Crazy Question: Can I use these for DWC?????

brianakabear said:

With everything being on backorder or out of stock I was trying to get some Net Pots but can't. I went to home Depot this morning and got some buckets and stumbled across these drains. They are VERY sturdy and only cost a few bucks.. QUESTION: Can I use these for DWC? And how do I estimate what air pump/stones do I need to use for a 5 Gallon 4 bucket system?

NDS 6 in. Plastic Round Atrium Drainage Grate in Green 80 - The Home Depot

Draining areas filled with heavy mulch is no problem for the 6 in. Atrium Drain Grate. Leaves, mulch, and debris are trapped at the base, while the raised dome grate continues to drain water through from

www.homedepot.com

NDS 4 in. Plastic Round Atrium Drainage Grate in Black-78 - The Home Depot

NDS - 4 in. Polyolefin Atrium Grate - This polyolefin grate is perfect for use in landscape applications in which debris may clog the grate, and features enough open surface area to allow water to flow freely. - THD SKU# 703443

www.homedepot.com

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Nate_in_AK said:

There's only one way to find out, right? Neither look quite large enough to me in the photo, but the green one is close. I'm not sure what negative ramifications are (if any) of having the basket sized too small.

Here is a link to the air pump I use to feed 2 x 5 gal buckets: https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Active-Aqua-Pump-Outlets/dp/B002JPEVMC

I believe the rule of thumb is 1L/min of air per gallon of water (someone yell if that is not accurate). That pump is 15L so you maybe should step up to the 25L pump if you are doing 4 buckets. I have 2 air stones per bucket.

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