How to Properly clean your UC system

[Casper]

I think that is a good idea!

What do you guys think about using some type of bucket liner like a heavy duty trash bag in each bucket? I know the PVC would still have to be cleaned but this might lessen the overall labor?

Interested in hearing opinions about this from experienced UC people?

 

[St3ve]

Having run the system a few times now Casper, I don't think using liners would be of much help really. I mean but the time you get it set up and poke the holes and what not for the pipes, you aren't really making up much from just cleaning the buckets. Not to mention you'd have more things to buy and throw away.

 

[deacon1503]

I like the union idea on the bones. It would definitely make for a quick breakdown and if u have longer centers this would really help with cleaning the bones.

 

[simple man]

The union idea is brilliant!!!

 

[green guy]

BTW CDC (centers for disease control) says 10% bleach solution will kill most anything.

The bleach bottle says 180 ml per gal of water so that is roughly 5%, so yeah using it at 2X label rate should be sufficient. I use it according to label with good results on virgin equipment.

 

[sqydro]

I like the sound of this method, very low chamce of nastys surviving here!

What I have learned, as SH said, is that the uniseals are the biggest harborer of nasty stuff. My .02 is to fully disassemble the system between each run, and yes, it is a pita. I have found that if you flip the buckets upside down, sit on the second to last bucket and work the end bucket in a 9 to 3 o'clock back and forth motion they come apart easily- mostly applies to assembly as well.

The value of the crop being grown in these systems goes without saying. Don't take chances with a mostly clean system!

I send every last uniseal through a high temperature dishwasher after hand scrubbing in bleach water, the big air diffuser discs should also be high temped.
Once I have hand scrubbed all components and reassembled the system, I run it for 24 hrs at max capacity with a heavy H2O2 dosing.
New air stones in place and sterile hydroton- and she's ret to go!
- Personally, I use a hotsy (high temp, high pressure washer) to clean the buckets, manifolds and anything that is too large for a dishwasher, understandably, this may not be possible for many of the farmers out there- I do like the toilet brush on a rope idea- real nice!!!

 

[ellisd_]

couple of things on this topic. first of all, you may notice i have no posts as i typically come here to read as opposed to ask or weigh in. after reading these comments, i had to weigh in.

i have much experience with UC systems. I've ran 2" 8 gallon, 2" 13 gallon, and 3" 13 gallon. Little gem #1: you DO NOT need to upgrade to 3" and 3" adds many more layers of pain-in-the-ass to an all ready sweaty, hand-cutty, screaming obscenities process. If you had your 2" system give a clogging issue and, upon investigation, found roots all the way into your mag drive pump (while still connected to the root mass of the sites closes to the 2"to3/4" reduction), this happened due to two factors, neither of which are the diameter of the return loop. Factor a) height of plant site from bottom of net cup to bottom of bucket is too short (i.e. need taller buckets). Factor b: (more of an issue) the length of 2" coming "out" of the sites nearest the reduction is too short prior to making it's 90 degree turn. In other words, you need at least 24" (IMO) of 2" PVC leaving the "end sites" prior to hitting the 90s on that end.

Little gem #2: Go to home depot and get sku#482122. You can search their site and see what I'm talking about. It's a union, of sorts, but no glue. It's basically a rubber untion with a steel jacket around it and worm drive clamps on each end. Get one for each side of each site. Taking apart is easy-peasy-japaneezy with these. They DO NOT leak, period. They also have them in 3" if you are a glutten for punishment and go that route. A small scrap of 2x4 (like 4 or 5" long) can be slipped under the 2" on one side of each of these rubber unions. This just keeps any stress off of the uniseal.

Little gem #3: The Ropak EX-stor buckets are currently trash. They were not last year, they are now. I promise you, they are trash. Something has changed in the density of the plastic and it is readily apparent when you go to start drilling them (if you've drilled your share of the "old" and better ones). This is not an exaggeration, I had 25% failure rate out of 16 buckets! Same failure, a split out from the uniseal hole. If you are one of those that can't take advise and insist on EZ stores, heat the buck first with a hair dryer or heat gun prior to drilling. There are other options that are more practical, let alone cost effective. One is the 18 gallon rubbermaid roughneck tote. They are only like $8 each with lid from the depot... AND... you can run out to the depot and get one if needed in a hurry (not the case with EZ-split, i mean EZ stor. They are the minimum thickness supported by uniseal but they work fine. the only key is to make hella sure that the uniseal is all the way flush (lip to bucket) after the PVC is in. Since they are thin and somewhat flexy, they can get out of what while putting the PVC in. Just check it.

Have a plan to test a 10 gallon "Brute" trashcan as a bucket/site. You have to order them but the dimensions and construction seem optimal. i may update that theory some time with some test results.

little gem #4: use danner/pond master 1800 GPH pumps only. Gold standard for this. For air, over do it, every time. I use a danner pondmaster AP-100 for 6 to 8 site systems (1 stone for each site and 2 stones in the controller. Another 2 stones in the gravity fed top-up rez).

cleaning: net pots (only 8" heavy duty, ever, nothing else) with rocks in trash along with root mass. drain till pump complains, then empty bone dry w/ shop vac. get a spray bottle w/ undilluted biogreen clean. spray down inside of buckets and get good around uniseals. use a brush to aggitate (i like tire cleaning brushes from autozone but to each his own). Also scrub stones and line while leaving them in. refill with tap as high as possible and run the circ pump all night, NOT THE AIR PUMP!!!! you will have a magical bubble machine if you do, TRUST ME DO NOT!!!! Next day, drain, then drain all way w/ shop vac again. Once fully drain, spray inside of buckets and stone/lines w/ tap just to make sure you get all the residue from the biogreen, again, avoid the bubble factory (i use a little garden sprayer on "shower" setting hooked to a 50' coiled hose setup from the depot (the coil hangs in a nice little wire rack thingy when not in use, hella tight). suck this rinse water up w the shop vac (by now you should have figured out that you need enough extension hoses for your shop vac to keep it right by where you dump it. sum-bitch is heavy w water in it). Put the shop vac nozzle right on the 2" inside each bucket to suck out any crud that is now soften and loose from the biogreen soak. air dry to the bone under lights, then refill w tap. Do not turn on circ pump yet. turn on air pump, if there is any soapy bubbles, you didn't get it rinsed well enough. if there is none, your good. At this point, make sure your circ pump output is going to drain and not back in the system (the 3/4" line still has biogreen water in it and so does your chiller). turn on circ pump to drain for a minute or two. this will push all that biogreen water frm the 3/4" and chiller out and into the drain. at this point your done.

thats it for now, peeps. back to lurking.

 

[green guy]

Epic first post

 

[letsgrw]

clean UC system using muriatic acid

Hi Folks
I posted this in the wrong forum so I will post i here also. I am considering using muriatic acid to clean my uc system. I will only replace the air lines. I know when you hear acid it is run like hell. We use it in our swim pools and many other uses. Muriatic acid does not atack plastic and most of the UC system is plastic with the exception of the cooler and air stones and anything else I am forgetting.
My thought is to use about 1 galllon of acid to 50 gallons of water and run it for 24 hours. Then slowley add baking soda to the mix to nuetralize the acid.
After this I will run a ton of water thru the system.
PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT A CHEMIST NOR DO I PRETEND TO BE. EXTREME CAUTION NEEDS TO BE USED WITH THIS TYPE OF APPROACH AND I DO NOT KNOW ALL THE PRECAUTIONS THAT SHOULD BE OBSERVED.
THIS IS JUST AN IDEA THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED.
USING MURIATIC ACID IS DANGERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE LUNG DAMAGE AND OTHER PROBLEMS LIKE DEATH.

Please add information to this thought and lets see if it has any merit.
Do not and I repeat go with this approach until you have a full understanding of what dangers are involved with this approach.
letsgrw