I have had some inquiries about having a video or other documentation about dwc on the cheap so I thought I'd share this with the AFN family. This is my 27 gallon tote dwc that I pieced together last fall. Total cost was less than $100US, and could have been less but I over spent on the pump and airpot.
1. Heavy duty 27 gal tote from home improvement store, on sale $8
2. Drill holes for air inlet. Place as low as possible. These aren't low enough. It takes eight gallons before they are under water.
3. Insert grommets and elbows for air inlet/level indicator.
4. Mark lid for cutting. This is for a 10" basket, but you could do a six inch...or two,
maybe several four inch. Whatever you decide.
5. Cut the hole for the basket(s).
6. Paint the lid with a dark spray primer for plastic. We are light proofing it. Cut four inch
holes with a hole saw for hand and eyeball access later on.
7. It should look close to this.
8. Drill a hole large enough at the top of the airpot for the drip ring to fit through. An airpot is
NOT necessary. You can use just a basket as shown above, but I am going for an XL plant.
9. Yeppers that's a hole.
10. Attach the air inlet hoses and graduate the levels, one gallon at a time.
11. Drill out the side lip for the electric cord pass thru.
12. All major components. Notice the primered lid has now been painted over with Kilz to further light proof it and reflect light upwards.
13. Put together.
I didn't document the pvc drip ring, I assume that is self explanatory. A couple of timers and this is a fully automated top fed dwc that you can leave for a few days without worry of running dry, which was a big concern in my five gallon buckets. If you have any questions on how exactly to do a step or how this works, feel free to pm me. I'll be more than happy to help.
1. Heavy duty 27 gal tote from home improvement store, on sale $8
2. Drill holes for air inlet. Place as low as possible. These aren't low enough. It takes eight gallons before they are under water.
3. Insert grommets and elbows for air inlet/level indicator.
4. Mark lid for cutting. This is for a 10" basket, but you could do a six inch...or two,
maybe several four inch. Whatever you decide.
5. Cut the hole for the basket(s).
6. Paint the lid with a dark spray primer for plastic. We are light proofing it. Cut four inch
holes with a hole saw for hand and eyeball access later on.
7. It should look close to this.
8. Drill a hole large enough at the top of the airpot for the drip ring to fit through. An airpot is
NOT necessary. You can use just a basket as shown above, but I am going for an XL plant.
9. Yeppers that's a hole.
10. Attach the air inlet hoses and graduate the levels, one gallon at a time.
11. Drill out the side lip for the electric cord pass thru.
12. All major components. Notice the primered lid has now been painted over with Kilz to further light proof it and reflect light upwards.
13. Put together.
I didn't document the pvc drip ring, I assume that is self explanatory. A couple of timers and this is a fully automated top fed dwc that you can leave for a few days without worry of running dry, which was a big concern in my five gallon buckets. If you have any questions on how exactly to do a step or how this works, feel free to pm me. I'll be more than happy to help.
