IWS AutoDrain System — Standard Pipe / Large Trays — Automatic Runoff Removal for Hand-Watering Growers
Best for: Hand-watering growers who want to stop plants sitting in stagnant water without ditching manual feeding control
Our thoughts
This is the smart way to automate drainage without automating the whole feed. You hand water as usual, but the brain bucket pumps away run-off automatically before it turns your root zone into a swamp. Proper system that solves real problems — pythium, root rot, humidity spikes — and doesn't cost the earth.
The IWS AutoDrain System is a run-to-waste drainage solution that removes excess nutrient run-off automatically, keeping your root zone oxygenated and healthy. Hand water your plants normally. The flexi-pipe feeds run-off into the brain controller. When the float sensor detects liquid, the pump fires and everything drains to waste. Simple, reliable, and it means you're not gambling with stagnant water anymore.
How it compares
This sits in the modular, hand-watering-friendly bracket of drainage systems.
- More affordable entry point than all-in-one Medusa or FloraFlex complete kits
- Modular design — start small, scale up by adding more trays to the same brain
- Designed for hand watering, not drip automation (though you can upgrade later)
- Focuses on the thing that actually matters: getting run-off away from roots fast
Unlike Medusa's integrated approach or FloraFlex's platform systems, this one lets you keep full control over feeding while removing the labour of manual draining.
Usage guidance
Day-to-day watering
Place pots on the large drain trays. Hand water as normal, aiming for 20–30% run-off. The tray collects everything. When liquid pools in the brain controller, the mj1000 pump kicks in and pushes it straight to waste.
Monitoring and feeding
Collect run-off samples before it drains. Check EC and pH to see what your plants are actually taking up. Adjust your next feed based on real data, not guesswork. This is where run-to-waste gets powerful — you're force-feeding the roots to search for water, which builds a proper root mass fast.
Room setup
Connect the large trays to the brain controller using the supplied 13mm flexi pipe and fittings. Position the brain unit lower than the trays so gravity feeds into it. Route the discharge line to a drain or waste container. That's it.
Scaling
The system handles multiple trays fed into one brain. You can add more trays later without buying a new controller, making this genuinely scalable for growers expanding their numbers.
Technical specifications
- Configuration: Large drain trays with standard flexi pipe
- Piping: 13mm internal diameter flexi pipe with standard fittings included
- Brain controller pump: mj1000 submersible pump
- Pump outlet: 16mm connection (25mm upgrade option available)
- Float sensor: Automatic activation when run-off reaches lower float level
- Tray size: Large (accommodates bigger pot volumes than standard variant)
- System type: Run-to-waste (gravity-fed drain, pump-assisted removal)
- Power requirement: Standard mains via controller (12v safe voltage)
- Modularity: Multiple trays can connect to single brain controller
Who this is for
- Hand-watering growers who want to eliminate root-rot risk without full automation
- Growers working with 12–24 large pots who hate the wet vac / manual bucket routine
- Anyone scaling from a handful of plants to a proper room and needs to reduce labour
- Nutrient optimisers who want to monitor and fine-tune run-off without it sitting in pots
- Growers concerned about pythium, humidity control, and root zone health
Our take
This is proper engineering for a real problem. Stagnant water kills crops. Humidity spikes kill crops. Sitting in your own run-off for hours kills crops. The AutoDrain fixes all three without forcing you into full drip automation if you're not ready for it.
For the price, it's solid engineering that does exactly what it should, day in, day out. Good time to buy while stock lasts — one we recommend a lot to growers stepping up from hand-buckets.
