I’m not good at cloning yet but I’ve rooted a few. I’m just hoping I get 1 good rooted clone from my BH7.
MVortex's Perpetual Thread For A 4x4 Tent & RDWC
- Thread starter multiVortex
- Start date
Ladon
Well-Known Member
Nice setup and garden 
I’m slowly building a similar RDWC and growing the same strain.
I’m slowly building a similar RDWC and growing the same strain.- Thread starter
- #403
I may not mind having a strawberry lemonade around. The DP and Blue Dream probably won’t be grown as much. I could see running the SL more though for sure, if the flowers pan out.
Nice setup and garden
Thanks! I’m glad you came by, and hope ya stick around for the laughs.
Ladon
Well-Known Member
I’m pulling up my chair now 
- Thread starter
- #405
Cool!
A quick overview to catch up:
Here's the readers digest version to catch you (and anyone else) up:
- Built initial plan based on drawings, using 5gal buckets.
- Measured the length of the valves and such, so wasn't room to come out the side towards the middle.
- In a quick "brilliant" idea, I turned the buckets 90* towards the back and ran the return into a tee, and split towards the inside for the main return, and outside for the isolation return.
- Ran into a several possible issues because of that. a few were root clogs from the tee, and getting in to clean pipes.
- Blew the whole thing up, and redesigned. Used 13gal EZ Stor buckets, 3" pipe, and so on.
That gets us into the first of December. Seeds sprouting, so go ahead and get the system filled. But wait, there's more!
- Took a bit longer to get the plants ready to go into the buckets.
- Had drastic pH issues, and took a massive amount of pH down to get it into range (almost 7oz) and then more the next day, and the day after to keep it down. (Use a whole 8oz bottle in 3 days pretty much.)
- Ended up with a case of the goopies, in part from not keeping up with Z7.
- Picked up a gallon of hydroguard, a gallon of bleach, a new RO setup, and a 55gal drum.
- Nuked the crap out of it all, house smelled like bleach for 4 days, could still taste it for a week.
- RO fixed the pH follies, still creeps a bit (thanks to silica supplement, but worth it.)
- Had a runt plant (GDP), so used a strong second plant of Strawberry Lemonade.
- Runt went into a solo cup with perlite, kinda took off a few days later. Is what it is.
- Girls were topped a couple weeks ago to start a quadline, and have filled in really well.
- The GDP runt went from a solo cup to a dutch bucket (aka bato bucket, hempy bucket, etc.) and was moved into my "Dev Lab" tent.
- Flipped on 1/27
- Added a net for growth support, and it's there in case I need to eat up some stretch to keep things evened up.
- And here we are, day 2 from flip on (1) Blue Dream (Humboldt), (1) Durban Poison (Dutch Passion), (2) Strawberry Lemonade (Barney's).
I was a bit late on getting the girls topped, which is my fault. I had other things going on and just didn't have as much time to get it all done. Had I done that, I could have flipped a couple weeks ago. But all things work out for some odd reason usually, and this was no exception. I had to be out of town last week, and that would have been about the 3rd week from flip had I been on point. That would have been a bit much to come back to and try to even things back out. I guess it ended up working alright this way.
This will most likely be the only run for this setup until Aug/Sep, once the heat breaks a bit. Once the AC is running this summer I'll most likely curb the grows to keep the light bill from being ridiculous, as well as having to be away a good bit off and on. I'll have to see though. Wouldn't be the first time I just kept things going, but that was hiding a small grow in a closet, etc. Now that things are legal for this grow, I'm finding it a nice time to be able to interact with other growers and learn a lot in the process.
There are some really, really good growers and people here on 420. It's a great place to be.
A quick overview to catch up:
Here's the readers digest version to catch you (and anyone else) up:
- Built initial plan based on drawings, using 5gal buckets.
- Measured the length of the valves and such, so wasn't room to come out the side towards the middle.
- In a quick "brilliant" idea, I turned the buckets 90* towards the back and ran the return into a tee, and split towards the inside for the main return, and outside for the isolation return.
- Ran into a several possible issues because of that. a few were root clogs from the tee, and getting in to clean pipes.
- Blew the whole thing up, and redesigned. Used 13gal EZ Stor buckets, 3" pipe, and so on.
That gets us into the first of December. Seeds sprouting, so go ahead and get the system filled. But wait, there's more!
- Took a bit longer to get the plants ready to go into the buckets.
- Had drastic pH issues, and took a massive amount of pH down to get it into range (almost 7oz) and then more the next day, and the day after to keep it down. (Use a whole 8oz bottle in 3 days pretty much.)
- Ended up with a case of the goopies, in part from not keeping up with Z7.
- Picked up a gallon of hydroguard, a gallon of bleach, a new RO setup, and a 55gal drum.
- Nuked the crap out of it all, house smelled like bleach for 4 days, could still taste it for a week.
- RO fixed the pH follies, still creeps a bit (thanks to silica supplement, but worth it.)
- Had a runt plant (GDP), so used a strong second plant of Strawberry Lemonade.
- Runt went into a solo cup with perlite, kinda took off a few days later. Is what it is.
- Girls were topped a couple weeks ago to start a quadline, and have filled in really well.
- The GDP runt went from a solo cup to a dutch bucket (aka bato bucket, hempy bucket, etc.) and was moved into my "Dev Lab" tent.
- Flipped on 1/27
- Added a net for growth support, and it's there in case I need to eat up some stretch to keep things evened up.
- And here we are, day 2 from flip on (1) Blue Dream (Humboldt), (1) Durban Poison (Dutch Passion), (2) Strawberry Lemonade (Barney's).
I was a bit late on getting the girls topped, which is my fault. I had other things going on and just didn't have as much time to get it all done. Had I done that, I could have flipped a couple weeks ago. But all things work out for some odd reason usually, and this was no exception. I had to be out of town last week, and that would have been about the 3rd week from flip had I been on point. That would have been a bit much to come back to and try to even things back out. I guess it ended up working alright this way.
This will most likely be the only run for this setup until Aug/Sep, once the heat breaks a bit. Once the AC is running this summer I'll most likely curb the grows to keep the light bill from being ridiculous, as well as having to be away a good bit off and on. I'll have to see though. Wouldn't be the first time I just kept things going, but that was hiding a small grow in a closet, etc. Now that things are legal for this grow, I'm finding it a nice time to be able to interact with other growers and learn a lot in the process.
There are some really, really good growers and people here on 420. It's a great place to be.
Ladon
Well-Known Member
Thanks for summarizing it all into one post
I have the 8 gallon ez-stor and was planning on using 2 inch... I might have to up it to 3 inch now if I can source them for a good price.
I have the 8 gallon ez-stor and was planning on using 2 inch... I might have to up it to 3 inch now if I can source them for a good price.
- Thread starter
- #407
I know @Dano999 is using the 8gal EZ Stor buckets too, but other than bucket size we're pretty close on plumbing.
Some things I recommend:
a) do it right the first time, or you will end up spending even more money than you should have.
b) absolutely use the 3" pipe. Yes, it's a little more. You'll be very thankful that you did though.
c) use a proper bulkhead fitting. I highly recommend the Under Current Spin Tight ones. Worth every penny.
d) use at least a 400gph pump. I wouldn't mind having a 600gph on mine, and may upgrade to that during the systems down time over the summer.
e) use the current culture lids. Much thicker, more stable, and more reliable. They will last a long time, too.
f) build risers for your buckets to sit on. You will want the bottom of the buckets 8" to 10" off the floor. Why? Because of the height of the duct ports in the sides of a tent. The bottom of the openings are all about 7" to 8" off the floor. This will keep you from having a "hump" up and over to your res.
g) get a taller res, or put it on a riser as well. You want the top of the res bucket 2" above where your desired waterline will be. This will let you have a connection for a top off valve, etc.
I like the 13" buckets for their volume, but the added height means they have to sit on the floor. This means I have to come up and over to get the return line out of the tent. This hinders the draining process a bit, and I have to open a lid on one of the buckets to at least get 95% of the old water out. There is still about 2"-3" of water left in the other 3 buckets, but it all mixes in. Another thing on my list for the down time is to add some small 1/2" bulkheads to the bottom of each bucket, and build out a drain setup for them. I'll connect them all together, and let gravity to 99% of the work. The last little bit I'll use the shop vac and suck it out through the pipe. If my ceiling was 2" taller, I'd have the height extension on the tent, and then have the buckets on a riser for sure. But they're 1" short of what the tent would need to be right on the ceiling, and I would want at least an inch of open space above.
I tried to get away on the semi-cheap, but it blew up in my face pretty much. I think the design was originally pretty good, but one decision on the fly cost me.
If I were to go back and try to build a similar setup, I would definitely have picked up the 8gal EZ stor buckets, as well as bulkheads instead of uniseals. I still like the concept, especially the isolation loops, but it is what it is. Sometimes you just have to keep it simple, use good stuff, and grow some plants.
Some things I recommend:
a) do it right the first time, or you will end up spending even more money than you should have.
b) absolutely use the 3" pipe. Yes, it's a little more. You'll be very thankful that you did though.
c) use a proper bulkhead fitting. I highly recommend the Under Current Spin Tight ones. Worth every penny.
d) use at least a 400gph pump. I wouldn't mind having a 600gph on mine, and may upgrade to that during the systems down time over the summer.
e) use the current culture lids. Much thicker, more stable, and more reliable. They will last a long time, too.
f) build risers for your buckets to sit on. You will want the bottom of the buckets 8" to 10" off the floor. Why? Because of the height of the duct ports in the sides of a tent. The bottom of the openings are all about 7" to 8" off the floor. This will keep you from having a "hump" up and over to your res.
g) get a taller res, or put it on a riser as well. You want the top of the res bucket 2" above where your desired waterline will be. This will let you have a connection for a top off valve, etc.
I like the 13" buckets for their volume, but the added height means they have to sit on the floor. This means I have to come up and over to get the return line out of the tent. This hinders the draining process a bit, and I have to open a lid on one of the buckets to at least get 95% of the old water out. There is still about 2"-3" of water left in the other 3 buckets, but it all mixes in. Another thing on my list for the down time is to add some small 1/2" bulkheads to the bottom of each bucket, and build out a drain setup for them. I'll connect them all together, and let gravity to 99% of the work. The last little bit I'll use the shop vac and suck it out through the pipe. If my ceiling was 2" taller, I'd have the height extension on the tent, and then have the buckets on a riser for sure. But they're 1" short of what the tent would need to be right on the ceiling, and I would want at least an inch of open space above.
I tried to get away on the semi-cheap, but it blew up in my face pretty much. I think the design was originally pretty good, but one decision on the fly cost me.
If I were to go back and try to build a similar setup, I would definitely have picked up the 8gal EZ stor buckets, as well as bulkheads instead of uniseals. I still like the concept, especially the isolation loops, but it is what it is. Sometimes you just have to keep it simple, use good stuff, and grow some plants.
Ladon
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the sound advice The 3” UC bulkheads are really nice but 3x the price 
I might still get them since I probably shouldn’t cheap out on such an important piece. I’ll take a picture of how I wanted to lay it out and you can critique it if you want.
The 3” UC bulkheads are really nice but 3x the price I might still get them since I probably shouldn’t cheap out on such an important piece. I’ll take a picture of how I wanted to lay it out and you can critique it if you want.- Thread starter
- #409
I know. That's why I went for uniseals on the first go.
The better you can do from the start, the less issues you will have down the road. I learned the hard way, and it cost a lot in both time and money. System now is pretty good. There are obviously a few changes I would like to make, but that's to be expected with anything.
I should be where you're at, and about to start the chop cycle, yet here I am. Lessons learned, and starting to flower the new setup.
Don't get me wrong, there are places where "good enough" will work. But when it comes to things like lights, exhaust, and plumbing, the better you do the better off you will be. There is even some wiggle room in lighting. The lights I put in my secondary 4x4 (two 250w Budget LED rigs) was half the cost of the light I put in my RDWC tent, and they're awesome. Not that I don't like the light in here, I love it, but it was also twice the price and those Budget LED's are awesome too.
I'm more than happy to help you succeed as best I can, and also avoid the challenges that I ended up facing. You're already growing some great looking plants, so that's a start!
I can't remember the total gallons in Dano's system with the 8gals, but IIRC it's like 35 gallons or so for 4 buckets and a res, plus plumbing. I'll send you a couple links in a PM that you can check out and see the basic setup concept. Once you've checked them out, I can better explain how I built mine just a little different and why. But you'll better see what I mean about things like "the hump", etc.
The better you can do from the start, the less issues you will have down the road. I learned the hard way, and it cost a lot in both time and money. System now is pretty good. There are obviously a few changes I would like to make, but that's to be expected with anything.
I should be where you're at, and about to start the chop cycle, yet here I am. Lessons learned, and starting to flower the new setup.
Don't get me wrong, there are places where "good enough" will work. But when it comes to things like lights, exhaust, and plumbing, the better you do the better off you will be. There is even some wiggle room in lighting. The lights I put in my secondary 4x4 (two 250w Budget LED rigs) was half the cost of the light I put in my RDWC tent, and they're awesome. Not that I don't like the light in here, I love it, but it was also twice the price and those Budget LED's are awesome too.
I'm more than happy to help you succeed as best I can, and also avoid the challenges that I ended up facing. You're already growing some great looking plants, so that's a start!
I can't remember the total gallons in Dano's system with the 8gals, but IIRC it's like 35 gallons or so for 4 buckets and a res, plus plumbing. I'll send you a couple links in a PM that you can check out and see the basic setup concept. Once you've checked them out, I can better explain how I built mine just a little different and why. But you'll better see what I mean about things like "the hump", etc.
PCaddict
Member
Hay MV I just found your journal. Mind if I take a seat in the back with the cool kids. I promise I wont throw paper wads.
- Thread starter
- #411
Hay MV I just found your journal. Mind if I take a seat in the back with the cool kids. I promise I wont throw paper wads.
Hop on in. The water's fine!
Everyone is welcome here! (Well, maybe not that cock knocker from the megacrop thread last night, but everyone else is.
)
Ladon
Well-Known Member
Don't feel bad, I've made a few costly mistakes I'm still kicking myself for
I've been thinking about getting the 500w series 3+ red spec but I'm not sure if the cost to import it would be economical, but I'm glad to hear that it's working good for you though.
Thanks I appreciate the help big time
I already sent you a picture of my layout of the containers with the res inside the tent to avoid having "the hump" but I'll share it here too just in case someone else wants to critique it.
PCaddict
Member
I have to back up what MV is saying about @Budget LED The Best costumer support I have Ever had from any company and the quality and prices is fantastic. I bought the 350watt light and I Love it.Don't feel bad, I've made a few costly mistakes I'm still kicking myself for
I've been thinking about getting the 500w series 3+ red spec but I'm not sure if the cost to import it would be economical, but I'm glad to hear that it's working good for you though.
Thanks I appreciate the help big time
I already sent you a picture of my layout of the containers with the res inside the tent to avoid having "the hump" but I'll share it here too just in case someone else wants to critique it.
Ladon
Well-Known Member
I really like there lights too, but based on some calculations it might cost up to $300 to import
Elevated Lighting Company
Well-Known Member
Same here. I am slowing getting better at cloning. I have all the gadgets and I found the round plugs that you soak in water to be the best so far for me
Elevated Lighting Company
Well-Known Member
I really like there lights too, but based on some calculations it might cost up to $300 to import
Which light are you considering?
Brett Blaze
Well-Known Member
The 8 gal bucket system is a total of about 25 gallons including res.
Ladon
Well-Known Member
The 500w series 3+ red spec, import duty calculator says it would be close to $300 to import to Canada...not sure if that’s true though.
Ladon
Well-Known Member
Thanks, I calculated about 6 gallons each container roughly.
Brett Blaze
Well-Known Member
You can fill the buckets up to 7" which gives you 1 1/2" of space between the bottom of the net pot and the water.