QuarterbackMo plays captain save a bow and does open heart surgery on the uc in the dark!

[QuarterbackMo]

Man oh man what a night... Its the dark cycle, middle of week 5 flower, crop looks just sick its possibly one of the best crops I think Ive had to date. Im throwing my screen on in the dark cuz its getting to be about that time I had my miners hat on which you will see in one sec. BAM! I step into a deep ass puddle! WTF!!! No fucking way! Not right now!!! I knew what time it was already... I go run and get 4 towels and start feeling around all the uniseals. I finally get to the second to last that bitch had a huge crack in it. Just my luck right? Everything was going too good I knew something like this had to happen. Guess what though... Im Macgyver with this shit lol you piece of shit ain't no way the QB is about to let some stupid bucket take out his best crop ever so this is what I did....

I smoked a joint of the shit I just cut down which was very strong, got my wheels turning upstairs, thoroughly thought about this situation and threw my cape on as well as my nuts cuz doing all this by myself in the dark took some big big balls lol.... anyway....

I put together this list of tools....
My miner hat

My new bucket (thank you cc idk what I would do without you if you didn't send me these) wrapped in a garbage bag, sheet metal snips, the cc grease for the uniseals 2 rubber bands and 2 pieces of garbage bag I cut neither of which I ended up using. I was gonna rubber band the garbage bag pieces around the pvc to block it but come crunch time that idea went out the window fast lol.

Then I went in...

I went in there and got busy with the nitro... I pumped the system down as much as possible, grabbed the bucket that was cracked and did this as fast as I could...

All this while this huge ass 4ft plant was sitting on top of this thing resting I cut both sides right down the middle all the way down to the uniseal then I popped the bucket away from the uniseals and began to pretty much rip the old bucket away as fast as I could all while holding the plant which is inside of a screen in the dark with the other arm. I hurried up and threw the new one in and let the garbage bag catch all the bullshit falling down (hydroton, fallen leaves from me moving the plant around and some snapping on the screen ect.). Then I put the new bucket in place, hurried up and greased the uniseals pushed the pvc through on both sides, set the bucket in place carefully removed the garbage bag wiggled the plant around till it was mostly back in place along with its neighbor to its right and filled it all back up with the shit I pumped down. :)

Guess what...

I only lost a few leaves and a couple gallons of water!!! Unbelievable!!! NO BUDS WERE LOST IN THE WHOLE PROCESS!!! I can't believe it and all this shit in the pitch black with just a stupid hat on with a light on it lol.

This is the crack which threatened my whole crop pretty much...

Piece of shit I bet you wont try that one again lol!!!

 

[ttystikk]

Very nice work- quick discovery, quick action, saved the day and the crop- win!

In case this happens to me, I have a couple 5 gallon buckets all set up with my bulkheads in place, ready to just pop into line with the rest of the system anywhere they're needed. Take me 20 seconds, even while holding up a plant.

 

[QuarterbackMo]

Very nice work- quick discovery, quick action, saved the day and the crop- win!

In case this happens to me, I have a couple 5 gallon buckets all set up with my bulkheads in place, ready to just pop into line with the rest of the system anywhere they're needed. Take me 20 seconds, even while holding up a plant.

yeah you always gotta have a backup plan... I never had a bucket crack this far in the grow before it was purely quick thinking I always said if one of those bitches ever crack while its growing this is what I was gonna do and it worked thank god lol. Im still in disbelief this shit is bonkers crazy. I'm glad I caught it tonight and not 3 days from now. Man oh man Im thankful though at least they didn't all just drop dead on me or something like that. Id rather have one of these problems then one of those problems any day of the week. I hope this thread helps someone one day. Or at least gives them an awareness cuz that shit was real lol.

 

[ttystikk]

I wondered about stress when I saw how uniseals worked, I like the low stress approach of bulkheads better, even if unit cost is a bit higher. I can report that they work fine on round sides of 5 gallon buckets, I have zero leaks.

Other than the bulkheads and the fact that I run 5 gallon buckets, my RDWC and a UC are really much the same critter. Well, that and my tailbucket... I really like my tailbucket, lol. There. I said it. lol

 

[hogan400]

Way to slap that ass MO'. Nothing like wrestling down a fat, sweaty, greasy, toothless hooker in the dark with a dumpster diving headlight when you least expect it. Thats fine work man. Mad respect to you!

I hear a bucket crack in my system, im looking for the nearest flame thrower and camera. There's gonna be a Uc bonfire on you tube.

Word,
h400

 

[AdvancedBioHydroponics]

Holy Dam Leaks Batman! That was a HEROIC save my man! You got some SERIOUS SKILLS!

Somebody buy this guy a beer for god sakes!!

 

[woodsmaneh]

Been there, boy it sure gets the adrenalin pumping, "SAVE MY PLANTS MODE" had the same thing happen to me and looks like my cracked bucket. Well done and no buds were harmed in the process. Big up's to you QB let UC know and they will send you replacements.

 

[Billz401]

That took some serious balls bro lol!! Glad it worked out for u tho!! Ive been fighting a small leak on one of my 13 gallon buckets since the end of week 4...j&b water weld slowed it down so now it's towel changes 3 times a day!! Haha!! PAIN IN THE ASS!! But It hasn't got worst thank god..fingers crossed. I was gonna swap out the bucket but I couldnt figure a safe way to do it without causing more issues & breaking buds...this bucket is the 5th cracked bucket this run...it wasn't so bad in veg & early flower when the girls r small but once they become monsters changing a bucket becomes a project...

 

[Billz401]

Oh & great miner hat btw!! Everybody with a UC needs one of these for them dark cycle unexpected leaks!! lol!!

 

[All4freedumb]

Good save, just as a good QB does.. I always keep a couple of these on deck. There is nuthin like only having to drain one bucket... I look forward to some new porn from this run..

 

[All4freedumb]

I wondered about stress when I saw how uniseals worked, I like the low stress approach of bulkheads better, even if unit cost is a bit higher.

A bit higher?? Lol.. I know you don't use 3 in PVC, but the UC does. Going 3/4 in as you do bulkheads make since. When running a UC we don't have that 3/4 in option. The cost effectiveness is no longer there. I have searched and found 3 in bulkheads, in bulk, for around $25 a pop. I have found uniseals for around $5. When running so many buckets that cost is not justified, especially when the issues are very rare surrounding uniseals and are usually more user error or bucket failure.. just my opinion...

 

[ttystikk]

First, I use 1" bulkheads, not 3/4". The difference in flow rate is significant between these two. Second, the UC has gargantuan openings between buckets because... well, for no good reason I can see. Maybe you can enlighten me. Once you have good unrestricted flow, what's the advantage of going even bigger?

My 1" bulkheads go for about $3.00 each if you get them in bulk, and then I use 1" flexible black tubing to connect the buckets. This gives some flexibility in the system, both for placement and for reducing stress on parts. Black tubing also discourages any growth inside it, making for easier cleanup.

The 1" bulkhead openings are plenty big enough for good waterflow between buckets. For really big systems with rows longer than 6 sites apiece, you want to use a smaller pump (say 250gph rather than 550) so the water level stays more even between the first bucket and the last in a row, but that's not a big disadvantage- as long as it circulates water enough so that all the buckets get fresh and there are no dead spots, then the smallest size that does that effectively is the cheapest- and therefore the best.

Another advantage of bulkheads is how quickly parts can be replaced if necessary; with the tubing, I can slip a spare bucket into line in less than a minute. Seriously.

Certainly the uniseals are less expensive, but they seem to have stress cracking problems. I built my own systems and they cost me much less than even a used UC brand system, even with the 'extra expense' of bulkheads. No cracks, no leaks, no issues.

And the peace of mind? Priceless...

 

[All4freedumb]

I wasn't defending the " gargantuan" hole between buckets... I was stating when we are running a UC we DON'T have that "cheap" saftey measure of bulkheads. So, enlightening you on the benifits of the " gargantuan" hole is not necessary, as a matter of a fact I never started a debate whether one was better or not, I only stated us UC users can't use that same insurance policy for a low priced upgrade.. I have much respect for you and the design u make, I never stated otherwise, I also never defended the UC against the ttystikk design.. Not everyone is against u bro, I was mearly laughing saying we do not share that same cheap upgrade.. oh and yes I have tweaked my Uc quite a bit to fit my needs, along with adding your tail bucket.. Great idea in my mind.. sorry to get you so excited without intending to..... It seems the Farm is becoming quite the debate battle stage the last few months. Maybe that's how my post was mistaken.. I dont debate, i just grow and learn. I feel I learn more with my humble attitude.. peace.. A4FD

 

[PButter]

Hey Mo, Great work getting a new bucket in there. Bravo. I also keep a spare bucket around in case something comes up where it is needed... When I first put mine together there were no leaks and a week later, with plants in, I sprung a leak. It was substantial enough that the UC wanted to drain itself over the course of a full day. I ordered a new bucket through the website not thinking that they would help out with fast shipping or anything- anyway, the point I'm trying to get at if this happens again is you should put CA glue in your toolbox. Cyanoacrylate Glue(super glue). This is basically modeling glue that some nerd like me would build models with. You can also find an accelerant or activator for CA glue which can speed up the curing process (from 10-20 seconds to about 3 seconds).
This stuff will cure under water so (supposedly) you wouldn't need to get it completely dry. Your crack, as did mine and most others started under the seal, so you still have to disassemble enough to get the whole crack exposed to the glue. After it's glued you need only wait the twenty seconds or so for the glue to cure before reassembling.

I hope this helps and I can't wait to see some photos from the saved crop.

PB