Water level tube for buckets?

taproot

taproot

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, I'm trying DWC for the first time and have my bucket ready except for I'd like to incorporate a level tube so I can see at a glace the water/nutrients level without having to raise the lid all the time. I see that the GH farm kits use a blue tube and I've seen the blue tubes used on other kits but I'm having a real hard time finding the blue style tubing without having to buy a 100ft roll. I can find the 1/2 inch clear tube all day long and even at my local lowes. Do any of you guys use clear tubing for this...I'm very reluctant because I heard algae can build up and grow in it and I don't want to infect my whole bucket. I have my 1/2 bulkhead and the 1/2 inch mpt to 1/2 barb elbow but need the correct tube now. One a side note..for this build I went with 1/2 inch but I'm wondering what size is the blue tube on the GH farm drip kits? Next builds I'd like to go with a smaller hose and I can find the blue style air hose but not sure what size it is and or if it would be too small to see the water level. Reason is next grow I'd like to put all this in a cabinet and would need the smallest hose I could use to check the level ...i'm thinking next time perhaps 3/8.

Also, of topic from the above I've decided to try the dyna grow bloom with a little dyna cal/mag plus for the entire grow. Any of you guys done this before as some people report success kinda like the maxibloom for the entire grow. If so what are your recipes? I'm using tap water that comes in at 150ppm and then I'm adding 5ml of the bloom / 3 ml of the mag pro and 2ml of the silica. PH @ 5.5-6. @ about 7-800 ppm from what my TDS meter says.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!
 
Major Blazer

Major Blazer

Well-Known Member
You could just use a grommet and an elbow. And 1/2" is good b/c you can also use it for fill and drain purposes. I can only assume that there's a local hydro shop for you. They should have 1/2" blk or blue vinyl tubing that they'll sell to you by the foot.. I've used clear before and made an aluminum foil cap for it to keep light out. Bobo as hell but works perfectly.
 
taproot

taproot

Well-Known Member
Thanks, I'm aware that GH uses blue tubing which is why I'm looking for it but everybody wants me to buy like a 100ft roll; guess I can stop by the local hydro shop ...I hate going there though. Or, I was looking if somebody has used clear tubing like you can get at the hardware store and didn't have algae issues. I've seen some people before using the clear tubing but never knew if they had issues with it. And, I'd prefer to not have to cover and uncover it when I need to check it as I'd rather just glace at it and know the level. I already have the parts minus the tube; I prefer to use bulk heads instead of the grommet. Thanks for your responses and happy thanksgiving guys.
 
Alaric

Alaric

Well-Known Member
taproot said:
I prefer to use bulk heads instead of the grommet.
Click to expand...
Good move to use bulkheads------my method of choice also.

I've ordered directly from General Hydroponics before (parts)----- check them out. I understand about the glance thing.

A~~~
 
T

THE KONASSURE

Well-Known Member
I`ve always seen that pipe as something else to clean and worry about

I normally just lift the lid and have a look, normally I make a hole with a lid in my dwc`s that I can get my testers and nutes and such into, a tap seems to normally tell me how empty the bucket is

The 1st time I saw the indicators on a bucket I was like "wow that looks like it`ll help" then after using one I was more like "wow somewhere new for algae to grow and some thing else to clean and worry about"

Idk Think if I was that worried I`d try some other way like maybe a some kinda sensor in the bucket ?
 
Igotthe6

Igotthe6

Well-Known Member
Just a controller bucket with a lid works good. When it comes time for a nute change it is much easier than efing around with a bucket of nutes trying to switch them out. You can get a small pump wich makes that part simpler yet.. With a contrler bucket you can always see your level.
 
Terry385

Terry385

Well-Known Member
only thing i use site tube for is to drain bucket with drill pump i can't lift plant in flower
 
Buzzzz

Buzzzz

Well-Known Member
taproot said:
Thanks, I'm aware that GH uses blue tubing which is why I'm looking for it but everybody wants me to buy like a 100ft roll; guess I can stop by the local hydro shop ...I hate going there though. Or, I was looking if somebody has used clear tubing like you can get at the hardware store and didn't have algae issues. I've seen some people before using the clear tubing but never knew if they had issues with it. And, I'd prefer to not have to cover and uncover it when I need to check it as I'd rather just glace at it and know the level. I already have the parts minus the tube; I prefer to use bulk heads instead of the grommet. Thanks for your responses and happy thanksgiving guys.
Click to expand...




Try ebay
 
Buzzzz

Buzzzz

Well-Known Member
taproot said:
Hey guys, I'm trying DWC for the first time and have my bucket ready except for I'd like to incorporate a level tube so I can see at a glace the water/nutrients level without having to raise the lid all the time. I see that the GH farm kits use a blue tube and I've seen the blue tubes used on other kits but I'm having a real hard time finding the blue style tubing without having to buy a 100ft roll. I can find the 1/2 inch clear tube all day long and even at my local lowes. Do any of you guys use clear tubing for this...I'm very reluctant because I heard algae can build up and grow in it and I don't want to infect my whole bucket. I have my 1/2 bulkhead and the 1/2 inch mpt to 1/2 barb elbow but need the correct tube now. One a side note..for this build I went with 1/2 inch but I'm wondering what size is the blue tube on the GH farm drip kits? Next builds I'd like to go with a smaller hose and I can find the blue style air hose but not sure what size it is and or if it would be too small to see the water level. Reason is next grow I'd like to put all this in a cabinet and would need the smallest hose I could use to check the level ...i'm thinking next time perhaps 3/8.

Also, of topic from the above I've decided to try the dyna grow bloom with a little dyna cal/mag plus for the entire grow. Any of you guys done this before as some people report success kinda like the maxibloom for the entire grow. If so what are your recipes? I'm using tap water that comes in at 150ppm and then I'm adding 5ml of the bloom / 3 ml of the mag pro and 2ml of the silica. PH @ 5.5-6. @ about 7-800 ppm from what my TDS meter says.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!
Click to expand...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunleaves-Blue-Tubing-1-2-25-Feet-/350979131601?hash=item51b7fc88d1:g:V0oAAOxyUrZS2sRt
 
bird mcbride

bird mcbride

Well-Known Member
I got some clear plastic hose from a bar for free after they installed some new stuff at the bar:)

I'd just put a fitting towards the bottom of the bucket, put the hose on it, run it up the side of the bucket. Put a line where you want the level on the side of the bucket adjacent to the plastic hose. simple
 
SmokeDoggy

SmokeDoggy

Well-Known Member
Instead of using a level tube to see the level, you could just drill a drain hole towards the top, or at your highest point you like to fill at, and then when you need to refill, just add water until it spills out then stop. It's just another approach I thought I'd share.
 
Anon Emaus

Anon Emaus

Well-Known Member
I only use a 5 gal and i have a tube cuz it came on the kit i bought. I've never once looked at it for water level cuz being a 5 gal i easily just lift the lid. A couple days ago I just had to junk a grow due to root rot, and i think my problem actually lived in said tube. Btw i fought the root rot for a week or two like hell, with everything you could imagine but it just wasn't worth it timeline wise to continue fighting.

But from what i saw when cleaning the fuck outta my bucket after junking the grow was a good amount of crap being stuck in that tube, and it's not easy to get out unless you have a pipe cleaner(which i dont have) even running a ton of water thru the tube it still stays stuck to the sides. So i think even tho during my root rot battle i had cleaned my bucket really well i didn't thoroughly clean that tube enough so the bacteria or whatever stayed in there and kept coming back.

so beware that you gotta be careful to really clean that tube
 
taproot

taproot

Well-Known Member
I prefer to have a level sight so I can just glance as I walk by to see if there drinking, what the level is and if it needs to be topped off. Also, when you build your system and have a sight you mark it with a sharpie where 5 gal, 10, gal 15, gal level are etc... so it makes it easier when adding back or using lucus. Also, I don't want water spilling out. Anon, it's my first time at dwc as my previous runs were hempy/s but at current I'm trying my hand at a sterile rez. There's people on here using pool shock in very small amounts and had excellent results. I got a one gallon distilled water jug from the store and a bag of htc stage 3 pool shock. You add 1/4 a tsp into the gallon water jug....then you add that mixture @ 1ml to every 5 gallons of hydro water. Plants look fine and are growing great, use as directed as too much will burn the plant up; there's a thread here and at ICMAG on this. Right now I'm trying a test of dynagro bloom+protekt against maxibloom+proteckt and just add backs so the tube is making it easier. I ended up using a 3/8 piece of plex from lowes..the kind that they use for connecting ice makers or RO unites etc. It's a little rigid but works and it's not exactly clear it's opaque.


Make sure they main ingredient is "calcium hypochlorite" if you try this as they use sodium and other versions which are not what you really want.
 
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