Fine Tuning RDWC

rkymtnman said:

i think you are confusing ebb and grow systems with rdwc. that is not an rdwc setup.

it's designed to work exactly how you are using it: dont' change it.

i would switch from the mycos to a sterile route myself.

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hes having issues with the bottoms going dry,see pic.in an ebb amd flow tray theres channels to hold water.he doesnt have those.so we need to figure out a way to keep water in the bottom so the roots dont get all funky lol.

rkymtnman said:

i think you are confusing ebb and grow systems with rdwc. that is not an rdwc setup.

it's designed to work exactly how you are using it: dont' change it.

i would switch from the mycos to a sterile route myself.

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Thank you.

ok so not much,but why a pump to drain?Most ive seen just let gravity drain the waste waters.

TommyDumper said:

Thank you.

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i've never used an ebb/grow but i think increasing your flood times per hour would help.

did it come with directions? or maybe find some youtube vids of other similar systems and see what they do with flood timing/frequency

rkymtnman said:

i've never used an ebb/grow but i think increasing your flood times per hour would help.

did it come with directions? or maybe find some youtube vids of other similar systems and see what they do with flood timing/frequency

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Yes i agree,the roots would look a lot better then if they stay wet.

myke said:

Yes i agree,the roots would look a lot better then if they stay wet.

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Thank you again

rkymtnman said:

i've never used an ebb/grow but i think increasing your flood times per hour would help.

did it come with directions? or maybe find some youtube vids of other similar systems and see what they do with flood timing/frequency

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no directions, their support isn't really for customers its designed for retailers and in this particular issue either they have been a bit ambiguous or I am simply unable to understand. Although these systems seem to be popular I cant find a video on them. Thank you, I think I will change my times again

Good luck.You already have most everything to switch to rdwc,give us a shout when the time comes.

TommyDumper said:

no directions, their support isn't really for customers its designed for retailers and in this particular issue either they have been a bit ambiguous or I am simply unable to understand. Although these systems seem to be popular I cant find a video on them. Thank you, I think I will change my times again

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i just did a google for you:
Calculating Ebb & flow Hydroponics Watering Schedule

• Expanded clay pebbles: 4 to 8 times a day (every 2 to 4 hours)

myke said:

Good luck.You already have most everything to switch to rdwc,give us a shout when the time comes.

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Thank you. I will

rkymtnman said:

i just did a google for you:
Calculating Ebb & flow Hydroponics Watering Schedule

• Expanded clay pebbles: 4 to 8 times a day (every 2 to 4 hours)

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See, I told you I was an idiot. Thank you again

TommyDumper said:

See, I told you I was an idiot. Thank you again

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remember this, you are only an idiot if you don't learn from your mistakes.

TommyDumper said:

Thank you. I will

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What would I do to change it to RDWC, I want to do everything I can to maximize yield.

TommyDumper said:

What would I do to change it to RDWC, I want to do everything I can to maximize yield.

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if you have everything else dialed in, that ebb/grow setup will get it done.

for one thing, you'll be drilling a bunch of either 1.5 or 2" holes in those buckets to switch

So all you need to do is allow water to build up and stay in the bottom so you don’t get those ugly roots.But having a pump to drain them is weird. So you’d have to change it to top feed so gravity returns it to the res. Everything at same level.
Years ago I had a similar system. Clay pebbles in pots. I had the same problem so I raised them up and aerated the water below for the roots to live in.
Here’s a pic. You can see the net pot holding the pot up off the bottom. I just put a short pipe in the drain to raise the level. Then I added an air stone.

Here’s another.

rkymtnman said:

i think you are confusing ebb and grow systems with rdwc. that is not an rdwc setup.

it's designed to work exactly how you are using it: dont' change it.

i would switch from the mycos to a sterile route myself.

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I second that. I get better results with just Pool shock and a complete plant food. From my experience you get better results by foliar feeding amendments in DWC. They are more effective that way and you will have less dirt/disturbances in the water.

The plant food is already in available form for the plant to uptake directly. Work on keeping the solution stable instead and focus on optimizing surface tension.

myke said:

ok so not much,but why a pump to drain?Most ive seen just let gravity drain the waste waters.

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Even if I wanted to raise everything and make them drain using gravity I couldn't because I am in a basement and limited by height.

so are your roots stained from the nutes? also the brain bucket,its where the pump is yes.there must be a check valve to stop water after pumping?

myke said:

so are your roots stained from the nutres? also the brain bucket, it's where the pump is yes. there must be a check valve to stop water after pumping?

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Yes, Hydrafarm used to sell this system called active aqua flow and grow, it comes with a brain bucket and 6 pots scalable up to like 48 pots. The brain bucket is a timer with several float switches. the white pair of floats in the front inside of the bucket regulate the flood, the black one on the left is an emergency overflow just in case. There are 2 more down low that turn the drain pump on and off