DIY 2 or 3 Site RDWC Design Help Needed

[tokenroll]

Ok folks I'm looking someone that knows rdwc setups to help me set up a new system if possible.

With the cab being long and narrow I'm only looking to use three 35L or two 50L storage boxes, res 50L or 84 L and chiller will be housed outside the cab. All the sites are the same height. 

 

I have all 2inch solvent weld fittings. tank connectors, pipes, elbows etc at hand.

 

1 x Hailea Nutrient Chiller 150c

1 x Hailea Water Pump HX8810 can be used inline or submerged.

 

Internal cab size is 30 inches wide X 57.5 inches long x 71 inches high.

 

Res and Chiller has to be placed on the left side as there is a built in wardrobe on the other side of the plaster board wall. Feeding pipes through the cab and wall is fine (no choice really).

 

I think the best layout is going to be the sites running central on the cab floor. with the 2" pipes running through the middle of each tote. 

I want to keep this simple and clean as possible, and reduce the risk of flooding as much as possible as the cab is in my bedroom and sitting room is below it, a flood here would be expensive.

 

I will be running a scrog or flower support net at all times.

 

So with the above info what is my best way to connect all this up, I have run dwc before but always had problems with nutrient temps, so this time I want to do it right first go.

Image of the inside of my flower cab as is with pots of coco below.

Any help is really appreciated.

 

[GreenVision]

I think as you have said mate, straight line of tubs and the pipe running straight through central.

 

 

The return line is smaller than the "Flow" piping. So if you haven't already you will need to look into fitting a filter of some kind (better safe than sorry) and you will need to reduce the 2" pipe down to whichever return pipe size you choose (this will be the fitting on your inlet on the pump).

 

So once the water has gone down the pipes and through the last tub, you want a 2" filter of some kind, then a reducer from the 2" down to your return line / hose, which then runs back to your res and onto the inlet on the pump.

 

 

If you go on youtube and look at the Alien hydroponics setup vids for RDWC it explains this really well. 

 

But with the thin grow area and use of SCROG I would agree on just a straight line of tubs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see how Alien have done it. The thick green line down the center is the return line, yet the flow pipes are 4". The filter is the large black object down the other end in the middle of the final 4" pipe. So the reducer and the filter are all one unit.

 

So with yours mate you can just run the line back down one side of the setup to your res. So much like this setup but just one row instead of the two

 

 

GV.

 

 

[tokenroll]

@GreenVision glad you popped in, I will go digest some more of youtube content. Will give me something to do while visiting mother sleeping  at her local NHS holiday home. Keeps my mind of things for awhile.

In a few days time the wifes going to come home from work and the kitchen floor will have masking tape guide lines to mirror the grow space while I do a dry fit before getting high as a kite on the solvent weld. No doubt I'm going to get the old, "fuckme clean this shit up it's all over the fucking house" I think this is a normal response in a growers house lol.

 

Cheers for checking in.

Toke.

[tokenroll]

@GreenVision little diagram of what I hope is the correct way to have this set up. Built in wardrobe is on the other side of the plasterboard wall, different room. Sticking with a 2 site setup, will keep wife happier with low plant counts.

I will add another ball valve to the left of the water pump so I can isolate the system if needed. Will also be adding an inline filter to the right of the pump once I get one.

So 2 X 35l sites and a 50l res, should be easy enough for the chiller and water pump to deal with. Air stones to go in the 2 x sites and res. Wall to wall scrog net and maybe a little scrog up the back wall once all is tested.

If you spot something wrong or if I'm totally wrong don't hold back, always something new to learn.

Toke.

 

Edited September 13, 2017 by tokenroll

[GreenVision]

@tokenroll  The basic concept here is spot on mate. I cant see why it shouldn't work. There are some differences in the way you have it here to how my RDWC works. 

 

The pump is in the res on mine, from the outlet on the pump the water goes out the res and straight through the chiller then gets dumped back into the res, then through the system again and back to the pump etc etc.

 

If it helps I can do a diagram on paint of exactly how mine flows.

[tokenroll]

@GreenVision diagram would be great when you have time, be nice to compare. I have to order the 2 x ball valves, reducer, hosetail and tubes from the pump to chiller yet.

Thanks again.

Toke.

[GreenVision]

Just now, tokenroll said:

@GreenVision diagram would be great when you have time, be nice to compare. I have to order the 2 x ball valves, reducer, hosetail and tubes from the pump to chiller yet.

Thanks again.

Toke.

 

 

 

I wont forget mate. I will have it up by this time tomorrow.

 

Just for your own knowledge, Alien Hydroponics sell spares for they're systems. £12 for the float valve 

[GreenVision]

@tokenroll Morning mate. This is how the chaps at Alien run it.

 

 

 

The more I looked at it when I first got it the more I understood its design.

 

The last place the warm water goes is the chiller, and the pump being submerged in the res means the cool water coming out the chiller and straight into the res keeps the pump cool and quiet.

 

I will say though, I do wish the filter was down at the res end. Not surer about your space but for me its a bastard to get down there and empty that filter. I know you said your doing a SCROG, so this may be another point to bear in mind.

 

If you can, if budget allows, I have found this tool priceless.

 

 

 

Its a 1.5 Litre Oil tool. Once those roots have filled the tubs it is the only way I have come across to get that last bit of water out the tubs.

 

And a great piece of info that @rabthegrower gave me on my diary was to do full water changes. I now know that really does make all the difference. No matter how much you top off the system, that little bit of water left is always going to be the bit you want gone as its leftover crap the plants don't want and causes serious imbalances in EC and PH. Once I started do total water changes my PH and EC was almost spot on without any extra PH down and nutrients needing to be added.

 

 

Some time today I will get a pic of the inside of my res and get it here so you can see the how its all set up. TBH I don't think you could beat how Alien have done it. 

 

 

GV.

[tokenroll]

@GreenVision Excellent diagram explains everything in a simple way very much appreciated. Now I can get the remaining parts ordered today. Shouldn't take me more than 30mins to make that system up.

 

I will make the reducing section in the centre of the two sites, will make it easier to change that filter out etc.

 

I have a test dwc bucket in veg atm, so last night I stuck the chiller on it, took the water temps from 22c to 18c rather quickly. Great little chillers and I should have done this long ago so now I can run hydro in the summer and not just winter.

 

Cheers 

Toke.

Edited September 14, 2017 by tokenroll

[GreenVision]

@tokenroll  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tokenroll]

@GreenVision fantastic m8, thanks for taking the time to post and explain. Appreciated.

 

Dinafem - Blue Kush clone in dwc test and chiller working great. Now on with the build..

[tokenroll]

Little snap shot of the tubs and some pipes, doing a dry fit and making any changes before solvent welding the pipes.

I'm going to take the return 2 inch pipe on into the res and doing the pipe reductions etc in there, thinking of putting a venture in the res rather than air stones.

 

Trying to keep it as clutter free as possible so my ocd head don't go mad when trying to clean.

Edited September 15, 2017 by tokenroll

[GreenVision]

@tokenroll Looking good mate, cant see any reason why taking that pipe into the res shouldn't work just fine. Will save you the job of finding an inlet to fit you pump line, as you can just use the weld and as you say do the reducing inside the res.

 

I dont want to be a stick in the mud. But if it can be done nice and neat, might pay to get some sticky whit vinyl on those lids. Not sure if you remember how I stuggled with the 18 hour veg times and the temps etc but its a pain in the arse you could well do without. I'm going to be doing on mine before the next grow. Even as a precaution because I have noticed the chiller can only do so much, if you ask it to chill more than 4C it will struggle.

 

But this said you might be OK mate as your not using a great whacking pair of 1000w heaters to grow your buds . As I have said before, one the positives of LED tech  ... Plus the winter is near so you have time.

 

You were right on the two over the three though mate, now I have seen it in the flesh it was the wise move, three likely would have been too much with hydro plants as they do like a veg up.

 

 

1 Question though... Did you measure and line of those vents...  

 

OCD!

[tokenroll]

@GreenVision I got a roll of foil insulation for the buckets and pipes from last time round doing a few dwc buckets. It certainly helps shave a degree or two of ambient cab temp.

As for the vents if your meaning will the pipe work etc get in the way of them, then no should be fine as the vent positions where installed so not to interfere with either using a Flood n Drain Tray or DWC..

As for the number of tubs yeah 3 was just to much for the space, dam even one large tub would be ample to be honest.

 

Toke.

[GreenVision]

1 minute ago, tokenroll said:

if your meaning will the pipe work etc get in the way of them

 

No mate, what I mean is they look like you actually went to the trouble of getting the spirit level and tape measure out