DTW tray

Can anyone recommend me what is best to do with DTW tray... Or maybe some better options for bigger yield (maybe flood and drain?). I bought 100x100x10 cm tray, growing in 8L coco. Drip fed from reservoir from above 2-3x per day. I have copied @Prawn Connery setup with pot into pot, but silicone and hoses are leaking when moving pots around so I am sick of this troubles now. So I bought tray. This way no hoses as tray will hold run off.

I want slighty tilt it with some wood pieces under one side, so it will drain down under into the bucket which I will empty by hands. But, here we are again with silicone thing. Little scared that I will fail and tray will be damaged.

So... please discuss. What is + and what is -.

I would have said to ditch the tray and use plastic roofing instead. Since you got the tray, might as well use it. Heres a dtw table I built a few weeks ago. Hopefully it sparks some ideas for you.
I plan on replacing that drain to the bucket thoug. Ill add new gutter and then drill a hole in it and add tubing to another bigger runoff catch tray and that will be pumped off to the sink. Carrying buckets and what not is a pain in the ass after awhile. I got no floor drain and plan to install one in the near future.

KonopCh said:

Can anyone recommend me what is best to do with DTW tray... Or maybe some better options for bigger yield (maybe flood and drain?). I bought 100x100x10 cm tray, growing in 8L coco. Drip fed from reservoir from above 2-3x per day. I have copied @Prawn Connery setup with pot into pot, but silicone and hoses are leaking when moving pots around so I am sick of this troubles now. So I bought tray. This way no hoses as tray will hold run off.

I want slighty tilt it with some wood pieces under one side, so it will drain down under into the bucket which I will empty by hands. But, here we are again with silicone thing. Little scared that I will fail and tray will be damaged.

So... please discuss. What is + and what is -.

Click to expand...

Hey mate, sorry to hear about the leaks. There are a couple of things that will cause it.

The first is if you drill the holes in your catch pots too large, the rubber grommet can't seal properly - it has to be very tight. The hole in the pot/bucket should actually be the same diameter as the plastic elbow that goes into the grommet. This means the hole will be smaller than the outside diameter of the grommet, as the grommet will squeeze into it.

The second reason for leaks is when the grommet is old and the rubber becomes hard. You need to replace the grommets when this happens.



So the holes in the pot/bucket should be the same diameter as the pipe above - not including the barb (the piece that flares out at the end). It should be very difficult to push the grommet into the hole, and even harder to push the plastic pipe into the grommet. Sometimes a bit of dishwashing liquid or soap can help as lubricant. Once the barb gets past the hole in the bucket, it is easier to push in, but it is the barb that flares the grommet and causes it to seal and prevent leaks.

I hope at least that helps you in the short term. If you have made the hole too big, then go to a larger sized grommet and pipe/elbow. The next size up from 13mm (1/2") should be 19mm (3/4"). If done properly, it will seal - I promise!

KonopCh said:

Can anyone recommend me what is best to do with DTW tray... Or maybe some better options for bigger yield (maybe flood and drain?). I bought 100x100x10 cm tray, growing in 8L coco. Drip fed from reservoir from above 2-3x per day. I have copied @Prawn Connery setup with pot into pot, but silicone and hoses are leaking when moving pots around so I am sick of this troubles now. So I bought tray. This way no hoses as tray will hold run off.

I want slighty tilt it with some wood pieces under one side, so it will drain down under into the bucket which I will empty by hands. But, here we are again with silicone thing. Little scared that I will fail and tray will be damaged.

So... please discuss. What is + and what is -.

Click to expand...

When I used a flood table. I just had a pipe, runoff to my garlic beds outside. As u, would love to know same, for I want to start fully automatic feeds. Top drip, and use runoff for other plants. Have u tried florex? Blumatts? Here for ur journey pal.

Prawn Connery said:

Hey mate, sorry to hear about the leaks. There are a couple of things that will cause it.

The first is if you drill the holes in your catch pots too large, the rubber grommet can't seal properly - it has to be very tight. The hole in the pot/bucket should actually be the same diameter as the plastic elbow that goes into the grommet. This means the hole will be smaller than the outside diameter of the grommet, as the grommet will squeeze into it.

The second reason for leaks is when the grommet is old and the rubber becomes hard. You need to replace the grommets when this happens.

View attachment 4341743

So the holes in the pot/bucket should be the same diameter as the pipe above - not including the barb (the piece that flares out at the end). It should be very difficult to push the grommet into the hole, and even harder to push the plastic pipe into the grommet. Sometimes a bit of dishwashing liquid or soap can help as lubricant. Once the barb gets past the hole in the bucket, it is easier to push in, but it is the barb that flares the grommet and causes it to seal and prevent leaks.

I hope at least that helps you in the short term. If you have made the hole too big, then go to a larger sized grommet and pipe/elbow. The next size up from 13mm (1/2") should be 19mm (3/4"). If done properly, it will seal - I promise!

View attachment 4341744

Click to expand...

Send me link for these pots if u can Fam.

gamestwin said:

Send me link for these pots if u can Fam.

Click to expand...

Mate, I just pulled that photo off the internet to show what I was talking about - lol!

My drain-to-waste goes straight out into the garden. Nothing "wasted".

PVC example.
Tilt with longer legs in the back.
I have a second set of longer tall boy legs.

This was before I connected drain line.

Thank you everyone for fast and kind response!

@Thegermling that's really nice DIY, too bad I didn't think about it before. Those trays and all you can buy in growshops is really overpriced stuff. Great job!

@gamestwin yea, I've heard about them. I don't like blumats. I had autopots before but I didn't like them too as many things can go wrong (salt buildup main reason, also flooding, too many hoses and holes and valves...). So I have simply two sprinkles in each pot and pump in the reservoir. No cloging, no flooding, no troubles. And cheap too!!

@Prawn Connery Yea, I drilled little big holes, tried fixing with silicone but it doesn't hold much because pots are wet and when moving them it causes to leak drop by drop. Your setup is great, did work for me for one year, but as I said I need more safe solution with tray and without hoses.

@TintEastwood can you show picture of drain line please? Did you use any silicone?

Anyhow... guys, is there any benefits to try flood and drain instead of DTW? I hand water first 3-4 weeks anyway, so I can erase this benefit in comparision.

KonopCh said:

Thank you everyone for fast and kind response!

@Thegermling that's really nice DIY, too bad I didn't think about it before. Those trays and all you can buy in growshops is really overpriced stuff. Great job!

@gamestwin yea, I've heard about them. I don't like blumats. I had autopots before but I didn't like them too as many things can go wrong (salt buildup main reason, also flooding, too many hoses and holes and valves...). So I have simply two sprinkles in each pot and pump in the reservoir. No cloging, no flooding, no troubles. And cheap too!!

@Prawn Connery Yea, I drilled little big holes, tried fixing with silicone but it doesn't hold much because pots are wet and when moving them it causes to leak drop by drop. Your setup is great, did work for me for one year, but as I said I need more safe solution with tray and without hoses.

@TintEastwood can you show picture of drain line please? Did you use any silicone?

Anyhow... guys, is there any benefits to try flood and drain instead of DTW? I hand water first 3-4 weeks anyway, so I can erase this benefit in comparision.

Click to expand...

Nice .. Eye feel where u Coming from. Flood and drain, works well for me, mainly due to style of grow. And eye grow ERRTHANG in Coco, so the constant, pull of oxygen to them Coco roots, gives me a wild growth rate, vs hand watering, which eye done for many moons. I'm a old Wolf now, so gotta save some spine for the bedroom . Gonna stay glued to this, due to eye wanna go full automated, and debating in my heavily OCD mind, which way to go. Dtw is that recirculating the feed? Once it drains(flood n drain), it feeds other plants, cut with more h20 , normally feeding twice, once when, light come on, and hour or half hour before lights out.
Peace

gamestwin said:

Nice .. Eye feel where u Coming from. Flood and drain, works well for me, mainly due to style of grow. And eye grow ERRTHANG in Coco, so the constant, pull of oxygen to them Coco roots, gives me a wild growth rate, vs hand watering, which eye done for many moons. I'm a old Wolf now, so gotta save some spine for the bedroom . Gonna stay glued to this, due to eye wanna go full automated, and debating in my heavily OCD mind, which way to go. Dtw is that recirculating the feed? Once it drains(flood n drain), it feeds other plants, cut with more h20 , normally feeding twice, once when, light come on, and hour or half hour before lights out.
Peace

Click to expand...

DTW is not recirculated. If you consider automation, go with flora flex manifolds and their drip tubing. Ive been running that system for over a year now with no problems. I too considered auto pots and blumats but too many mixed reviews so I went with diy drip. Im glad I did.

No silicone. Many options. pic of a few off amazon similar to what I'm using. The plastic addon filter dealio is a loser for me....leaves way more water in drain tray.

Note. The green hose is a tight slip-fit. Allowing me to disconnect it if needed. Not recommended...just what Im doing on my lil farm.

Thegermling said:

I would have said to ditch the tray and use plastic roofing instead. Since you got the tray, might as well use it. Heres a dtw table I built a few weeks ago. Hopefully it sparks some ideas for you.
View attachment 4341740 View attachment 4341741 I plan on replacing that drain to the bucket thoug. Ill add new gutter and then drill a hole in it and add tubing to another bigger runoff catch tray and that will be pumped off to the sink. Carrying buckets and what not is a pain in the ass after awhile. I got no floor drain and plan to install one in the near future.

Click to expand...

Love this idea bro. I might borrow it in the very near future. Its been quite a battle trying to buy flood tables around here , online i can get them easily, but having them shipped here its expensive.

So i may just make my own for now and this seems like a real nice solution. Im in coco and am setting up automated drip. I will be using either pvc manifold or the floraflex multi like you mentioned above. Havent decided yet.

I am fortunate enough to have roughed in plumbing in the room(basement floor), I will connect my drain to that and run the waste directly out the plumbing and out of the house. Just need to figure out which way i want to automate and how to make the tables.

diggs99 said:

Love this idea bro. I might borrow it in the very near future. Its been quite a battle trying to buy flood tables around here , online i can get them easily, but having them shipped here its expensive.

So i may just make my own for now and this seems like a real nice solution. Im in coco and am setting up automated drip. I will be using either pvc manifold or the floraflex multi like you mentioned above. Havent decided yet.

I am fortunate enough to have roughed in plumbing in the room(basement floor), I will connect my drain to that and run the waste directly out the plumbing and out of the house. Just need to figure out which way i want to automate and how to make the tables.

Click to expand...

I’ll send you pics of the table underneath and things I wish I did and plan on doing to build my next table for my flower tent. I’m busy right now but I’ll send them here today

Thegermling said:

I’ll send you pics of the table underneath and things I wish I did and plan on doing to build my next table for my flower tent. I’m busy right now but I’ll send them here today

Click to expand...

That would be great bud, thanks!

KonopCh said:

Anyhow... guys, is there any benefits to try flood and drain instead of DTW?

Click to expand...

Well you don't go through as much water and nutrients with flood and drain. No emitters to clog.

I think another good way to go is a flood and drain system using a tray with a cover, drill holes for small net pots, pot clones with a little rinsed hydroton and let the roots grow out and fill the tray under the cover. This eliminates any possibility of them getting rootbound. Plenty of air to the roots between floods. You can toss a coco mat in the bottom of the tray and the roots will love it.

diggs99 said:

That would be great bud, thanks!

Click to expand...

Ok now the main design I built the table around was from a guy on IG called "the978grower." After testing my version I felt there were a couple flaws.
On the 978 growers version the legs are almost none existent (theres also no middle leg but I added it in haha). Theyre really short but I wanted them long on my version. Also, make sure to make the back the tallest and the one in the middle 1/2" shorter and so on.
That led to the C shaped supports really wobbly. When you connect the roofing the build becomes really stable but I reinforced the wobbly legs with l brackets as you can see in the pics. That made it much more sturdy.
Also, can you see the pots shadows? If I used this table for heavier pots then I think it would cave. Its good for light pots in veg tent. I plan on adding pressure treated plywood to the top and then screw in the roofing in the flower tent. Also, if you decide to build this use all pressure treated or seal your wood.
You can see the tin roofing screws (make sure they have rubber washers and are corrosion resistant) sitting in water and its not pouring through screw.
Another shot of the bottom.

You have to drill 1/2" holes at the end so the water falls through. If you dont the water can start driping from the bottom and it will fall onto the floor.

If you can find roofing that doesnt require slicing a thin sheet in half buy that one. I used a slim long one and had to silicone all the seems all the length of the table. If you dont silicone water will get in there and you could get mold growth.
Also, I agree with not using emitters in drip systems (unless using ones like canna). Ive been running megacrop which has alot of organics on open drip tubes and no clogs yet. I run perpetual and havent cleaned the lines since I installed the damn drip. Im planning on cleaning it this summer once the flower tent is empty.

Look how dirty the inside of the bubbler is and no clogging. Ive cleaned this part like 3 times since one year.

Thegermling said:

Ok now the main design I built the table around was from a guy on IG called "the978grower." After testing my version I felt there were a couple flaws.
View attachment 4344689 On the 978 growers version the legs are almost none existent (theres also no middle leg but I added it in haha). Theyre really short but I wanted them long on my version. Also, make sure to make the back the tallest and the one in the middle 1/2" shorter and so on.
That led to the C shaped supports really wobbly. When you connect the roofing the build becomes really stable but I reinforced the wobbly legs with l brackets as you can see in the pics. That made it much more sturdy.
Also, can you see the pots shadows? If I used this table for heavier pots then I think it would cave. Its good for light pots in veg tent. I plan on adding pressure treated plywood to the top and then screw in the roofing in the flower tent. Also, if you decide to build this use all pressure treated or seal your wood.
View attachment 4344691 View attachment 4344693 You can see the tin roofing screws (make sure they have rubber washers and are corrosion resistant) sitting in water and its not pouring through screw.View attachment 4344695
Another shot of the bottom.
View attachment 4344697
You have to drill 1/2" holes at the end so the water falls through. If you dont the water can start driping from the bottom and it will fall onto the floor.
View attachment 4344699
If you can find roofing that doesnt require slicing a thin sheet in half buy that one. I used a slim long one and had to silicone all the seems all the length of the table. If you dont silicone water will get in there and you could get mold growth.
Also, I agree with not using emitters in drip systems (unless using ones like canna). Ive been running megacrop which has alot of organics on open drip tubes and no clogs yet. I run perpetual and havent cleaned the lines since I installed the damn drip. Im planning on cleaning it this summer once the flower tent is empty.
View attachment 4344702 View attachment 4344704
Look how dirty the inside of the bubbler is and no clogging. Ive cleaned this part like 3 times since one year.
View attachment 4344706

Click to expand...

Thanks very much for this detailed write up bud. Im gonna go back and read it a few more times, im sure ill be back with questions lol.

My tables will have bottoms , so the roofing can sit sturdy on it. I was thinking of running a channel with the roofing down the middle where all the pots will sit, create sides to the roofing and have it all flow down the channel towards my floor drain/plumbing which would be connected to the gutter on the end.

This is a 4x4 tray in a 4x4 tent.
3/4" PVC 5 legged frame, higher in the back than the center or front legs.
I pump the waste from the 2'x2.75'x6" tray under the large tray to a drain in another room.
Easy p-easy!