Best pump waterfall rdwc system?

[jon2vano]

So I’m needing advice on the best most silent and efficient pump for a 4 (5) gallon bucket system. It seems the more I read the more conflicting the info becomes. Should I use a mag pump or a sine wave tech pump? Also would a brushless dc sine wave pump be better? I’ve read 3xs the total volume of water is what the flow rate should be, is this correct? Also are there certain brands better than other? Currently looking at an aquaristick, a danner mag, an eco plus mag , and a jebao sine wave…. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you

 

[AZreefer]

Im building my design currently. Very slowly. Ill be using a cheap small vivosun extenal pump. Ive got tons of experience with pump and circulation systems but this is my forst dabble into hydroponics. None the less if you require silence tgen invest in a sicce or jeabo. If you dont need silence or adjustability get a small inexpensive pump and plumb it up to run external. This is tge design i have opted for to prevent any excess heat from being put into my resivor. Also im going to follow you becUse im not finding many hydro growers and i need a friend in this.

 

[DontStopBelievn]

IMO, just go with traditional DWC and air stones. Recirculating is essential for large grows and staggered flowering in a perpetual harvest setup, but it becomes another point of failure for smaller grows and you can ruin your grow and your home if a serious leak occurs. I personally don't find the benefits to outweigh the negatives in smaller, hobbyist applications. If you're dealing with 20+ buckets of plants and multiple tents or rooms, checking the fill, EC and pH, adjusting values, topping off and cleaning all of them is a huge pain. With 4 buckets, its much more manageable and some tasks may even be easier. And if you're going to be using clones and/or flowering all the plants at the same time, using a single large tote for all your plants is even easier.

After issues with leaks and submersible pumps getting clogged up, heating up the water, etc. I have gone back to basic DWC and only use my pump to drain the totes for their weekly cleaning.

 

[AZreefer]

IMO, just go with traditional DWC and air stones. Recirculating is essential for large grows and staggered flowering in a perpetual harvest setup, but it becomes another point of failure for smaller grows and you can ruin your grow and your home if a serious leak occurs. I personally don't find the benefits to outweigh the negatives in smaller, hobbyist applications. If you're dealing with 20+ buckets of plants and multiple tents or rooms, checking the fill, EC and pH, adjusting values, topping off and cleaning all of them is a huge pain. With 4 buckets, its much more manageable and some tasks may even be easier. And if you're going to be using clones and/or flowering all the plants at the same time, using a single large tote for all your plants is even easier.

After issues with leaks and submersible pumps getting clogged up, heating up the water, etc. I have gone back to basic DWC and only use my pump to drain the totes for their weekly cleaning.

Interesting points. I had not put general husbandry of the buckets into consideration. Weeky cleanings you say? So you break your buckets down and wipe them weekly?