Is 800 GPH overkill for a small 4-bucket setup?

[Galinda]

I'm helping my friend set up a 4-bucket RDWC system. Each one holds about 3.5 gallons. He grabbed an 800 GPH pump thinking it would be perfect, but I'm wondering if that's too much flow for such a small setup. We're running 2-inch return lines and plan on testing this weekend. Is this pump gonna cause chaos or are we safe?

 

[frothic|approach]

I've run RDWC with four 5-gallon buckets and a 396 GPH pump, handled it just fine. With an 800 GPH pushing through 2-inch returns, you'll get strong flow but it shouldn't overflow as long as your water level and returns are balanced. Just watch for turbulence near roots and check that the water doesn't surge out faster than it can settle.

 

[wonder man]

sounds a bit over kill if you ask me, that's pumping almost 14 gallons per minute, which could cause a lot of turbulence and possibly stress the plants or cause leaks if your system isn't built for it, with 2 inch return lines, you've got good flow capacity, but you might have to reduce or add a valve to control the flow

 

[Buggy]

Throwing an 800 GPH pump into a 4-bucket RDWC with only 3.5 gallons per site is like using a firehose to fill teacups. People think "more flow = better," but in small systems, it just creates turbulence, root stress, and pH swings. Scale the flow to the volume, not your ego...

 

[dtp]

storm in the pots

 

[Greetingstrangers]

storm in the pots

storm? more like a category 5 hurricane ))

All jokes aside @Galinda , 800 is way too much and other members mentioned the turbulence as a problem, but I'll also mention heat. These kinds of pumps can run warm, heating the water and messing with the temps.