Pit-y the fool

[docopp]

I built "trays" out of marine plywood that fit below the grate in my bays, they are 4" deep (a 2x4 around the perimeter) with a 6 inch drain in the middle with a screen and 3" lip (a drain from Lowes). I painted them to help preserve them and added a rubber strip around the periphery to keep the sand from flowing past the tray. I built them to see if they work, then maybe fabricate them out of metal. We use a flat shovel and clean them twice a week. Easy, just shoveling a few inches of sand near the surface !!!! I built them 2 years ago and they are holding up well.
I highly recommend doing this.

 

[Greg_T]

I built "trays" out of marine plywood that fit below the grate in my bays, they are 4" deep (a 2x4 around the perimeter) with a 6 inch drain in the middle with a screen and 3" lip (a drain from Lowes). I painted them to help preserve them and added a rubber strip around the periphery to keep the sand from flowing past the tray. I built them to see if they work, then maybe fabricate them out of metal. We use a flat shovel and clean them twice a week. Easy, just shoveling a few inches of sand near the surface !!!! I built them 2 years ago and they are holding up well.
I highly recommend doing this.

I like the idea, but with the amount of mud we get each week, the tray would be overwhelmed. We would certainly have a lot more than a few inches of sand!

 

[Bricks]

I built "trays" out of marine plywood that fit below the grate in my bays, they are 4" deep (a 2x4 around the perimeter) with a 6 inch drain in the middle with a screen and 3" lip (a drain from Lowes). I painted them to help preserve them and added a rubber strip around the periphery to keep the sand from flowing past the tray. I built them to see if they work, then maybe fabricate them out of metal. We use a flat shovel and clean them twice a week. Easy, just shoveling a few inches of sand near the surface !!!! I built them 2 years ago and they are holding up well.
I highly recommend doing this.

I like this idea!

 

[Mr. Clean]

I like the idea, but with the amount of mud we get each week, the tray would be overwhelmed. We would certainly have a lot more than a few inches of sand!

We cover pits with dimensional lumber using hex screws as spacers. What doesn't go down doesn't have to come up.