Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W LED

Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Setting Sun said:
If the doors are hard to open, it's negative pressure, which is a good thing.

Beautiful clean setup!!!

How does the 5-gal reservoir bucket work? Do you have a pump? DWC usually doesn't usually use a separate bucket for reservoir.
Click to expand...

Thanks Setting Sun!

I used the DWC design from another peep at a different forum. I have to give credit to Rumpleforeskin for the DWC setup I have. Irish hit it on the head. The separate reservoir bucket gives me the ability to add to and drain the entire system. Plus it is a buffer as these babies really start drinking. I also have my meters in the res bucket.

What I didn't do from the start was to add airstones into the res bucket. I noticed today the start of pond scum only in the res bucket. I added another pump and 2 airstones into the res bucket. It looks to have stopped the scum. The other curious thing was my PPM's in the res bucket to the plant buckets. In the res i am running around 1000 PPM's. In the plant bucket I am running around 600 PPM's. What I remember from my chemistry classes is that a solution in water will want to completely disperse. Why the diff between buckets? It has been at least 18 hours since I last feed.

Here are some close ups of the DWC system.

DWC front view
DWC-front-view.jpg


DWC overhead
DWC-system-overhead.jpg


DWC fill indicator
DWC-indicator.jpg
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Is this a passive DWC setup without actively pumping the solution from the res bucket into the plant buckets?

I'm no hydro expert, but I'd guess the difference in ppm's between res bucket and plant buckets is probably due to the plants feeding and lowering the ppm's in their buckets.

One more question, how did you get a good water-tight seal on the bucket fittings? It's not easy to do with a curved surface.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Irishboy said:
wow i am so glade to see other join your thread. everyone here is real good people, and i have to most respect for, you are in good hands. How high are you keeping your lights? i am thinking you have the other res for add backs and to keep water levels good just in-case you leave town? i have a friend that does this and works great for him. IMO - pressure is a good thing for smells, but if you add more air and ur temps are going down 8F* then i would cut back the the - pressure IMO. 8F* is allot, dont get me wrong you still want some -pressure, but maybe not as much. I dont know just sharing my thoughts. You are gonna so love that XJ-13 its amazing bud.

see i do both negative pressure and + pressure since i have and active intake i can switch it. so when its hot i have more air coming in, but when someone is coming over i lower the intake air to create -P and remove the smell all the way. remember =P will leave smell leaking out into the room. their is a happy medium u just have to play around with it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Irish for giving me a plug on your forum. Got peeps coming out of the wood works now! :ganjamon:

You are right. I will need to tweak the system until I get it just right. I will definitely keep the negative air pressure to keep the smell from leaking out.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Setting Sun said:
Is this a passive DWC setup without actively pumping the solution from the res bucket into the plant buckets?

I'm no hydro expert, but I'd guess the difference in ppm's between res bucket and plant buckets is probably due to the plants feeding and lowering the ppm's in their buckets.
Click to expand...

Yup a passive DWC. Just airstones. No top feeding pump. I may look into adding it, but for my first grow I decided to remove a little complexity.

Hehe...doh. Sometimes I can't see the forest through the trees. What you said about the diff in PPM's makes total sense. :)
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

trichtone said:
Thanks Irish for giving me a plug on your forum. Got peeps coming out of the wood works now! :ganjamon:

You are right. I will need to tweak the system until I get it just right. I will definitely keep the negative air pressure to keep the smell from leaking out.
Click to expand...

No problem i felt bad that you were posting pics and no one seen your thread yet including me. i know their is allot of good peoples here that can help you learn some good stuff, they all helped me learn allot, so i wanted to put your thread out on my thread to make sure others seen it and you got the help you needed.

trichtone said:
Thanks Setting Sun!

I used the DWC design from another peep at a different forum. I have to give credit to Rumpleforeskin for the DWC setup I have. Irish hit it on the head. The separate reservoir bucket gives me the ability to add to and drain the entire system. Plus it is a buffer as these babies really start drinking. I also have my meters in the res bucket.

What I didn't do from the start was to add airstones into the res bucket. I noticed today the start of pond scum only in the res bucket. I added another pump and 2 airstones into the res bucket. It looks to have stopped the scum. The other curious thing was my PPM's in the res bucket to the plant buckets. In the res i am running around 1000 PPM's. In the plant bucket I am running around 600 PPM's. What I remember from my chemistry classes is that a solution in water will want to completely disperse. Why the diff between buckets? It has been at least 18 hours since I last feed.

Here are some close ups of the DWC system.

DWC front view
DWC-front-view.jpg


DWC overhead
DWC-system-overhead.jpg


DWC fill indicator
DWC-indicator.jpg
Click to expand...

Good old Rumple.

dont you need gravity by having the res raised up to keep the water toped off? wont the water only flow once its below to hose? witch ur hoses are at the bottom.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Irishboy said:
Good old Rumple.

dont you need gravity by having the res raised up to keep the water toped off? wont the water only flow once its below to hose? witch ur hoses are at the bottom.
Click to expand...

I think I read rumples DIY on DWC buckets at least 3 times. I also have to give credit to Roseman and his DIY. Even though my setup is different from his, he has some great fundamental guides.

Hehe...now I have to dust off my physics book. I think the water equalizes across all buckets do to the air pressure above. Now I could have been stoned during that class and that is the way I remember it. :smokin:

The water level does equalize across the buckets when ever I add water. Right now the res and plants buckets are at the same level.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Subscribed.

+REPs for making your first grow a journal here at 420Magazine!
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

trichtone said:
Hehe...I had it backwards. I have a lot of negative air pressure. I need better air flow into the cab. I think the Hepa filter i am using is meant more for active intake systems instead of passive intakes. I am going to try Irish's suggestion of the 3M filters. Hopefully this solution will reduce the negative air pressure, but not eliminate it. Totally makes sense that I will need at least a little negative air pressure to get the carbon filter working correctly. :ganjamon:
Click to expand...

I have taped a 29 inch house fan to a box with a filter taped to the other side of the fan. Then, I put some air ducting rings that can be secured with flare tabs onto holes in the box and connect the intake air lines to the cabinet.

If you can get some forced air into the cab, it is much easier to filter.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Setting Sun said:
Yes, the water level should equalize how you have it set up.


Does adding the volume of water in the res bucket make a significant difference in stability, maintenance, etc. ?
Click to expand...

I think so. What I like (for the most part) is the fact I can leave the plant buckets completely alone. I rarely have to open the plant buckets with my setup. Right now it is not too much of a big deal, but when the get older and when I add either LST or SCrog to the mix that should come in handy. Plus I have ball valve on the top of the res bucket that has a hose that goes to the bottom of the res bucket. Then I can use a water transfer pump to pump water in or out of the system.

Last night I added PH down for the first time. Right away my PH dropped from 6.2 to 4.0. I was freaking out. Almost went into panic mode, but then I remembered that it needed to disperse throughout the system. Within in an hour it went to 5.8 and I was happy. But what it got me to realize is that if i screw up and realize it quickly I can close the valves and just dump the res water without having to flush the entire system.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

Munki said:
I have taped a 29 inch house fan to a box with a filter taped to the other side of the fan. Then, I put some air ducting rings that can be secured with flare tabs onto holes in the box and connect the intake air lines to the cabinet.

If you can get some forced air into the cab, it is much easier to filter.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion Munki. I might look into a big PC fan as they run really quite. You got me thinking :-)
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

trichtone said:
I think I read rumples DIY on DWC buckets at least 3 times. I also have to give credit to Roseman and his DIY. Even though my setup is different from his, he has some great fundamental guides.

Hehe...now I have to dust off my physics book. I think the water equalizes across all buckets do to the air pressure above. Now I could have been stoned during that class and that is the way I remember it. :smokin:

The water level does equalize across the buckets when ever I add water. Right now the res and plants buckets are at the same level.
Click to expand...
uh you learn something new every day. i am an old time soil grower but brand new to hydro, this is my 1st hydro grow. i always thought rumple ran a pump.
trichtone said:
I think so. What I like (for the most part) is the fact I can leave the plant buckets completely alone. I rarely have to open the plant buckets with my setup. Right now it is not too much of a big deal, but when the get older and when I add either LST or SCrog to the mix that should come in handy. Plus I have ball valve on the top of the res bucket that has a hose that goes to the bottom of the res bucket. Then I can use a water transfer pump to pump water in or out of the system.

Last night I added PH down for the first time. Right away my PH dropped from 6.2 to 4.0. I was freaking out. Almost went into panic mode, but then I remembered that it needed to disperse throughout the system. Within in an hour it went to 5.8 and I was happy. But what it got me to realize is that if i screw up and realize it quickly I can close the valves and just dump the res water without having to flush the entire system.
Click to expand...

thats the nice thing about the valves it will also come in handy if 1 plants has problem or gets sick.
 
Re: Trichtones First Grow | XJ-13 and PK | 600W GLH LED

trichtone said:
I think so. What I like (for the most part) is the fact I can leave the plant buckets completely alone. I rarely have to open the plant buckets with my setup. Right now it is not too much of a big deal, but when the get older and when I add either LST or SCrog to the mix that should come in handy. Plus I have ball valve on the top of the res bucket that has a hose that goes to the bottom of the res bucket. Then I can use a water transfer pump to pump water in or out of the system.

Last night I added PH down for the first time. Right away my PH dropped from 6.2 to 4.0. I was freaking out. Almost went into panic mode, but then I remembered that it needed to disperse throughout the system. Within in an hour it went to 5.8 and I was happy. But what it got me to realize is that if i screw up and realize it quickly I can close the valves and just dump the res water without having to flush the entire system.
Click to expand...


Thanks for explaining. Those are nice features.

I'm glad I asked before telling you that I could not see any significant advantage to that system over separate buckets.

If you add a pump, however, I think you're about a gnat's ass away from an ebb & flow system ;).
 
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