WaterCatch System

[nick barta]

I would like to acknowledge Dan (SilverDusk) for inspiring this WaterCatch System. Upon contacting Dan to get his OK to take his original idea and to develop it, I got an enthusiastic "Go for it!" Over the last month I have tried acrylic and metal, and found them unacceptable in cost for materials, and the amount of time it took for construction. The following was the criteria for what I wanted the system to accomplish:
1) Inexpensive-my target was to be under $50.00 per 2 by 2 cage for cost.
2) Low profile-wanted the unit to not look bulky or trashy.
3) Floor and furniture protection-all my previous plastic bins did a poor job.
4) Ability to handle water on all parts of the floor of the cage-not just the center drain.
5) Flexibility to use a plant to bow the floor, but also the ability to support several heavy plants on a flat floor.
6) Easy removal of the collection tray for cleaning
7) Big enough hose from the tray into the collection bucket to not clog and flood the room. Oh yeah-it happened!
8) Light weight to reduce shipping costs.

Here is the description of the basics of the WaterCatch System:
1) There are 2 parts, the wood frame (31"L x 29"D x 5"H), which is built to hold the 2' x 2' screen cage. Any smaller cage (18" x 18", 20" x 20") will be able to use this system as well. The second part of the system is is a drain pan that fits under the wood frame, and has a port and hose to drain the water into a collection container, I use 5 gallon buckets.
2) The cage itself sits on 3 movable 1" x 2" wood slats.
3) All the wood has been water-proofed with Spar Polyurethane.
4) The collection pan is about 1 inch bigger than the 2' x 2' cages (which are actually 23-3/4" Wide by 23" Deep). This not only helps collect spatter and drips around the bottom of the cage, but feeders can't climb the side of the plastic tray, so you can capture your escapees and return them to your Cham for a snack!
5) There are 2 side bottom rails so that you can use the WaterCatch system even on narrow dressers, desks, or tables your Cage is on now.
6) To install, lift the cage up, place the unit under the cage, put the cage on the slats, stick the hose in a collection bucket.
7) I am changing the port/hose location to lower the outflow so that less water will stay in the tray. The port will be installed for you, all you have to do is screw on the garden hose (provided).

TIME FOR THE PICTURES!

Comments appreciated!!

I will post an ad in the Miscellaneous Classifieds.

 

[Syn]

Wouldn't it take quite a bit of water before any got into the house? Looks like the hose is awkwardly placed at this angle.

 

[RSGriff]

nice use of FRP. Ive been thinking about doing something similar with some pieces left over from work.

 

[nick barta]

Wouldn't it take quite a bit of water before any got into the house? Looks like the hose is awkwardly placed at this angle.

I water 6 cages for a total of 40 minutes a day with my misting system. That equates to 12 to 14 GALLONS of water a week. Since I am not home all the time, I can't afford a leak or plugged hose, believe me, I speak from experience on this.

Not sure what you mean on the angle of the hose, it comes straight out, bends in a gentle 90 degrees, and goes into the 5 gallon bucket.

Nick

 

[nick barta]

nice use of FRP. Ive been thinking about doing something similar with some pieces left over from work.

It all starts with the size of your cage, and the size of your collection tray!! Good Luck!

Nick

 

[Syn]

I water 6 cages for a total of 40 minutes a day with my misting system. That equates to 12 to 14 GALLONS of water a week. Since I am not home all the time, I can't afford a leak or plugged hose, believe me, I speak from experience on this.

Not sure what you mean on the angle of the hose, it comes straight out, bends in a gentle 90 degrees, and goes into the 5 gallon bucket.

Nick

That's my point.. wouldn't it have to be filled up enough to get to the hose? It's hard to see, sorry lol.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, to be fully effective, wouldn't there need to be a funnel down to the hose to make sure all of the water gets in?

 

[nick barta]

That's my point.. wouldn't it have to be filled up enough to get to the hose? It's hard to see, sorry lol.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, to be fully effective, wouldn't there need to be a funnel down to the hose to make sure all of the water gets in?

Now I see what you are saying...The white neck on the port will be cut shorter, and the port sits as close to the bottom of the tray as possible so that almost all the water will exit through the hose (Point#7 above).

Nick

 

[Pure]

I like this I really do, but is there no way to attach the hose to the bottom of the pan? Make it more of a drain setup. This would solve the issues of what Syn brought up and it would allow you to run the hose straight down under the cage and into a bucket (under the cage). I think it would be easier to conceal your drainage setup like this. As it is now, you have a hose and a bucket sticking out the side of it.

 

[nick barta]

I like this I really do, but is there no way to attach the hose to the bottom of the pan? Make it more of a drain setup. This would solve the issues of what Syn brought up and it would allow you to run the hose straight down under the cage and into a bucket (under the cage). I think it would be easier to conceal your drainage setup like this. As it is now, you have a hose and a bucket sticking out the side of it.

Shannon,

Absolutely you can place the port where ever you want. On my cages, I put it in the bottom on some of them. If you want to get it in place and figure out exactly where you want it in the bottom, I will just send the port and not install it.

Another option is to stick the bucket and drain hose out the back or side.

Nick

 

[Syn]

Now I see what you are saying...The white neck on the port will be cut shorter, and the port sits as close to the bottom of the tray as possible so that almost all the water will exit through the hose (Point#7 above).

Nick

Gotcha! Awesome.

 

[summoner12]

4) The collection pan is about 1 inch bigger than the 2' x 2' cages (which are actually 23-3/4" Wide by 23" Deep). This not only helps collect spatter and drips around the bottom of the cage, but feeders can't climb the side of the plastic tray, so you can capture your escapees and return them to your Cham for a snack!

I don't know if you want to return feeders to your chams that have fallen into water run off from the cages.

But it is a really cool drainage system and it looks like it functions really well.

I am working on a drainage system at the moment. but I don't think it'll be for sale though hehe. I am aiming for a single collection pan/tank and having a pump remove the water when it is full. I plan to have it tied into my watering/lighting automation system but I get scared when I think 'what if the pump doesn't empty the tank?' The reason I want this type of system is that my RO is connected to the house water supply..... so if something fails I need to remove that water before it floods the place... lets just hope the pump doesn't fail with the RO LOL.

 

[nick barta]

I don't know if you want to return feeders to your chams that have fallen into water run off from the cages.

But it is a really cool drainage system and it looks like it functions really well.

I am working on a drainage system at the moment. but I don't think it'll be for sale though hehe. I am aiming for a single collection pan/tank and having a pump remove the water when it is full. I plan to have it tied into my watering/lighting automation system but I get scared when I think 'what if the pump doesn't empty the tank?' The reason I want this type of system is that my RO is connected to the house water supply..... so if something fails I need to remove that water before it floods the place... lets just hope the pump doesn't fail with the RO LOL.

Because the collection tray is at a steep angle, there is only water at the downhill end. This keeps at least the "smarter " bugs alive. I dumped 12 gallons of water this morning and only 2 (obviously inbred) crickets were dead in the water. It's just like a boat ramp; if they fall in, thy can climb out.
Thanks for the look McGiver!!

 

[SYeretzian]

I did the same as you but only have one cage to worry about so I did not run a drainage hose from the pan to a bucket. I just remove and dump the water at the end of the day. I used redwood for the cage stand and did not seal it.

 

[summoner12]

Because the collection tray is at a steep angle, there is only water at the downhill end. This keeps at least the "smarter " bugs alive. I dumped 12 gallons of water this morning and only 2 (obviously inbred) crickets were dead in the water. It's just like a boat ramp; if they fall in, thy can climb out.
Thanks for the look McGiver!!

lol no prob.

what i mean about the water is that if you keep WC and any of them have parasites... the parasites will be in the water.. so feeding an animal food items that have come into contact with waste water isn't a good idea.

I am saying this more for those who are a bit new and as a reminder. You can cross contaminate is all I am saying.

 

[Pure]

Shannon,

Absolutely you can place the port where ever you want. On my cages, I put it in the bottom on some of them. If you want to get it in place and figure out exactly where you want it in the bottom, I will just send the port and not install it.

Another option is to stick the bucket and drain hose out the back or side.

Nick

Ah, yes that makes sense.