DIY RDWC - First Timer - Any Advice Welcome

FuqStiK

Active Member
No dude. There are NO air pumps. Period. You don't need a waterfall in the reservoir. In fact, you could put just one in the reservoir and pull from one of the buckets and it'd be enough. The only reason you do every site is because they'll be housing roots
Reservoir outside the tent - from reading, with the bigger totes compared to the buckets, should I use 3" PVC returns to deter clogging? Then I'll have water flowing thru 3/4 inch tubing and pours into top of the grow chambers with an inline 400 Gallon per hour pump.
 

FuqStiK

Active Member
Welp after looking at prices for bulkheads, I'll think I will stick with 2" bulkheads / PVC haha... they get rather expensive
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
No I didn't mean a waterfall in the res. I have the Res connected to the 4 sites, a water pump outside of the res and tent that will be connected via the plumb for the manifold. Is that not how it's supposed to be done?
You continue to mix air pump and water pump as meaning one thing. You clearly stated AIR PUMP
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Reservoir outside the tent - from reading, with the bigger totes compared to the buckets, should I use 3" PVC returns to deter clogging? Then I'll have water flowing thru 3/4 inch tubing and pours into top of the grow chambers with an inline 400 Gallon per hour pump.
You'll find 3" bulkheads for no less than $16 a piece so if you want to go ahead. 2" will be more than enough though. Especially if you off center your hole for your netpot towards the side where the flow is incoming.
 

FuqStiK

Active Member
You'll find 3" bulkheads for no less than $16 a piece so if you want to go ahead. 2" will be more than enough though. Especially if you off center your hole for your netpot towards the side where the flow is incoming.
@Airwalker16 what's the correct size hole saw to get to cut for the 2" PVC + 2" Bulkheads? I'm sticking with 2" - everything is easier to access.

So the 400gph has 3/4 inlet and outlets they female threads or what?
Can I use something like this as an inline?
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
This is what I need, correct
View attachment 4589073


Or would you recommend something else that would work better in your opinion
It depends. Sometimes the cheaper brand ones have a rubber surface on the gasket that's kind of wavy. If it is, someone said earlier today Lowe's will cut gaskets for you in any size. I had no idea and dunno if it's really true. But it looks like 2 7/8" hole saw is your ticket.
As for slip X slip that's up to you. Just know that the gasket will be installed in the INSIDE of your containers and the threads sticking OUT from it. That way, when tightening the nut down, the gasket is pressed evenly against the wall and isn't twisted and deformed by the nut twisting on top if it. So at least on the 3/4" bulkhead you'll want slip on that one "flange" side. Ita really up to you whether you want to be able to spin the connections off for future installs to reuse your 2" bulkheads by just cuttings new length and gluing on 2" male threaded adapters to the ends or if you want to glue them to have your bulkheads forever glued to that pipe. I personally think threading them in with a little Teflon tape is probably better for breakdown and re use of bulkheads. If you want my opinion. You'll need 8 2" male adapters as well though. Thread X thread bulkheads since I'm not sure which is inlet and outlet.
 
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Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Also, you'll probably wanna cut your filter piece I explained a while back out of 2" pipe and use reducers to allow it to slip Into the 3/4" bulkhead. You want it wide with holes/slits in it for the mesh filter bag. Not 3/4". It's too small.
 

FuqStiK

Active Member
You'll have to plumb it the way we agreed on using those. there's only 2 sides you can do bulkheads 2" wide on. The 3/4" should fit in between the little ridges it has on the bottom though.
Have you used these buckets before? They had very good reviews from multiple RDWC grows I saw.
 
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