LLL Drain Pan not Draining :(

[zombiepixel]

it will drain a lot of the water but there is still a lot in the pan. I have it angled up in the back probably close to 1.5". Should I raise it up more? Because my cage and furniture is so heavy I worry that the drain pan might buckle from the weight if it's at too much of an angle.

HALP!!

It would be cool to see pics from other folks using the same pan type.

 

[nickers1210]

can you angle the pan slightly?

 

[GoFast]

A little water in the bottom isn't a terrible thing in my opinion.

Putting a bit of an angle towards the front won't cause it to buckle. If the drain hole is 2mm above the very bottom, then you can expect 2mm of standing water.

This is why I set my drain in the center of the bottom. This way, my plant(s) put enough weight in the center creating a natural and slight bow. The drain hole is at the lowest point and all the water drains.

 

[summoner12]

Lower the rear a tad.. to like .75" and than put something under the middle of the pan that is just big enough to add support if the middle is bowing. I didn't have any issues with mine though, and I only used a rear support and lifted the back about .5-.75".

I would suggest next time put the fitting in the corner.... that way you can tilt the rear and then the front corner just a tad opposite the fitting. This makes less area for the water to pool.

 

[zombiepixel]

Will do, I have support underneath at the center but I bet it isn't enough to keep it from bowing.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

You may require support over a large portion of the bottom if there is any bowing occuring. Maybe a piece of plywood or something similar that can spread the load more evenly would help. My drain pans each sit on top of a round "Lazy Susan" that supports about 50%-70% of the drain pan bottom. The enite weight of everything just happens to make the Lazy Susan tip slightly to the left rear corner where the drain line is attached.

(An old photo from about 5 yrs ago...)

 

[buddhacham]

I drilled my hole directly in the middle like Dave Weldon that already posted a picture. Works very well.
You could do that very easily because of the shelving you're using. I've actually seen people with that kind of shelving have the cage standing directly on the shelf with just a drip pan on the shelf below.

Edit--Dave said he drilled in the corner. Sorry, I meant to write that I drilled into the bottom of the pan like Dave did. As long as the hole is in the bottom, and the water has begun draining through, the cohesion will allow for the entire pool of water to drain. Essentially, it doesn't matter where the hole is. Even if the water doesn't begin to drain until the entire pan has some water in it, it's okay because as soon as it starts draining, it will be able drain all, if not most of the water (assuming the pan is level)

 

[summoner12]

I drilled my hole directly in the middle like Dave Weldon that already posted a picture. Works very well.

He said he drilled in a corner...

The enite weight of everything just happens to make the Lazy Susan tip slightly to the left rear corner where the drain line is attached.