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Building my first DIY RDWC system

C

Chrono2

Member
hey guys im about to build my first RDWC system (6x 5 gallon bucket system with 3 buckets attached to each drain line) and im a little unsure if i should go with 1 inch PVC for my draining or 3/4th TUBING. does anyone have any pros or cons for either?
also wwill i have to worry about roots clogging drains if its 3/4th?
thx ahead of time for any replies, and if anyone has any suggestions/tips/ things i might mess up on, for a first time DIY RDWC system i would appreciate it
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
I'm switching up to 2'' from 1 1/4" on my last system. I've had long roots grow into the 1 1/4'' manifolds, but never an actual clog...

I just cant fathom a system with less than 1 inch, and that's just for a veg only unit with smaller roots.

I would rather deal with 6 solo DWC buckets than circulate them with 3/4" fittings. They will clog, just a matter of time IMO.

I would use 1 1/2 PVC again if I did round buckets. Somewhere on here I had a thread about using heat to flatten them, it works great! Then you can use cheaper homemade bulkheads instead of expensive uni-seals and special order washers, etc
 
Q

queequeg152

Active member
Veteran
you need to look at costs man.

if 2" pvc is only 2 dollars a food and 1" is 50 cents less... just get the 2 inch.

unless you actually need the space or you need to move this stuff around it just does not matter if its oversized by a factor of 2 or 3 or 4.

the reason why everyone does not have 2" water lines in their house is because 2" copper or 2" pex costs an astronomical amount of money verses 3/4", and a 2" water meter costs an astronomical amount of money... AND a 2" pipe could have very nasty disinfection issues.

in your case 2" pvc has none of those problems... pvc price is pretty flat per linear foot at these small dimensions, and since you are probably not buying 100's of feet of pvc and dozens of fittings... i would just get larger diameter pipe so you dont have to worry about upgrading or servicing anything down the line.
 
G

gbauto

Member
This is my third year using my 8 bucket RDWC rig. I use 3/4" for the return manifold back to the rez-it's a gravity drain and-knock on wood- it works just fine. Having said that-I am building a 4 tote UC system for next year. Much easier for me to grow 4 trees instead of 8 shrubs and the UC system is less prone to clogging because of the larger piping.
 
Zeez

Zeez

---------------->
ICMag Donor
Do you have a source for quality 2" bulkhead fittings? Do you glue 2" female adapters on the pvc? Any screen fittings for keeping root material out of the system? Thx.:tiphat:
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
carlon-conduit-fittings-e943jrr-64_1000.jpg

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carlon-conduit-fittings-e942jr-64_1000.jpg

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I use this combo, cost me around 3 dollars. I was gonna use 2 inch electrical conduit for the light proofing as well but who knows how safe it really is.

I definitely trust the fittings though, come in any size you need. The aquarium guys use them with expensive reefs and fish.

Not sure about using 2 inch on a round bucket, haven't tried. Would probably try using double washers...

Sourcing out the o rings for the 2 inch is a little harder, 2 1/8" ID & 2 3/8" OD works, but not found locally.

The silicon ones are around $5 for a ten pack, $10 for the white teflon ones, on amazon.
 
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