Catheriena

Hey guys...long time no chat!

Anyways, i'm trying to gather the materials to make a four 5 gal bucket bubbler system..and i went to my hardware store in the pumbling section, and do you think i could find things called Through-hull fittings and so forth? NOOO..so i'm asking you guys for help....can you tell me, in harware store terms....what parts i need to hook a res up to bubbler buckets to where they have a drainage hole and a feeding line??? can you give me the names so i know what to grab when i get there???

any help is greatly appreciated guys..i'm trying to make this system as cheap as possible....

happy growing!
Cat

the-Shiek

How many plants are you growing?
How many buckets do you want in your system?
Would you consider ordering off the internet?

Check out the "Begginers go hydro for $75" link in my sig
and the "drip system" link if your interested

penguin

Hi Cat

I run a recirculating DWC setup using 5gal buckets and 20gal bins. I use Schedule 40 PVC fittings along with standard garden hose fittings for the drain side, with standard 1/2" and 1/4" irrigation line for the supply side. All of these parts should be available at any decent hardware or home impovement store, and are very inexpensive.

To go through the hull, I use a PVC 1" slip x 3/4" MPT fitting. I put a 0.75" x 2.25" x 1/8" washer over the threads, then from the inside of the bucket, push the threaded side of the fitting through the drain hole. On the outside of the bucket, I use a PVC 3/4" FPT x 3/4" FHT fitting, screwed down very tight. I have not had any leakage from these through-hulls.

Into the 3/4" FHT, I screw a 3/4" MHT x FHT gooseneck/shutoff valve. This allows me to quickly isolate any tank from the system. I had to use teflon tape in a couple of these to stop leaks.

Between tanks I use standard light-duty garden hose, cut down to appropriate lengths. The hoses need to connect to FHT on the bucket shutoff valves at both ends, so I put MHT fittings on each end of the hose. I keep spare male and female replacement hose ends and hose clamps on hand.

I use standard hose Y's and manifolds (with a valve for each line) to connect multiple satellite tanks to a main res in a "star" configuration. These fittings can bottleneck drain flow, so if you use them be sure to test your system to make sure the drain can keep up with the supply.

For the supply plumbing, it's just standard 1/2" irrigation tubing, set up in a master loop manifold, feeding 1/4" drip line to the tanks. Air and water lines connect to 1/4" barbs set just below the lid. Inside the tank another section of 1/4" tube runs from the barb to the airstone(s).


Hope that helps


penguin

__________________

afterburner

I reccomend ordering bulkhead fittings off the internet. at 5-10 bucks a piece it will give you a piece of mind that you've got a solid leak-proof connection into your buckets.

aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings.categories/ssid/327



-Afterburner

Catheriena

I want this system to actually be very small..(My flower cabinet can only hold 3 four plants MAX...) so i only want three to four buckets....i was touring my hardware stores here, and i saw pieces i thought would work, but i don't want to go wasting money without having a guarentee that they will do their purpose....so i'm looking for the name of the materials..so that way there are no screw ups...

Nope, i have NO problem ordering off the internet...that's where i get most of my equiptment for this anyways...unless i'm being cheap..then i demand to get my supplies cheaper from the hardware store, instead of paying the inflated prices to get them from a hydro store. i just know the plumbing stuff is there...now just to organize it....i'm assuming the pump is just hooked up to a drip tube instead of having to go through the spicket in the Res? (frown)...I just know i can complete this darn thing really cheap if i can figure out to get the parts to all go together...

i am also turning an 150 gal aquarium into a veg chamber..hydro...trying to figure out how to make the bottom light proof while using the aquarium for natural humidification....started two babies today...hopefully they will be females. Any suggestions are more than welcomed on either of these two chambers....i just want to get the flower chamber set up before i get gigantic veg babies..

thanks for the suggestions guys...i will look for these parts by these names....if anyone knows them by other names...let me know.

the closet setup is this 3ft long, 1 1/2 wide, and 5'6" tall. i'm going to be using a 400 watt with a cool tube...465 Dayton blower..5 gal buckets...with airstones, drainage at the bottom, and feeder lines through the top. Rockwool and Hydroton are my medium....i will be lining the buckets with insulated mylar.

if you need more info let me know guys! Thanks for replying.

I will get this yet!
Happy growing!
Cat

penguin

If you only have three plants, and they are all the same variety, just use a rubbermaid bin for all three instead of separate buckets.


penguin

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jasper

If you really want it to be simple, you don't need fittings. Just make three holes in your bucket lid. One for your net pot, one to add and remove water from and a third to thread your airline through. The air line doesn't HAVE to go through the bottom of the bucket. I use a wet/dry vacuum to empty my reservoir.

Jasper

grass_hopper

Through-hull fittings are hard to come by. I've looked for those in the home center and come up dry - they're really not useful for much besides boats and growing This link will take you to west marine's page where they have plastic plumbing fittings. You can get as fancy or as simple as you would like. They don't have the best prices in the world but they are reputable. If you're on one of the coasts or near any major body of water you can also shop in their stores in person.

Good luck

__________________
"Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk in front of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone."


Ancient History:
Blueberry/Mazar (started in hydro, moved outdoors)...Skunk#1/Blueberry in Soil
Botanicare 42 Site Cloner - a Review...Grass_Hopper's Butane Honey Oil (BHO) Thread

Website goodies:
Grow Guide...Cecil_B's CO2 Enrichment Guide...Grower's Dictionary...Getting Females From Standard Seeds

penguin

Probably the simplest solution to use is 1/2" grommets with 1/2" irrigation tube fittings. That's what they use in waterfarms.


penguin

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Catheriena

ARGHH!

*frustrated* my damn cat tried to eat another of my babies..(getting the aquarium tonight from a gf for $50...thank God for that...if i didn't get it, my cat may be dead soon...(4th baby she's tried to eat)....grrr...wanna know how persistant this damn kitten is?? I've kicked her ass and dunked her in the res three times, and today was her FOURTH! (grrrrr!) She went through two 48 in flous, saran wrap, and even a airstone and hose...to get to the baby...thank god that when she tried to pull the net pot from the tupperware container she dropped the seedling in it's rockwool on the floor....i saved her, and they seem to be sprouting now..(crossing fingers) the liability of having pets...

anyways..*whew*....yeah i was thinking of avoiding the leaky mess of drilling holes in the bottom of the bucket, and just placing them all through the top...i think this is what i'm going to do...i just can't afford to have these fittings not work correctly...and at least through the top of the bucket, all i'll have to do is replace the lid....i was also considering doing the plastic Grommet fittings with 1/2 IN couplers....then for the drainage using 1 1/8 tubing through the top of the bucket.....I'm going to install stop valves so i can turn off emitters to individual buckets...

re : The big tote...That is what i'm using right now, and i love it except for the fact that my plants overgrow each other in it...i want the individual buckets because i can space them accordingly...and on top of it, if i get a male, it's easier to remove the bucket then it is to pull the massive root system from a main bubbler....

the only thing i'm concerned about is how to get the drainage to pull water from the buckets slower than the drippers are putting into the buckets? Is that a water flow timer or something? I want there to always be a half bucket of water in there in case of power failures....and i don't want any floods either!! (scared of this..) i'd like to try and save my security deposit.

unfortunately i'm smack dab in the middle of the midwest...so large bodies of water are a little hard to come by...but i know of a couple boat stores here...perhaps i'll go hunting in those too....thanks guys so much for your suggestions.....any way to make this easier and more self sufficient is something i want....i also wanted to make the res remote...outside of the flower chamber.....so that way i can mess with it anytime...not just on lights on....

thanks guys for listening and i appreciate your help!! any suggestions on the aquarium setup?? i am just so thankful for this aquarium....it'll finally end this all day guarding of my babies...(whew)...i can't wait for tonight!

Anyways, take it easy and safe and happy growing!
Cat