Ebb and Flow - How to fill and drain the reservoir???

So, I am somewhat new to the Ebb and Flow system. My question is as follows...

How do I totally drain the reservoir when it is time to either clean the reservoir and/or mix and add new nutrient solution? It does not seem that I could simply lift the top table part because I may disturb the plants and/or knock them over.

And the flip side of the question is..
How do I then add the new solution with minimal hassle and disturbance to the growing plants?

I have found no answer or demo anywhere online. I would assume there is an easy way of doing all of the aforementioned tasks since ebb and flow is common and popular, but I have yet to figure it out.

i agree! i also cant figure this out! my 40 gallon res is so big.... siphoning doesnt work cause its on the ground. ahhhh. thinking about building a table so i can have access too it all. =[

When my tray gets too full to move, I just unplug the tube from the pump and attach a 6' tube that goes to a 5 gal bucket and pump out everything I can until the pump is about to suck air.

I also have a small piece of 1x2 under one end of my res so that all the water runs to the pump end to get the most out. After I get that low, I use my wet/dry shop vac and suck out the last quart or so. I can then add a little fresh water and wipe down the sides and bottom that I can reach and re vac.

After its all clean, I then refill with fresh water and nutes. I'm small scale though, using a 1'x3' Ebb n Flow stackable that uses about 7-8 gallons max.

So, I am somewhat new to the Ebb and Flow system. My question is as follows...

How do I totally drain the reservoir when it is time to either clean the reservoir and/or mix and add new nutrient solution? It does not seem that I could simply lift the top table part because I may disturb the plants and/or knock them over.

And the flip side of the question is..
How do I then add the new solution with minimal hassle and disturbance to the growing plants?

I have found no answer or demo anywhere online. I would assume there is an easy way of doing all of the aforementioned tasks since ebb and flow is common and popular, but I have yet to figure it out.

I have a UC system and after the pump stops producing I have about 15 gal to unload. Hmmmmmmmm let me think what to do what to do.. oh ya get a $30 6 gal 3hp wet/dry shop vac and suck it out. The one I use is a lowes vac and it is called SHOP VAC. I'm just being a smart ass guys I actually tried a few things before getting the vac. Nice thing about the vac is you can suck up alot of the crap, residue, stuff just lying around on the floor and it's fast and easy to use. Have fun.
Letsgrw

If you built a table then you could drill a few holes in the reservoir to drain it.