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24 buckets of blood sweat and brain juice ;)
- Thread starter i3inary
- Start date
damakkus
West Coast ICer
Great job on your system. How much did it cost to put that together? Just to build your system not the chiller or lights. Hope thats not too forward. Just want to know if is cost effective to do it yourself. I love to build stuff its just all the parts add up and you dont realize it till its too late. cuz your already knee deep. Also, if you had to do it again would you do it any different?
Anymore updates? Cant wait to see the results of your hard work.
Anymore updates? Cant wait to see the results of your hard work.
BlindDate said:That is a nice clean setup you've built, but I have to chastise you for one big no no. NEVER use silicone sealant or hot glue on a serious system. That is the signature of an amateur. Always use Uniseals with PVC and bulkheads for flex tubbing.
Also, are you saying that everyone in the hood had cable problems except you?
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/8600/cid/2009
Those uniseals are exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks.
www.hidhut.com has digital ballasts that are....
"The ballasts are FCC tested and certified to produce NO RF interference, eliminating the need for shielded cables. They are CE certified for safety, using all UL certified components."
600w 120/240 ballast for $180. not bad.
great work, any check vlaves?
great work, any check vlaves?
i3inary, OMG, you created what is in my head.
GREAT setup. very, very nice indeed. Question, did you use and check valves? Has anyone else used check valves.
I purchased 2 1 1/2 in check valves used for spas with my Dart pump, same as yours 3600gph ( how u like it, i went for it since it was much more energy saver compared to all the others as well)
But i thought twice after i received the check valves,when it was in hand. seems to me that the check valves might restrict some water flow. How much they restrict is the question thou.They are made for spas, which have high output im sure.
So check valves, anyone use them, any thoughts, praises, or dislikes?..........
i3inary, wheres you fresh water float valve? I cant seem to find it, if you do use one, do you have a better pic of the rez?
thanks all.... and be safe
great work, any check vlaves?
i3inary, OMG, you created what is in my head.
GREAT setup. very, very nice indeed. Question, did you use and check valves? Has anyone else used check valves.
I purchased 2 1 1/2 in check valves used for spas with my Dart pump, same as yours 3600gph ( how u like it, i went for it since it was much more energy saver compared to all the others as well)
But i thought twice after i received the check valves,when it was in hand. seems to me that the check valves might restrict some water flow. How much they restrict is the question thou.They are made for spas, which have high output im sure.
So check valves, anyone use them, any thoughts, praises, or dislikes?..........
i3inary, wheres you fresh water float valve? I cant seem to find it, if you do use one, do you have a better pic of the rez?
thanks all.... and be safe
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well guys everything turned out pretty well despite a few issues...sorry for not updating once again...i am terrible at this diary stuff.
first off i would like to mention that i had some serious ph issues somewhere around week 4-5 of flower.....i am attributing this to the fact that i used some fox farm cha ching at 1/4 strength (supposed to increase essential oils yadda yadda) and within a week after that my ph fell below 4.9....despite my efforts of draining 10-15 gallons of water from the system and replacing it with fresh tap water that was 8.0 ph i actually drained all 130 gal out of the system and refilled with fresh nutes at week 6 (but obviously missing alot of my bb since draining the system)...i let the ladies settle for a week then i put the cha ching back in the system at the 1/4 strengh again...but alas this caused another plummet...this time i just added the ph up this time to finish her out...
i will say that these are extremely frosty buds as you can probably see in my pics....and after seeing the pics they almost look like mold to me....but up close its all trichs and resin i assure you
i also had no choice but to cut this grow short by almost a week due to out of town holiday stuff for xmas...so im sure i coulda put on more weight and gotten more amber trichs....as it was i only had maybe 10% if that...
the single dark green glossy leaf pheno of the bunch
one of the 6 soil mothers that everything was cloned from
largest ak47 stem
largest ak47 in proportion to a person
in conclusion, i broke alot of bio bucket rules on this grow and there is HUGE room for improvement (considering i killed 12 of my ladies from the soil to hydro shock ) so hopefully you will see alot of improvement next run which starts in 2 weeks or so...on a side note: i think these are some really really strong ak47 genetics at this point and this will be my 3rd run with these ladies...only the champion genetics have survived my beatings thus far and i am excited with the mothers vegging so far...very strong.
first off i would like to mention that i had some serious ph issues somewhere around week 4-5 of flower.....i am attributing this to the fact that i used some fox farm cha ching at 1/4 strength (supposed to increase essential oils yadda yadda) and within a week after that my ph fell below 4.9....despite my efforts of draining 10-15 gallons of water from the system and replacing it with fresh tap water that was 8.0 ph i actually drained all 130 gal out of the system and refilled with fresh nutes at week 6 (but obviously missing alot of my bb since draining the system)...i let the ladies settle for a week then i put the cha ching back in the system at the 1/4 strengh again...but alas this caused another plummet...this time i just added the ph up this time to finish her out...
i will say that these are extremely frosty buds as you can probably see in my pics....and after seeing the pics they almost look like mold to me....but up close its all trichs and resin i assure you
i also had no choice but to cut this grow short by almost a week due to out of town holiday stuff for xmas...so im sure i coulda put on more weight and gotten more amber trichs....as it was i only had maybe 10% if that...
the single dark green glossy leaf pheno of the bunch
one of the 6 soil mothers that everything was cloned from
largest ak47 stem
largest ak47 in proportion to a person
in conclusion, i broke alot of bio bucket rules on this grow and there is HUGE room for improvement (considering i killed 12 of my ladies from the soil to hydro shock
) so hopefully you will see alot of improvement next run which starts in 2 weeks or so...on a side note: i think these are some really really strong ak47 genetics at this point and this will be my 3rd run with these ladies...only the champion genetics have survived my beatings thus far and i am excited with the mothers vegging so far...very strong.
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damakkus said:
i am terrible when i go to home depot but i would guesstimate i spent 2k on parts give or take $500...i usually will spend money if it saves me any time so you could do anything i do cheaper than i do it almost always....
if i build another system i will spend more money on more valves for sure...i would also advise you to make your plumbing as symetrical as possible...one of my inbound water runs has an extra 90 elbow in it and let me tell you its no where near the flow that the other side has....even with the valves 3/4 shut on the highflow side.
bio buckets i can say without a doubt are 20x easier to maintain than soil...clean up isnt too bad either.
gmanwho said:
honestly i dont know what a check valve is? is that the one way type?...if so i didnt use any...my res is high enough that it can take a power shutoff without overflowing....but i would not mind having one....also i used a 2400gph magdrive (i wish i used a 3600 though).
you have spotted one of my design flaws!...yeah i didnt put it in yet...i have been holding off because i was going to run it off some copper plumbing nearby...but i havent mustered the balls to do so...i also dont think the float valve that i got from my hydro store can hold my water pressure back...so i was looking for something more industrial....anyone have any solutions?
Hu$tle Tree$
Member
Great job i3inary!!!! Looks like you have a nice AK strain.....Nice harvest!!!!
I think you should be able to tap into your copper line just fine. The pressure is regulated by a tapping screw that you attach to the copper pipe. The hydro shop float valve should work fine (i use one as well). You can find the tap at any home improvement store, they're commonly used to hook up water to refrigerators.
Again great job bro!!
I think you should be able to tap into your copper line just fine. The pressure is regulated by a tapping screw that you attach to the copper pipe. The hydro shop float valve should work fine (i use one as well). You can find the tap at any home improvement store, they're commonly used to hook up water to refrigerators.
Again great job bro!!
damakkus
West Coast ICer
i3inary, thanks for the reply. I am curious and want to try a smaller system but I dont understand the setup clearly as I have seen people do it different and wanted to know if you can tell me basic operation of your system is to fill the buckets constantly with that being contolled by the valve to each bucket which has a excess drain to be recirculated again and again? Then each bucket has a complete flush drain for nute changes?
Basically, can you tell me how the system works for one bucket. Water stays in each bucket at a certain level? I am not sure how the system is made and dont understand the water path and what is happening. I have seen some people use a control unit as well. I have seen the DIYs here but it is too much verbage for my brain and a picture is worth a thousand words to me. Anyhow, if you have time and a simple way of how it works with water flow and levels in the buckets I would appreciate it. If not its cool too.
Thanks bro
btw what did you yield?
Basically, can you tell me how the system works for one bucket. Water stays in each bucket at a certain level? I am not sure how the system is made and dont understand the water path and what is happening. I have seen some people use a control unit as well. I have seen the DIYs here but it is too much verbage for my brain and a picture is worth a thousand words to me. Anyhow, if you have time and a simple way of how it works with water flow and levels in the buckets I would appreciate it. If not its cool too.
Thanks bro
btw what did you yield?
no yeild numbers yet its still hanging to dry sorry...ill be sure to update this though...my guess is between 2-3lbs at this point...last run in soil was 1.9lbs for about the same number of plants and i had issues with them also...but these are def healthier and larger. i am also keeping each plant seperate so i can tell you each plants yeild...soil and hydro.
Hu$tle Tree$: thanks man info is appreciated.
damakkus: here is the best i can offer atm.. just think of each bucket as a sink...you know how there is a hole at the top to keep you from overflowing it?...well same principle except you recycle the water and make it fall 12" before using it again. hope this helps.
Hu$tle Tree$: thanks man info is appreciated.
damakkus: here is the best i can offer atm.. just think of each bucket as a sink...you know how there is a hole at the top to keep you from overflowing it?...well same principle except you recycle the water and make it fall 12" before using it again. hope this helps.
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Dreamscape
Member
i3inary ... Awesome job. Inspiring it definetly is...
I was curious about those digi ballasts you had bought , seeing as I just picked up a couple Lumatek 600's.
With my lumateks came an instruction manual on how to wire them to the lamp socket , you have to ground the wires in order to get the RF interference down to 5ft. Did your ballasts require this special wiring as well ?
thanks and best of luck
I was curious about those digi ballasts you had bought , seeing as I just picked up a couple Lumatek 600's.
With my lumateks came an instruction manual on how to wire them to the lamp socket , you have to ground the wires in order to get the RF interference down to 5ft. Did your ballasts require this special wiring as well ?
thanks and best of luck
Use hydroton or lava rocks in your cups with rrooters or rw, it makes for an easy transition to water, much better than soil mix for the transition. I got much nicer roots in this dwc grow sinse I insulated the tops and sides of my buckets. Looks like a nice harvest, it will be cool to see this tuned up.
H
H
bigbrokush
Active member
Nice looking Ak47 buds
I3inary, on the Inline tap to get a fresh water input, you can go to the depot and get the tap. Its basically a clamp the wraps arround the copper pipe of the water source. In the middle of the clamp it has a large needle w/o-ring, with a screw mechanism. you tighten down the screw and it pierces the copper tube. the center of the needle now flows water.
these taps are basically made for refrigerator water/ice systems. i was quite skepticle at first as well with this inline tap. But they have been around for awhile and do work GREAT.
Hats off to you man. 50 days and counting till construction begins here.
As for the 90 degree elbow you spoke of. where about on the feed line was it.
You know, as a matter of fact, when i looked at your pump & feed line pic. i thought to myself,"why didnt he run the feed split centered,so the split is equall & centered to the left and right side"?
Do you or anyone else think there should be a connection on the far back feed side of the left and right, to equalize the pressure between sides?
For the first run you did well, i mean it could have been waayyyyyyyy worse for sure. And losing the pump for a week.Im sure it will take another 2 to 3 runs to dial in the system, with some minor, and maybe major changes.
Things look great, hats off to you.
Stay safe.....
these taps are basically made for refrigerator water/ice systems. i was quite skepticle at first as well with this inline tap. But they have been around for awhile and do work GREAT.
Hats off to you man. 50 days and counting till construction begins here.
As for the 90 degree elbow you spoke of. where about on the feed line was it.
You know, as a matter of fact, when i looked at your pump & feed line pic. i thought to myself,"why didnt he run the feed split centered,so the split is equall & centered to the left and right side"?
Do you or anyone else think there should be a connection on the far back feed side of the left and right, to equalize the pressure between sides?
For the first run you did well, i mean it could have been waayyyyyyyy worse for sure. And losing the pump for a week.Im sure it will take another 2 to 3 runs to dial in the system, with some minor, and maybe major changes.
Things look great, hats off to you.
Stay safe.....
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indeed soil is not the way i want to transition so i built me one of these DIY Aerocloner so far i have cloned once with it and it was so easy compared to rockwool...just run it with RO water and come back in 7-10 days to find strong and healthly looking clones with rocking roots. i made mine a 50 site so i can pick the best to run in the buckets each time.Haps said:
you totally rock man thanks for that idea! thats exactly what im going to do. i was thinking about hacking all my inlet pvc and redoing it symetrically (originally i didnt think it would be much of a difference so i just did it the easy way)...but you really nailed it...just equalize the pressure by connecting them on the back end....so simple!gmanwho said:
thanks for all the info on the tap line also...i guess ill be adding that very shortly.
question for anyone that may have info:
i am curious about who runs buckets and switched from GH 3 part (or lucas formula) to another nute brand...im debating on trying out house & garden (i hear good things and my hydro store stocks it now) but i would like to try something that i know worked for someone in bio buckets without res changeouts and their schedule is a little more complex than just adding nutes and letting them run the course....after all a complete flush would be disposing of most of the bb that we invested 2 weeks in culturing.
I3INARY: Like this picture diagram, these are the water feed side of the system. Your rez is already centered. Im sure with some cutting and reattaching the pvc, afew extra tee parts, and some extra joiners. it wouldnt take much.
I am not a guru by far, but this is my opinion on your issue as to how " I " would take care of the feed line issues. By connecting on the back end, it may create a problem that i am unaware of. But i think this would increase your pressure all arround.
Now if i still had problems i would add the second feed line i marked in red, and see if that changed things.
Trial and Error....
Be safe..
I am not a guru by far, but this is my opinion on your issue as to how " I " would take care of the feed line issues. By connecting on the back end, it may create a problem that i am unaware of. But i think this would increase your pressure all arround.
Now if i still had problems i would add the second feed line i marked in red, and see if that changed things.
Trial and Error....
Be safe..
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Grass_Lover
Member
Try putting a mousepad under your pump, or soemthing else to dampen the vibrations.
