Need help on low clearance drain table design.

SNAX · Feb 4, 2013

So I have been scouring the net and racking my brain for hours and can't come up with a good low profile
drain table design and would really appreciate some insight!

So these are my conditions: I am going to be running 4 1000 watt 8" air-cooled blockbusters (height of 9.75") over a ScrOG setup with a ceiling height of 6 ft. Im thinking of making four different 4x4 tables on casters, one for each light. I want to have 4 plants per table in 10 gallon geopots (I use 7 gallon now, is 10 overkill you think?) This will give each plant a 2x2 area to grow.

The toughest part about this is that the table cannot be taller than 12". The low profile of this table makes water drainage and collection tough. I currently use two 4x8 tables made with wood and corrugated roofing that slant down 4.5" over the course of 8ft and then have two rubbermaid catch pans at the bottom. I don't really love the setup only because of the catch pans and the space they take up and it can get messy if they get bumped out of place. So the end goal is to have a design for a 4x4 table on wheels with a cleaner, less cluttery water drainage setup. Any ideas?

noone88 · Feb 4, 2013

Are you planning to run E&F or soil?

For soil, why don't you just put it on the ground with saucers?

For E&F, use the standard 4x4 or 8x4 E&F trays. They have fittings that allow the tray to drain into a res or catch basin.

SNAX · Feb 4, 2013

Im using soil, part of the goal is to get the root system off of the cold basement floor, and I don't really like saucers because they become a nightmare when flushing and also I don't like residual water hangin out around the bottom of my soil. I prefer to have it flow out and be caught somewhere to get the rinse the salts out and keep stagnant water away from the roots.

SNAX · Feb 4, 2013

The botanicare trays would be potentially awesome but that raises the cost of the tables by A LOT.

Cort · Feb 4, 2013

In my tent i made a small table that would probably work for you if it was designed better.

using scrap wood i made back side of the tables frame a few inches higher than the front side to promote drainage. Cheap ply wood on top of that to disperse the weight, then cheap roofing material like this.

I use a rain gutter to catch runoff. If I had a room instead of a tent I would connect pipes to automatically remove runoff.

Classic Remix · Feb 4, 2013

dude just a heads up, you are going to run into NIGHTMARES if you run anything stretchy. seriously ANYTHING.

i have 80" ceilings (barely under 7ft) and with 600's i was a jungle every run, unless it was flip from like 3 days veg....

i just upgraded one to a thouie, and with 7' and no table, i still flipped early and trained and the OG's are going to have to be dealt with somehow..... its a nightmare for me and i have an extra foot already, two if you count me not having a drain table.....

serious though.... you're going to have to keep training them into that screen well further into flowering that usual to keep em that low.... which is absolutely doable, but thats a lot of usable penetrated light on those 1k's to be wasting.... almost 600s would be as efficient IMVHO for that situation.

KennyPowers · Feb 4, 2013

use a condensate pump

SNAX · Feb 4, 2013

Remix - So we are going to be running shishkaberry mostly, for the first run anyway.

Including a 12" (maybe smaller) table, a 12" pot and the size of the light, there is almost 2 feet of safe grow room. This strain has been growing about 12" more when flowered (under 600s). So I planned on vegging until branchs were about 10-12" then flipping to flower and letting the extra 12" happen and build the screen accordingly.

I also plan on using these to be able to drop the light nice and low without wasting light:

Also, this chart is what makes me believe Im not wasting light. In my theory, I am getting more lumens to the buds by using the spreaders and getting the lights closer in conjuction scrog method.

I have only been growing for about 8-9 months so feel free to tell me where this plan might be flawed.

SNAX · Feb 7, 2013

Classic Remix said:
dude just a heads up, you are going to run into NIGHTMARES if you run anything stretchy. seriously ANYTHING.

i have 80" ceilings (barely under 7ft) and with 600's i was a jungle every run, unless it was flip from like 3 days veg....

i just upgraded one to a thouie, and with 7' and no table, i still flipped early and trained and the OG's are going to have to be dealt with somehow..... its a nightmare for me and i have an extra foot already, two if you count me not having a drain table.....

serious though.... you're going to have to keep training them into that screen well further into flowering that usual to keep em that low.... which is absolutely doable, but thats a lot of usable penetrated light on those 1k's to be wasting.... almost 600s would be as efficient IMVHO for that situation.

Remix - So we are going to be running shishkaberry mostly, for the first run anyway.

Including a 12" (maybe smaller) table, a 12" pot and the size of the light, there is almost 2 feet of safe grow room. This strain has been growing about 12" more when flowered (under 600s). So I planned on vegging until branchs were about 10-12" then flipping to flower and letting the extra 12" happen and build the screen accordingly.

I also plan on using these to be able to drop the light nice and low without wasting light:

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/p-12154-super-spreaders.aspx

Also, this chart is what makes me believe Im not wasting light. In my theory, I am getting more lumens to the buds by using the spreaders and getting the lights closer in conjuction scrog method.

I have only been growing for about 8-9 months so feel free to tell me where this plan might be flawed.

Capulator · Feb 7, 2013

cut a hole in the floor. Problem solved!:D

SNAX · Feb 7, 2013

Capulator said:
cut a hole in the floor. Problem solved!:D

Oh man I WISH!

Capulator · Feb 7, 2013

sump pump is a good idea man. kenny nailed it.

Capulator · Feb 7, 2013

You can use a square bucket with a bulkhead fitting in the bottom side of it. The bucket can be on the side of the trays. When the water fills the bucket, the float valve kicks on.

also, I suggest finding a squat strain that doesnt stretch much.

SNAX · Feb 7, 2013

Capulator said:
sump pump is a good idea man. kenny nailed it.

I think the condensate pump is a great idea except for that the tubes that will be running to it will be only about 3-4" off the ground...grrrr... damn gravity.

Gromedibud · Feb 7, 2013

You could always run it to a controller bucket.

HookedonPonics · Feb 14, 2013

Did you ever think about keeping the 2 corrugated roofing tables and adding a simple rain gutter at the end connecting the two tables catching runoff. Then finding a piece that connects the low end of the gutter to a pvc pipe and thn attaching an inline pump to the pvc and running more pvc or tubing out the other end of the pump to your drain. Then hook the inline pump to a timer to kick on when the feed pump turns on and turning off a minute after the feed pump turns off. You could have the tables 6 inches off the ground and the pvc and pump on the floor. Just a thought and itd save you some dough.

HookedonPonics · Feb 14, 2013

Another thing id like to add is do all these at your own risk, anything that doesnt drain back into the rez by gravity also runs a way higher risk of flooding your room if a piece of equipment fails or fries. Just another aspect to think about

midwestdensies · Feb 14, 2013

I have beds which are botanicare trays with geopot liners on a platform that slants an inch comprised of 4x4 legs with a piece of plywood underneath. Im able to slide a rubbermaid 7 gallon tote under still dialing but seems swell. My room height is 8' at peak. Kinda get a glimpse in my harem hideout thread.
MW

KennyPowers · Feb 14, 2013

Capulator said:
kenny nailed it.

i did, and also this myrtle skank i picked up on my boogie board. now it burns when i pee though.

SNAX said:
I think the condensate pump is a great idea except for that the tubes that will be running to it will be only about 3-4" off the ground...grrrr... damn gravity.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-VCC-20ULS-Condensate-horsepower/dp/B000AHT6T4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1360835852&sr=8-7&keywords=condensate+pump

boom

smknfire · Feb 20, 2013

get the saucers up off the ground 4" or so with 2x4" square frame? enough to drill them with 1/2" drain fittings with room underneath for drain lines. In soil drain to waste so all runoff right down the drain.

smknfire

Need help on low clearance drain table design.

Need help on low clearance drain table design.

SNAX

noone88

SNAX

SNAX

Cort

Classic Remix

KennyPowers

SNAX

SNAX

Capulator

likes to smell trees.

SNAX

Capulator

likes to smell trees.

Capulator

likes to smell trees.

SNAX

Gromedibud

HookedonPonics

HookedonPonics

midwestdensies

KennyPowers

smknfire

Need help on low clearance drain table design.

Need help on low clearance drain table design.

SNAX

noone88

SNAX

SNAX

Cort

Classic Remix

KennyPowers

SNAX

SNAX

Capulator

likes to smell trees.

SNAX

Capulator

likes to smell trees.

Capulator

likes to smell trees.

SNAX

Gromedibud

HookedonPonics

HookedonPonics

midwestdensies

KennyPowers

smknfire

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