the way I did it was 1 full bucket and 1 empty. suck water from full to empty. Rinse and repeat as needed. for a common res yes all buckets would connect and form a network. DWC is IMO faster growth and less maint. In the case of losing power though DWC is probably the worst to do outside of Aero. No power=no air pump. No air pump= no bubbles. No bubbles= no aeration in water. No aeration=plant that drowns and dies. E&F, Drip and what not you can always hand water but DWC and Aero are less forgiving.