Flood tray runoff pump

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HarleyBlue13

Active Member
Hello all,

I am in the minst of setting up my floraflex automated drip kit. I am doing so in a 3x3x6 tent with 6inch/6 pots. I have put in a 3x3 bonicare flood tray but am trying to figure out my drain to waste options.

I am aware that most drill fittings in this tray to waste to extetnal res but i do not like the idea of losing height, and if i get another tent my gf will chop my neck ofr.

Does anyone run a small drain pump, or know of one that has a low profile or doesn't have to be submerged?

Thanks in advanced

Hb
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
Hmm, we used to use a lot of pool cover pumps but at some point pumps suddenly got crappy and now they're basically disposable. I think the last time I used a pump to "hand water" my plants it was a pool cover pump-probably way better options out now though. A lot of guys here have automated systems and will surely help you.
 
H

HarleyBlue13

Active Member
rkymtnman said:
gotcha. mine is auto watering. i plumbed a drain line in pvc to a floor drain next to my hot water heater. let gravity do it's thing
Click to expand...
Yeah might just make a housing got my wet vac hose and hook it up to a smart plug on a timer and empty the res once a week.
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure of your system or why you would loose height, a picture would help?

Instead of drilling my trays I use a piece of capillary matting from the tray into a jug, it's ready for me to empty in the morning, it could run into a big tank and be done once a week just the same.

For small pumps to empty trays and the likes check the micro jet mj 450, it can drain a tub/tray down to a few mm it draws from the bottom, they're also adjustable, reliable and not expensive.
 
H

HarleyBlue13

Active Member
Star Dog said:
I'm not sure of your system or why you would loose height, a picture would help?

Instead of drilling my trays I use a piece of capillary matting from the tray into a jug, it's ready for me to empty in the morning, it could run into a big tank and be done once a week just the same.

For small pumps to empty trays and the likes check the micro jet mj 450, it can drain a tub/tray down to a few mm it draws from the bottom, they're also adjustable, reliable and not expensive.
Click to expand...
I was referring to losing height by if i put something below it and let gravity do its thing my grow would have to raise.

Ill check it out, cheers!
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
Here's an example of the mj 450
_20210311_205502.JPG_20210311_205445.JPG

It doesn't need to be submerged
HarleyBlue13 said:
I was referring to losing height by if i put something below it and let gravity do its thing my grow would have to raise.

Ill check it out, cheers!
Click to expand...
_20210311_205502.JPG_20210311_205445.JPG
That's only 1" and it still near empties the bucket completely.
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
HarleyBlue13 said:
Hello all,

I am in the minst of setting up my floraflex automated drip kit. I am doing so in a 3x3x6 tent with 6inch/6 pots. I have put in a 3x3 bonicare flood tray but am trying to figure out my drain to waste options.

I am aware that most drill fittings in this tray to waste to extetnal res but i do not like the idea of losing height, and if i get another tent my gf will chop my neck ofr.

Does anyone run a small drain pump, or know of one that has a low profile or doesn't have to be submerged?

Thanks in advanced

Hb
Click to expand...
I'm sort of in the same boat. I have my trays' drainage all tied together with a 3/4" hose, and shop vac the waste water out. Then I use another pump on the vac to push the waste water outside. I've been looking for an inline pump that replace the shop vac and just pump the waste water outside directly. Plus the shop vac is super loud. It's hard to find an inline pump with dry protection. At this point I may just buy cheap ones and run them until they die.
 
D

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
I'm setting up something similar and was gonna use a circulation booster pump with auto on/off, but not sure it would work. Nobody seems to know the answer to this question
 
Jserna444

Jserna444

Active Member
So I use a similar setup in my 5x3. I have a 2x4 tray on a slight tilt with the hole at the end. I use a chopped in half pallet as my tray stand and I use one inch pvc pipes as the legs screwed to the inside corners. My tray sits six inches off the ground and I have a bull head in the tray hole with a washer and a 3/4 barbed fitting at the bottom. I attach a 2-3 inch length hose to that and then an elbow. Then another hose going to a water pump and then another hose coming out of the top of the pump into a bucket. Then I use a turkey baster to get the last few drops left. Any basic water pump will work just get at least a 300gph or above. The little guard and mesh filter on the front of the pumps, just pop those off and attach the spare barbed fitting that comes with it and it turns into an inline water pump.
 
Jserna444

Jserna444

Active Member
Jserna444 said:
So I use a similar setup in my 5x3. I have a 2x4 tray on a slight tilt with the hole at the end. I use a chopped in half pallet as my tray stand and I use one inch pvc pipes as the legs screwed to the inside corners. My tray sits six inches off the ground and I have a bull head in the tray hole with a washer and a 3/4 barbed fitting at the bottom. I attach a 2-3 inch length hose to that and then an elbow. Then another hose going to a water pump and then another hose coming out of the top of the pump into a bucket. Then I use a turkey baster to get the last few drops left. Any basic water pump will work just get at least a 300gph or above. The little guard and mesh filter on the front of the pumps, just pop those off and attach the spare barbed fitting that comes with it and it turns into an inline water pump.
Click to expand...
 

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K

KMalone

Member
I placed a storage tote from Lowes under the flood tray and gravity drains the nute solution into the tote. Every 4 hours a pump kicks on a waters the plants in the flood tray. Obviously this is a recirculating system. I add nutes every 7-10 days. Drain to waste seems to be just that . . . a waste! I can't imagine a water cycle that is a 1-shot deal.
 
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