want to use a pump to let the water flow around?
 
Japanfreakier

Japanfreakier

Active member
Veteran
If you aren't keeping the water moving than I wouldn't suggest you connect your buckets, you're asking for problems.
 
El Toker

El Toker

Member
It's not difficult to make a RDWC, probably the most difficult bit is joining all the buckets together with a reservoir, the bit that you want to do. Once you've done that all you need is a pump in the reservoir some tubing to distribute it to the buckets, the easy bit.

If you don't have it recirculating then all you get is a sort of auto-top-up from a central reservoir and you'll end up having problems.

BTW you still need air pumps, one in each bucket and one in the reservoir ideally.
 
MarquisBlack

MarquisBlack

St. Elsewhere
Veteran
That or do a large rubbermaid type container with several plants in it. There is a company called Greene Horizon that sells a container called the "Smart Bin" at Walmart. They are 49 gallon bins and are hella sturdy.

Otherwise, go full out and set up the RDWC.
 
IamNug

IamNug

Member
ive done this. It works ok, basically the benefit of having connected buckets is they all stay the same level of water thanks to gravity. And a person can access just one bucket to drain and fill the whole system. A control bucket and a auto topping reservoir can still be used even if you don't recirculate the system with a pump.

With recirculation you get the added benefit of getting to dump your nutes into the control bucket and they will be circulated throughout the system and kept at a consistent nutrient amount between all buckets.

My piece of advice is: connect all the buckets directly to one bucket (the control) if the buckets are daisy chained together it takes longer to drain and fill the system. One step further will be adding a recirculating pump, very simple.

Use specific rubber grommets or plastic bulkheads designed for this task.
 
H

Haps

stone fool
Veteran
I am designing one of these for my new veg room, 20 buckets, and I agree this is limited, not dynamic enough for my requrements in bloom. If you define and understand the limitations when you design your grow, it could be useful. But I would have put air in all buckets and res anyway. And shut offs in each line so I can shut down and clean part of the unit while using the rest. This can work, like most methods, it is up to the grower.
H
 
H

HybridHydro

Er, uh... ok, uh, Get you what they call a "Texas control unit" which is 2/ 20 gallon resevoirs, you can make your own or you can purchase them from any supply shop on line that carries General Hydroponics stuff, one set on top the other, they are connected by a hose, one is "controlled by a float valve" when the water in the bottom bucket gets to low, the float valve falls and opens the little nozzle and lets more water in from the top bucket. You need to set the resevoirs at the same level as the DWC's, Gravity works!

https://www.hydroponics.net/i/211063 <-- Texas Controller, things work like a charm. Obviously you can build your own for about 150 dollars cheaper than buying one and that would include buying an air pump.
 
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GuerrillaRed

GuerrillaRed

Member
You guys are awesome, thanks so much for the info. This is has always proven to be the best and brightest community on the web.
 
Japanfreakier

Japanfreakier

Active member
Veteran
Keep in mind, if you aren't using a pump the water in the connection parts will become stale and greatly increase your risk of root rot.
 
H

HybridHydro

JapanFreakier, "in my system" the water is used to fast to become stale, the aeration in the resevoir is enough to cut off any worry about stale water.

Not saying your wrong, absolutely every consideration should be taken into account, just saying its a minimal worry.
 
H

HybridHydro

JapanFreakier, "in my system" the water is used to fast to become stale, the aeration in the resevoir is enough to cut off any worry about stale water.

Not saying your wrong, absolutely every consideration should be taken into account, just saying its a minimal worry.

You can see an example of a Texas control unit, I do not have the top feed system added in at the moment, the bottom resevoir alone lasts me a week. Adding the top resevoir would last me 2-3 weeks or more possibly. I tend to like to rebalance my nutes and PH more frequently, once a week.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/album.php?albumid=19929
 
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