RacerX back at it again with Recirc DWC

when i am older and live in a home with hopefully a good salary job, this is the kind of grow i want to have..you and crispi both have taken DWC buckets to crazy levels..medium sized rooms filled with light and ventilation and then HUUUUGE plants...man i cant wait to have all of that! good luck and enjoy the medicinal benefits of that harvest :thumbsup:


edit: you wouldnt happen to have a parts list and some made up directions for how you built your dwc system?i have 2 5 gal dwc i grow in, but they arent recirculating..the whole plumbing and sealing shit seemed really difficult, and since im only growing a few plants i can deal with not having a recirculating system....but if its simple and semi inexpensive, i would like to set one up

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PdoubleOTY

when i am older and live in a home with hopefully a good salary job, this is the kind of grow i want to have..you and crispi both have taken DWC buckets to crazy levels..medium sized rooms filled with light and ventilation and then HUUUUGE plants...man i cant wait to have all of that! good luck and enjoy the medicinal benefits of that harvest :thumbsup:


edit: you wouldnt happen to have a parts list and some made up directions for how you built your dwc system?i have 2 5 gal dwc i grow in, but they arent recirculating..the whole plumbing and sealing shit seemed really difficult, and since im only growing a few plants i can deal with not having a recirculating system....but if its simple and semi inexpensive, i would like to set one up

---

It is quite simple and inexpensive to build the buckets an recirculation. Its everything else that starts to cost money. The IGS environment controller computer, the 10,000 BTU air conditioner, the many osscilating fans, the air pumps, the 5 gallon things of nutrients, etc etc etc... Thats what costs money, so this system can be taken to whatever level you want.

I have done this system as small as 4 plants in a 5x5 closet with wonderful results. The # of buckets is completely up to you, and this will detirmine your size of reservoir and the type of water pump you use.

The parts necessary for recirculation are 1/2" hose, 3/4" hose, 1/4" hose, 1/4" 90 degree barbs, 1/4" straight barbs, 1/4" air hose (I use clear as it differentiates between water and air), 3/4" Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain) bulkhead fittings (for the buckets and reservoir, 1/2" E & F bulkhead fittings, as many 3/4" and 1/2" 90 degree elbows, on/off valves, and T fittings as you need. Finally you need your water pump and your reservoir(s). For a much more detailed list of construction and parts, search my past threads in the Search function.

For 4 plants, I used a 350gallon per hour pump, which is excessive but I had it laying around. For only 4 buckets, youd be fine with a 200gph but its nice to get a bigger one incase you expand in the future (since magnetic drive pumps dont wear out any faster even if they arent putting out their maximum output). I would use a 20 gallon reservoir (A rubbermaid tote works great), as it fits easily between or amongst the 4 buckets. The pump sits in the reservoir, pumping the water into the top of the buckets via the 1/2" to 1/4" line. The water sprays against the 6" Netpot, keeps the medium and rootball wet, and adds water. The 3/4" line recirculates the water back to the reservoir via gravity. You must have your reservoir the same height as the buckets because the level of water in the reservoir determines the level of water in the buckets. This takes a few tries to get right.


The absolutely most important part about DWC and Recirculating DWC is your water temperature. You can have everything else absolutely perfect but if your water temp is not controlled, its a good chance you will have problems. That is why 68 degrees F is your golden number. This is the best combination of available dissolved oxygen in the water that will keep any pathogens from forming and keep everything very clean. Anything cooler and you will stunt growth, anything hotter and you will most likely run into root rot. For this reason, I use a 1/4 horsepower water chiller for my big room. This can lower 150 gallons of water by about 15 degrees, meaning it can lower 75 gallons over 30 degrees. It works absolutely amazing and is the single best purchase I have made.

That being said, I have completed more then one recirculating DWC grow without a chiller and with great awesome white roots and good yields. However, I kept the temperatures very very low in the closet (usually between 60-70 degrees F), I used an 8" fan to exhaust (thats a lot of CFM for a small closet), and I put ice in the reservoir anytime it got warmer then 68 degrees. Sure, the water got as high as 75 degrees plenty of times but if you keep things clean, use a supplemental cleaner like Hygrozhyme, you will be fine.



The latest pictures. Started the 8th week yesterday. Flushing for the last 7 days. Just water.

PS. Ive never had a leak problem because of a seal. Ive only had flood problems because if you grow your plants too large and dont check the roots often, they can grow INTO the return line (despite a root filter) and clog the line, overflowing the bucket.

ANYONE running a large hydro system that has potential to overflow should look into Flood Alarms. They are incredibly cheap (i got mine for $2.50 each!!!!) and they can make an audible alarm or they can shutoff a 110v receptacle (its just a little GFCI circuit breaker) . This is perfect for me, since I just plug my Water Pump into it so if the alarm goes off for a flood, the water pump stops recirculating. The plants can be ok for 1-2 days like this as long as the airpump continues.

I promptly set these up ever since I came home to 2-3" of standing water in my hydro room earlier in the year.

Here are a few pictures of one of my recirc-DWC grows without a water chiller. I yielded 1 pound per light, 1/2 pound per plant, strain was NYCD.

The last 2 pictures are of a previous grow using the recirc DWC. Gives you an idea of the different ways you can grow DWC.

beaaaauuutiiifullll..ok see im running a 2.5x2.5x4ft closet area with 2 5 gal DWC buckets at the moment with airstones..when ichange nutes, i just mix the nutes in two seperate 5 gal buckets, then just move teh whole plant in to the buckets....its easy and inexpensive, and works well for now since ill be moving out of this place before too long...once i get more money over summer, im gonna build a nice sized box and have me a scrog grow going with a miniture DWC grow..thinking something similar to the emily's hydroponic system things..they are about the size i want to do, and with two trays of those going, lots of little buds=weight

What was the yield with previous setups

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cture

What was the yield with previous setups

---

depends on the strain, whether CO2 was used, etc. Last big grow yielded over 5 pounds, a G13 cross, with 3000 watts and 12 plants. One before that was about 4-5 pounds with 18 plants. Ive done a small 4 bucket system and yielded 2 pounds off that, 1200 watts.

Quality and not having to use any pesticides or Neem-oil the entire grow, has become more important to me. I expect to make 3 pounds out of this current room, which would be essentially be 3 pounds off of 1350 watts, since the overhead extra 750 watts was only added in the last couple weeks.

NEXT GROW...I am going to experiment with 10 gallon buckets in hopes this will allow even bigger trees. We weighed a root mass, it was close to 30 pounds. Just the roots.

Your plant pictures with the red tipped leaves... Porno.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Completely Stoned

Your plant pictures with the red tipped leaves... Porno.

---

Haha, yah.

and RacerX: MORE PICTURES FOOOOOL!!!

I will have to snap some of the finished product. Cut everything down today. It was ready. My first impressions of the overall product and weight were conservative it seems. I am estimating over 4 pounds. A few plants seem to have yielded nearly a pound. Granted it is not dry, I have done this long enough to know how much moisture is going to be lost. I have counted well over 100 buds that are the size of a Coke can. I know that even if the maximum amount of moisture leaves them, these will all weigh atleast 7 grams each. Very conservative.

I did not realize how large the lower buds were. Many were hidden from view. The largest one ended up a little smaller then my forearm. She weighed wet, 3 pounds.

My one plant that fell over a few weeks early is done, dried, and a little cured. The smoke is not rough, but doesnt have much taste or flavor due to the high level of nutrients the plant had when it died. However, despite finishing nearly 4 weeks early, it yielded a 7 ounces of herb that is not half bad. In fact it gets me quite stoned, although there isnt as much medical pain relief as I would like.

And for the sake of some pictures, some old stuff.

I really like your dwc setup man.I have one I'm starting to setup at the present moment.I just needed to know if it necessary to drain the bucket or can you just continue to add water to your bucket.