Problem With Water Level In Rdwc

[Shawnery]

I've built a 9 x 5 gallon RDWC one pot being the res. The feed lines are 1/4 with 180 degree sprayers on the end. The return lines are 1/2 inch. There are air stones in each pot as well as the res. There is one 350gph water pump in the res pulling from the returns and pushing to the sprayers.

Problem is I keep having problems with the water level staying the same on both sides of the setup and in each bucket.

Exactly what should be looking at for the cause of this issue because I'm kind of lost?

 

[DGP]

Your trying to balance hydraulic pressure and slight differences between the two sides can make a difference. Possibly an easy way to fix it is use two pumps, one to feed each side but still one reservoir.

 

[stonestacker]

A bigger retunline is needed.

 

[Junk]

Your trying to balance hydraulic pressure and slight differences between the two sides can make a difference. Possibly an easy way to fix it is use two pumps, one to feed each side but still one reservoir.

I've built a 9 x 5 gallon RDWC one pot being the res. The feed lines are 1/4 with 180 degree sprayers on the end. The return lines are 1/2 inch. There are air stones in each pot as well as the res. There is one 350gph water pump in the res pulling from the returns and pushing to the sprayers.

Problem is I keep having problems with the water level staying the same on both sides of the setup and in each bucket.

Exactly what should be looking at for the cause of this issue because I'm kind of lost?

For what you are doing you need a submersible pump, that is just sitting in the control bucket. The only thing it should be connected to is the feed lines. Only the feed lines.

Those 1/2" returns you have, just gravity feed back to the control. The pump must not be connected to the 1/2" pathway at all. Is that what you are doing?

The pump just moves the water from the control bucket to the the feed lines. Gravity will then level all the buckets. If the pump is connected to one or both of those returns, it won't work.

1/2" returns are a little small ime. Gravity can only level them so fast with that size return. But connect the pump like I said and you will see if it's fast enough. With sprayers instead of top feed, it's probably fine.

 

[Shawnery]

Someone in another thread was saying the same thing about return lines but in reference to not running sprayers at all.

Considering the work that goes into plumbing these bad boys I assume waiting till next round is best.

The pump sits in the middle of the res and is not hooked up to anything but the sprayers. As for running two I start to worry about water temps. I tried it before and the temps got a little crazy.

 

[Junk]

Someone in another thread was saying the same thing about return lines but in reference to not running sprayers at all.

Considering the work that goes into plumbing these bad boys I assume waiting till next round is best.

The pump sits in the middle of the res and is not hooked up to anything but the sprayers. As for running two I start to worry about water temps. I tried it before and the temps got a little crazy.

Then you have three options
1. Make the return lines larger. I've never seen return lines smaller than 3/4" My setup is identical to yours except I use flora flex trays and it's 3/4" I pump 40 gph straight to the buckets and don't have a problem.
2. Add the line you are missing in this pic. Your water will level faster. Ideally this line should be there no matter what imo. And one day, I will get to it lol.

3. Get a variable pump and attempt to find the sweet spot.

Fundamentally, you have a water mobility issue. Gravity is doing its thing (as it always does) it's just that the water can't move quick enough. That's why option 2 works. It would be cheap enough to add option 3 too.

So, hope isn't lost. Even option 1 isn't terrible. The plumbing layout etc is done. You just need to tap new buckets and plug them in. It took me a bit to get used to my setup. You're 98% of the way there. Don't lose hope now. It's a simple fix.

If you can find an accommodating T fitting, I would make that tail piece 3/4", in case you change the buckets someday. Plus it's just more water mobility.

 

[Junk]

It's also possible that your pump is not strong enough. That seems counter intuitive, but if there is no pressure regulation and it's full out, it may be flooding some buckets significantly more than others. There is no back pressure from the spray nozzles, so the easiest paths are going to get overloaded.

If the sprayers aren't giving you even regulation, because the pump is a wimp, than there is no regularity in distribution. If the water is distributed evenly, it's hard for the levels not to be correct, because they will be in filling evenly.

 

[GBAUTO]

I run a 8 bucket RDWC system plumbed back into a central 18g rez. Simple gravity return but I have elevated my buckets about 3" above the rez to create a pressure gradient. As long as there are no restrictions in the return line it's just about finding the right balance between total system volume and dripper rate. Once I figured that out it's pretty much fill and grow.

 

[Junk]

I run a 8 bucket RDWC system plumbed back into a central 18g rez. Simple gravity return but I have elevated my buckets about 3" above the rez to create a pressure gradient. As long as there are no restrictions in the return line it's just about finding the right balance between total system volume and dripper rate. Once I figured that out it's pretty much fill and grow.

I just tried a sprayer setup this weekend and there was no regularity in output. Some are cranking, some are not. I think that is his main problem.

Right now he has 8 buckets aligned in two chains. I say a "chain" bc only one end of his setup runs back to the control bucket. It's not a circle that flows back to the control on both sides. So if the buckets aren't filling evenly, they are constantly fighting to level each other (9 buckets) instead of 8 buckets that are even (bc they are filling evenly) making the control the same level. If the buckets on the far end are lower than the others, the other will try to flow in that direction to level the water, instead of leveling the control. It just won't work unless they are filling evenly, or the water has enough pathway to level itself faster. If the water has enough pathway, it will level extremely fast.

I'm pretty confident that using 1/2" return lines you will need to add that piece like I said in the pic. That pic is for a UC type system, but the purpose of that tail piece is the same, more water mobility. Your water would level 2x as fast by opening up that side of the chain. And if you want to use sprayers, I think you will need that.

 

[Mickyjoker]

Has anyone ever thought of doing an rdwc with the water pump pulling water from the reservoir and sending it to the last bucket . And then having the pipes joining the buckets at the desired water level . That way the water level in the plant buckets stays the same as the water level in the reservoir drops as the plants use it . Think about it. I haven’t heard of anyone ever thought of this. Thanks