DWC no airstones?

[blooper]

the airstones i'm using are starting to clog up pretty bad after only a month or so and honestly it looks like there is a lot more movement in the bucket without airstones so i'm wondering, does anyone just not run them?

the roots are starting to wrap around the stones as well so i'm worried about the stone getting choked out, seems less likely to happen without a stone on the line.

input?

 

[stoney917]

U could just run lines... but do multiples... but ceramic stones n good pump shouldn't clog. ... what size bucket if u growin trees swc pump in rez

 

[arcinNsparkin2]

I got tired of clogged airstones too, so now I just snap the end off the airstone to expose the tube inside to free flow the air and the remainder of the stone just acts as a weight to keep the airline submerged.

aNs

 

[blooper]

yeah i'm doing 2 lines into each 5gal bucket so i figure it should be fine. the pumps are new for this run and i was under the impression running them 24/7 was not a problem. i even point an AC unit at them to keep cool. guess i'll see how they react to the air line by itself and maybe look into ceramic stones for next run. thanks for the help!

 

[arcinNsparkin2]

It's actually better for your pumps and will promote longevity because there is no resistance on the diaphragms whereas, as air stones clog, air flow resistance builds, causing the pump diaphragm to work harder and thus wear out sooner.

I haven't bought n airstone in over 5 years

aNs

 

[WelderDan]

Yeah, I figured out a long time ago that air stones are pointless. I just weight the hose so it stays submerged. I've done side by side tests and it makes no difference. Don't waste money on air stones.

 

[GuerrillaRed]

I've been running bare airlines for years. Really don't understand why people talk up airstones. The bare airlines put way more air into buckets. I'm no expert but I can attest that bare airlines work just fine.

 

[OakyJoe]

I also just put in the hose. No need for Airstones, just make sure u got that think that the water cant run into the pump

 

[jammie]

yep- i'm another dwc'r that doesn't use airstone. just attach a small clamp so the line will sink to the bottom

 

[John LOQUE]

The noise is not the same. Without airstone you hear each big bubble rizing the surface doing a "blook".

I many years using bubblers, i have found only one airstone that has never clogged. I don't know why, but still ok. So i still use it!

For me the biggest issue using bare air lines, is that it stays on the floor and don't float, not so simple in the facts...