It is 2 different situations. Bottom watering by sitting the containers in an inch or so of water for a short period of time is what is recommended. Then remove them from the water. The gravel discussion is only for those few plants that either a) require excess humidity or b) will be left unattended for a period of time, say 2-5 days of vacation. The use of gravel plays a minimal, if any role, in average garden seed starting. Lighting as discussed in the How to get started FAQ and the Lighting FAQ is 99% of the time only fluorescent ie: 4' 2 tube shop lights. There are many discussions here about this that the forum search at the bottom of the page will pull them up along with pics that many of us have posted of our light set-ups. That is all that is needed for seed starting. LEDs and special grow lights or special colors only come into play when one is growing full grown plants inside under lights and need to encourage blooming etc. Mirrored sides??? Never heard of anyone using them yet millions start their seeds without them. Simple aluminum foil, the $2 mylar camping blankets, even white paint can all help with light reflection but the benefits are nominal and none of them are required for any reason. Well water is no problem. It is hard and chlorine free. It is artificially softened or some city water that can cause problems. Most packaged seed starting mix, what the majority use, and potting mixes are already sterile when you buy them. They are sold that way. If you mix your own out of non-sterile ingredients or use old mix then some recommend first treating it with boiling water. Seed starting can be as simple or as complex as you or the folks selling equipment for it want to make it. As with many things in life, simple is best. :) Dave

Well, I will add a new mystery to the post. One of the few perennial plants that survived the 'lean years' before I bought this place was a huge clump of white summer phlox. Don't know the variety, but these plants got over six feet tall and bloomed solid white. This spring, because of all the construction, I moved them from a southern exposure that was relatively damp and that received shade from mid-afternoon on, to a spot with full southern exposure and that was hotter and drier. This year they were three to four feet tall and bloomed.....PINK. I can understand the lower height, since they received more sun, but the color change???? I was going to post this separately earlier in the summer, but didn't because everyone would think I was crazy. Which I am, but there's no need to belabor the point. narcnh

Good for you, except for scarcity of the replacement pump. Did you check eBay for new or used pumps? The Fisher & Paykel toploader that I bought in 1999 carried on for 22 years until it went dead a few months ago, apparently due to a water leak of some ilk that zapped the controller board. My nephew had been using it for several years after it had passed through two other family members after myself, with one repair in 2011 (pump replacement). They live 2-1/4 hrs away and have a new baby so it wasn't a viable scenario for me to investigate it. They bought a used LG, a couple years old from someone who was moving and couldn't take it along. Anyway, appliance longevity statistics are a moving target. A machine that went for 10 years until a failure today was bought 10 years ago so is not as much relevant to expectations for one bought new next week.

Your understanding of the situation is quite good. Last time I checked, HUD code dwellings specify 1 1/2 for clothes washers. Not long ago, I was called to a house built in 1967 in which the washing machine drain would overflow occasionally. None of my snakes would go through so the wall was opened and the trap was a very deep cast iron unit. Removed it and discovered that the interior was flawed with casting flash due to a bad sand core. The bend in the trap was sharper than those shown at the link. Replaced as much of the drain with 1 1/2" PVC as could be accessed from that room. They have reported no more problems. Your decisions, your responsibility . Here is a link that might be useful: Cast trap