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Since I am new at this whole water thing....
How do I change my DWC water "resevoir"?
Do I just take the lid off, hold up the plants and roots, dump and refill?
Do I use a second tub and do a switch placing the old lid on the new tub?
What do you do and how do you change your resevoir and how often?
Just do it the easiest way you can. Might be changing buckets. I had 10 gallon tubs that I could use the water pump from the dripsystem to pump out water but it's slow. I ended up going to a boat shop and getting a hand bilge pump. I put a hole just big enough in the top and I can pump it out in a minute. Working on a power pump to do it faster. Changing water is the heaviest part of it all. Good luck and let us know if you find a easy way.
Personally, I use a water pump and some hose pipe. Drop the water pump into your reservoir and drain the remainder of the 'old' water down the toilet. Then switch the pump to my pretreated res. and fill it back up. I do this once a week. Make sure your reservoir is kept areated. Dude, I hope that makes sense, I'm flying at the moment :hippy:
I use 5 gallon buckets for my DWC.
I pick up the plant by the net pot, set it in a spare clean 5 gal bucket
dump the old solution
thoroughly clean the bucket, airstones, and hoses
refill with new solution
put the plant back in the bucket.
I do it every monday.
That seems to work pretty well for me. it does get tougher when the plants are bigger, ScrOG'd, or otherwise tied up/down.
Alternately, if you have extra airstones, you could just fill a new bucket and transfer the plant directly to a new res.
skeet.
You could use a hand siphon too. You can get them in the box stores over near the kerosene heaters. Cost like $4. As long as your reservoir is higher than what you are draining into it will work like a charm.
I put hose bibs on the bottom end of the tank or buckets. Hook a piece of garden hose on it and run bout 2 ft to the sump pump. Turn the dial and 20 gal drains in bout 3-5 mins. Since I am doing 5 gal buckets this time around then skeets process sounds most efficient to me. One extra bucket is all you need, replace one plant into new bucket, clean the old one then put next plant in it while you clean next one....and so on. Even though buckets only have a few gallons in them, I will still put a ball valve on to drain the water first, then switch and clean. I will be posting parts and pics prob tonight as I put them together.
I have a valve installed on the bottom that i just turn and it pours out
Yes, please do post pics and parts for the drain. Although i am comfortable with my method at the moment i've often pondered a system that i wouldn't have to move. Would greatly improve my thoughts on my current ScrOG.
Revanche21 - If you could clue me in to the parts you use for your valve that would be great as well.
thanks fellas.
Skeet.
I'm also interested in doing DWC ... please post more info
Heres a few pics of the supplies and finished buckets. All the parts came from lowes/H depot. I'll do a parts list with sizes n whatnot tomorrow.
I bought the setup from stealthhydroponics.com
im not sure the exact parts but if you look at it im sure you can tell what is
some good feedback here. Thanks.