Hey guys,
Since I've learned so much here, I thought I post this. I hope it's not been posted already, but if it is, I'll take this down.
By the way, I am a very small grower. Usually 1 or 2 plants at a time just because of space. No re circulation, so every DWC bucket has it's own pump etc.
When I first started growing in DWC, I had huge problems maintaining the tent temperature high enough, but keep the reservoir temperatures down.
I also was using those fancy buckets with a drainage hole at the bottom and a level gauge made of blue tubing. Holes near the top of the bucket to feed airlines in etc.
There is a material you can get here in the USA at least, called Reflectix. Yes, with an X. Link. I bought some, and wrapped the bucket with it and taped it closed together. Cut some and put it at the bottom of the bucket and basically, just use metallic tape to take around and around and around the bucket till everything held together.
Boy let me tell you, while it worked, it was a real pain changing out individual reservoirs. Since everything is insulated now, I have to pour out the reservoir during change, sometimes if I didn't pay attention, i would pour on the side with the holes and it just made a huge mess. Also, it's hard to handle a whole plant trying to grip and carry the pot around only having the Reflectix material come off, or slip off and you have to tape again....etc. etc. etc.
The next grow, I devised something that actually really works, and much more user friendly.
Go to your local hardware store, and get a roll of reflectix (smallest shortest one will do), some of that pink roof insulation (again, you don't need much) and some industrial strength velcro. Oh, and a stapler if you don't have one.
What I did was wrap the reflectix around your bucket and mark where to cut, it should overlap the starting point by about 2 inches or more. Cut that length. Then cut another piece identical to that. Then for both pieces, cut the top part so that it will wrap around your bucket with the top flush to the net pot.
Now, un-roll your pink insulation, and just use a thin layer and lay in on one piece of the reflectix, then sandwich the insulation with the other piece of reflectix.
Take your stapler, and staple all around the perimeter of the 3 layers essentially holding in the pink insulation in between the 2 layers of reflectix.
Then now you have 1 piece of insulation. Get your industrial velcro out and put one side on one end of the piece and the other side on the other end of the piece, make sure to put them on the right sides on both ends so you can literally wrap it around the bucket, velcro it tight.
If you're using a black bucket, you should be good to go. But if you have like maybe a white food grade bucket, you probably want to stuff the top part where light can leak in through the net pot cover with some towels.
This is a way more convenient for me during reservoir changes. I just unvelcro the thing, and just deal with the bucket. I can use the handle. I don't even bother with the specialized hydro buckets anymore.
I just feed air lines down into the hydroton, and out through one of the holes in the net pot, zip tie and attach an air stone. No more drilling, no more leaks.
How would you know the water level then? I just use a Sharpie marker and mark the water level I need before everything. For black buckets, I find the Silver Colored Sharpies work best. You're going to slide the lid open anyway to take pH readings etc, just take a peek and see if the water has gone up or down. Make filling reservoirs really easy too, you know you have exactly 12 Liters when you've hit the line.
Attached are some pictures to help you visualize what I'm talking about.
So, I have a 2 x 2.5 feet (small) tent with one plant in it. As you can imagine, heat will go up fast in a small tent. I have had my tent temperature go up to 80 F, but when I check the water temp, it is still sitting nicely at 65 - 67 F. The highest it has ever gone for me is 68 F. And that is when it's snowing outside and I have the heat on full blast inside the apartment.
Even better, if you can get 1 tile, a big one that your bucket can sit on and put your bucket on there, the bucket doesn't slide around the bottom layer of your tent and it also helps keep the reservoir cool.
Another advantage of this way is that you can interchange buckets and prepare your reservoir to fill up with RO water (which takes a long time), and just swap buckets while you clean and disinfect the other one.
I hope this helps people out. I know you guys have certainly helped me out a lot!!
Thanks
Since I've learned so much here, I thought I post this. I hope it's not been posted already, but if it is, I'll take this down.
By the way, I am a very small grower. Usually 1 or 2 plants at a time just because of space. No re circulation, so every DWC bucket has it's own pump etc.
When I first started growing in DWC, I had huge problems maintaining the tent temperature high enough, but keep the reservoir temperatures down.
I also was using those fancy buckets with a drainage hole at the bottom and a level gauge made of blue tubing. Holes near the top of the bucket to feed airlines in etc.
There is a material you can get here in the USA at least, called Reflectix. Yes, with an X. Link. I bought some, and wrapped the bucket with it and taped it closed together. Cut some and put it at the bottom of the bucket and basically, just use metallic tape to take around and around and around the bucket till everything held together.
Boy let me tell you, while it worked, it was a real pain changing out individual reservoirs. Since everything is insulated now, I have to pour out the reservoir during change, sometimes if I didn't pay attention, i would pour on the side with the holes and it just made a huge mess. Also, it's hard to handle a whole plant trying to grip and carry the pot around only having the Reflectix material come off, or slip off and you have to tape again....etc. etc. etc.
The next grow, I devised something that actually really works, and much more user friendly.
Go to your local hardware store, and get a roll of reflectix (smallest shortest one will do), some of that pink roof insulation (again, you don't need much) and some industrial strength velcro. Oh, and a stapler if you don't have one.
What I did was wrap the reflectix around your bucket and mark where to cut, it should overlap the starting point by about 2 inches or more. Cut that length. Then cut another piece identical to that. Then for both pieces, cut the top part so that it will wrap around your bucket with the top flush to the net pot.
Now, un-roll your pink insulation, and just use a thin layer and lay in on one piece of the reflectix, then sandwich the insulation with the other piece of reflectix.
Take your stapler, and staple all around the perimeter of the 3 layers essentially holding in the pink insulation in between the 2 layers of reflectix.
Then now you have 1 piece of insulation. Get your industrial velcro out and put one side on one end of the piece and the other side on the other end of the piece, make sure to put them on the right sides on both ends so you can literally wrap it around the bucket, velcro it tight.
If you're using a black bucket, you should be good to go. But if you have like maybe a white food grade bucket, you probably want to stuff the top part where light can leak in through the net pot cover with some towels.
This is a way more convenient for me during reservoir changes. I just unvelcro the thing, and just deal with the bucket. I can use the handle. I don't even bother with the specialized hydro buckets anymore.
I just feed air lines down into the hydroton, and out through one of the holes in the net pot, zip tie and attach an air stone. No more drilling, no more leaks.
How would you know the water level then? I just use a Sharpie marker and mark the water level I need before everything. For black buckets, I find the Silver Colored Sharpies work best. You're going to slide the lid open anyway to take pH readings etc, just take a peek and see if the water has gone up or down. Make filling reservoirs really easy too, you know you have exactly 12 Liters when you've hit the line.
Attached are some pictures to help you visualize what I'm talking about.
So, I have a 2 x 2.5 feet (small) tent with one plant in it. As you can imagine, heat will go up fast in a small tent. I have had my tent temperature go up to 80 F, but when I check the water temp, it is still sitting nicely at 65 - 67 F. The highest it has ever gone for me is 68 F. And that is when it's snowing outside and I have the heat on full blast inside the apartment.
Even better, if you can get 1 tile, a big one that your bucket can sit on and put your bucket on there, the bucket doesn't slide around the bottom layer of your tent and it also helps keep the reservoir cool.
Another advantage of this way is that you can interchange buckets and prepare your reservoir to fill up with RO water (which takes a long time), and just swap buckets while you clean and disinfect the other one.
I hope this helps people out. I know you guys have certainly helped me out a lot!!
Thanks
