ovie
New Member
I'm looking to insulate my 5gallon black bucket. What is the cheapest/easiest way?
What's a good idea for the lid too?
What's a good idea for the lid too?
What's the easiest way to insulate a 5 gallon bucket?
- Thread starter ovie
- Start date
HappyGroLucky
New Member
The local Hydro shop in my town has lids for 5 gallon buckets that are set up to hold a 6 inch net pot. I My first grow was a DWC and I had more trouble keeping the nutes cool so I switched to ebb and flow. If you are cutting the top yourself, Home Depot has bucket lids.
Whore2Culture
New Member
I use Reflectix brand insulation avail @ depot/lowes/ace.
To help you picture how to cut it to fit a bucket, try taking a paper cup apart at the seams.
For the tops I just use strips, and pull them out after canopy shades it.
Also used it on the res tote.
My chiller has thanked me ever since.
To help you picture how to cut it to fit a bucket, try taking a paper cup apart at the seams.
For the tops I just use strips, and pull them out after canopy shades it.
Also used it on the res tote.
My chiller has thanked me ever since.
trichomes
New Member
could be done w/ an aquarium heater in the water, & maybe a "warm mat" under the bucket. just a thought.
XxCultivatexX
New Member
sit it in a tote, and have frozen jugs around it
Sky Rocket
New Member
Okay I got a laught from this.
1. If you have the option to sit it on concrete or tile floor than do so.
2. If that not a option than I would use frozen water bottles and sway out every 6 to 8 hours.
Good luck
Keeping the water cool (sub 68f) is paramount to a good grow in dwc. If you have no water chiller being used to keep the water cool and it's hovering above 70f (often higher during lights on), you really need to chill the water some how to prevent root rot. The bad shit starts to live at temps of 69f or higher. A simple yet extremely effective way to cool the nutrient without a chiller is to set the grow bucket into a larger diameter bucket with water in it and drop ice jugs into the larger bath to chill the grow bucket from the outside. This is ver very effective and simple. Cheap too.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT drop ice jugs directly into the root zone. This will freeze any root it makes contact with and the roots will break off and no longer be submerged in the nutrient. A sure way to kill your plants.
The outer bucket cool bath is so simple and effective. I use this method during veg in a 4 plant, 5 gal buckets grow because I don't have the room or $$ for a second water chiller. I change out the small ice jugs (1L each or less) once or twice during lights on each day. The root zone is kept below 68f easily. When I flip to flower I take the bucket lids and entire plant and set into my rdwc with a chiller in my grow tent. I just rotate them into the flower room (tent).
Hopefully those give you an idea.
Below is with a chiller in tent and recirculating:
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT drop ice jugs directly into the root zone. This will freeze any root it makes contact with and the roots will break off and no longer be submerged in the nutrient. A sure way to kill your plants.
The outer bucket cool bath is so simple and effective. I use this method during veg in a 4 plant, 5 gal buckets grow because I don't have the room or $$ for a second water chiller. I change out the small ice jugs (1L each or less) once or twice during lights on each day. The root zone is kept below 68f easily. When I flip to flower I take the bucket lids and entire plant and set into my rdwc with a chiller in my grow tent. I just rotate them into the flower room (tent).
Hopefully those give you an idea.
Below is with a chiller in tent and recirculating:
trichomes
New Member
how about SPRAY-FOAM? just a thought, never tried it, or,,,,,neoprene (wetsuit) material. gd lck!
Kushmaster216
New Member
Keeping the water cool (sub 68f) is paramount to a good grow in dwc. If you have no water chiller being used to keep the water cool and it's hovering above 70f (often higher during lights on), you really need to chill the water some how to prevent root rot. The bad shit starts to live at temps of 69f or higher. A simple yet extremely effective way to cool the nutrient without a chiller is to set the grow bucket into a larger diameter bucket with water in it and drop ice jugs into the larger bath to chill the grow bucket from the outside. This is ver very effective and simple. Cheap too.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT drop ice jugs directly into the root zone. This will freeze any root it makes contact with and the roots will break off and no longer be submerged in the nutrient. A sure way to kill your plants.
The outer bucket cool bath is so simple and effective. I use this method during veg in a 4 plant, 5 gal buckets grow because I don't have the room or $$ for a second water chiller. I change out the small ice jugs (1L each or less) once or twice during lights on each day. The root zone is kept below 68f easily. When I flip to flower I take the bucket lids and entire plant and set into my rdwc with a chiller in my grow tent. I just rotate them into the flower room (tent).
Hopefully those give you an idea.
Below is with a chiller in tent and recirculating:
Very crafty I never thought of doing it like that I was just setting jugs around my buckets bud I'm going to try your method tomorrow...
I've since added a 2nd flowering tent with a chiller but I still use this method in veg.
I (OK the wife) wants to keep our Space Bucket in the garage. I haven't started my 1st grow yet, but I have it mostly set up and am measuring a temp of 55F in the middle of the night with lights off & 61F with lights on. Having the 120mm fans(1 inlet & 1 outlet) on or off doesn't make any temp difference. How can I insulate my bucket to keep it warm? I supposed the LED (180W Apollo Horticulture UFO(109 true watts) + 26W LED strips) lights aren't helping warm anything up very much.
When I get to flowering (12/12), maybe I will make sure to have the lights on during the coldest half of the day and off during the warmest half.
1st try will be Blue Dream - Humboldt feminized Seed purchased through Midweeksong.
When I get to flowering (12/12), maybe I will make sure to have the lights on during the coldest half of the day and off during the warmest half.
1st try will be Blue Dream - Humboldt feminized Seed purchased through Midweeksong.
You son't want to insulate the bucket to keep it warm. Please read my post above with pics which explains why.
I should have stated I'm growing in soil...3 gallon smartpot inside of stacked 6 gallon buckets (Space Bucket).
I don't know soil at all. So I couldn't answer. No idea why one would want to keep them warm, or cold in soil tbh.
For your space bucket I would think about buying a water heater blanket commonly found at large department and Hardware stores. It would be way to cut the holes for the fans and if you taped the edges of the holes really nicely it wouldn't become unraveled there. They are meant for tall water heaters so you could cut the top and use it for insulating the lid. I would also sit the bucket on a piece of foam camping pad or insulation so the cold concrete won't steal heat from the roots.
Keeping the water cool (sub 68f) is paramount to a good grow in dwc. If you have no water chiller being used to keep the water cool and it's hovering above 70f (often higher during lights on), you really need to chill the water some how to prevent root rot. The bad shit starts to live at temps of 69f or higher. A simple yet extremely effective way to cool the nutrient without a chiller is to set the grow bucket into a larger diameter bucket with water in it and drop ice jugs into the larger bath to chill the grow bucket from the outside. This is ver very effective and simple. Cheap too.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT drop ice jugs directly into the root zone. This will freeze any root it makes contact with and the roots will break off and no longer be submerged in the nutrient. A sure way to kill your plants.
The outer bucket cool bath is so simple and effective. I use this method during veg in a 4 plant, 5 gal buckets grow because I don't have the room or $$ for a second water chiller. I change out the small ice jugs (1L each or less) once or twice during lights on each day. The root zone is kept below 68f easily. When I flip to flower I take the bucket lids and entire plant and set into my rdwc with a chiller in my grow tent. I just rotate them into the flower room (tent).
Hopefully those give you an idea.
Below is with a chiller in tent and recirculating:
Should I do anything to the water in the wider tote to sort of sterilize it, to keep anything from growing in it? I was thinking maybe Hydrogen Peroxide 3%. I have my two 5 gal buckets, each sitting inside a 14 gallon tote. I add 2-3 gallons to the tote and drop a few frozen bottles in each, rotating them out twice a day. I'll be seeing how this works, but in the meantime I don't want any issues with the water in the tote. Would peroxide work if I add a little to the tote water and change that water out when I change my soup out?
