Question about DWC bucket systems

Long time soil grower here, I've seen some VERY nice DWC bucket systems, modular systems with a "brain bucket" thats hooked up to a main res with float valves.

I have been having trouble finding good walkthroughs for modular bucket systems. All the walkthroughs I find are for building a single DWC bucket.

If anyone knows of any good DIY walkthroughs Please let me know!

These are probably dumb questions but I havent been able to find any specific answers to these questions.



First big question is, In a recirculating DWC bucket system Do you set up the feed lines to each bucket to drip down through the pellets, or do you just run the lines into the bucket??


This is probably really stupid and basic, but I just want to completely understand the concept before trying to build it.

So either way, I would have a single pump in my "contol bucket" that would run to all the feed lines for each bucket, then the return to the control bucket would just be by gravity??


I appologize if these questions are basic or have been asked many times, just want to be clear on how it works so I can start building one..


Thanks

No one here is running a fancy home made DWC bucket system that can help out ??

No help for the dumb guy who's used to dirt?....lol

Hey there, I run a recirculating DWC with a control, and an elevated res with a float valve. There is some info out there if you do a googlie search for "recirculating DWC". Here is an awesome one....
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=26343
To answer your questions though;

(First big question is, In a recirculating DWC bucket system Do you set up the feed lines to each bucket to drip down through the pellets, or do you just run the lines into the bucket?? )
You can do this either way. In mine, I have a half inch hose running to each bucket, entering through the top lip of the bucket, and "waterfalling" the water down into the inside of the bucket, and the netpot. In other words, not top feeding. You can however use the same principle and run the half inch feeder lines to the top, and then top feed. If you do this though, i would recommend getting a white plant tray (the kind that your houseplants sit on to collect runoff) and dril a ton of little holes in them, plant your girls in the center, and have your top feed water pouring directly into the tray, which will disperse the water evenly through the holes, and down into your hydroton, or whatever medium you are using.

(So either way, I would have a single pump in my "contol bucket" that would run to all the feed lines for each bucket, then the return to the control bucket would just be by gravity??)
That is correct, gravity will equalize the level in each bucket at the same level, assuming that you have them all plumbed correctly. Just make sure that your drain line(s) are big enough to support all of the water returning to the control bucket. ie, use at least 3/4 hose, or better would be 1 inch. Also, DO NOT plumb each of your buckets to one another, only to the control bucket!! I made this mistake,, and the water levels fluctuated too much, due to the physics of water flow. One bucket would drain into the next, into the next, etc, and by the end of the line, the last bucket was several inches higher than the others.

Awesome bro. Thats exactly what I needed to hear.

That totally cleared everything up for me! +rep


Thanks