New Setup - 8 WaterFarms

[WaterFarmFan]

Greetings. I am getting ready to start my third grow and I am going to change my setup to provide rez cooling, more automation and better recirculation.

I grow tree style in a 4 1/2 feet length x 5 feet width x 8 feet high closet with 1k MH (Veg) and 1k Hortilux HPS (Flower). I use GH nutes including Flora series and additives. For this next grow, I will be using an adjacent smaller closet which will help with some stealth.

I did some pretty standard mods to my Waterfarm system. I drilled larger drain holes in all of my buckets. I added a second air line and airstone to each bucket.

I am adding a 1/10 HP rez chiller and new water pump and I am upgrading all plumbling to 3/4 inch from 1/2 inch. I am also adding

Here is a mockup of the design:



Any thoughts and feedback would great!!!

Here are a few pics from my first grow:





Here are a few pics from my second grow:

 

[dubwise]

that seems like a great setup! i'm trying to do something similar with my first waterfarm grow. i am mostly all setup, just curious, how does the water recirc back from the waterfarm to the res? I have a res in a seperate room (to keep the temps down) I don't have my recirc. lines done b/c I didn't know if i had to get another pump to get the water circulating.....i have the air pump and 1 water pump for my res.....

 

[BudLove]

Bro - shoulda checked out the DIY Water chiller prior to picking that one up...coulda saved ya a few hundred bucks!

Nice setup though!

BL

 

[WaterFarmFan]

Hey Dubwise. WaterFarms are really a great system. The only shortcoming is the lack of recirculation.

My last grow I was manually recirculating from a drain bucket to the top rez. For this, I just had an extra bucket with a water pump inside.

This grow, I am adding seperate return lines, moving the drain bucket outside the grow room and adding a chiller. I will be pumping directly back to the top rez from the chiller.

Here is a new diagram with a 5 gallon bucket and submersable pump instead of inline:



I am a little worried about my flow from the top rez to the controller via the float valve.

Does anyone know where I can get a high-flow float valve???

 

[LifeCycle]

why are you so concerned about having a top res? What do you need a Top res for?

 

[WaterFarmFan]

Hey Lifecycle.

The waterfarm system comes with a 8 gallon controller and 13 gallon top rez. The controller has a float valve that feeds from the top. Without the rez, the system would have to continuously toped off.

That is why I am looking for an increased flow float valve so that the top rez does not overflow while recirculating.

 

[LifeCycle]

i also run the WFs here is a pic of 4 units i got rid of the controller and just used the top res as the main i also converted it to pump back when i feel like i wanna check the levels.

 

[WaterFarmFan]

Final Setup

Final Setup

Here is my final setup. It is getting put together tomorrow.

I decided to go with 1/2" versus 3/4" tubing.

I have replaced the 5 gallon pump bucket with a 12 gallon.

I am adding a second (identical) float valve to the control to increase flow from the top rez.

I also added an overflow line from the top rez back to the pump bucket.

I am elevating all of the waterfarms and controler/rez 2 inches homemade stands from 2x2s. The pump bucket will be ground level. This will provide better drainage for recirculation.