Waterfarm system (without) watering 24/7 ??

Does anyone use the Waterfarm system without watering 24/7 with good results? I read one grower would water on and off, and also prune the roots that grow out of the top Waterfarm chamber; while other growers encourage the roots to grow into the lower Waterfarm chamber. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

yeah, I'd get a small fountain pump, put it on a timer and loose that gosh darn diaphragm air pump (trust me, I slept at a Holiday Inn Express)

I have always noticed an extreme increase in growth and production when the plant reaches the bottom of the bucket around 2-3 weeks .The plant should be taking off around that time anyway so there is really no reason to restrict the growth. You can trim the roots with ok results if the plant started from clone .I only suggest this for mother plants.If started from seed I don't recommend trimming the roots. I have not noticed any obvious advantage from trimming the roots.The roots will fill the top bucket any way you do it so clogging and slow drainage can be an issue either way.The plant does greatly appreciate the roots in the reservoir but you will need to keep the pump on 24/7 to prevent root rot and stunted growth.To reduce the noise you can cut the white air column an inch or more to bring up the bubble action a little from the bottom and put the bucket on top of foam board(all kinds at the home improvement store and cheap). It is a pain to lift the top bucket from the bottom. I have to do this every now and again cuz the roots are beast but I would rather take a few minute to adjust the roots than go through the same process to chop them off. Hope this helps.