RDWC Piping Question

Mgs3090 · Jul 14, 2020

Thank you to everyone on this fourm, I learned a lot in my first grow was very successful, it was a pretty simple dwc grow.

I'm going to do a waterfall, rdwc for my next grow but having a background in plumbing, something keeps bothering me about a lot of the rdwc's I'm reading about.

A lot of people use 3" pipe for the return but it seems like with a 1000gph pump, 1-1/2 pipe should be more than enough (2300 gph flow rate). Is there a reason to go bigger on the return pipes? The only thing I can imagine is so roots don't clog it up. Any advice?

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Mgs3090 said:
Thank you to everyone on this fourm, I learned a lot in my first grow was very successful, it was a pretty simple dwc grow.

I'm going to do a waterfall, rdwc for my next grow but having a background in plumbing, something keeps bothering me about a lot of the rdwc's I'm reading about.

A lot of people use 3" pipe for the return but it seems like with a 1000gph pump, 1-1/2 pipe should be more than enough (2300 gph flow rate). Is there a reason to go bigger on the return pipes? The only thing I can imagine is so roots don't clog it up. Any advice?

Roots and passive flow. How many sites are we talking about? There is a lot more to it.

Mgs3090 · Jul 14, 2020

It would be 4 - 27 gallon totes inside the tent and a 27 gallon res outside the tent. Most likely a 1000 GPH adjustable pump feeding the four totes inside the tent. I don't think the roots will get big enough to reach the return pipes but I could be wrong... Actually I hope I'm wrong

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Mgs3090 said:
It would be 4 - 27 gallon totes inside the tent and a 27 gallon res outside the tent. Most likely a 1000 GPH adjustable pump feeding the four totes inside the tent. I don't think the roots will get big enough to reach the return pipes but I could be wrong... Actually I hope I'm wrong

So add up the total water volume not tote size and you want about 10x turnover per hour. That will give you the pump size.

Just my opinion

Mgs3090 · Jul 14, 2020

That sounds good. So I'm estimating around 100 gallon total so 1000gph pump should be perfect. But I'm still thinking 3" return pipes may be oversized. I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything to go 3" but piping 3" through one of the vent holes in a gorilla tent creates a few water height problems (top of 3” pipe would be higher than the water level in the totes) where 1-1/2" or 2" would not create that problem.

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Mgs3090 said:
That sounds good. So I'm estimating around 100 gallon total so 1000gph pump should be perfect. But I'm still thinking 3" return pipes may be oversized. I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything to go 3" but piping 3" through one of the vent holes in a gorilla tent creates a few water height problems (top of 3” pipe would be higher than the water level in the totes) where 1-1/2" or 2" would not create that problem.

2" will be absolutely fine. How much height are you going above the pump?

Mgs3090 · Jul 14, 2020

The totes I'm using are short and wide so I'd say the pumping height would probably only be about 1 - 1.5 foot at most. I'm hoping the shorter/wider totes give the water more surface area and therefore a little more DO.
2" would be much easier to pipe through the tent so that would definitely be ideal.
Thank you for your help!

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Mgs3090 said:
The totes I'm using are short and wide so I'd say the pumping height would probably only be about 1 - 1.5 foot at most. I'm hoping the shorter/wider totes give the water more surface area and therefore a little more DO.
2" would be much easier to pipe through the tent so that would definitely be ideal.
Thank you for your help!

Yeah 1000gph should have no issue with that head pressure and 2" will easily keep up with that flow if it doesn't plug with roots.

Mgs3090 · Jul 14, 2020

Thanks for the input! I really wish gorilla put a vent at the bottom of the tent for rdwc's

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Mgs3090 said:
Thanks for the input! I really wish gorilla put a vent at the bottom of the tent for rdwc's

Tape and knife

Mgs3090 · Jul 14, 2020

Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind a few times

Britishbuds · Jul 14, 2020

Pipe work on my rdwc is about 40mm and I’ve had problems with roots blocking up the system... so I’d Say bigger the better

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Britishbuds said:
Pipe work on my rdwc is about 40mm and I’ve had problems with roots blocking up the system... so I’d Say bigger the better

Agree, i usually say pipes plugging is to big of plants in the containers used. There are filters that can be put in but i agree nothing wrong with going bigger. I just don't feel its necessary.

Britishbuds · Jul 14, 2020

Aqua Man said:
Agree, i usually say pipes plugging is to big of plants in the containers used. There are filters that can be put in but i agree nothing wrong with going bigger. I just don't feel its necessary.

Yeah or don’t let your plants get as big as mine have and you might not have that problem at all haha

definitely topping on the next run

Aqua Man · Jul 14, 2020

Britishbuds said:
Yeah or don’t let your plants get as big as mine have and you might not have that problem at all haha

definitely topping on the next run

lol that stretch can really catch ya. I ususally veg 3-3.5 week max in 5gal sites. Thats about all the roots they can handle in that size.

airedog · Jul 14, 2020

And there's always that one rogue plant that dwarfs all the others.....

RDWC Piping Question

RDWC Piping Question

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Mgs3090

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Britishbuds

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