So The Diy Undercurrent Begins

[Indiva710]

As for cleaning ur 10ft line I would say h202 is pry ur best bet...I don't use hoses on my entire system kinda for that reason it being a pita to clean... And for how crucial it is for a clean bacteria free system...I use PVC pipe only and I use PVC orbit fittings which are great not too sure why no one else uses them for hydro setups esp with rdwc setups it makes life sooo much easier..Yes they are like double the price a reg PVC fitting is however it's more than worth it..As not only are they reusable but the PVC pipe can spin inside so they are perfect for things with threads like our return pumps....The orbit fittings make sure they are white they have them at home depot they come in 1/2,3/4,1" they have couplers elbows and tees and end caps also a mpt a reducer etc they are great fittings...The black and blue is for pex tubing only do not use them for PVC!!!!.unions do wonders as well and either u can do ball valves or union ball valves they are alot more expensive though and you cannot get local usually.... I also use fpvc too which might be a better option for you however our setups are similar anyways however I use the 27gal totes and I have a 8x4 tent and I run 4 plants with scrogs however I run 2 scrogs and I have a small 10in walkway in the middle for plant maintance which I'm is fine for me not like I'm in there much the plants need more room than me lol.....

How do u attach your wall mount fans zip ties or did u find a better way by chance? As I did use like copper pipe clamps which worked on my old tent but my new one has a aluminum gazebo frame that's octogone and zip ties just don't work for them and I need a new way to mount....
Secret Jardin monkey fans is my next option as they are 6in oscillating fans and I could mount them easily as I have one already and I like it but the 16in would be ideal....thanks....
I also highly recommend Eco plus mag drive pumps over danner mag drives they are much better quality pump and better designed to say the least I went thru 5 danners and 1 was leak free I bought 3 Eco plus and well 3 leak free since I run my pumps inline outside of the totes..
I also do not use air pumps/ air stones in my bloom setup waterfalls ONLY. ...and so far I'm pleased with my choice of not using my alita120 or 2 for the 4 sites and doing 4 air stones per tote vs now I run x2 Eco plus 350 gph pumps so 2 totes share a 350 and I'm loving it and so are the ladies....
So when I did the waterfall was a last minute decision and I used my spare cheap water pumps the Eco plus 396 so luckily I use ball valves on my pumps so I can stop a leak..so In the meantime of my 350 getting here I used a 25lpm air pump and 2 stones for ea site...so I super cropped and scrogged my plants at this time and wat a diff was it between the plants w waterfall vs the air stones as the 2 waterfall plants bounced back from all that abuse in a day no joke while the air stones plants took a CPL and then I got the waterfall back up and running and it was like a night and day diff with them plus I don't have to worry about pythim and airstones clogging having to clean and sterlize them buy new ones plus the heat from the pumps and them using x2 the power which runs 247 u know...so far I'm happy with going to waterfalls over air stones..and my control bucket I use my return waterfall only haven't had a issue....
Also in veg I went 5 weeks without doing a water change...it did get a bit cloudy but no sludge or anything like that I run sterile only I think Bennie's are thee most pointless worthless expensive shit u can buy for a hydroponics setup period as they need to have a media actually like Coco or soil for Bennie's to work and be beneficial and worth the money I also would use tribus original for Bennie's they have thee most per mg/l or however they measure it from any other company having 10 billon vs 100mill that most use....when I ran Bennie's in my rdwc I had nothing but issues and having to buy sugars and carbs to feed the Bennie's to keep them Alive is pointless to even use them just adding more and more useless shit and cost more and more money....how are u liking masterblend too...is the part a white for the masterblend I've considered trying it since after my cultured solutions nutes are gone I'm never using liquid nutes again dry only.....
I use silica from day 1 until 4wk of flower about it's a must have I believe and more companies need to be putting it in their bases actually it being the 2nd most available element on the planet so that being said and how much I see my plants like it esp since I do plant training of all kinds and scrog and supercropping is a must have well for my style of growing and thats just not possible really without silica as I didn't break 1 branch and had to tape it from any of my 4 plants......
did you ever end up painting the inside of ur
Totes do not use spray paint it will not stick even if u sand it..however I'm thinkn about trying spray paint again but with using adhesion promoter this time which is what they use in auto for plastic bumpers etc...so it should work...however im thinkn maybe like the flexiseAl shit or maybe like a sprayon bed liner however most of that stuff doesn't lay on smooth and is textured and the textured would be a bitch to clean and sterile which is why jt needs to be smooth....

Also instead of having the bubblewrap over the net pots and I'f u want to use something to keep plant material out of ur media use nylon mesh..I got mine at jo anns fabrics it was $2 for 3 meters of it...make sure it's nylon so u can wash it easy as cotton mesh won't be sterile...it works great for me and it's a breeze doing canopy maintenance etc can just use a brush not have to try and pick 1 piece out at a time the netting saves alot of time....
My scrog nets are double netted fully adjustable as should all scrogs imo they do wonders and keep ur area nice and clean and. No need for 50+ yoyos per plant absolutely not...these are waaaaay easier esp how I attach mine....

 

[Indiva710]

Ya bulkheads are deff a must have for rdwc..However I would use the current culture bulkheads they are a bit more than a cheap abs ones are which work fine but the c.c gives you more options like the bulkhead filters the wrench is very easy to use and like the filter both work on 2 and 3in b.h
The smaller 3/4 &1/2in b.h I used I got from unisealwarehouse.com and they are like 5.50 for a 2in so they are cheap and well made and has a nice o ring too..

 

[Indiva710]

I was planning on painting them black and using duct tape to cover any worrisome spots.

I'm not planning on the silicone bonding with the plastic but just filling any gaps. I figured I'd try it even though I knew better. You know me, I have to prove myself wrong before I learn a lesson.

If it's as awful as you and others say I'll let it go and get bulkheads but I had to try.

The totes that I use which is the same and they do not take to painting at all I've tried several ways and types and they will just peel off...Just use some mylar bubble wrap and put it over the lid and if your scrogging as u should be then there won't be light getting in the buckets..
The best paint I have found is plastidip but again it will peel ...You can use a bed liner for it but I think the rough texture will cause issues but if u did it on top it would pry be okay..
I do have 1 more thing I can try with getting the paint to stick which I have scuffed it already too but I believe plastic adhesion promoter will be the trick for paint sticking to the commander totes what sucks is some countries has black lids for them like why can't we get those too ...

 

[Hatecrow]

Indiva710,
What size pipe are you using in the totes? I thought I should go 3" or double 2" Im going to use 27 gallon totes as well. I like your setup. I want a 4 tote system I think although I bought 6 plus a 37 gal that I was going to make the epi center out of.

 

[Indiva710]

I use 2in for veg and 3in for bloom...Double 2in would be a complete waste of time and cause more problems than not actually...
You should just use a 27gal for your control bucket as my 4 well 5 bucket bloom setup holds 16gal a bucket with 8in net pots.....Which it does about 80-85gal for the system plus I have a 55gal for top off res however I am going to get a 30gal instead as 50gal is just too much as I want my top off to last 1week so I can have nutes in it a week ahead so thruout the week they slowly get the new nutes and works great for me...
Also if I had to do it again id consider the 17gal totes instead actually as 27gal for one plant is a bit much but it also depends how much veg time you will do..As the plant doesn't grow much new roots in bloom so pretty much after stretch it's putting energy into buds not roots so ya tbh if I had to do it again id use 17gal w 3in PVC ...Which when it's time to replace my totes I will be getting the 17gal instead I'll also only have about 45-50gal in the system so it will be cheaper too...
However last crop the only water change I did was in the last week when I'm flushing that's it..However if the water quality wasn't there pH was not stable and cloudy water I'd change it but I'f it's stable I leave it alone ...
The current culture spin tight bulkheads are the best made right now they are pricey but peace of mine is well worth it ...3in I got for $11ea which is the most expensive part of rdwc is the fittings and bulkheads...Bulkhead filters from c.c is a must have as well at least on the return pipe they are interchangeable from 2-3in ...
Also instead of a elbow use a tee and put a cap on it as when you build your system you have to be able to clean every inch of pipe that nute water comes in contact with as very easily to miss some bacteria that will wipe ur system out in no time so put that in mind...And being able to have access to the pump at all times and make it so u can take it out and do maintance..So ball valves before and after or union ball valves but they are expensive but depends on size...For 1in to 1/2 I use orbit fittings and they are wonderful and I would not build a system without them period....As they are removable fittings with a tool and the pipe spins inside the fitting so things like a pump that has threads it's easy to take out clean and put back etc

 

[Hatecrow]

Thankyou for the reply and great info. I have 10" net pots but ill check out the 17gal totes. I can always use the others for all the extra crap I bought over the years. My cellar is a fing pit, I can hardly walk at this point but the flower room is clean and ready. I'm going to use gavida 600-750. I figure 1 light over each tote. I just popped some Cali connection lemon Larry beans. I had a clone only Larry many years ago and if these are even close I will be happy. Thanks again

 

[Indiva710]

Those 10in net pots might be a bit much too kinda also depends on how long u plan on vegging for and how big the veg container is too on if it's worth it..As 10in net pots uses a lot of media which is a lot of media to clean sterilize after each grow...I use current culture 8in however Im thinkn about getting their 5.5in instead as just less media to use and clean I'm also disabled and have arthritis so I do as easy as possible...I also scrog which is ur plant support instead of the media pretty much ...And that's less weight to pick up and stress on the lids...
The one thing I really like about the 27gal is I use 8gal c.c buckets for veg and the kids fit perfect on top of the 27 gal and thats how I transplant and pretty much no stress at all as I don't even touch the roots and it works great however u could use it on the 17gal but it wouldn't fit nice n snug like it was made for it and what's crazy is current culture uc pro 35gal totes uses the same thing on theirs for a single plant in the 35gal ...
The 8gal ez store buckets are cheap and what is exactly what my c.c version. Used as now they have their own buckets they made that has a false floor etc....But they are alot more expensive but kinda worth it just also depends on the person really as if using a shop vac isn't a big deal for u then go cheap but if u want it to fully drain should spend some more..
However I just upgraded my current culture buckets and now I end up with about 400-500ml in the entire system from the drain kit I made and my bloom is even less as those commander totes raise to a point on the floor which works in our favor on it draining more and I barely have anything left in bloom and did wonders...
Also those orbit fittings home depot has them and no1 local I've seen else has them and of course online but you have to get the white ones the black is for pex tubing only will not work ...
Also If u have any questions just pm me is fine too so not hogging up the forums

 

[Indiva710]

Waste of time,been there done that.constantly clogging up with crap,just wrap a cloth around your return line inside the epi bucket to form a pocket.catches everything and easy to clean out without shutting everything off.
That's how I roll.

I run my filter in my epicenter and problem solved don't have to shut anything off to clean it and does wonders..Ya a shirt isn't too sanitary and clean def not changing it out all the time fuck that much rather use a mesh filter as it's easily reusable....
Also you do not need a airstone in ur epicenter esp when ur return line creates a waterfall I's plenty of d.o for the epi that's for damn sure and 1 less thing to have to clean and wire up..Use the airline for ur top off res instead and problem solved!!!!!!!k.i.s.s.

 

[jaguarlax]

Plastic is silicone resistant,Not a silicone on the planet that will keep them from leaking,After having multiple failures and using every other silicone i could find i went with 4 dollar bulk heads from marine depot and put leaky buckets to bed,

Yup. Marine hobby supplies are the best places for this. Bulk reef supply is the best. I have built countless saltwater tanks that require exterior plumbing. Bulkheads are the only way to do it imo. You learn quick When dealing with saltwater and home interiors.