Increasing Flow to top of DWC

[SodaLicious]

This round i have made some major changes to my setup. One being each bucket draings seperatly back to the res, also am increasing the size of the feed lines to the top of the bucket. I have a 264gph pump, that will be feeding 6 5 gal pails, 3 with 10 inch mesh pots, 3 thith 6 inch mesh pots. Each pail will get a 1/2 inch feed line. Last run all pails were connected in a 2 lines via bottom of buckets. each pail also had 1/4inch drip line. Any thoughts or advice??
Oh ya, the buckets have 1 inch drains 4 inches from the bottom of the bucket, and they are on benches made from milk crates and boards.

 

[RustyShakleford]

Having your drain lines return individually is fine, or you could just make 1 larger return and have them all tie into that. Get them as low to the bottom of the buckets as possible, so when you drain, you can get an much out as possible. You wont be able to get it all, but that's OK.

The 1/2" Feed is good also.. If you can get it to feed each bucket with a nice waterfall effect, then its possible you could remove the air pump and stones. Look into Flooming and Waterfalls for maximum DO in your system.

Good Luck!

 

[SodaLicious]

Thanks rusty. I just fired up the system for its test run, and i was a little worried that there'd be too much flow at the buckets but it seems to be just perfect, I also have a valve at each outlet so that i can control how much each one gets. i had the drains right at the bottom of the buckets last round and had trouble with the roots clogging the 1 inch drain, so this time I thought i'd put them up as high as the disc of roots grew this last grow, which was about 3 inches thick in the bottom of the bucket. hopefully this will help prevent clogging, i think each bucket holds about a gallon of solution now when the system is fully drained, I hope that I can just flush with plain water and get most of that out.

 

[RustyShakleford]

I was able to use the Ebb and Flo Bulkhead fittings, and they came with Screen Type fittings. I have another week or two before I harvest, so I will see how they did at that time, but the last 3 months, it seems everything has been flowing nicely.

Keep us posted on how the higher drain works out. I have seen that before, its kinda like an overflow. This helps prevent a flood, but also negates your ability to raise or lower your water level.

 

[Unit541]

I was able to use the Ebb and Flo Bulkhead fittings, and they came with Screen Type fittings...

This worked well for me as well. I now use a piece of PVC about 8" long, drilled with 1/8" holes and and wrapped in fine mesh. Then it gets a 90* elbow and threaded onto my bulkheads pointing straight up. This way, the intake spans a good deal of the height of the bucket, and no matter how densely packed the root mass becomes, there's always a point high enough on the intake to allow good flow, and it doesn't affect the amount you can adjust the water level.

Once you get an RDWC system dialed with a particular strain, E&F bulkhead screens will have difficulty with root mass density.

 

[RustyShakleford]

I now use a piece of PVC about 8" long, drilled with 1/8" holes and and wrapped in fine mesh. Then it gets a 90* elbow and threaded onto my bulkheads pointing straight up. This way, the intake spans a good deal of the height of the bucket, and no matter how densely packed the root mass becomes, there's always a point high enough on the intake to allow good flow, and it doesn't affect the amount you can adjust the water level.

Great Idea! and one that I think I will try and utilize on my next setup (buckets are being shipped as we speak)

 

[SodaLicious]

This worked well for me as well. I now use a piece of PVC about 8" long, drilled with 1/8" holes and and wrapped in fine mesh. Then it gets a 90* elbow and threaded onto my bulkheads pointing straight up. This way, the intake spans a good deal of the height of the bucket, and no matter how densely packed the root mass becomes, there's always a point high enough on the intake to allow good flow, and it doesn't affect the amount you can adjust the water level.

Once you get an RDWC system dialed with a particular strain, E&F bulkhead screens will have difficulty with root mass density.

Hey you wouldn't have a ny pictures you could show me? You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

 

[Unit541]

Gonna make some new ones this weekend, I'll take some photos for ya.

 

[SodaLicious]

Gonna make some new ones this weekend, I'll take some photos for ya.

Thanks a million!

 

[SodaLicious]

Gonna make some new ones this weekend, I'll take some photos for ya.

Ever get those pictures up?