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DWC Air Pump Question

What type of air pump is it? You don't have to run it 24/7, but most people do. Unless you have a very large one, it is not going to use much electricity.

Mike
 
Pot growers recommend 5 litres per minute per gallon but I think this is over kill.

Once you have sizeable roots you can lower your solution leaving a gap. This gap will provide oxygen but no pump means no mixing of your nutrients.
 
so in half gallon coffee containers...6" air stones...cycle them on 30 min-off 30 min sound ok? or should I just suck it up and run them 24/7 to be safe? will it hurt the pumps more to cycle them or leave them running? AHHHH SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!
 
Toleman said:
Pot growers recommend 5 litres per minute per gallon but I think this is over kill.

Once you have sizeable roots you can lower your solution leaving a gap. This gap will provide oxygen but no pump means no mixing of your nutrients.
Click to expand...

Overkill? I use a 950 GPH pump for 30 5-gallon buckets (3.5-4 gal of water). That's about two quarts per bucketper minute! And it is more than enough. 20 litres (or about a gallon) per minute in a five gallon bucket would be a huge amount of air!

Mike
 
For a coffee keg just buy a small 10-20 gallon aquarium air pump and let it run 24/7. Cycling any motor or pump will send it to an early grave
 
ok, here are some pics the setup. Maybe this will give you a better idea of my question. I don't have to buy anything and my pumps are adjustable. Just need to know the minimum safe bubbleage for my plants.
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Air pumps, as well as providing oxygen to the roots and mixing nutrient solution, control pathogen growth in nutrient solutions. Run it 24/7.
 
The hardest thing on any device is starting wears parts fast, mechanical wise 24 hour run is much easier on the pump.
 
HawaiiAl said:
The hardest thing on any device is starting wears parts fast, mechanical wise 24 hour run is much easier on the pump.
Click to expand...


Yeah, My years of mechanics told me that but I didn't know if the lowest setting whete it just barely fizzles the water is enough to keep the plants happy or if the pump needs to be turned all the way up....still al little lost as to the correct ammount of bubbleage...
 
Yes. To save a couple of cents a day. They don't pay us Army folks very well these days. Every penny counts when you live in Hawaii.
 
Can I suggest, 'penny wise, pound foolish.'? You are probably using, at max, 25 watts, probably, closer to 15. 15x24=360. That's 10,800 watts per month, At 20¢ per kW hour that's a little over $2.50 per month. A beer a month for great plants!

Hard call, I know. I love beer!

Mike
 
Sure but with the 18 buckets and 9 additional pumps coming from amazon.com within the next week, this shit is adding up. Figure my current setup is drawing 2.50 a month... x 9 more of the same setup....= $22.50 a month...see why im concerned?? Aww screw it, Im just gonna start selling my body for money to supplement my pepper growing hobby...
 
No offense but you ought to search before you buy. I have 950 GPH pump ($52) that uses 35 watts and will power 38 5-gallon buckets. That's a tad over $5 per month.

Mike
 
No offense taken. That is the exact reason I posted this thread....because I do not know how much to bubble these pots. If I knew how to do this, I wouldn't be asking. Am I just being unclear on my question? Just incase I am being unclear:


"How high should the air pumps on my DWC 5 gallon buckets be set to assuming I want to conserve electricity? I understand full blast is ideal but if I were trying to do something crazy like, say...save money on my utility bill(even if it's $2.50 a month), what would be the minimum ammount of safe bubbleagefor these plants to survive?"
 
I mean, should I cancel the order and order what you have? should I turn the pumps down half way and buy a bunch of T connectors and just run one of the pumps I already have? Im a little lost. This junk is new to me, thats why im askin brotha! :)
 
DT,

I don't know what pump you are using, but I suspect if you turn it down, the pump will use the same energy, just deliver less air.

I use air dividers as well as T connectors. The pump has a 12-valve divider connected to it, it runs to various stations. I can open one, five or all the valves, it makes no difference if all of them are delivering air to the same containers.

You need to make the call regarding canceling the order and ordering a different pump, as you are the one paying the bills.

Mike
 
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