I know you have to add water.
That isn't the question at all.
Not worried about going out of town either, as we have a caretaker when gone.
I think you are unsure what the SWC is. :p
I'm concerned with whether or not these type of pots keep the soil too moist for most of our tropicals. Don't want to cause root rot. The idea behind them is they keep the water level in the soil at the proper level. I want to know if it works. Does it bleed off excess?