Help me design a s/h watering system

[Tsuchibuta]

I don't think that you would need to control the amount of flow out of the pots with a gutter system as long as you had a place for the waste water to go. The incoming water could be presented to the pots in a number of methods to avoid splashing, easiest being a piece of PVC with holes drilled in buried in the pot with only a small portion exposed. This pipe would need to be larger than the outside diameter of the incoming pipe so you could slide the incoming pipe inside. The water then would go directing into the pot and disperse filling the pot. The overflow hose at the top would then keep the water from going on the floor and into the gutter system.

[Rivka]

Wow that's a good idea for the water in! Really doesn't even needs holes down it sides, just flow out the bottom and someway to stop the leca from pushing up into the pipe. Very doable.

Thinking if I can adjust the flow back and forth a bit the I could get a set up that could fill fast enough without closing the drain. And with the water going in a bit down in the pot, below the top level of leca, it is a lot less likely to disturb it or the plant.
So I can probably skip the drain tube and just let them drain to the trays I am hanging under the shelves. Those will have a drain line coming out of them.