making the switch... which system?

[zem]

I am a plumber. I can tell you that nothing is 100% leak proof. Solvent weld glues are product specific--ie--ABS glue will not weld PVC. Also, do you know the biggest cause of floods in homes? Failed washing machine hoses. However, the main reason that I do not have a flood and drain is not fear of leaks, it is because I have plants that are different sizes and they need to be at different levels to maintain an even canopy. With a flood and drain or any system that has a separate res, you are going to need to keep all the containers at the same height and try to maintain even growth. I simply raise and lower my buckets to maintain an even canopy.

I'm still confused--I still fail to see how flood and drain is easier. I have found that the plants can survive without the air pump for a day or so in DWC. How is the flood and drain is less reliant on pumps and electricity? Don't you need to flood the tray several times a day? What medium (small sized pebbles) are you talking about that retain water for a long time? How long?

small grow rocks can hold plants alive without wilting for a week easy. I do flood trays i flood a single tray and not several buckets each with hose, because it will become a jungle of hoses.
I understand what you say about washing machines flooding homes, but really, washing machines dump water heavily, can you imagine a grow room res flooding a home the same way? if you never tried it because you are worried from a leak, I strongly advise you to do, stop carrying buckets around your room, it is bad for the back, seriously. we had this argument about the leak before, I have been growing for like 8 years, and I never seen a leak that caused any real damage, and it gets fixed so easily and with the right material it never ever happened again. you may convince me that dwc is easier than flood/drain but you will never convince me to make grow trays without drain holes! really, make some holes in bottom of your trays, use quality hose and drain with big size like 1.5", maintain it after every harvest, and skip your back the heavy loads

 

[OGKushman]

DWC with separate buckets.

This man is correct!

 

[getnasty]

If I were to run 4 dwc buckets in my 4x2.5x7.5 space, what could I expect an average yield, strain pending, to be under a 400w hps?

-nasty

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

If I were to run 4 dwc buckets in my 4x2.5x7.5 space, what could I expect an average yield, strain pending, to be under a 400w hps?

-nasty

Really too many variables to even hazard a guess...you could get 8 or more ozs or you could get an oz...

 

[zem]

If I were to run 4 dwc buckets in my 4x2.5x7.5 space, what could I expect an average yield, strain pending, to be under a 400w hps?

-nasty

depends on how well you do it and on your strain. whenever I flower under 400, I expect more than 200 grams every time, but I've been doing this for some time now