Hey all just thought i would detail my build for a RDWC system inspired by Grandpas build made by Hannibal.
If this thread is in the wrong place, please move it. I couldn't find the forum section I was looking for :S
I wouldn't of been able to do this without loads of support in the RDWC thread from the likes of Joker, Jessie,badbillybob & Everyone who dropped into the thread to impart knowledge! This forum made it possible.
Now I started with a practice system using buckets connected by hoses leading to a pump which drip fed the water back into the net pot powered by airstones.
This was a little jump into the world of Hydroponics which I needed to understand how it works, how good it is etc.
This is not meant to be a step by step guide more so just a show of how I did it, what it cost me and what mistakes I made ( Pushfits!) I had most of the equipment I just had to buy a water chiller + another pump and the parts.
So lets begin, this build is for a RDWC system.
The parts I used are for a 2.4m x 1.2m tent using 2 grow buckets and 1 reservoir bucket. Reservoir bucket is kept in the tent with a chiller connected however the days I was running 1x 600w light in there, the water was perfect temperature of 19 degrees all day every day.
Parts needed
2 x Solvent weld pipe 22mm x 2000mm - £3.98
(This comes in different lengths and different materials. If it says uPVC or the likes your safe to solvent weld. This size fits in my car also)
2 x Solvent weld pipe 40mm x 2000mm - £8.78
(I used pushfit and I regretted it having leaks everywhere)
6 x 40mm Tank connectors Solvent weld - £9.90 + Del is 4.95
(I found these online @ a aquariumonline website called "Threaded Tank Connector 1.5 Inch")
6 x Tank connector rubber washer 1.5 inch - £3.30
(Found from the same website that sells connectors.)
I would also like to point out I checked every plumbers merchant in my town and only 1 stocked these and didnt have enough connectors for the build. Buy it online just for ease of use - Rocking horse shit comes to mind.
2 x 40mm Solvent weld Tees - £1.78
4 x 40mm Solvent weld elbows - £1.99 (Comes in a 5 pack)
4 x 22mm Solvent weld elbows - £2.6
2 x 22mm Solvent Weld Tees - £1.29 (Pack of 2)
3mm Drill bit multi-purpose - £2
Hole Saws or Wood Hole drill bit 19mm - £3
(I used a wood hole saw from wilkos - 22mm was too big 19mm too small but I used a half moon file to wide it slightly - You could use 22m and silicone the pipe in.)
48mm Hole Saw (Wickes) - £8.49
Hole saw Arbor (Wickes) - £8.99
3 x 64L black "Really Useful Box" - £47.91 With Del
(I used a company called "paperstones". If you follow google shoppings website they are much cheaper at £14 per rather than £20~ i saw everywhere else. If you buy 4 you get free delivery upto you)
Tenon Saw & Mitre Box £5
(I used this because I didnt have anything to cut the pipe pipe cutters for the 40mm size are expensive. Aldi has a Saw & Mitre box in store at the moment if not wilkos - This creates great cuts ig you have some skill - Put 2 pipes in the box at once. Makes it sturdy.)
Jigsaw - £20 with extra blades from wilkos - Jigsaw from Screwfix.
Energer ENB454JSW 65mm 550W
Cutting a 5" hole to fit the mesh pots - The boxes are sturdy and a scalpel will not work. Jigsaw + a Plastic blade from wilkos)
Dow Corning 781 Silicone Sealant - £4.19
(This is safe to use with drinking water so I trust it with my tanks)
Water Pump - 2800L pre hour rating £45
Water Pump - 1200L pre hour rating £33
(This is my setup, I used the bigger pump to feed the spray bars and the smaller pump to feed the chiller.)
Solvent Cement - £2.89
Depending on your pump output size you might require a 16mm to 22mm connector and also a inline filter if your pump doesnt have one.
Total £219.04
Below are items you should have already if you have been growing before however if your just starting you will need these.
These are the prices from my local Hydro shop so yours could vary, I also use 2 EC pens just to be safe - Truncheon and a budget pen.
EC Pen - £25
PH Pen - £40
Conductivity standard - £3.50
(This is for calibrating your EC pen - a Truncheon does not need calibrating)
PH Buffer 7 - £3.10
PH Up & Down - £8.10
Pipettes - £0.40
Hydroponic nutrients such as Canna Aqua - £15
I use shogun but this is down to you. Different people prefer different nutrients.
2 x 5" net pot - £1.55
I used 5" you could prossibly go to a 8" but these are what I had on hand.
I used a design from a now banned member in mny pots, i dont know if they work but they help with keeping the rockwool cube sat in one place. Silicone a 2" net pot upside down inside a 5" It helped so much trying to balance a cube inside the pebbles. For the sake of the 10p it costs for a 2" pot its worth it.
Clay Pebbles - £5
My shop sells half bags of clay pebbles.
Total for new starter : £322.24
I didn't get much time to take pictures - Im sorry guys & girls!
However this is the mock up
When you get your boxes on the sides theres a brand logo of really useful boxes etc. I put my holesaw drill bit on the last part of the logo in the middle to drill a 48mm hole for the connectors.
Do this on both sides of the boxes.
Switch to your 22mm or 19mm drill bit and on the fronts of the boxes you need 2 hole that's are the same place on every box!
The reservoir box only needs holes on the front. This is for your spray bar.
Debur all edges on everything you cut, without it it will not seal! If your tank connectors do not have rubber washers then use leak sealer or the silicone we bought.
Solvent weld is a quick setting paste that connects pipe within seconds. Work with 1 connection at a time - Rub the solvent cement on the inside of the fittings then on the outside of the pipe and connect them together.
Give it a slight twist and it should set.
Once all the tank connectors are on, get your boxes in place in your tent to work out the sizes you need. Unfortunately I didn't measure and used my eyes - Silly I know but it all fits.
6 little pieces for the elbows and tees into the tank connectors and bigger pieces for the sides.
Once your drain pipes are connected it's time for the 22mm spray bar pipes. I cut mine down to size with the mitre saw before putting it in. I used 1 pipe as a test fit then marked where I wanted it cut.
When they are too size push them all the way through and get ready for the spray bar holes.
I went with 10 per box, 5 per side as per Billybobs instructions. Using a 3mm drill bit drill your holes and twist the pipes so the holes are at a 45 degree angle aimed at the water.
Be very careful welding the spray bars you don't want the holes at a wrong angle. Work methodically as to not get stuck not being able to join 2 pipes due to them being stuck in place.
The holes in the lids are pretty easy just use any hole saw for a starting point for your jigsaw. Then using a compass or a mesh pot trace a circle around. Start small and increase size if it doesn't fit, you can't correct a bigger hole unless you up size to 8"
Once everything is in place start filling with some water, check all connections for any leaks, and slowly increase the amount of water until it's at a desired height which for me was just below the pots with a 1.5" gap from the water to the pot.
The more water that it in your system the heavier it gets. more leaks will be apparent with more water in the system.
I placed my test plants in the system.
Closest one to the camera is 1 week from seed and the one behind it is 10 days from seed.
Before I placed them in this system they had no roots showing in the balls and nothing through the pots.
In 2 days I had some quick root growth on both plants.
Small plant
Big plant
I am extremely happy I made to jump to hydro. I am by no means a expert - This is not a step by step guide. It's more of a diary on how I got setup. If in doubt ask, We are lucky on the forums to have some amazing hydro guys/girls.
Diary will be up soon!
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