Rider509
Well-Known Member
Due to the need to free up floor space in my Galaxy 4x4 tent I elevated my RDWC system. The reservoir is on the ground and the grow buckets are elevated.
Elevated RDWC With Drip System
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- #2
Rider509
Well-Known Member
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Plants are looking happy in their home , Have a tip , place the reservior outside the tent and run a lttle longer hose if needed. Doing this will increase bud space and keep the nutrients cooler. Also consider wrapping the buckets in mylar etc. to shield against heat. Happy rdwc'ing
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Rider509
Well-Known Member
Thank you, LEDBud. All good advice, and I HAVE been battling to keep the water cool. I'll wrap the buckets with insulated mylar and move the reservoir outside the tent. I should probably also move the air pump to a cooler location.
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear you appreciate the advice many people take offence it seems , egos Haha. Move the pump as well , the pump acts as a heat exchanger between the room air and the buckets water temperature making placement crucial. With enough air line the sky is the limit to pump placement , a cool spot will surfice say on the floor near the wall and door way , if its cooler in the next room. It all helps ! If a person really needed cooler air you could vent some air in to the pump specifically or place the pump outside the room
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Rider509
Well-Known Member
Of course! It's 0C/32F outside. Putting the pump outside makes so much sense! Then I could get a bigger pump and not have to be concerned with noise. And maybe not be a slave to those plastic freezer blocks.
Woo hoo!
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Woo hoo!
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LEDBud
Well-Known Member
You could place it on the ground under a window then the cool air that drops off of it will cool the pumps intake air. If you placed the pump outside your reservior would get much to cold , like a few degrees different making for some pissed off roots haha. Try for 60 to 68* Most people say try for 65 to 68* but I know lower works well possible better yet to be determined. I am using 58* today for part of a low temp test. It takes about 24 hrs for the air to chill the tank / buckets so it takes some patience
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Rider509
Well-Known Member
Way too cold to put the reservoir outside, but I have the air pump pulling from outside air. Water temp was 75 this morning. Eight hours later it's dropped to 70. Once I get it down to about 65 I'll try to stabilize it by controlling how much cold air gets to the air pump.
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LEDBud
Well-Known Member
65* is what some pros suggest , any lower is reported to slow growth. I am testing the limits for my own peace of mind with that said its likely 65* is the best temp as a few big producers / pros mentioned. My thought is they might be holding out on info so I'm testing the lower temps that are more in line with ground water temps.sammysnake
Active Member
I have a similar setup, I don't keep a standing reservoir on the bottom of each bucket though, I have it drain out the bottom with a custom funnel / tube setup. My strategy was to keep all the roots exposed to air as much as possible and let the nutrients just drip over the roots.
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- #11
Rider509
Well-Known Member
Done and done! Moving the res has helped so much in keeping my solution temps down. I had to give up my nightstand but it's all good as long as the grow is progressing well.
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Thats great to hear !
I'm getting a good effect with the tank outside the tent and pumps placed well
Where did you end up placing the air pump ?
I placed the air pumps on the floor that gets outside air seeping in from the bottom of a door jam. It works good its like a small fresh air supply slowly drifting in.
tip for co2 use
As you know Co2 is heavier then air so it sinks , its good to draw the air from the floor to blow over the plants
also
its important with C02 to keep the air pump in another room the Co2 will hog the space that dissolved oxygen would normally fill , In water Co2 promotes bad bacteria and Algae
I'm getting a good effect with the tank outside the tent and pumps placed well
Where did you end up placing the air pump ?
I placed the air pumps on the floor that gets outside air seeping in from the bottom of a door jam. It works good its like a small fresh air supply slowly drifting in.
tip for co2 use
As you know Co2 is heavier then air so it sinks , its good to draw the air from the floor to blow over the plants
also
its important with C02 to keep the air pump in another room the Co2 will hog the space that dissolved oxygen would normally fill , In water Co2 promotes bad bacteria and Algae
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- #13
Rider509
Well-Known Member
The CO2 is dispersed over the tops of the plants by a linear fan and there is a small fan on the floor to keep things mixed up. I also plumbed the exhaust to the outside of the house so I can keep my grow room temp at 85F without turning the bedroom into a hot and humid swamp. The air pumps are on the window sill behind the curtain so they draw cool air trapped in that space. No worries about pumping CO2 enriched air into the RDWC and my solution temp holds steady at 68F. I'm pretty happy with the setup, for now. 
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Good improvising using the window sill rider right on man , problem solved boom.
Your doing good with Co2 system too , I have not used Co2 from the tank but at one time used a propane burner now use dehumidifiers to run a closed environment , the exhaled air gets cycle to the plants which they turn into oxygen.
I studied up on this some years ago and found that a person could breath in a 10 x 10 grow room for 15 minutes every 6 hours and have peak Co2 levels.
Although i run a closed environment to cut down on heating costs the plants get the Co2 as a free bonus.
Your doing good with Co2 system too , I have not used Co2 from the tank but at one time used a propane burner now use dehumidifiers to run a closed environment , the exhaled air gets cycle to the plants which they turn into oxygen.
I studied up on this some years ago and found that a person could breath in a 10 x 10 grow room for 15 minutes every 6 hours and have peak Co2 levels.
Although i run a closed environment to cut down on heating costs the plants get the Co2 as a free bonus.
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- #15
Rider509
Well-Known Member
You lost me. In a closed environment the CO2 levels should drop due to uptake by the plants. What provides the additional "free" CO2?
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Every breath I or anyone takes in the house provide plenty of Co2 for the plants.
Its a closed loop system human and dehumidifier powered , humans for the co2 the dehumidifier for moisture removal and home heat generation.
Every liter of water extracted creates 1kwh of heat / 1000 watts for one hour.
the dehumidifier acts as a heat pump with the plants providing the energy from transpiration for it to extract back out of the air.
Evaporation and transpiration cool when you change it back to water from vapor its creates energy in the form of heat
If your curious about it and want to research it ts called Enthalpy
Heat your home with a dehumidifier | IWillTry.org
its a old article , modern energy star dehumidifiers are twice as efficient as the model used for the examples
A new 35 pint model consumes 285w to 275 watts all of which gets turned into heat plus the added enthalpy of the water vapor.
For me they create more heat threw enthalpy then they consume making it , i run two of them although not always at the same time.
edit to add details
Its a closed loop system human and dehumidifier powered , humans for the co2 the dehumidifier for moisture removal and home heat generation.
Every liter of water extracted creates 1kwh of heat / 1000 watts for one hour.
the dehumidifier acts as a heat pump with the plants providing the energy from transpiration for it to extract back out of the air.
Evaporation and transpiration cool when you change it back to water from vapor its creates energy in the form of heat
If your curious about it and want to research it ts called Enthalpy
Heat your home with a dehumidifier | IWillTry.org
its a old article , modern energy star dehumidifiers are twice as efficient as the model used for the examples
A new 35 pint model consumes 285w to 275 watts all of which gets turned into heat plus the added enthalpy of the water vapor.
For me they create more heat threw enthalpy then they consume making it , i run two of them although not always at the same time.
edit to add details
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Hey rider thought I should leave you with more info on the Co2 you asked about
Per the EPA, the average person, through the natural process of breathing, produces approximately 2.3 pounds of CO2 per day or 365 kg / 804 lbs per year
Also the dehumidifier creates 750w of heat per liter of water not 1000w as first posted.
Per the EPA, the average person, through the natural process of breathing, produces approximately 2.3 pounds of CO2 per day or 365 kg / 804 lbs per year
Also the dehumidifier creates 750w of heat per liter of water not 1000w as first posted.
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- #18
Rider509
Well-Known Member
I've noticed that our house CO2 levels hover right around 600ppm. But living in an inland desert our humidity can get crazy low so we run an in-line humidifier in the central HVAC.
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
I have not pulled the trigger on a Co2 meter yet but i need to , its been on my list for ever. Every month extra money goes in different directions from nutrients to led panels and pumps to etc etc and etc.
I am super curious what Co2 levels the plants are getting as they are flourishing in the environment what ever it is and Im giving partial credit to the Co2 without knowing what it truly is.
Due to the growth rates I'm assuming its high as the plants are producing 8 to 12 Oz each
I am super curious what Co2 levels the plants are getting as they are flourishing in the environment what ever it is and Im giving partial credit to the Co2 without knowing what it truly is.
Due to the growth rates I'm assuming its high as the plants are producing 8 to 12 Oz each
