The Greenhouse floor project moves ahead.

[Dollythehun]

Bucket: should have a lid on top. Cut out the bottom of the bucket. Set bucket in ground, Install 2" gravel or rock. Cut a hole in the lid for a drain fixture. Back fill. Before you put the lid with drain on top, put on a piece of landscape fabric , then drain top. This will keep the silt from plugging up the gravel in the bucket. Per the Chief.

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Bucket: should have a lid on top. Cut out the bottom of the bucket. Set bucket in ground, Install 2" gravel or rock. Cut a hole in the lid for a drain fixture. Back fill. Before you put the lid with drain on top, put on a piece of landscape fabric , then drain top. This will keep the silt from plugging up the gravel in the bucket. Per the Chief.

Would the best place to place this be in the center of the greenhouse? On the sides? Should there be a bunch of smaller ones or is one big one good enough? Ideally I would get a square one so it isn’t awkward with the pavers I have. How deep should I dig it? A few feet?

---------- Post added at 05:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:18 PM ----------

The other good thing about having landscape fabric under the grate is it will keep out insects.

[estación seca]

Whatever you do, make sure the inside of the greenhouse drains to the outside, so water never accumulates inside the foundation walls. Using gravel to create a reservoir you can walk on is not a good solution. You need to do more thinking before moving ahead. You are going to require a drain pipe or channel that extends downhill from your greenhouse and terminates below your clay level. It is possible you require an electric sump pump.

I guarantee if you arrange something without good drainage you will attract a 100-year flood.

[Dollythehun]

I agree with ES, that you need to do a little more planning. I don't remember how much water you're putting down when you water your orchids, but this was the method I used in my large greenhouse. Except I have sandy soil and I used a half of a 55 gallon drum. So the drainage was good. But toward the end of the life cycle of the greenhouse, my barrel occasionally became plugged. If that amount of water is so large that it will overwhelm your drain and not percolate through the clay soil, then ES is right you will have quite a flood. We placed our drain toward the end of the greenhouse away from the front door.

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I agree with ES, that you need to do a little more planning. I don't remember how much water you're putting down when you water your orchids, but this was the method I used in my large greenhouse. Except I have sandy soil and I used a half of a 55 gallon drum. So the drainage was good. But toward the end of the life cycle of the greenhouse, my barrel occasionally became plugged. If that amount of water is so large that it will overwhelm your drain and not percolate through the clay soil, then ES is right you will have quite a flood. We placed our drain toward the end of the greenhouse away from the front door.

Give or take a few gallons, It is about 9 gallons of water that I water with per week.

Unfortunately, I kind of have to start work now as I already have the materials and the weather is already changing. The water does drain to a degree already, it could be better though

[Dollythehun]

In a week. I'd think you'd be ok.

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

In a week. I'd think you'd be ok.

I could probably sneak a small drainage pipe under one of the back corners to be safe. That would at least carry the water at least a little bit away from the structure. The grade in the yard is already a bit that direction anyway. I could then try to grade my pavers ever so slightly so that water runs towards the drain.

How would I do this? Would this be done during the screeding step? Would the water just end up between the pavers and not run over the top of them to the drain even if they are graded?

I am also not sure though how I would get water to drain from outside the greenhouse though since this pipe would be buried and water tends to just run over the top of our yard. I guess I would just have to make a deep gravel filled pit and expect it to possibly overflow which wouldn't be too much of an issue. That said, I don't want anything that could be used by mosquitoes

I definitely don't have the infrastructure for an electric sump though.

[Dollythehun]

Could you insert a pipe into the bucket bottom?

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Could you insert a pipe into the bucket bottom?

I think it might be too difficult to run pipes along the bottom of a buried 5-gallon bucket. That would mean I would have to dig very deep trenches I would think.

[DirtyCoconuts]

make an exit point on the lowest place you can get to in the greenhouse and based on the yards grade- put the outflow pipe there. then use the layers you have to build the floor and gravity will take the water out of the lowest point.

if you cannot put an outpipe what would do is find the lowest place you have currently and dig a deep hole. i would go 3'. place a 5 gallon bucket in the hole with 50 holes in it and fill everything with gravel. this will be the dry well. it will allow the floor to drain inside the greenhouse, it is not as good bc a torrential rain will overflow it but that will not happen too often.

the drain to outside is better but this would do