Hi folks, decided to scrap the dwc aeroponic gspot system after this grow because i am having major problems with sprayers clogging due to excessive root growth and also the air compressor in the second bucket is not suitable for bubbling that much water, in effect it drowns the roots and they break off and clog the system. Had my ceiling leaking whilst my mate was in my room, sat there having a convo and water is leaking from my light behind him, fecking hell, had to move him out quick with excuse, god knows how he didn't notice it. Roots clogged the return and the bucket filled and overflowed, gee wiz.

Other problems was salt build up, ec running high and rising daily regardless of flushing.

So going to create a flow through pebbles 25l buckets and use a air compressor to foam the 2inch water level like in the krusty system, i plan on doing 5 buckets raised slightly to create 2 inch water level, would anyone happen to know a good air compressor which has a psi 115 in order to bubble the water in the second bucket.

Was kinda hoping someone on here has built or used this system and could offer a decent air compressor which is not to loud, spent hours upon hours of reading on this system but cannot seem to find a thread older than 3 years, was kinda hoping compressors are more silent knowadays.

I basically need about 35psi per bucket but cannot work out how much psi i would need then to create this, would i times the psi by 5 in effect 175psi, 35 each, really appreciate some advice?

As for the gspot system, avoid it, load of shit.

ello,

I know nothing of the system mate but I use a Clarke Pioneer 100 air compressor 116 PSI,

And it's bloody noisy too noisy to have in my house

Goodluck with you search dude

Peace & Light

Mrm

I've a feeling that the Thomas pump krusty used did a fine job of air pruning the roots, he said more than once that he had no problems with root blockage. The soaker hose takes some pressure to get that foam. There is special hose made with slits that is guaranteed not to clog, might mean you can use a lower psi pump and still get froth.

tbh, I'd much prefer to spend more on lighting for the same results than lose a year or 2 dialing in the freedom buckets. Heath Robinson from the now defunct hg420 forum was getting big per plant yields with his modified waterfarms, over a kilo per on ocassion. Achieved the same nft effect as krusty but in a different manner. I can remember a fair bit of it, let me know if it's the results you want more than you want to do it as freedom buckets. If so I reckon other members will be able to fill in the gaps I can't remember.

I did get into the 'stress free' vibe for a while but it's so impractical for a small grow. More pragmatic ime is to get the climate almost good enough and let the loose end drag, I could grow a lot of plants using the leccy for aircon. Stress free grower rather than stress free plants. Still each to their own, good luck with it, ages since I've seen a FB grow.

hi peeps, are you talking about the critical mass tree grow heath done, if so i was under the impression that instead of freedom buckets he simply used an aquafarm which included air bubbling in the bottom of the second square aqua farm pot. This lead me to believe that what heath and krusty have in common is the frothing action caused by agitation in the lower bucket, the 2inch of water. Instead of the drip he used the pouring method over the pebbles, he suggested that the better the flow the bigger the plant, he poured for 15 mins every hour and to my understanding used some form of air tube in the lower tub.

I have been looking at the elite 800 air pump which comes with the aquafarms as a package but to be honest i doubt this pump which cost peanuts would be good enough to mimic something like the thomas air 900 which krusty used, unsure as to whether heath used an air compressor or what psi assuming he did in the tree grow. Granted the elite 800 only has to bubble one pot or bucket but even so doubt it would agitate, maybe few bubbles, im thinking froth, waterfall type air compressor, not bothered about cost.

Already got the light sorted, currently using aeroponics dwc with vertical lighting, several watts.

Would of liked to have done an aeroponic krusty bucket using 2 inch water level instead of the gspot system which has considerably more water in bottom bucket, was going to raise bucket to decrease water in second bucket and place 1 gallon upside done to stop the pots falling through the gs pot aeroponic which they have done already, week 8, only last week they fell though the lids due to weight.

Have one week to sort this as aeroponic vertical is on week 8 and vegging plants are 6 weeks old ready for the new system, soon as i build it, really need to work out what air compressor i need for 5 buckets, or buy 5 air pumps one for each bucket.

Thinking caps on folks, driving me nutsd, psi this cc/min that, have not got a clue what is needed air pump wise, double dutch to me.

google bambi compressors. you will need deep pockets though.

Thanks matey but looking at the size of the thing it is probably loud and a bit of a overkill, just basically want the frothing action in the bottom of 5 buckets, 2 inch deep, would imagine that thing would dry the bucket

also going to be using chillers, water temps and humidity controllers, really would like to reel this system in quickly, so far iv used 8 different systems and each system has problems. The 4 aeroponic systems i used were shit, bucket system was crap, eco system cost a fortune and was also crap, considering collisium, but may try the krusty bucket or heath critical mass tree grow first mainly as want to keep plant numbers low if possible.

Why the hell don't these muppets who create these systems try and spend a bit of time reeling it in before putting on the market, not found a system that doesn't need modding or tools supplied which are not up to the job, take the bloody eco, the pump they supplied doesn't even drip 20 slabs, had to upgrade it from 3000lph to 6000 and even then it wasn't enough, top slab was dry, absolute joke, should of listened to Owd when he stated they are shite.

Just want 5 monsters, think heath style critical mass tree grow x 5, , got room for 6ft square per plant so plenty of room.

Didn't Heaths units just have the waterfall effect for aeration? iirc he went extra large with the outlet pipes and used 2 outlets per farm to avoid root clogging.

All I can remember about that never clogging hose with slits is that it was horribly expensive, $6 a foot or sommat.

not found a system that doesn't need modding or tools supplied which are not up to the job

About the only one I've not heard complaints about (apart from the price) is the recirculating ebb and flow buckets, aka Krypto buckets.

¿You mean like E*oteric/Phukka's 'Hydropod' systems - you rate them, then?

The 150 twin head model is about as loud as a fridge. And it would only be on for about 1 minute at a time.

I rate there system highly, the as it comes system does very well, but i modded mine with a 5 inch airstone in each bucket that bubbles the water when it floods only, closed the taps as well so it drains slower giving my roots 5 mins of frothey water and 3 mins of drain, must admit they are healthy as fook and its been a piece of piss to use and been very stable...

BUT, i would definately build my own now i have seen the system in the flesh, for half the price....

If it never clogs matey would imagine in the end it pays for over longer periods and saves replacement and effecting root matter via pythium and drowing the roots through clogging, any idea what that tube was called?

In relation to Heath I was under the impression he used a air pump but having read the diary again no mention of that, was probably thinking that due to most self contained aquafarms come standard with air pump, most people also do not pour solution, normally a ring which drips around the rockwool 3 inch along with pellets, or lava.

You are probably spot on, the waterfall effect due to height and pouring like a tap would create agitation in lower bucket and would probably work much better than how people use them at present, well majority. Well for a few weeks until root growth is emmense and at that stage would reduce slightly the agitation, may use an air pump about week 3 of flower when roots are busting and agitation is restricted via root matter build up.

I am wondering also if he used a air pump in the return tank as this system is recirulated not self contained like most aquafarms, last time i looked at his tank it was bubbling like mad, was not that grow diary though so dont know if this is standard in every grow.

One thing which has baffled me completely is he uses 2 x 40mm return pipes which granted would increase the water return when root matter is high, towards the end he stated it was getting a bit tight so he said im going to use a 4 inch soil pipe for return with 2 x 40mm connected to the return 4inch pipe back to res.

However, how does increasing the return pipe to a 4 inch soil pipe help, it can only return as much water as what is flowing through the two 40mm pipes which will be always full regardless of the size of the return 4 inch soil pipe. I don't understand why he is going to use that. The only thing I have managed to come up with is that the roots were growing through the 40mm return pipes and perhaps a 4 inch soil pipe and short distance connecting the 40mm pipe would give greater width and less likely to block the return with roots due to size of return pipe.

I got the impression that root matter was restricting flow and could possibly cause the aquafarm to overflow on the floor.

If anyone can solve these mysteries which have kept me awake for nights on end then would really like imput, gonna mimic his diary i think and see how I get on, hoping teething problems are kept to a minimum.

I mean the one that has a controller bucket so that the res bucket is outside the grow and can be the same level.

Controller bucket plumbed to pots. Res pump fills controller bucket which fills pots. Then the controller bucket pump puts it back into the res. Needs extra float valves and relays on the controller bucket to ensure reliablility but that's all been worked out. Users of them call them 'set and forget.

I plan on using this, just got to find a place to house it space wise, just wondering now if there is also any benifit in adding a air pump to the controller res, was going to place one in each tank but only have one space. I thought place it in controller and as it tops up with nutes when float drops it adds extra oxgenated nutes to res as well as bottom buckets of aquafarm using aditional air pumps.

Gonna call it Oxyfarm

Although may have to be careful if I remember from previous grows to much oxygen can effect ph/ec if overdone, this tended to happen when oxygenation was close to the pumps, seem to go away when moved, happened in the crappy Eco system. I think it is more practical to use the eco as a bread toaster or use the drip lines to add different sauces on people's chips, 20 sauces.

Might as well have the airpump/powerhead in the main res, all ends up touching the roots at some point.

I once fitted a dual outlet aquarium pump to a bubbler for a couple of weeks while the rest of the buckets got to share the big Koi pump. Massive difference in bubbles but never more than 0.1 difference in pH, which was the minimum calibration of the pen. My guess is that the extra growth from more air shows up weak nutes. I used to be of the 'less is more' school of thought but now it's follow the instructions on the label because they already know how to grow weed.

Cheers peeps, gonna get it set up next week, be nice to try a new system out