There is nothing wrong with using straight perlite either....I water every 3 day now and I will do a watering once around the medium surface to keep the whole mix fresh and clean and the next watering, I will go straight down that vertical 2in pvc tube I have in each bucket...that goes straight down to the Rez without washing it thru the mix...EVERY NOW AND THEN, I may feel the need to rinse the ECA out, and using a gallon or so, straight down that 2in pvc, makes short work of it....I NEVER had issues in past with the PVC caps clogging with perlite or vermiculite...As long as u dont have complete blockage, your fine...even a slow drain is ok, as long as it drains...Those who have modified with a drip coming back from the waste (and/or waste with new solution they add), REALLY NEED make sure the drain system, at the bucket exit, is in GOOD working order...They could easily over flow a whole bucket...OR, not have them over flow, but stay WAY over filled with a high water line...A small pc of clear tubing on the outside of the bucket makes a good visual level...a little elbow fitting (side of bucket, down low), with the clear tube attached, running up the bucket side will show exactly how deep the water in the bucket is....think I mentioned I have one bucket right up at the closet door with a little 3/16 hole drilled down low on the side...its corked with a small rubber stopper...at any given moment, I can pull the plug and collect a few tbsp of water to check the pH and ppms....I ALWAYS know what I give them, but a dbl check of solution (right out of a buckets rez), is nice to know EXACTLY what ur roots are in...It bubbles around with the airstones and plants are constantly feeding, so your pH and ppms can CERTAINLY DRIFT....next watering you know exactly what to adjust them with....OR, immediately, if your #'s are out to lunch for some reason....Hempy buckets are a beautiful thing...so easy, you can feel guilty hearing about ppls roots rotting in their DWC....just kidding, a properly run DWC is fine..As are any hydro system if u run them correctly....but a slightly modified Hempy with air stones will make anyones 1st crop a HOME RUN....I tell ppl all the time, Hempy buckets ARE NOT just for beginners...its for ANYONE who wants QUALITY, without all the bells and whistles, and a lot less work...Sounds like a no brainer to me...You do what works and works well...the less complex and the less 'PARTS', The fewer things that can go wrong...The hydroponic systems mfg'ers want everyone to believe we all need complex set ups or U CANT grow decent meds, they stand to make millions...I fell for every system made as they evolved over the years...Now it all came back down to a simple modified Hempy bucket...