DIY self drainage system using 1/2” pvc ? Possible ?

Pauly1118

Well-Known Member
Has anybody done this before ?

I’m using 5 gallon air pots and I have some 15” saucers on wheels that come up about 4 inch high off the ground.. and lucky for my the basement is obviously working to my advantage the way my room is set up. The floor is on a nice slant.

Anyway I planned on getting a 1/2” hole saw and drilling hole in the bottom of my saucers towards the front because that’s where the water will be going to since floor is slanted that way.. I planned on growing 12x plants

So 4 rows of 3 like so

o...o...o...o
o...o...o...o
o...o...o...o

I planned on drilling holes towards front of saucers. The back 4 will have a small 1/2” by maybe 1/2” piece of pvc siliconed connected to a 90 degree elbow with a pipe going to the next saucer with the next 2 rows using 3 way T’s and then in the front row in front of saucers extended out a little further with the 2 left and right ends connected to a 90 degree elbow and the two middles being connected together with two 3 way T’s And in the very middle of that pipe out front would be another 3 way T connected to a fitting with a barbed end so I can hook up a pump to it and run it outside of the room into a 30 gallon res tank I have set up.. would this work ? Has anybody tried it before ? Sorry if this is confusing but let me know. I can try to draw it up if you don’t understand. Thanks

Edit: here’s a drawing. I know I’m terrible at drawing and I also can’t find any real paper lmao but something like this. Shall it work ?
 

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lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I've used 12" vinyl irrigation hose with a bunch of spaghetti tubes going into each saucer, and an attachment on the other end that I could plug a shop vac hose into. That worked, but it was a pain keeping the spaghetti tubing from moving around.

This idea looks complicated, but it would probably work if you can keep everything air right. You could buy 90 degree flood tray fittings and use vinyl hose instead of pvc.

I have flood trays raised 4" and use an inline submersible pump to suck out the waste water now.
 

Pauly1118

Well-Known Member
I've used 12" vinyl irrigation hose with a bunch of spaghetti tubes going into each saucer, and an attachment on the other end that I could plug a shop vac hose into. That worked, but it was a pain keeping the spaghetti tubing from moving around.


Well it’s not that complicated in my head haha. It’s probably the crazy way I explained it. Pretty much saucers with pvc tubing hooked to them and using the downward level of my grow rooms floor to end up towards the front to be able to suck it out with a pump and into a tank for disposal.
This idea looks complicated, but it would probably work if you can keep everything air right. You could buy 90 degree flood tray fittings and use vinyl hose instead of pvc.

I have flood trays raised 4" and use an inline submersible pump to suck out the waste water now.
 

Pauly1118

Well-Known Member
I've used 12" vinyl irrigation hose with a bunch of spaghetti tubes going into each saucer, and an attachment on the other end that I could plug a shop vac hose into. That worked, but it was a pain keeping the spaghetti tubing from moving around.

This idea looks complicated, but it would probably work if you can keep everything air right. You could buy 90 degree flood tray fittings and use vinyl hose instead of pvc.

I have flood trays raised 4" and use an inline submersible pump to suck out the waste water now.

Well it’s not that complicated in my head haha. It’s probably the crazy way I explained it. Pretty much saucers with pvc tubing hooked to them and using the downward level of my grow rooms floor to have the water end up towards the front to be able to suck it out with a pump and into a tank for disposal.
 

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Well it’s not that complicated in my head haha. It’s probably the crazy way I explained it. Pretty much saucers with pvc tubing hooked to them and using the downward level of my grow rooms floor to have the water end up towards the front to be able to suck it out with a pump and into a tank for disposal.
I mean the assembly really. Are you fitting the PVC to the saucers, or just drilling a hole in the saucer and catching the waste water waterfall with the PVC?
 

Pauly1118

Well-Known Member
I mean the assembly really. Are you fitting the PVC to the saucers, or just drilling a hole in the saucer and catching the waste water waterfall with the PVC?
Yeah. I’ll assemble the pvc pipes to the saucers with silicone. And hook them all up using 90 degree elbows and some 3 way T fittings.
 
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