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Eggcrate / drain for bottom of humidity bin

I have seen people on the forum with pics of a grid-like material at the bottom of their humidity bins.  I've been using a cookie rack which works fairly well, but it doesn't always sit nicely and isn't exactly the dimensions of my bin.  I went into a hardware store and struck out.  On ebay and google I had no idea what to search for, looking for "grid," "grate," "plastic drain," "drain grate," etc.  Finally, I found the magic phrase that gave me a lot of results that looked like the grid I wanted: "eggcrate."

On homedepot.com (it is also on lowe's), I searched for "eggcrate" and found this link: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Plaskolite-4-ft-x-2-ft-Suspended-Light-Ceiling-Panel-1199233A/202025149

Interestingly, this is a lighting panel shelf, but it seems to do the trick for fairly cheap. It could stand to be a bit thicker, but at .375 inches it should work ok.

I was able to cut 3 full size sheets for the bottom of a sterilite bin (about 19" x 13").  The remaining parts were enough for a 4th bin, albeit in two pieces. In the image, the blue represent the full size pieces and the red represents the two-part pieces.  The plastic is very brittle and tends to shatter as you cut through it with heavy duty shears (watch the eyes).  Even scissors would probably do it.

I suspect that this lighting panel is not what some others have used, but it was all I could find other than some overpriced fiberglass grating ($200-$300).  If you have a better source, feel free to chime in.  Hopefully this saves someone else some time looking around!

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That what I used.

I found a wire mesh rack of a good size that is meant for cooling off baked goods (like cookies) I think.  But the material you found looks even better so thanks for posting.


  I had a large stack of mesh trays that nurseries use to deliver 6-pack seedlings.  Upside-down, these worked perfect.

I use Aluminum diamond lath from Home Depot or Lowes. You will need a metal shears to cut them into correct size. I use them for my SIP bottom support as well on top of PVC pipes and under the burlap before I fill the potting mix.

I use the egg crate as well.

I cut up an old milk crate. The plastic crates make great platforms with excellent  drainage. Easy to cut with a jig saw or circular saw, and are usually free!!

Ha, that is a good deal! Glad you grabbed some.

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