New bucket for my DWC

View Posts · by **Dick Fein** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:14 pm

I am getting too old for dragging buckets of water through my plants so I am automating it one step at a time. I came up with this idea to aid in draining and inspecting water levels. Ideally I would like to never open the bucket again but I am placing each bucket on a raised platform in case it needs to be removed for any reason. The plants themselves will likely be immovable soon.

View Posts · by **Prawn Connery** » Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:24 am

I guess the obvious question is, how are you going to change out the nutrient solution every couple of weeks? Or are you running recirculating DWC with a remote reservoir?

View Posts · by **Dick Fein** » Tue Apr 17, 2018 5:52 pm

The eventual plan is to extend the drain hose out of the room to a sump pump and to run hoses from a reservoir to each bucket and rig a flotation valve in each bucket, like in a toilet, to be triggered when the nutrients fall to a certain level. In fact I might even use repurposed toilet tanks for the job.

View Posts · by **bentech** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:23 am

aren't there a lot simpler ways to do it?

View Posts · by **Dick Fein** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:27 pm

Yes undoubtedly. I have a new idea that I think has possibilities. I marked the level of nutrient solution when full and can see exactly how much each plant is using daily so I am still running a hose to each bucket, but just from an inverted jug or pop bottle outside the room, each numbered so I know which jug feeds which plant and mounted up high enough that gravity will do the work.