Buy a wet vac, or buy an elevated platform?

[nice fella]

Hey guys, very new grower here. Right now I have 3 gallon smart pots with saucers in a 4x4 tent. I water once a day until just a little run off. I have been removing the run off by carefully walking the filled-up saucers to the sink lol.

I'm debating whether to buy a wet vac and get the excess runoff out that way or purchase a platform w/ buckets underneath to catch the runoff for easier removal.

Wet vac pros:

- buy it and be done. No need to build a new platform

- I have a short tent (6 feet). No platform = maximum vertical space in flower.

Wet vac cons:

- excess nutes lingering around the smart pot for 24 hour periods. Possible salt buildup eventually?

- Still a pain in the balls to get on hands and knees and wet vac every day


Elevated platform pros:

- No dust from the wet vac (heard this can be a thing?)

- No potential concern about nute buildup in the saucer since the smart pots are physically separated from the drainage.

Elevated platform cons:

- more expensive than just buying a wetvac.

- More time-consuming to build vs wetvac

- Realistically I will lose a foot or so of precious vertical space.

- Still have to get on my hands and knees and remove the drainage, albeit less often.


What would you do in my situation? Thanks guys!

 

[Vash]

Well, I bought a wet vac. I have my 5gal pots sitting in saucers as well. When I get runoff, I just suck it up. About every fourth feed, I will give straight water, making sure to get more runoff. That will slow down any possible nute buildup, OR you can use FLORAKLEEN if you feel that your EC is too high. Just take a reading of your runoff from time to time. That'll tell you what to do.

 

[NEW ENGLAND]

Both platforms & shopvac

Meaning something to set inside the saucers.....not a 4x4 flood n drain table.
I made my own with some lengths of PVC some 90's and a sawzall,vac once n done

 

[Bush Dr]

A shelf only has to be big enough to get an under bed tote under as a receptacle

Put a pump in laid flat, outlet pipe and you can pump it out every few days into a container for putting on the veggie garden or toss it

You shouldn’t lose more than 6-7”

 

[troutman]

Maybe water less?

 

[Snook]

Harbor freight - 2.5 gallon shop vac.. well, they dont have a 2.5 any longer but a 3 gal..

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=shop%20vac


If ya grow it you need a WET/dry shop vac on hand. The bigger your 'system' the bigger the shop vac.


I'd go with the platform and one should have the sv anyway

 

[Glaucksbacon]

I much prefer having saucers and a shop vac with the extra space vs the flood table on cinder blocks I used to run.

 

[organixx325]

https://hydropros.com/products/gro-...X3X8hMc9zeX7TswZ9sVv4g-ScN6um5TBoC3Q0QAvD_BwE

 

[aridbud]

Buy both!!

 

[norcalKTM]

This is how I’m rocking my hempys

This is how I’m rocking my hempys

This won’t work for smart pots obviously, just my KISS automated watering and drainage. You can easily build a table though grab some pond liner and find a tray design and add a drain in the center.

 

[Fixer]

Check out cocoforcanabis. Dr Coco has a simple system that uses a condensate pump to dispose of the runoff.