Help Me Design A DWC Controller Reservoir

[JollyGreen]

Hey what's going on fellow farmers, I'm planing on building my own 12 5 gallon DWC Bucket System. And I need a little help on how to make a res. controller. I would like to use a small garbage can... maybe like 13 gallon as res. and maybe a bucket as controller. I know more or less it works with a toilet float... but that's it. So any info would be appreciated.

I'm kinda off topic but does anyone know if you chill the solution in the res. or controller, does it also chill the solution in the buckets by much?

 

[Lost]

Check out my grow. If your just using the res for more capicity in the dwc's, just add some drippers to circulate the fluid from the bucket to the buckets. A small pump in the res on a timer and your pretty much set.. I just got a 55 gallon barrel to set up as the res to give me a nice 15 gallons...

 

[Kushtard]

When I read your post I started thinking about a big trash can connected to another 5 gallon bucket with a float valve. Whenever fluid levels in the dwcs goes down they take more liquid from the controler and then as that level drops the float valve sinks which opens a hole or valve that leads to the reservoir which fills until the valve rises again. Seems simple.

Except for the water chiller. I guess you could chill the big reservoir only. Then keep the other, the controller full of nutrients. You cant chill nutes can you? Also to make it cool adding a recirculating pump is the best idea. That is if they are in a series. It seems it would keep the nutes more even and fresh this way. Easier to check levels. Other wise to be truly smart you might have to top off each bucket with nutes seperately. Maybe not.

I thnk about this from time to time. I am in soil going organic and all but I started in DWC and want to go back one day. Maybe lol.

As for you Lost, cant wait to read how you got that working. I have some questions. I guess you got all the kinks worked out and that might be easier than a float switch. I am sorry I have never installed one of those. But they cant be that hard.

 

[mc1969]

Im in the process of building a 4 bucket recirculating dwc im gonna use a 10 gal tub for the controler and a 26 gal tub for the main rez with the research ive been doing i think the recirculating dwc is the way to go .

 

[Lost]

Fire away on the questions!

here is a pro drawing showing how it works..

 

[JollyGreen]

Nice drawing pro...lol I deceived just to use a garbage can with a pump to recirculate everything. Does the water level in the res. have to be the same height in the buckets?

 

[Lost]

...for my system, yes...

 

[airedog]

Why don't you let the drippers run 24/7? Aerating the reservoir will add some more oxygen to the system as well as help prevent nutes from precipitating out.