Need ideas on how to suck/drain to waste water out. Cramped grow room.

[heatherlonglee]

Thinking about going with another plant in the room. I have 3 now. Will have trouble getting to the back pots with 4 in the room. I use a turkey baster to pull the water off the 3 drain pans. What kind of small hand pump or small electric pump can I use to get to a hard to reach space? I need to suck the drain to waste nutrients out. Only enough room for a small thin arm to reach in around the pots. Needs to be small in diameter, flexible about 3'-4' in total length from tip to drain. This suction apparatus needs to be fairly quiet also.

 

[Arthritis_sucks]

go to the hardware store an get a fluid transfer pump if ya want quiet, if not mini shopvac would do the job.

 

[brickadobe]

try blumats

try blumats

How about another solution? Try watering the perfect amount with blumats... I grow in a cramped closet and was having trouble with water flowing down the side of pot and pooling in my tray. Then I tried the 'blumat junior' which is a self-watering device that uses a passive reservoir. It's sort of a ceramic cone that siphons water from a reservoir (I use a bottle) into your plant pot when used correctly. I paid about 20 bucks for three of them at a garden store, but you can get them online...just search for 'blumat'. Basically, you buy as many blumats as you have pots, follow the instructions and the plants growth takes off. I had a indica/sativa blend grow much faster after I added the blumats in the fifth week of flower. I was spending a lot of time taking care with my watering before. These things were a real improvement for me.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Mini-Shop vac.

Definitely solve your current issues. Make sure you take the dust filter off first though.

Stay Safe!

 

[FlowerFarmer]

Lots of folks use the Bucket Head from Home Depot. Mini shop vac that snaps to the top of a 5-gal bucket.

Not super quiet though... as are no shopvacs/vacuums

I'm planning to attach a grommet and 1/2" line ran to a drain so that the bucket can continually run empty as the shopvacs fills it with run-off water.

 

[shredGnar]

Could you raise the floor 5" inches or so? I would throw them in a flood tray with a bulkhead fitting and some tubing running into a bucket..

 

[BrownThumb]

How about another solution? Try watering the perfect amount with blumats... I grow in a cramped closet and was having trouble with water flowing down the side of pot and pooling in my tray. Then I tried the 'blumat junior' which is a self-watering device that uses a passive reservoir. It's sort of a ceramic cone that siphons water from a reservoir (I use a bottle) into your plant pot when used correctly. I paid about 20 bucks for three of them at a garden store, but you can get them online...just search for 'blumat'. Basically, you buy as many blumats as you have pots, follow the instructions and the plants growth takes off. I had a indica/sativa blend grow much faster after I added the blumats in the fifth week of flower. I was spending a lot of time taking care with my watering before. These things were a real improvement for me.

Or you can get those 3 packs of hydro spikes at Home Depot for 14.95. Same deal and a good idea.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Lots of folks use the Bucket Head from Home Depot. Mini shop vac that snaps to the top of a 5-gal bucket.

Not super quiet though... as are no shopvacs/vacuums

I'm planning to attach a grommet and 1/2" line ran to a drain so that the bucket can continually run empty as the shopvacs fills it with run-off water.

I'll save you the trouble of fighting physics and tell you to not bother trying.

The same suction that fills the bucket will prevent any water from exiting the drain.

Stay Safe!

 

[vertigo0007]

Huh. Ive used an old beat up shop vac fhat leaked out the bottom.

You can use a fuel tank siphon pump. Its an orange sqeeze bulb with 1 rigid down pipe and 1 flexible side/down pipe. Stick the rigid end in the runoff amd the flexi end in your drain bucket, commence squeezing.

 

[They]

Maybe someone can chime in about watering with wicks. I've not used them, but maybe instead of removing excess water, it can just be added when needed? Turn the problem on its head so to speak.

 

[RubeGoldberg]

I grabbed a mini wet/dry shop vac from wally world for about 34 CAD, I modified it with some PVC pipe so i can suck up all the runoff from the floor after waterings.

 

[RubeGoldberg]

Maybe someone can chime in about watering with wicks. I've not used them, but maybe instead of removing excess water, it can just be added when needed? Turn the problem on its head so to speak.

that runs the risk of excess salt buildup in the growing medium if not done right. Run-Off is preferable if using soil/soilless with synthetic nutrients.

 

[vertigo0007]

that runs the risk of excess salt buildup in the growing medium if not done right. Run-Off is preferable if using soil/soilless with synthetic nutrients.

Yes exactly what he said

 

[teemu shalanie]

shop vac , grew with guys who cried about having to do this , guess manual labor isnt for everyone, lol
TS

 

[motajardinero]

you can also use a water cannon type water gun with a vinyl hose from home depot clamed to the nozzle so you can reach farther. use one of those new reusable bendable die down thingies to add rigidity to the vinyl hose by wrapping it around the hose. it works like a big syringe. way quicker and easier than a fuel transfer pump and way less hassle to clean than a shop vac.

 

[They]

that runs the risk of excess salt buildup in the growing medium if not done right. Run-Off is preferable if using soil/soilless with synthetic nutrients.

Forgot it was DTW. Would be great for organics, I'll tuck this away somewhere.

 

[LeeROI]

Along the same line of thought as motaj, a manual bilge pump.

 

[medicalmj]

On the shop vac tip, I love my BUCKET HEAD from Home Depot. 19.99 fits on any 5 gal bucket. I use it to change res from my hydro and suck up the excess in tray on my "coco-ton " top feed experiments.

 

[cody2white]

Just pick up an aquarium cleaner hand pump. Mine is almost 5' long for 10 bucks. Or just learn to water just enough so you dont have ta worry about runoff.

 

[Highsenburg831]

This is what I use