Post UC Questions and Concerns Here

[smokey_waters]

That helped! Thanx other smokey :)

 

[smokey_waters]

On the UC website it says vegging times for double barrel 8 gal systems are 2-3 wks, but from what I've read on this forum, it seems like vegging only lasts about a week.

So how long should I expect to be vegging in the UC system w/ 16 rooted clones under a 400 MH bulb that I'll eventually adjust to 600 then 1000W MH (dimmable ballast)?

And most important, if I'm starting off at 250 ppm's, and I'm adjusting upward 10-20% each week, if the veg time is shorter when am I making those 10-20% ppm increases??
Thx,

 

[QuarterbackMo]

I have a question UCHQ... you know I love the uc to death and I appreciate the replacement buckets but there is a big problem I am having... Not one grow has passed with the UC that a bucket hasnt broke on me out of no where. I just did a quick inspection as I am starting my new cycle tonight and there is stress cracks starting on all the buckets again. The vulnerability seems to be on the bottom of the buckets right around the uniseal. Nothing is 100% blown out this time but I see stress cracks on almost every single bucket in my UC starting up. I hope nothing breaks after I throw these plants in or I'm bout to be pissed. I stand behind cch2o 100% the UC is amazing but you need to really look into this issue cuz its a big one especially when the system costs $1000+... I shouldn't be blowing out buckets left and right for no reason. I could go build a rdwc for 1/4 of the price and never have this problem.

 

[smokie]

@QuarterbackMo
Maybe from growing them monsters your roots are doing it.:)

I was wondering for my own curiosity do you ever disassemble the UC ?

The reason I am asking is because I did 5 runs with my 8 gal uc setup and I never had a problem. I took her apart twice in those 5 runs and the second time I did. When i put it back together I had a issue with 1 module. Water weld seems to be assisting me on that.

But when I was taking it apart the second time I used soapy water in a spray bottle and it took alot of rolling in a circular manner to get the soapy water under the uniseal then it was a breeze, but man I could tell I was putting alot of stress on the modules walls while getting it started. I am probably going to try that vacuum grease if i ever disassemble again.

I might just install a 2in union and never stress the modules again.
And makes for a quick breakdown but more connections means more potential fail points / potential issues.


Where/are all of your stress issues within a inch or so of the uniseal hole. I am wondering just for preventative reasons if we used something like a marine epoxy resin with a strength member of some sort, fiberglass etc... around the uniseal area would it become indestructible. Any boat repair experts ? :character0053: It would be kind of easy and cheap insurance.

I went hard on her last time with the cleaning and wondering if bleach would compromise the module over time.

 

[QuarterbackMo]

@QuarterbackMo
Maybe from growing them monsters your roots are doing it.:)

I was wondering for my own curiosity do you ever disassemble the UC ?

The reason I am asking is because I did 5 runs with my 8 gal uc setup and I never had a problem. I took her apart twice in those 5 runs and the second time I did. When i put it back together I had a issue with 1 module. Water weld seems to be assisting me on that.

But when I was taking it apart the second time I used soapy water in a spray bottle and it took alot of rolling in a circular manner to get the soapy water under the uniseal then it was a breeze, but man I could tell I was putting alot of stress on the modules walls while getting it started. I am probably going to try that vacuum grease if i ever disassemble again.

I might just install a 2in union and never stress the modules again.
And makes for a quick breakdown but more connections means more potential fail points / potential issues.


Where/are all of your stress issues within a inch or so of the uniseal hole. I am wondering just for preventative reasons if we used something like a marine epoxy resin with a strength member of some sort, fiberglass etc... around the uniseal area would it become indestructible. Any boat repair experts ? :character0053: It would be kind of easy and cheap insurance.

I went hard on her last time with the cleaning and wondering if bleach would compromise the module over time.

Nope I never took it apart... only time I did is to change the 2 buckets that blew out on me already. I thought about using unions too when I first got it but then I got a jar of that lube they are sending with UC's now and forgot about the unions. And yes they all start right around the uniseal. In particular where the bucket is notched out at the bottom and there is like 2 little maybe 1" wide columns that pass through the bottom of the bucket. If you look at the uc bucket you will know what Im talking about. They start from the notch and eventually will spread to the uniseal which will then dump 40 gallons of expensive nutrients and water on to my floor and possibly kill my plants lol.

 

[woodsmaneh]

What really sucks is there are a lot of DIY UC using shit buckets and rubber made totes and they don't have this issue. I had a engineering buddy take a look and he said the plastic was not the best for that app but moving the hole up 1 more inch would help reduce the stress. UC issue with that is draining the buckets gets harder. Me I use the pump and unhook from the chiller to pump out than a shop vac. My experience so far has been one crack in 9 months. UC was on it and shipped me replacements that day. I still dissembled everything and built a EPDM pool around the systems for future leaks.

Now for re-enforcing the hole with something that would effect the seal for sure unless it was flat and the other issues are adhesion to the plastic by the material you used.You can buy a materiel called Star Board that they use in the boating industry, find a way to glue it on and re-drill the hole. My guess is it will still fail down the road due to the material used in the bucket. I think you will see a change down the road as more buckets fail they will get tired of eating the cost of shipping free replacements. Big pain in the ass, but I would grow no other way. Peace guys

 

[UCHQ]

In regards to failed mods:

As a result of having literally 10+ thousands of these mods (both 8 and 13 gal) in the field we are able monitor their performance and take notice when trends in quality develop based on user response and warranty quantities. Though we do have occasional instances where we have to replace cracked mods, we're pleased to report this is much more the exception than the norm. In the vast majority of cases our mods are lasting for years when operated indoors and care is taken during use.

Though we are very confident in the manufacturer of our mods and supremely confident in the processing we do on these inputs, there are occasionally situations where cracks in the plastic occur. To date we have taken a variety of measures to work with the mod manufacturer to ensure we receive only the highest quality inputs to build our systems. By instituting measures such as UV enhancement and other proprietary means we are constantly improving the quality of these already reliable containers.

Trust that we are constantly working towards making our products as fail safe as possible so as to help avoid grower inconvenience. And though we certainly appreciate the input in regards to what to do to make improvements, you'd be hard pressed to find a company as intent and innovative in their quest for answers as we are here at CC. Rest assured that we currently have a variety of approaches we are experimenting with in our R&D which we will be sharing as they come to fruition that will vastly improve our already dependable system.

So please, in the event you experience a mod failure, don't hesitate to contact CC for any support or replacement mods you may need. Thanks again for your input and continued support.

 

[smokie]

Well UPS just dropped of my replacement from UCHC. That was super fast and I appreciate the quick response.

Just a FYI
This is in relation to my circumstances only

I have 2 UCXl 8's and 1 UC 4 for veg no problems so far, on any issues with the modules except for the one that I committed a hate crime on trying to get the pvc out of the UNIseal.

Every action causes a reaction, so i will make sure to wash all cleaning solvents off when they are still wet and not let them dry which could lead to any type of plastic becoming a issue over time etc even though I have hit the UC with some pretty harsh chemicals for cleaning and they dont seem to mind it 1 bit. and no more hate crimes on my modules :happy

I really couldn't see myself growing any other way

I do appreciate the 2nd to none customer service you provide UCHC and not hiding from from any issues and taking them head on. Never seen a company like that except maybe Costco, but they got Billion$.





Thanks again

 

[QuarterbackMo]

In regards to failed mods:

As a result of having literally 10+ thousands of these mods (both 8 and 13 gal) in the field we are able monitor their performance and take notice when trends in quality develop based on user response and warranty quantities. Though we do have occasional instances where we have to replace cracked mods, we're pleased to report this is much more the exception than the norm. In the vast majority of cases our mods are lasting for years when operated indoors and care is taken during use.

Though we are very confident in the manufacturer of our mods and supremely confident in the processing we do on these inputs, there are occasionally situations where cracks in the plastic occur. To date we have taken a variety of measures to work with the mod manufacturer to ensure we receive only the highest quality inputs to build our systems. By instituting measures such as UV enhancement and other proprietary means we are constantly improving the quality of these already reliable containers.

Trust that we are constantly working towards making our products as fail safe as possible so as to help avoid grower inconvenience. And though we certainly appreciate the input in regards to what to do to make improvements, you'd be hard pressed to find a company as intent and innovative in their quest for answers as we are here at CC. Rest assured that we currently have a variety of approaches we are experimenting with in our R&D which we will be sharing as they come to fruition that will vastly improve our already dependable system.

So please, in the event you experience a mod failure, don't hesitate to contact CC for any support or replacement mods you may need. Thanks again for your input and continued support.

That is one thing I will give cch2o their customer support is beyond topnotch I will vouge that these people will bend over backwards to make sure you get back right. I love my UC Im like woodsmaneh I wouldnt grow any other way the results have been nothing short of incredible so far. I have had nothing but major success since I bought this thing.

UCHQ please don't take what I say as me talking shit or anything Im just giving constructive critism on something I feel is a problem. I know you probably know that too but I dont want you to take what I say like Im downing the UC cuz thats not it at all I really love this thing other then these buckets.

 

[catchafish]

I had a epicenter leaking after one round of use. I emailed CC and they sent a replacement that day. I also got some of the uc roots. Very happy with the customer service and the uc roots is working nicely too. thanks

just my 2 cents

 

[smokey_waters]

Important nute question

Hi,

3 q's:

1) When I'm dropping rooted clones in rockwool into the UC system (where they veg), should I wait until the roots have grown to the bottom of the net pot ( approx 1 1/2" down from where the roots started) b4 putting in nutes or should they have nutes right from when they are dropped into hydroton??

2) if I start their nute level at 250 ppm, and by week 2 I want to increase ppm by, say, 100, would I be adding nutes to the epicenter so I can control increasing by exactly 100 ppm as opposed to upping the top off rez by 100 ppm which would take time to filter into the system, thus not really raising the
system by 100 b/c it would take too long??

3) I tried draining the system by connecting a hose to the epicenter drain valve-didn't work. Was the hose too long or what am I missing? I did the same thing w/ the cylindrical rez and it drained.
Thank you,

 

[All4freedumb]

Hi,

3 q's:

1) When I'm dropping rooted clones in rockwool into the UC system (where they veg), should I wait until the roots have grown to the bottom of the net pot ( approx 1 1/2" down from where the roots started) b4 putting in nutes or should they have nutes right from when they are dropped into hydroton??

2) if I start their nute level at 250 ppm, and by week 2 I want to increase ppm by, say, 100, would I be adding nutes to the epicenter so I can control increasing by exactly 100 ppm as opposed to upping the top off rez by 100 ppm which would take time to filter into the system, thus not really raising the
system by 100 b/c it would take too long??

3) I tried draining the system by connecting a hose to the epicenter drain valve-didn't work. Was the hose too long or what am I missing? I did the same thing w/ the cylindrical rez and it drained.
Thank you,

What up Smokey_Waters, glad to see your ready to bang this thing out. I have a feeling you are gonna do quiet well..
1) If I'm reading this right your cubes are placed 1 1/2 in. up from the bottom of your net pot. That would be perfect, now bring your water of your system up 1 in. from the bottom so there is about 1/2- 3/4 in. between water and the cubes. This will keep cube from soaking but give your roots something to chase..
2) If your starting your system at 250 and you wanna raise it 100 at the end of the week there are a few things you can do. First being a complete change out adding the 100ppms you want, which I am now doing every week and seeing worthy resuts. Second is adding directly into the epi, which is not
recommended but I have not found any issue in my past experience while in the first week and before the roots are blown up and filling those modules. Although now I have bought one of those camping hanging shower bags that holds 10 gal, so now i add the 10 gal. and the additives I wanna add to my epi and I crimped the hose and let my heavy solution drip its way into my epi dosing it to where I want.This works great for ph adjusting as well. The third
is, assuming you have a top off res and a res holding ro (or your fresh water), you can keep your top off res partially full timing it so at the end of the week it's close to empty and you can pull 55 gal of water from your system and
dose that with the strength needed to raise your systems ppm the 100 you were looking for. This just takes a little math. Knowing how much water is in
your system and that your dosing 55gal. all you need to do is multiply the dosage according to the amount of water that's in the system. Then dump
back into the UC.
3) Draining the system is done using a alternative pump added to that valve
at the bottom of your epi or tap a drain line in off of line going into epi with a shut off valve, so you can use the pump running your UC to drain by stopping the flow to the epi and sending it to the drain. Your UC will only drain to the level of whatever valve your pulling from, the nutes left in the system just mixes with your new solution or you can drain system and run fresh water in system and drain till your satisfied with the clean water.
I hope this helps helps and answers what you needed.. Good luck with your girls, I look forward to grow, I hope you post...

 

[smokey_waters]

Thx Allforfree! That's some excellent, useful info. One thing I'm still not clear about is when to put nutes in the system. Right away or wait until the roots have grown to the bottom of the net pot.
Thx!
Smokey

 

[All4freedumb]

I hit them right away. Running at 250-300 ppm your good to go,that's equal to tap water, in most places even lower. You will see roots popping as soon as 3 days.. you will be amazed in one week. When your net pot is surrounded with roots drop the water level to the bottom of the net pot until your girls are giving you roots that show that you can again drop the water a inch or so below the pots. I drop again after veg about a 1/2 in. I do a final water drop at about week 6 of flower with my water level about 1 1/2-2 in below my net pots. I extended my float valve to drop my water level to where my girls like. I have found different strains like different water levels by an inch or so while they are finishing up. Some like to stay an inch from the net pot the whole way.. This strain likes the drought feel, so I extended my valve. Just keep reading your girls and keep it simple.. :pimp:

 

[smokey_waters]

U da man. Thank u for dropping those knowledge bombs. This is gonna sound stupid but I'm running Dutchmaster and to get 250ppm, do I run zone, add 27, etc at full strength and lessen the base nutrient A and B to get 250 or do I lessen the strength of additives and base nutes???

 

[UCHQ]

No worries QB....this is exactly what this thread is for.

 

[All4freedumb]

I don't think that is a dumb question at all.. Your additives you will learn and get to know how they affect your ppms, at first I think it's a great idea to add your additives letting each settle before the next one is added and then add your base to hit the # your looking for. Once you figure out that all your Additives give you a ppm that = ? You then can add nutes according to what most companies I believe recommend, adding what has the highest N first letting each add in mix well before the next is added, then a half hour settle before ph adjustment.. Get to know how much of your base you need to raise your res 100 ppm that will help you know your final # before you start. This will all become second hand to you..

 

[UCtheOceanState]

i had a leaky epicenter manifold too they got a replacement out in 5 days to RI A++ customer service

 

[Capulator]

This thread would be 1000x better if everyone got used to using EC instead of ppms, since the majority of the posts here talking about ppms is fuckin useless.

Here is the calculator:

http://www.cannastats.com/articles/calorama.htm

In fact, all the farmers should get used to the conversion. EC is universal. PPM is not. If someone has a .7 meter and is reading ppm 500 from someone who has a .5 conversion meter, and they follow suit...

then they are underfeeding.

And vice versa.

Especially critical the other way around.

INSTEAD OF:

"my plants are doing awesome at 800 ppm in the fourth week of flower"

HOW ABOUT:

"my plants are doing awesome at 1.6 EC in the fourth week of flower"

that way if I have a .7 meter conversion, I know I can emulate that program at 1120 ppm...NOT 800.



WORD. :banana1sv6:

 

[smokie]

I do see where it can cause serious issues. I myself automatically assume when given a ppm reading it is .7 Maybe when posting ppm we could at least give our meter conversion. My meter is set to .7 but fortunately I can set it to .5 if needed ~ Dutch Master assumes .5 Advanced Nutrients assumes .7


I have been trying to find one of those calculators Thx