Drainage system prototype

I am trying to make a clean, super efficient drainage system for Trogdor's new enclosure.

Here is my current prototype



it consists of 3 parts:
1. 5" stand with an open front for easy access to a drainage container
2. 2" reverse pyramid funnel to centralize water into a smaller drainage container.
3. 1/4" thick cage floor cross beams able to hold up a plant, will be screened.

My current challenges are
1. making it a cheaper design
2. making a more efficient design

I plan take my final designs to my local plastics shop to get a quote on fabricating these parts. I might make the stand out of wood to save costs but my big expense is going to be the funnel.

If anyone has any better ideas for a drainage funnel that will centralize the water into a smaller area with less cuts and fabrication that would be awesome. of course any feedback and help would be greatly appreciated.

I like the idea very much. I am interested to see the price quote, if it's not too expensive I will definitely try to use the same type of design for my cages. Nicely done.

If they price it for more that 75 bux i can make a better deal. Dont mean to brag but i have had a lot of prototypes of my own and i feel i have it down to a "T" but your prototype looks great. Just have to figure out which type of plastic you are going to use.

Well please share other ideas because I'm not married to this one idea this is just what Ive been able to come up with so far. My experience is limited so that's why I'm leanng n the knowledge here to see if this Can be done better

You could also have two parallel crossbars in the middle, around 4 to 6 inches apart. This way you could have a single drainage hole in the middle of the base and also allow the plant to drain well. When I had fewer cages, I had a very similar idea in mind but didn't go through with it because the funnel design was a pain (and I needed to make something quickly).

Yeah that would be a better way do do the floor section, i'm sure my floor design isn't the most structurally sound.

Another thing, the funnel plastic will probably only be 1/4" thick, I dont' know why I mocked it up at 1/2".

I made something very similar for my recent cage. Expect pics later. But I didn't do the pyramid. Honestly it isn't needed. You just have to make a lip around the drain base that won't leak. I made mine out of sealed 1x2s and used caulk around the base edges. What I find that is if you mist enough for it to need to drain, the water usually will find it's way to the center holes. Once it does surface tension will pull most of the water down the drain. What little doesn't go down the drain evaporates and actually helps with humidity. I made my drain base where it could slide out for easy cleaning.

Pure, how large is your enclosure? Then size modeled above is a 16x16x20, and the problem I was having was that the plant because of it's size, isn't heavy enough to force the water towards the center. The water might move towards the center but even after sanding the drain hole edges the water doesn't have enough weight to drain out.

I might try just having the stand and use the hole design first and see how much excess water I actually might have. It might work fine without the need for the funnel, I just worry i'm going to come home and Trogdor is splashing around through the puddles, because he would do that just to spite me

In case you need this

https://www.chameleonforums.com/if-you-need-simple-26502/ it really does work, look at the latest design i did for HP and ill post pix of dodolahs 3teir one soon i have been swamped with work family and everything else, but ill get those pictures really soon.

It's 30/30/48.

If the water isn't going out of the holes then you need bigger holes. I'm not sure of the exact size of the holes I drilled but I can tell you they are about as big around as your standard deck screw, the threaded part. They are a little on the large size, but I cup feed and even still my crickets and etc etc are too large to fit through the holes..eh if they ever do they will meet a watery demise.

edit: I just went to take pics..My digi's battery is dead, so pics may have to wait until later tonight. I'll make my own thread.

edit x2:

I might try just having the stand and use the hole design first and see how much excess water I actually might have. It might work fine without the need for the funnel, I just worry i'm going to come home and Trogdor is splashing around through the puddles, because he would do that just to spite me

Click to expand...

On the part you build with the cross sections over the funnel, attach large holed hardware cloth to keep him out of there. I used the same plastic stuff I used on my melleri cage.The holes are 1/2 inch. Large enough to allow poop and what not through but small enough to keep him in. Again I'm not too concerned about feeders getting down there. When they do they will just be removed and put back in a cup.

WOW I could use one of these for Sancho's cage send me a price. 24x24

here is what the current holes look like



the holes in the middle are like 3/4" in size, and I was still having problems with the water exiting so I drill surrounding smaller holes.

What are the black things?

I dunno man. I havn't had any issues with it being flat.

I'm just going to get this thing running and see what happens without the funnel. the black things are coasters that you put under your furniture legs so they don't scratch up hardwood. I was using them to elevate the plant a little.

That's what I thought they were. I'll be very interested in how much this would cost. I can build something like this but it would be cool to have a molded plastic version.

Nice design work. In your original post you talked about screen on the bottom for the poop to fall throughwhich is a nightmare to clean. I see your last pics show a white board-better choice.

To get the water to go down the holes, you can have a wood or metal bar across the cage under the white board. and screw through the whiteboard in the middle and down through into the wood or metal bar. This will lower the center of the whiteboard, so water will flow out.

Also, holes less than 1 inch don't drain very well, the tension of the water over the hole will seal smaller holes. My drain hole is 4 inches, and I hot glued plastic mesh on the bottom of my 4 inch hole in my whiteboard to keep feeders in.

Nick

Then I must not be having issues with it because my holes are through that board that makes for a really rough hole. It must break the tension cause seriously it drains fine.

Very nice design, it well work great.

Pure said:

That's what I thought they were. I'll be very interested in how much this would cost. I can build something like this but it would be cool to have a molded plastic version.

Click to expand...

I have talked to TapPlastics before about the stand and what they do is instead of molding or cutting they can bend the plastic to any angle I need. So basically the stand will be two different pieces: outside and inside. the outside is 1/4" thick 5" tall and the inside is 1/2" 4" tall.

I'm going to get a quote for the stand tomorrow. d

Yeah poop on the screen would suck. I'm gonna just try the drilled method before I go ahead with the funnel design. I like the idea of screwing the center in to a lower piece of a wood frame to make it bend down.

Hopefully I can get that stuff done this weekend so I can start adding furniture and the mist king system.

thanks guys

lose the upside down pyramide and drill a hole in the pvc on normal lll cages...them buy a 5 dollar funnel and glue it on the bottom where the hole was drilled and put a plant on a several inch stand ontop of the hole...the plant will for its own dent in the floor from its weight and all the water will collect in the center where you hole/funnel is...them put a plastic tub underneather and clean ecec water every week or so on the cage floor.