Bubbler DWC Tutorial - PART 3

lamsbread · September 28, 2011

Bubbler DWC Tutorial - Part 3

The following tutorial was copied and pasted from 420magazine.com

OK, the third pump, a new one, will go into the DIY 5 gallon bucket.

I checked the Irrigation Hub and it works fine. I used a 7 inch long 3/4 inch plastic tube to attach the pump to the Hub. That is a customized fit for my 5 gallon bucket. After I tested it and put it in the bucket, I saw 7 inches was too long, so I cut it back to 4 inches.

The KIT comes with what you need to attach the pump to the hub.

If you buy the kit, the hub and pump come matched up and already fit together.
If you DIY, you will need to rig up something between the pump and hub, and I think using the clear plastic tubes work best. Certainly cheap and easy enough.
ALL water pumps come with several attachements just for this purpose.
These pics show a strong stream of water coming from the tubes because the pump is not drawing in a lot of AIR like it will in the tank. Then, the tubes will emit a bubbley trickle because the tank is full of bubbles.

I had used a 7 inch piece of clear plastic in those pics to connect the pump to the hub, but when I tried it in the bucket, it was too tall, so I went back and cut it down to 4 inches.

I got the pumps and hubs all cleaned and I hope I start the seeds soaking and germinating soon.

Let me remind you that IF you are using a New Kit, you can avoid most of the work I have detailed thus far. I am working with OLD, USED equipment and having to clean it up and prepare it for another grow. I did buy new tubes and air stones.

I am also trying to detail a DIY HOW TO using a 5 gallon bucket grow, with 3 grow cups.

I bought my bucket for $5.00 and the lid was $2 extra. The 3.75 inch grow cups were about 60 cents each.
The grow cups are perfect for hydroponic growing, being like little baskets that allow air and water to flow through the roots.

First I get the lid and a grow cup and a black magic marker.
I am using what was called a 3.75 inch grow cup. It is actually 4 inches wide at the widest and it fits into a hole 3.5 to 3.75 inches wide.
Here I am tracing my grow cup with a black magic marker.

After I trace the three holes, I go back and make an inside circle that is 1/4 inch narrower.

I am using a DREMEL power hand tool, to cut the holes. You could use a razor knife or a heated knife blade or a hole cutter from the hardware store.

Now I take my drill, and make a hole very near the top, actually two holes, leaving enough room for the lid to fit on the bucket, but not too low. These are holes for the air stone tubes.

One hole on both sides of the bucket. I could have put them closer to each other.

Now I cut a hole for the Water pump wire.

And Ta Da! My 5 Gallon Grow Bucket!

QUESTION:
What is with the Water Pumps and Irrigation Hubs?

ANSWER:
One word, Deep Water Culture!

I could copy and paste a bunch of technical info here but I'm trying to keep it simple. Earlier, I explained the different Hydroponic systems, and this is about Deep Water Culture, the very most efficient fastest growing hydroponic system available. The word BUBBPLEPONICS is actually registered and owned by a friend of mine that owns Stealth Hydroponics.
Simply, it is a system of pumping oxygen enriched and nutrient enriched water to each root base, even when there is no root base and the seed is first germinating and starting its first single root. It is not a stream or strong flow of water, that would drown the sprout. It is just a trickle of a lot of air and a little water, rich in nutrients. As the water is trickled onto the base of the sprout, the roots are fed and then they follow the trickle of water as it falls into the bottom of the tank and re-circulated. The airstones provide a lot of oxygen to the water and the water pump then pumps that oxygen and water to each sprout.
The water pump also moves and stirs the water, and we all know stirring water is cooler and more oxyegenated as it is moved.
I could go on and on, explaining, but the real explanation is in witnessing the rapid growth, especially the first 3 or 4 weeks. I actually have to raise my lights an inch higher every day due to the rapid growth, the first 4 weeks.

To believe it, you will have to see it. So please hang in with me, and see.

I started 3 seeds in soil the same day, to make a comparison, as you see in the pics.

Those first 3 weeks is when the feeding tubes really make a difference.

I started seeds in the soil and in the Deep Water Culture system at the same time in these pics. See any difference?

This is less than a week's growth!

Or visit the Home of the Deep Water Culture thread and look at their grows. We actually get an inch a day, up to two inches a day, in growth in height!

I am rinsing my tanks and bucket very good with hot water, they have to be clean, then I am rinsing them again by wiping them down with a thick paper towel full of vinegar.
Then I wipe them dry again.

See the extra holes in the ends of the tank, for adding extra air hoses and air stones:

And here you see the black magic marker line I made to show me the 6 gallon water level line. I filled the tank with exactly 6 gallons of water, made the mark, then emptied it. Now I can always look for the line to determine how much water to add later.

I cut out that little 1/2 inch cut out to put my wire that runs to the water pump, making it easier to close the lid.

Here, I am cutting my 1/4 inch clear plastic tubes to a 12 inch lenght, to run each from the Irrigation Hub to the Grow Cups. I will trim them shorter later when I attach them. They should not all be the same lenght. The center ones can be just 7 inches long.
And again, if you bought the Kit, they come already cut to the proper lenght and are all attached and assembled. My old lines were full of calcium and lime deposits, commonly called water salts or water minerals, so I bought new tubing. With every grow, I buy new tubes and new airstones. I also buy nutrients and that is all I have to buy for the subsequent grows. What I am saying is the first grow can be costly, but all the grows after the first one are much cheaper.

I needed SIX tubes for each tank or grow cup, so I oly really need 3 for the bucket. I have decided to run two tubes to each grow cup in the bucketinstead of leavig them unused.

I am attaching the Feeder Tubes to the Irrigation Hub and the Hub to the water pump.

See how I used a 3/4 inch plastic tube to attach the hub to the pump. I have attached ech pump to the hub differently. You might need to use plumbers teflon tape to make the SEAL tight, but I have not used any.

Now it is time to assemble the 5 gallon bucket contents together.

I use some 1/2 ounce fishing weights to hold my airstones down. I 've seen some growers just allow them to swim around. They do tend to want to float. I've seen some growers glue them down too. In my first couple of grows, I simply ran the air line UNDER the water pump to hold down
the air stone. The water ppump has little suction cups attached to the bottom of the pump. Then I used a 4 inch round airstone. That 4 inch round stone put out a lot of air bubbles too. The more I learned about MORE OXEGENATION makes a faster growth, the more I figured an additioanal air stone was wise. To add more air, I simply added a 2nd airstone. I highly recommend a 2nd air stone be added, but it is not necesary. I've seen successful grows done with a one inch air stone bubbler, made for aquariums.
The smallest of airpumps will power two airstones easily.
You shouldn't churn the water violently with air and damage baby new born roots.

I used two weights on each airstone tied with plastic fishing line.
These are smaller, 8 inch air stones for the bucket.

Attaching the Air Tubes.

PLEASE Don't say anything to me about using LEAD weights in the water. I am not goig to drink the water and the plants are not going to absorb the lead for me to ingest later when I smoke them.

Into the bucket the airstones go.

The top of the Irrigation Hub should be centered in the bucket. The airlines run through the holes, out of the bucket, to the air pump.

Let me sum ths up here. The water pump is going to pump water, air and nutes to the Irrigation Hub, be divided into 6 flows,a d then go to the grow cups.

The airstones are going to add a lot of air (oxygen) to the water. The tubes from from the airstones, out of the bucket, to the air pump.

Again, I am going to have one bucket and two reservoir tanks, and grow a pound of dried manicured buds in my closet, as I have done many times before.

I have too much feeder tubing, and I will trim it later. I run it into the center of the grow cup. It will butt right into the rockwool cube. On this 3 cup bucket, each cup will get two feeder tubes.

I hope you can see the tubes sticking into the grow cups.

Time for the two 8 gallon, 6 grow-cup tanks to be assembled.

I sat this assembly in the floor just to show you what it looks like, OUT OF THE TANK, FROM THE SIDE, completely assembled.